Anthropology 100: 2
Fall 2005
MWF
DDH 102G
Dr. Karen Stocker Office Hours:
DDH CC 207 MF
654-6875 W
kstocker@csub.edu Or by appointment
TA: Amanda Mojibi
office hours: Monday
DDH CC210
Course Goals:
This course will offer an overview of the basics of cultural
anthropology,
its beginnings, its fundamental concepts, its theoretical
foundations, and its methods. It will also cover what scholars are doing with
or through anthropology and how the discipline applies to the world today.
Students will get a look into various cultures as they gain an understanding of
the importance of diversity in our own society as well as in others throughout
the world. Finally, this course seeks to promote communication skills (both
written and oral), critical thinking, and multicultural awareness.
Course objectives:
By means of readings, lectures, and guest speakers, students will
become familiar with the basic concepts of the discipline. They will gain
understanding of cross-cultural views of language, family, religion and ritual,
economy and subsistence strategies, and immigration. They will learn about
current applications of anthropology in the real world, including educational
anthropology, medical anthropology, development anthropology, and business
anthropology. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate their understanding
of basic anthropological concepts such as culture, cultural relativism, and
culture change through occasional quizzes, and they will learn to recognize the
role of salient social divisions such as race, ethnicity, gender, and social
class in our society and others that we study. Students will develop writing
skills and learn to build a convincing written argument. Students will
synthesize knowledge from readings, lectures, and their own experience and
opinions, and apply it to presentations by guest speakers and videos. Students
will demonstrate their understanding of readings by leading small group
discussions. Through their own ethnographic fieldwork, students will gain a
deeper understanding of the methodology used in this discipline.
Course requirements:
Students are responsible for daily reading assignments as well as for leading small group discussions once during the quarter (see last page of the syllabus for guidelines) and for writing response papers to two of at least six presentations (movies or guest speakers – see the penultimate page of the syllabus for guidelines). Students will also write two papers, 3-5 pages in length, conduct participant observation, and provide a written account of that research. Students will be responsible for passing three quizzes related to basic concepts in the discipline.
Required readings (available at
the campus bookstore):
Miller, Barbara D.
2005 Cultural
Anthropology, 3rd edition.
[Referred to as CA in the syllabus]
Spradley, James and David W. McCurdy
2006 Conformity and
Conflict, 12th edition.
[Referred to as C & C on the syllabus]
Chavez, Leo R.
1998 Shadowed Lives:
Undocumented Immigrants in American Society.
[Referred to as SL on the syllabus]
Other readings will be placed on electronic reserve (online)
through the Walter Stiern Library. To
access materials on electronic reserve, visit www.lib.csub.edu
and click on “Course Reserves.” Find the reserve readings for Anth 100 by
course number or by my last name. Click on “Electronic Reserve
Grading and
Assignments:
Preparation sheet for small group discussion 10 points
Leading discussion 10
points
Fieldwork and write-up of participant observation 30 points
Bathroom graffiti examples 5 points
Paper on race or ethnicity (3-5
pp) 50 points
Paper on SL (in-class essay, 3-5 pages) 50 points
Two response papers (approximately 1 page each,
not to exceed two pages—due in the class period
following the movie or guest speaker) 20 points
(10 points each)
Quiz 1 (Culture, Cultural Relativism, Ethnographic
Methods, and Language 25
points
Quiz 1 (kinship and gender) 25
points
Quiz 2 (Economies
and Subsistence Strategies, Culture Change
and
World Systems Theory, and Globalization) 25 points
TOTAL:
250 points
Grading scheme:
100-93% = A
92 - 89 = A-
88-86 = B+
85 - 83 = B
82 - 79 = B-
78-76 = C+
75 - 73 = C
72 - 69 = C-
68 – 66 = D+
65 – 63 = D
62 - 59 = D-
58 and below = F
Classroom
policies:
1. I will not accept late papers unless you have a documented
excuse
(proving illness, death in the family, or participation in
university-sponsored events). See the guidelines below for policies related to
response papers. All papers are due at the beginning of class on the date
listed, and you must attend class that day to have your paper received.
Response papers are due at the beginning of the class period following the
event (movie or guest speaker) reviewed. In addition to turning in a hard copy,
please submit an electronic copy to www.turnitin.com
before class begins. The Class ID number is 1314690 and the password is Miller
(the author of your main textbook). You will each need to get a free
turnitin.com account in order to do this. If you do not submit your paper to
turnitin.com, the grade for your paper will be reduced by 10%.
2. Do not come into class late or leave early, unless you have a
compelling reason that you have discussed with me prior to class.
3. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what
you missed. Any more than three unexcused absences will negatively affect your
grade.
4. Please turn off your cell phones or pagers.
5. All students must adhere to CSUB’s policy on Academic
Integrity, as outlined under Rights and Responsibilities on page 37 of the Fall
2005 Class Schedule. Students who do not do so will receive an F in the course
and will face disciplinary sanction by Student Discipline and Judicial Affairs.
Please read the following for specifics about what constitutes plagiarism: http://www.csub.edu/ssric/Modules/Other/plagiarism.htm
6. Qualified students with disabilities who need appropriate
academic adjustments should contact me soon as possible to ensure that your
needs are met in a timely manner. Any disability needs to be verified by
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Upon such verification, all
handouts and assignments will be available in alternative accessible formats
upon request.
7. Students are responsible for tracking their own grade progress
(see “Grading and Assignments,” and “Grading Scheme” above).
8. When I grade your papers, I do not want to know who you are, so
as to avoid any unfair bias in grading. To this end, I request that you turn in
all papers with your name typed on the right corner of the first page only.
Fold over this corner of each paper toward the back before you turn in your
paper to assure your anonymity.
Assignments
are due on the day under which they are listed. For example, students must have
read Chapter 1 of CA (Cultural Anthropology by Barbara D. Miller) by Friday,
September 16.
Introduction
Topic: Culture, Cultural relativism, Anthropology
Guest lecture on listening and note taking by Monique Idoux
Topic: Is anthropology a Science? Objectivity, popular ideas of
anthropology and anthropology’s beginnings
Assignment: Read CA Chapter 1
Guest lecture on writing by Monique Idoux
Topic: Anthropological methods: Ethnography and Participant
observation.
Fieldwork project will be assigned and explained.
Turnitin.com accounts will be explained
Assignment: CA Chapter 2
Topic: Methods, continued
Assignment: C & C Chapters 4 and 5 (“Fieldwork on Prostitution
in the era of AIDS” and “Lessons from the Field”)
Small Group Discussion on C & C Chapters 4 and 5
Friday, September
23
Topic: Language and Linguistic Anthropology
CA Chapter 12
Discuss and turn
in fieldwork assignment.
Assisgnment: C & C Chapters 6, 7, and 8 (“The Sapir-Whorf
Hypothesis,” “How to Ask for a Drink,” and “Body Art as Visual Language”)
Small Group Discussion on C & C Chapters 6, 7, and 8
Wednesday, September
28
Topic: Gendered language
Assignment: Bring in three examples of bathroom graffiti from any
public, men’s or women’s bathroom (specify if it was a men’s or women’s
bathroom and where it was located) and C & C Chapter 9 (“Conversation
Style: Talking on the Job”)
Quiz on Culture,
Cultural Relativism, Ethnographic Methods, and Language
Topic: Conclusion to language and linguistic anthropology; results
of the
bathroom graffiti study; The roots of anthropology as anti-racist;
race, class, and ethnicity
Assignment: CA Chapter 9
Topic: Race and Ethnicity
Assignment: C & C Chapter 23 (“Mixed Blood”) and “White
Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” by Peggy McIntosh, and “Race
Without Color,” by Jared Diamond on electronic reserve (also on regular reserve
in the book called Applying Cultural Anthropology by Aaron Podolefsky and Peter
J. Brown – chapters 18 and 16, respectively).
Video: “Matters of Race,” Part 4
Midterm paper will be assigned
Topic: Race, ethnicity
Assignment:
CA Chapter 11
Topic: Race, ethnicity, and class, continued
Video: “Two Towns of Jasper”
Assignment: work on midterm
Midterm paper due
Small Group Discussions on race
Topic: Kinship and family
Assignment: CA Chapter 8
Topic: Kinship and Family
Assignment: C & C Chapters 16, 17, and 18 (“Mother’s Love:
Death without Weeping,” “Family and Kinship in Village India,” and “Life
without Fathers and Husbands”)
Small Group discussion on C & C Chapters 16, 17, and 18
Topic: Gender
Assignment: CA Chapter 5
Gender, continued
Assignment: C & C Chapters 19, 21, and 22 (“Uterine Families
and the Women’s Community,” “Society and Sex Roles,” and “A Woman’s Curse?”)
Small group discussions on C & C 19, 21, and 22
Gender, continued
Assignment: C & C Chapters 20 and 27 (“Symbolizing Roles:
Behind the Veil” and “Taraka’s Ghost”)
Video: “Beyond Killing Us Softly”
Topic: Religion and Ritual
Assignment: CA Chapter 13
Quiz on kinship and gender
Topic: Religion and Ritual
Assignment: C & C Chapters 28, 29, and 30 (“Baseball Magic,”
“Run for the Wall: An American Pilgrimage,” and “Cargo Beliefs and Religious
Experience”)
Small Group discussions of C & C Chapters 28, 29, and 30
Topic: Religion and Ritual
Assignment: Bring in anonymous questions for the guest speaker
regarding Islam
Guest Speaker from the American Muslim Student Association
Topic: Economies and Subsistence Strategies
Assignment: CA Chapter 3
Response paper due to Friday’s presentation
Topic: Culture Change, World Systems Theory, and Globalization
Assignment: C & C Chapters 14 and 32 (“Cocaine and the
Economic Deterioration of Bolivia” and “Men’s Pleasure, Women’s Labor: Tourism
for Sex”)
Quiz on Economies and
Subsistence Strategies, Culture Change and World Systems Theory, and
Globalization
Topic: Applied Anthropology (Development Anthropology, Medical
Anthropology, and Education and Anthropology)
Assignment: C & C Chapters 12 and 35 (“Forest Development the
Indian Way” and “Medical Anthropology: Improving Nutrition in Malawi”)
Lecture: Discrimination in a Rural Costa Rican High School
Topic: Business Anthropology and Careers in Anthropology
Assignment: C & C Chapters 36 and 37 (“Using Anthropology” and
“Career Advice for Undergraduates”)
Guest lecture by Dr. John Stark from the School of Business
Topic: Immigration
Assignment: CA Chapter 15
Video: “Invisible Indians”
Response paper due to guest lecture
Topic: Immigration
Assignment SL Introduction (pages 1-12), and Chapters 1 and 2
Response paper to “Invisible Indians” due
Topic: Immigration
Assignment: SL Chapters 3, 4, and 5
Video: Matters of Race, “Part 1”
Topic: Immigration
Assignment: SL Chapters 6, 7, and 8
Response paper due to “Matters of Race, Part 1”
Tips for writing in-class essays
Monday, November
21
Topic: Immigration
Assignment: SL Chapters 9 and 10
Small group discussions of possible final exam questions
Your final exam
will consist of an in-class essay on SL on Monday, November 28, from 11:00-1:30
in our regular classroom. You will need to bring a blank blue book (do not put
your name on it).
Your task is to write a total of 2 reviews (no longer than 2 pages
each)
of the guest speakers or films that will be presented in
class. There
will be several such opportunities to choose from (“Matters of
Race,” Parts 1 and 4, ”Two Towns of Jasper,” “Beyond Killing Us Softly,”
“Invisible Indians,” and the guest speakers from the American Muslim Student
Association and the School of Business). Each review must include the following:
• Name of film or speaker (1 point)
• A brief synopsis of the film or of the main points covered by
the speaker (2 points)
• An explanation of how what you heard or saw is related to
specific
discussions from class and
from your readings. Be specific and cite the pages of your readings
appropriately (3 points)
• Your reaction: What did you like or dislike and why? (2 points)
You will be graded on the completeness of your response (whether
or not you addressed each of the points above) and on your writing. Remember to
proofread your work for organization, clarity, spelling, and grammar (2
points).
Each review is due on the class session immediately following the
film or
speaker being reviewed. I will not accept late reviews unless they
are accompanied by documentation of illness, death in the family, or
participation in university-sponsored events. In that case, you must talk to me
as soon as possible to make arrangements for turning in your paper.
Discussion Preparation Guide for Student-led Discussions
Name_______________________________________________
Date_______________
Author and title of articles or chapters discussed:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
You must fill out this discussion preparation guide and return it
in on
the day of the discussion.
No exceptions will be made for late papers without acceptable
documentation.
The written guide will count toward half of the student-led
discussion grade (10
points). You will earn up to ten additional points for your
facilitation of discussion and your ability to keep discussion going in your
small group.
Use this guide to help you formulate the issues you would like to
bring
up during the discussion.
1. Note words that are unfamiliar to you (and that are different
from those recommended by the authors or editors of C & C as terms to look
up in the glossary) or whose definition might make the reading more clear to
your group’s members. Note the context of the phrase where you first saw it,
the page number from which it came, and provide a definition of the word. Cite
your source for the definition.
a.
b.
c.
2. What ideas seem significant, intriguing, or puzzling to you?
Prepare questions about these to ask during discussion. Write at least one
question for each article assigned, and write a total of at least five
questions.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
3. State the topic of each reading in one or two sentences. What are these
chapters about?
4. How do the readings relate to other materials you have read in
this
class or in other classes?
5. How do the readings relate to things you, your friends, or your
family
have experienced or to events with which you are familiar?
6. What is your opinion of each chapter? Provide a reason for your
opinion.