Office: JM 126 Mondays 10:00 am -11:00 am

Tuesdays 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Wednesday 10:00 am -11:00 am 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Thursdays 10:00 am - 11:00 am 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Required: The text: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, ninth edition, by

William A. Haviland, 1999 by Harcourt Brace College Publishers

Global economy and the power of media communication are bringing us into direct contact with peoples of many regions with vastly different values and ways of life. We are, accordingly, faced with the challenge of tolerating and appreciating other culture systems in order to avoid the terrible alternative of increased ethnic nationalism and hostility.

Cultural Anthropology is one-semester college-level course in introductory anthropology. The course focuses on the thesis that every society is based on an integrated culture, which satisfies human, needs and facilitates survival. The course also explores the ways in which our own culture fits into the broad range of human possibilities.

GOALS: Four major goals have been specified for CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1- Explain the concept of culture, from anthropological perspective, as the adaptive mechanism, which provides for survival of the human species as well as some of the concepts, terms and procedures used by anthropologists in studying cultures.

2- Illustrate the similarities and variability of human cultures, and demonstrate that there are a number of valid "cultural solutions" to living on the earth

3- Explain the relationship between culture and the individual, and clarify the factors involved in cultural change.

4- Demonstrate a broad cross-cultural background against which to view their own culture as well as contemporary social problems

TOPICS: The nature of culture, how cultures are studied, language and communication, psychological anthropology, patterns of subsistence, marriage and the family, kinship and descent, political organization, religion and magic, the arts, and culture change.

The lectures in Anthropology class are very short. The discussion is critical element of Anthropology 131. For the discussion to be successful and for you to get the most out of the course you must have finished the assigned reading before you come to class and be prepared to discuss the material. As a general rule it is a good idea to bring the books each week to class. It is quite possible that I will read a paragraph from the material and have you comment on it. In addition you might have questions of your own from the readings that you want to discuss. Your participation in the discussion classes and attendance will count 100 points of your final mark.

Since class attendance (short lectures and discussion) is essential for your successful completion of the course, attendance checks will be made each class meeting. You are responsible for all material presented in class, including announcements about course procedures. Part of your grade is class participation. Also exams, quizzes, and homework often include questions on material presented only in class, so your attendance directly affects your performance.

1. Withdraw and audit -"W" and "Y"- are permanent transcripted grades and will not be change;

2. No awarded grade appearing on the transcript will be changed to either Withdraw or Audit

3. Change of awarded grade to Incomplete must be accompanied by detailed explanation and documentation. Final approval is based on the judgment of the Dean of Faculty and registrar

4. The Incomplete is awarded only when student work is deemed to be sufficient in quality but lacking in quantity. Written agreement between the student and Instructor as to work needed to be completed as well as completion date is required. An "I" not changed by the next full-length Fall or Winter semester will remain a permanently transcripted grade unless the course is not offered, for example, in the next full-length semester (Any "I" not changed at the end of one year will remain a permanently transcripted grade)

5. An Incomplete that is transcripted may be changed to a grade by the instructor of record only.

Examinations:

There will be: three partial exams worth 100 points each. The final exam is worth 200 points and covers the entire material studied over the semester.

The partial exams are made up of multiple choice and true/false questions, article interpretation, and essay questions from class discussion, textbook, supplementary readings and primary sources.

Class participation:

Points are given daily for class participation, asking and answering questions, participating in group discussion,

volunteering and participating in class experiments.

 

You will work in assigned groups of 4-5 students. The instructor will establish the role of each individual in the group. The instructor will also do this for exams. The ideal group will be composed of equally prepared students, but, if one student misses classes, or act disinterested towards the well being of his or her colleagues, this student will be removed from the group.

Again, the instructor decides the composition of groups for each exam.

Each student will take Exam 1 and 3 and the quizzes alone, not with their group. Written assignments are also to be done individually.

No exam can be retaken and no make-up for quizzes. If for any family, medical, or personal emergency you find it necessary to miss a scheduled examination, you must contact the course instructor before the examination. If unable to contact the instructor, leave a message with the building secretary (787-0800, ext. 8152). Medical excuses will require a note from a doctor. A death in the family will require a copy of the death certificate or an obituary. Reasonable accommodation will be made in genuine cases of extenuating circumstances.

Assignments:

You also will be required to write A. 5 short (2 -2.5 pages) assignments worth 20 points each, and B. a research project, worth 200 points

I sincerely hope that the research project will not be an exercise in futility or simply be regarded as busy work assignment. The written assignments, as well as the essay exams, have been designed sharpen analytical, conceptual and critical skills. In addition I hope that the papers will engage your interests and encourage your imagination and creativity.

A. The assignments must be typed, at 2 spaces, and no shorter that 2 pages, and no longer that 3.

The dates for written assignments are listed in your class schedule. For each written assignment you will have to read an article in your study guide, a document provided by the instructor, or a chapter in your textbook. After reading the material, make a list of what you consider the 5 most important concepts or personalities in what you read. Under each of these provide a brief paragraph explaining your choice.

B. For the research project you can choose an oral presentation, a visual, or a written project. If you choose a written research project, this must be typed, at 2 spaces, no shorter that 4 pages, and no longer that 6 (the best will be 5 pages long).

In addition you must have a bibliography page and notes (foot notes, end notes or in text notes). (If you use Internet sources you should present a hard copy of your source.)

A research project should have at least four sources.

As far as style is concerned, I will accept footnote, endnote or parenthetical format, but ALL references MUST be documented and all sources included in a bibliography at the end of the essay.

We will talk in class about different types of projects you can choose.

We will talk in class about different types of projects you can choose.

The paper is due no later that November 27 and should be three to four pages in length. Be sure to provide adequate documentation (in footnote, endnote or parenthetical form) for the outside sources. The paper should be typed (a word processor is, of course, acceptable) with a dark ribbon, double spaced, with one inch margins on all sides. Please check your grammar and spelling carefully, since your writing style will factor into your grade.

There is no unyielding outline that you must follow when writing your paper, but the following guidelines may help:

1. Introduction

Note what issue you plan to analyze and explain briefly the topic

Identify the author and summarize the main points of the first article. Note any weaknesses in the article, including insufficient evidence, unclear reasoning or writing style. You may want to consult professional reviews of the original source of the article or works by other authors.

Identify the author and summarize the main points of the second article. Note any weaknesses in the article, including insufficient evidence, unclear reasoning or writing style. You may want to consult professional reviews of the original source of the article or works by other authors.

Identify the author and summarize the main points of the second article. Note any weaknesses in the article, including insufficient evidence, unclear reasoning or writing style. You may want to consult professional reviews of the original source of the article or works by other authors.

5. Comparison of sources

Compare and contrast your sources. How do they reflect different perspectives on the issue? Can these different views be attributed to any personal biases of the authors? Which of the sources do you find more convincing, and why (or are they all lacking)? This is the meat of your paper, so be sure to explain your criticisms clearly.

Summarize your main points and state again which sources you find more persuasive.

As far as style is concerned, I will accept footnote, endnote or parenthetical format, but ALL references MUST be documented and all sources included in a bibliography at the end of the paper. For Internet sources please sure to attach a hard

I will be happy to evaluate a rough draft of the paper in advance. Be sure to turn in the rough draft NO LESS THAN TWO WEEKS before the actual paper is due (I.e., November 15.)

1000-940 points - 4.0

939-850 points - 3.5

849-800 points - 3.0

799-750 points - 2.5

749-650 points - 2.0

649-550 points - 1.5

549-500 points - 1.0

499-400 points - 0.5

399-000 points - 0.0

Exam I: 10/02/00 Chapter 1-7, classroom notes, extra material provided

Exam 2: 11/06/00 Chapter 8-12, classroom notes, extra material provided

Exam 3: 12/04/00 Chapter 13-16, classroom notes, extra material provided

Final Ex: 12/11/00 Comprehensive