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Anthropology 21: Human Cultures (Spring 2003)
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Professor: Jeanne
Shea, (802) 656-3181, JLSHEA@zoo.uvm.edu
Class meetings: MWF
9:05-9:55, Williams Hall, Room 301
Prof. office hours: MWF 10:00-10:30 am, 12:05-12:35 pm, 515
Williams Hall.
Course website: www.uvm.edu/~jlshea
Course Description:
This course provides an
introduction to the academic discipline of cultural anthropology and explores a
broad range of human experiences, examining how and why humans and their
cultures vary in space and time. The course has three units: introduction to
cultural anthropology, central topics in cultural anthropology, and applying
anthropology to contemporary social problems.
Unit
One: The first unit gives a general introduction to cultural anthropology,
describing its central debates, theoretical approaches, methodological
alternatives, and ethical dilemmas. It
also provides an orientation to the geography and demography of cultures around
the globe.
Unit
Two: Through a variety of cultural examples, the second unit explores
cross-cultural variation in ideas and practices surrounding a broad range of
human experiences. Central topics
examined include human development and the lifecycle, sex and gender, family
and marriage, physical and mental health, religion and cosmology, language and
communication, arts and leisure, economic processes, political organization,
social stratification, and social conflict.
Unit
Three: We conclude this course with a look at anthropological approaches to
contemporary social problems. In the
final unit we focus on how anthropological ideas, methods and information can
contribute to the alleviation of problems surrounding world poverty, indigenous
peoples’ rights, and a whole array of social ills, including: ethnocentrism,
racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, environmental degradation, international
misunderstandings, war, terrorism, colonialism, ethnic conflict, human rights
violations, abuse of power by state bureaucracies, domination by multinational
corporations, social inequality, malnutrition, famine, AIDS, infectious
diseases, drug abuse, homelessness, domestic abuse, and violent crime.
Overall,
the course is designed to encourage us to broaden our views of sociocultural diversity, to expand our knowledge of
processes of social change, and to get us to question the everyday assumptions
we all make about what it means to be human and how we should live our lives.
This
syllabus provides a provisional schedule of lectures, topics, readings, exam
dates, etc. In the interest of flexibility, this schedule may be changed by the
instructor during the semester. E.g.,
candidates for a new faculty position in anthropology may provide guest
lectures to the class.
Professor
Profile:
Grew up in northern Vermont. Member of the faculty at the
University of Vermont since 1998.
Specialization in cultural anthropology, medical
anthropology, gender, ethnicity, health, and the lifecycle. Earned Ph.D (1998) and M.A. (1994) in
Anthropology from Harvard University and B.A. (1989) in Asian Studies from
Dartmouth College. Cultural and
geographic focus: Chinese culture, East Asia, North America. Multiple years of
fieldwork conducted in China and Montreal.
ANTHROPOLOGY 21: HUMAN
CULTURES Professor Shea:
Spring 2003
Required Coursework:
Assigned readings:
1. Barbara Miller, Cultural Anthropology, 2nd
edition, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2002 (bookstore).
2. John H. Bodley, Cultural
Anthropology: Tribes, States, and the Global System, 3rd
edition, CA: Mayfield, 2000 (bookstore).
3. Miller 1999: 383-406. Hicks 1996: 178-199. Ember
1999: 547-569 (on reserve, Library).
4. Current maps of the world. (see
the Map Room in Bailey-Howe Library to browse)
5. Encyclopedia of World Cultures (see
Bailey-Howe Library reference desk to browse)
Class Participation: 20%
1. Preparation for
class, including completion of assigned readings prior to class meetings.
2. Attendance,
promptness, attentiveness, and active participation at each class meeting.
3. Considerate
conduct toward all members of the class and adherence to course policies.
Cumulative Examinations: 80%
1. Exam #1 (45 minutes) date: Mon. Feb. 10, 9:05 am 18%
2. Exam #2 (45 minutes) date: Wed. Mar. 12, 9:05 am 18%
3. Exam #3 (45
minutes) date: Mon. Apr. 14,
9:05 am 18%
4. Final Exam
(3 hours) date: Fri. May 2, 8:00 am 26%
Each of the three
exams is cumulative in content. Questions will be in multiple-choice
format. Exams cover all course readings,
lectures, films, and discussions to date.
In order to do well on the exams, it is crucial that you both
complete all of the assigned readings and attend all of the class
meetings. It is your responsibility to do both. Exams will include both
content covered in lectures but not in readings and content covered in
readings but not in lectures, as well as content covered in both readings and
lectures.
Optional Extra Credit:
An optional essay
assignment for extra credit will be handed out in class. The extra credit essay assignment will ask
you to creatively analyze and synethesize the content
of course readings, lectures, and films.
In writing the essay, follow the specific instructions given for the
assignment, as well as the instructions given in the course handout on
guidelines for the evaluation of papers. All
written work should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with one-inch
margins. Essays should be no less than
six pages and no more than ten pages in length, not counting bibliography and
appendix. Essays should include both internal citations and a bibliography. This is an internal citation (Turabian 1996: 175).
For the format for bibliographies, please consult guidelines for the
evaluation of papers and Kate Turabian, A Manual
for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press, 1996 (see Bailey-Howe reference). The
extra credit essay will be due in class at the final exam on Friday, May 2 at
8:00 am. Extra credit will be assigned as follows: An essay
that earns an A will
add 7 points to the overall course grade. A-minus, 5 points. B-plus, 3 points.
B, 1 point. For
essays that earn below a B, no extra credit can be awarded.
Students with special needs:
Students working with ACCESS: Please confirm that I
have received a letter from the ACCESS office, and contact me during the first
week of class to discuss accommodations..
Students requesting an excused absence: Please
provide me during the first week of class with a list of foreseen dates and
reasons (e.g., day of obligatory religious observance, etc.).
Course Policies:
This section addresses course policies to ensure a
positive and fair learning environment and to make sure that everyone has a
clear understanding of the expectations in this course.
Preparation:
Assigned readings must be completed prior to each class meeting. Inadequate preparation will impair your
ability to engage with the lecture content and hamper your ability to do well
on the essays and exams. Lectures will assume completion of assigned readings.
Exams will include content covered in readings but not in lectures. It is your
responsibility to make sure to complete all of the readings in a timely
fashion.
Attendance: Attendance at each class
meeting is crucial to your ability to do well in this course. Lectures include
content not covered in assigned readings.
Classes will start promptly at 9:05 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays. Students are expected to arrive in the classroom by 9:05 am and to
remain in the classroom until the end of the class at 9:55 am. No absences and
no tardiness can be permitted without documentation of a serious health problem,
family emergency, religious obligation, or other excused reason. Unexcused absences, tardiness, or early
departures will bring down the student’s class participation grade. If you do need to be absent, with or without
an excused reason, please touch base with the professor and your TA via a brief
note or email as soon as you can. If, during class, you need to arrive late or
leave early, you should do so quietly and considerately, leaving a brief note
with your name, the date, and an explanation to the lecturer or TA. It is your
responsibility to make up any content that you miss due to absence from class
and to arrange to get lecture notes from a classmate.
Conduct: All members of the class are
expected to be attentive and considerate, to work together to create a positive
and invigorating learning environment, and to treat each other with respect and
compassion. In the classroom, since we
have a very large course enrollment, students should maintain a quiet and orderly
environment and raise their hand and wait to be recognized before contributing
questions or insights. In any class discussions, students are expected to
participate actively, to ask questions and express their analyses of issues raised in the course, to encourage others to participate in
discussion, to listen respectfully to others’ points of view, and to respond
diplomatically to differences of opinion. Inappropriate conduct will bring down
the student’s class participation grade.
Late papers and makeup exams: Late papers cannot be accepted,
extensions cannot be granted, and makeup exams cannot be given without
documentation of a serious health problem, family emergency, religious
obligation, or other excused reason. Please mark your calendars and set your
alarm clocks carefully. Unexcused absence on the day that an examination is
given will result in a zero on the exam in question. Unexcused late papers will
be marked down by a full letter grade per day late (e.g., one to twenty-four
hours late, an A- becomes a B-).
Plagiarism and cheating: Plagiarism and cheating violate
a group’s ability to maintain fairness and trust and harm the person who
engages in these practices by compromising their integrity and interfering with
their ability to learn and create.
Plagiarism and cheating will result in severe consequences, including an
F on the essay or exam in question.
Please familiarize yourself with proper citation practices and
test-taking procedures. If you have any
questions concerning the line between doing your own work and copying the work
of others, please do not hesitate to ask..
ANTHROPOLOGY 21: HUMAN CULTURES Professor Shea:
Spring 2003
Provisional Course Schedule: May Be Subject to
Change by Instructor
Unit One: Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology
Mon. Jan.
13 Topic:
Introduction to the Course
Wed.
Jan. 15 Topic: What is anthropology? What is cultural anthropology?
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 1-9. Bodley pp. 1-7.
Fri. Jan. 17 Topic:
Central debates in cultural anthropology
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 9-12.
Mon. Jan. 20 Martin Luther King Holiday (no class)
Wed. Jan. 22 Topic:
Culture and its significance
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 12-24. Bodley pp. 8-15.
Fri. Jan. 24 Topic:
Theoretical perspectives in cultural anthropology
Readings
due:
Bodley pp. 16-24. (one
perspective)
Mon. Jan. 27 Topic:
Methodological alternatives in cultural anthropology
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 25-42.
Wed. Jan. 29 Topic:
Ethics in cultural anthropology
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 43-50. Bodley pp. 120-132.
Fri. Jan. 31 Topic:
A geographic survey of human cultures
Readings
due: Study
current world maps, in both political and
topographical format. Then browse through the maps in
the Encyclopedia of World Cultures
(Bailey-Howe library)
Mon. Feb. 3 Topic:
Demographic foundations: Fertility and birth
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 107-120.
Wed. Feb. 5 Topic:
Demographic foundations: Mortality and death
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 119-128.
Fri. Feb. 7 Topic:
Demographic foundations: Migration
Readings
due: Miller
1999 pp. 383-406 (on reserve)
Mon. Feb. 10 **** Exam One
Unit Two: Central
Topics in Cultural Anthropology
Wed. Feb. 12 Topic:
Cross-cultural variation in human development
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 129-150.
Fri. Feb. 14 Topic:
Chinese conceptions of the lifecycle
Readings
due: Bodley pp. 216-233, 240-241
Mon. Feb. 17 President’s Day Holiday (no class)
Wed. Feb. 19 Topic:
Maasai conceptions of the lifecycle
Film: “The Maasai:
Maasai Women”
Readings
due: Miller
p. 139-141, Bodley pp. 88-100, 112-119.
Fri. Feb. 21 Sex, gender, sexual orientation, and
sexuality
Readings
due: Hicks
pp. 178-199 (on reserve).
Mon. Feb. 24 Topic:
Kinship, descent, and kin term systems
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 175-187. Bodley pp. 241-247.
Wed. Feb. 26 Topic:
Marriage forms, wedding rituals, and post- marital residence
Film: “Dadi’s
Family”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 188-200. Bodley pp. 276-277.
Fri. Feb. 28 Topic:
Domestic groups and the household
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 201-211.
Mon. Mar. 3 Topic:
A Cultural Perspective on Polygamy
Film: “Turkana:
A Wife Among Wives”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 212-220.
Wed. Mar. 5 Topic:
Religion
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 313-338. Bodley pp. 31-36, 271-276.
Fri. Mar. 7 Topic:
Medical and psychiatric anthropology
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 151-167. Bodley pp. 139-148.
Mon. Mar. 10
Topic: Combining “traditional” and “modern” approaches to illness
Film: “Sangoma:
Traditional Healers in Modern Society”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 168-174.
Wed. Mar. 12 **** Exam Two
Fri. Mar. 14 Topic:
Language and Communication
Film: “American Tongues”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 289-312. Bodley pp. 133-138.
March 17-21 UVM holiday (no class)
March 20-23 Northeastern Anthropological Association
Conference, Burlington, VT
Anthropology presentations by
faculty, researchers, and students
Mon. Mar. 24 Topic:
Art, leisure, and expressive culture
Film: “Trobriand
Cricket”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 339-360.
Wed. Mar. 26 Topic:
Economies and their modes of production
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 51-78. Bodley pp. 330-346.
Fri. Mar. 28 Academic conference (no class)
Mon. Mar. 31 Topic:
Economies and their modes of consumption
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 79-90. Bodley pp. 346-348.
Wed. Apr. 2 Topic:
Economies and their modes of exchange
Film: “Ongka’s
Big Moka”
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 91-106.
Fri. Apr. 4 Topic:
Political organization and leadership
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 245-266
Mon. Apr. 7 Topic:
Social stratification
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 221-244. Bodley pp. 263-267, 348-360.
Wed. Apr. 9 Topic:
Social order and social conflict
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 267-288.
Fri. Apr. 11 Topic:
The Debate Surrounding the Yanomami
Film: “A Man Called Bee” and “The Ax
Fight”
Readings
due: Bodley pp. 54-68, 77-85.
Mon. Apr. 14 **** Exam Three
Unit Three: Applying
Anthropology to Contemporary Social Problems
Wed. Apr. 16 Topic:
Applying Anthropology to Contemporary Social Problems
Film: “Anthropologists At Work”
Readings
due: Ember
pp. 547-569.
Fri. Apr. 18 Topic:
Pros and Cons of Social Change
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 361-374. Bodley pp. 298-328.
Mon. Apr. 21 Topic:
Applied Anthropology and Social Problems
Readings
due: Miller
pp. 375-387. Bodley pp. 439-443.
Wed. Apr. 23 Topic:
The Impoverished World and Development Aid
Readings
due: Bodley ch.
13.
Fri. Apr. 25 Topic:
Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights
Readings
due: Bodley ch.
14.
Mon. Apr. 28 Topic:
The Indigenous Movement in Hawaii
Film: “Papakolea”
Readings
due:
Bodley pp. 173-179.
Wed. Apr. 30 Topic: Final Remarks, Question/Answer
Session, and Course Evaluation
Fri. May 2 8:00 am, Williams 301
**** Final Exam
** Optional Extra Credit Essay due
Hope you had a good semester! Have a nice summer!
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)