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ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT
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Fall,
2002 |
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DR.
RICHARD WILK |
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Anthropology
E490/690 |
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T,
Th |
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Wilk's Office: 130 Student Building, phone 855-2555, email: WILKR |
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Office
Hours: MW |
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Make and Appointment through
Connie Adams at 855-1041 |
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Class Schedule: http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/490sced.htm Assignment 1: http//www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/490as1.htm |
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The vast majority of the world’s people live in
poverty, and lack access to many basic resources, services and rights. They
face problems and challenges that are difficult for most Americans to
understand. It is even harder for us to find ways of helping these people
solve their economic, social and political problems. This course is about
the ways that anthropology can contribute to both understanding basic human
problems and to finding solutions for them. This is the broadest sense of
the term "development"
that you will hear so often in class. We will follow three steps in finding
our way towards an effective engagement between anthropology and the
pressing problems of the world. |
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Defining the problems of
"underdevelopment." In this section of the course we will read some case studies, and discuss
the nature of poverty. We will try to define for ourselves what we mean by
"development," how cultural relativism and applied anthropology
can be reconciled, and what ethical issues need to be considered in pursuing
development anthropology. |
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Finding a theoretical and anthropological context. Here we will discuss the
theories and knowledge that inform development work. We will look at the history
of development theory, with special attention to the political context and
content of each model. We will also look at anthropological models of
culture change, critiques of the concept of development, and the growth of
the sub-discipline that is now recognizable as "development
anthropology." |
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Critical application of knowledge to real problems.
The last
third of the semester will be spent in a practical case study using a
simulation exercise in the book “The Big
Catch.” After this we will follow your individual interests into
sub-areas of development anthropology in which you will become a ‘resident
expert.’ (e.g. land tenure, appropriate technology, water resources, war and
conflict, law, gender and development, education, tourism). |
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Applied Development Anthropology has already
generated a whole library of reports, papers, journals and technical
documents. It is a large and flourishing field that now employs almost as
many anthropologists as teaching institutions. We can't cover everything -
or even a large fraction - in a single semester. Instead we will follow two
strategies: what I would liken to call “opportunistic foraging” and “patch
feeding.” The first two thirds of the course will roam widely over the open
plains of information, stopping briefly to forage on particularly important
spots. The last part of the course will allow each student to find and
exploit a patch of particularly tasty resources in more depth. Hopefully we
will all get some of the advantages of both generalist and specialist
strategies, and nobody will be intellectually starved or overfed. |
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Course Format and Requirements
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The first and last thirds of the course will
consist mostly of discussion of the readings and short in-class
presentations by students, relating to their own research and writing. Class
discussions will sometimes be quite structured - working on a particular
list of questions or readings – but other times we will range more freely.
Students will often be assigned a particular paper or reading to summarize as
part of the class discussion. |
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The middle third of the semester will look more
like a normal lecture class, though discussion will always be part of the process.
Lectures will have only a tenuous relationship to some of your reading
during this part of the class; it is your responsibility to draw the links
between what you hear from me, and what you read in the books and reader. |
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In the last section of the class, students take
the lead in our simulation study, and then in presenting the results of their
own research into a sub-area of applied anthropology. |
Grades in the class will be based on
the following:
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Undergraduates:
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2 5-page essays on topics to be assigned. |
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2 5-page, or 1 10-page research paper. You will
have choices about this. You can work in the class community-based action
research project and write one paper, or you can write two shorter papers
based on library research. |
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1 or 2 classroom presentations based on papers
(depends on the size of the class). |
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Participation in classroom discussion - which
means keeping up with the reading. |
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Graduates:
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2 5-page essays on topics to be assigned. |
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2 10-page, or 1 20-page research paper, as
above. |
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2 classroom presentations based on papers. |
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Participation in classroom discussion - which
means keeping up with the reading. |
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The percentage breakdown goes like this: |
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Classroom participation............. 10% |
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Oral presentations.................. 30% |
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Papers.............................. 60% |
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Texts
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What can I tell you? There is just no other way to
get information and understand the scope of development anthropology. You
have to read, read and read. I have winnowed through literally hundreds of
books and articles trying to find the fewest that say the most in the best
way....but we still end up with a long list. |
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There are five required texts, and a thin
Xeroxed reader - which is on reserve in the geography library in the
basement of the Student building. |
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Rapley, John 2002 Understanding
Development. Lynne Rienner. |
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Escobar, A. 1994 Encountering Development. |
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Klitgaard, R. 1990 Tropical Gangsters. Basic Books. |
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Chapin, M. and B. Threlkeld 2001
Indigenous Landscapes.
Native Lands. |
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Robertson, A. F. 1995 The Big
Catch. Westview Press. |
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A short view of the professional world: |
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This website provides free access to scores of
new job vacancies in the Environment and International Development sector for
all levels of professionals: www.DevNetJobs.org |
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The Fine Print
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I am a practicing applied anthropologist - this
course covers a topic with which I have a deep relationship and a personal interest.
If there are things that you want to know more about that we do not cover in
class, please feel free to come in and see me. I will probably tell you more
than you want to know about it. I am always happy to talk over your
interests and work with you, though given my schedule I may have to make an
appointment. I encourage all students in the class to use email to
communicate with me on all class matters. |
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University rules require me to append the
following warning: all cases of cheating and dishonesty or plagiarism will
be treated according to the rules laid out in the academic handbook and the
College Bulletin. I require each of you to attend class and to turn in your
own independent work in order to pass this course. You are always encouraged
to consult with each other and discuss your work, but unless I specify a
group project, all written work must be entirely your own product.
Plagiarism is the copying of others’ work without attribution and clear
references; it will be punished with a failing grade in the class at the
minimum. |
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Incompletes
have
sometimes been a problem in this class because of the heavy work and reading
load and a tight schedule. My general policy is to discourage all
incompletes except in cases of medical disability or family crisis. The fact
that you have work for other classes is not a reason to ask for an
incomplete in this one. If you do want an incomplete, you must ask for it in
advance. Late papers will lose the equivalent of one full grade (10points
out of a hundred) for every week they are overdue. If you let me know in
advance I will strive to reschedule an oral presentation that you miss, but
only within reasonable limits. |