ANTHROPOLOGY E105
Fall 2005 SECTION 0445
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
DR. RICHARD WILK
01:25P-02:15P TR
Fine Arts 102
Anthropology asks the questions "What
is human nature? Where did we come from? How did we get where we are today? Why
are we different from each other? How can we better understand people who are
different from us? Unlike other social sciences, anthropology does not single
out one aspect of human life as the most important or essential (like
economics, or psychology, for example). Instead anthropologists seek to
understand human beings and the human experience in all their complexity,
combining the best of different disciplines, of the sciences and humanities.
Anthropology is a thriving, complex
discipline that studies almost everything in human culture and history.
Anthropology provides a different point of view in understanding the human
experience. This course provides a basic introduction to two of the four
sub-fields of Anthropology: anthropological linguistics and socio-cultural
anthropology. Our other introductory course, A105, covers the other two.
The course has three major goals. First, it
presents the state of knowledge in the discipline today and shows how
anthropology has changed and grown through discovery, research and
self-criticism. Second, it will show you some of the variety of human cultures
on this planet, emphasizing their diversity and richness, as well as the common
threads that tie all human societies together. Finally, the course will show
you that anthropology is much more than an "ivory tower" academic
discipline. Anthropologists apply what they know, working in real-world
settings as diverse as hospital operating rooms and the World Bank.
Anthropology offers many career options.
Richard Robbins, Cultural Anthropology -
A Problem-Based Approach, 3rd edition.
Joan Abelove, Go and
Come Back, 2001, Puffin Books.
All are available in bookstores on and off
campus, and on the internet.
In addition there are several recommended
readings for this course available in the bookstores, all in the "New
Immigrants" series. You will need to buy and read one of these to complete
a written assignment for the class.
Course Format:
The course has two major parts, the lecture
meeting and the discussion sections. The lectures present basic course material
that you will be tested on in midterm and final exams. The discussion section
expands on the themes presented in the lectures, going into more depth and
allowing you to ask questions and work with each other towards better
understanding. In the sections you will also review the lecture material for
tests, discuss the course readings, discuss the written assignments and see
film clips. Your AI is a professional anthropologist with experience in other
cultures, who can help you in all aspects of the course.
There will be two 50-minute
lecture/discussions each week, on the attached schedule. The lectures
coordinate with the readings in the Robbins text. Lectures will not just repeat
the readings, they will build on those readings. In
order to get the maximum from lectures, you must keep up with the reading
schedule and come to each class prepared. We will often take attendance at
lectures, and coming regularly is a course requirement. I strive to make the
lectures interesting and to make sure you are understanding
the key points, but if I am falling short in any way, I would like to hear from
you as quickly as possible, either in person, through a note, or by email with
the ONCOURSE system.
Questions about Lectures:
I try to be clear in lectures and to go
along at a moderate pace - not too fast or too slow. But there will be times
when I go too quickly, or don't explain something clearly. There are four
things you can do to get something cleared up, to ask a question, or to let me
know I got something confused or mixed up.
·
Write a
note. Put your question or comment on a piece of paper and leave it on the desk
in front of the class or give it to me before the next lecture. I will make
every effort to respond at the beginning of the class.
·
Send an
Email message. If you don't think the whole class needs to hear an answer to
your question, send Email to me or your AI (address at the top of this
syllabus) and she will respond ASAP.
·
Wait and
ask your AI during the discussion section. This will allow you to discuss the
issue at more length, but you may also find that your AI does not agree
completely with the professor (yes, there is room for disagreement and
controversy in anthropology).
·
Raise your
hand!
By the second week of the semester you must choose a discussion section
and stick with it through the whole semester. If you want to attend a section
different from the one you registered for you must get the approval of the AI
in the section you want to add, but this is rarely a problem.
The discussion section is your place to think about, and take issue
with the ideas and information presented in the text and lectures. Draw on your
AI’s knowledge and experience to get the most out of
the course. Make sure you learn your AI’s name within
a week or two!
Your AI will assign you regular readings and writing assignments. These
are a basic part of the course. Regular attendance at discussion sections is a
requirement of the course, not an option. You can miss two discussions during
the semester, but after that you will have points taken off your final grade
for every discussion section which you miss, unless you have a valid, written
medical excuse. Your discussion section AI will be responsible for your grading
in the course, and will keep track of your point total, which will always be
available to you through ONCOURSE.
Grading: Your final grade will be based on your semester
total; an A grade requires a minimum of 900 points out
of a total of 1200 possible points. There will be two exams, a midterm worth
350 and a final worth 350. The final exam is cumulative - -it will concentrate
on the second half of the course, but will also include material from the
readings and the most important material from the first half of the semester.
The exams are multiple-choice, true-false, and computer graded, given to the
entire class at once. These are not easy exams, and the average grade is about
a 78%.
9 short assignments will be handed out by your AIs
in discussion sections. They will be worth 25 to 100 points each, for a total
possible score of 450 points from the assignments alone. You do not have to do
these assignments, but you can do all 9 if you want; they will all count
towards your grade.
Assignments will generally be short, asking
you to review a film, read articles and think about them, or do some actual
research of your own. They will be graded simply :
Full points, ¾ points, half points, or no points. All assignments will come
with a due date attached, and they can only be handed in, in person, during
your discussion section. Do not bother turning in late assignments, since they
will not be counted. This means that you cannot leave all of your
assignments for the end of the semester; they must be turned in as they become
due. Assignments should all be typed or word processed. Handwritten assignments
automatically get a 10 point deduction. Illegible or extremely messy writing
and work that shows little effort will get no credit at all. In general,
attendance at discussion sections is very important if you are going to get
full points on these assignments.
There will also be 10 class
lecture response cards worth 5 points
each. You must have a supply of 3x5 cards at every class in order to fill these
in. During the day’s lecture, I will ask you to
answer a question, or ask a question, based on what you have heard. These cards
also serve to monitor your attendance at lectures. You will lose 50 points from
your total semester score if you miss four or more of these lecture responses.
You lose 15 points from your total semester score for every discussion
section you miss after the first two absences. If you have a valid
medical excuse you must present it to your AI within a week of the absence.
Finally, your AI can choose to award an extra 20 points towards your final
grade if you have made outstanding and sustained contributions to discussion,
have done additional work, or have brought useful resources into discussion.
These points are made entirely at the discretion of the AI - you are not
eligible for them if you have more than two unexcused absences from the
section.
Final grades will be based on the following
point totals:
970 -1000=
A+ 870 - 899 =
B+ 770 - 799 =
C+ 670 - 699 =
D+ 0 - 600 = F
930 - 969 = A 830 - 869 =
B 730 - 769 =
C 630 - 669 = D
900 - 929 = A- 800 - 829 =
B- 700 - 729 =
C- 600 - 629 = D-
Notice that you can get an
B in this course if you get perfect scores on the exams (800) and a full score
on just one assignment worth 50 points, if you have no deductions. Or you
could get Ds on both exams- (say 500 points) and still get an A in the course.
You could go into the final exam with as many as 800 points - knowing that all
you need is- another 100 points to get an A. The choice is up to you; what are
your best- skills? How much work are you willing to put into the class? Would
you rather study hard for exams and not worry about assignments all the time?
Or do all the assignments and study less for exams?
Problems?
Anything concerned with the class can be
discussed privately with the AI or with Professor Wilk during office hours or
by appointment. If you are having trouble with course content or assignments, don't
wait until the very end of the semester to go see your AI. While it is
usually best to talk with an AI first, any problem or issue can be discussed
with Dr. Wilk directly. Email is a good way to start. The important thing is to
make your concerns known early in the semester while we can do something about
it!
Our obligations to each other:
Nobody has forced me to become an
anthropology teacher; and nobody has forced you to become an anthropology
student either. These facts form the basis of our obligations to each other in
the classroom situation. I consider it my obligation to listen carefully to
your questions and answer them as well as possible given the need to finish the
lecture. I also feel obligated to present material in an interesting and
understandable way: if you don't understand what I am saying speak up! I
will try again. Finally, I am obligated to be fair and explicit about grades,
and about what to expect on exams.
The other side of the story is your
obligation as a student to me and to the other students in the class. The most
important is not to disrupt the class by your behavior; try to get there on
time, and make a quiet entrance if you are late. Getting up and leaving in the
middle of a lecture is also disruptive. Don't distract other students by
talking during the lecture or films. You are also obligated to think ahead
about grades and exams: if you are going to miss an exam, you must come
and arrange a makeup at least two weeks before the exam date. You are
also obligated to attend lectures regularly; showing up and listening is
a basic form of respect for the content of the education you are paying for!
Make-ups and Incompletes:
Makeup exams must be arranged two
weeks in advance of the scheduled exam date. Makeup exams will only be -given if you have a very strong excuse backed
up with documentation. The makeup -exam will be more difficult than the regular
one, and will combine essays, short- answers and definitions. Incompletes will
only be given with a medical excuse or in cases of documented family-
emergencies. You must speak with an AI in advance of the final about getting an
incomplete. Late work for assignment, response cards, or other class work
is not accepted, even with a medical excuse. We expect you to make up the work
with other assignments.
Honesty Policy:
All cases of cheating will be handled
according to the rules stated in the University Bulletin. In particular,
in this course you must provide original work on all assignments - you
are not allowed to work together with other students in writing the assignment,
unless you are expressly asked to do so. All written work must be your own, and
should not be copied or paraphrased from other sources. If you quote someone
you must tell the source of the quote. If you have any questions about what
constitutes plagiarism, ask your AI. You are required to attend discussion
sections and lectures, even if there is no attendance taken. Because of past
problems we monitor the exams very closely. Be aware that it is not permitted
either to copy another student's work or to knowingly allow your own work to be
copied.
Violation of these rules can get you
thrown out of the University !!!
LECTURE
SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
|
Date |
Topic |
Text Chapter |
Assignment # |
|
January 11 |
Course Introduction |
Look over book |
|
|
January 13 |
Anthropology and Cultural
Relativism |
Chapter 1 Begin reading “Go
and Come Back” |
|
|
January 18 |
Biology and Culture: Race,
Racism and Ethnicity |
Chapter 7 |
1 |
|
January 22 |
Race and Difference among
Americans |
|
|
|
January 25 |
Culture is the key concept |
Chapter 4 |
2 |
|
January 27 |
Theories of Culture |
|
|
|
February 1 |
Human Communication |
|
3 |
|
February 3 |
Language and Culture |
|
|
|
February 8 |
Language & Cosmos:
Space and Time |
|
4 |
|
February 10 |
Culture and the Individual |
Chapter 6 |
|
|
February 15 |
Politics and Inequality |
Chapter 3 |
5 |
|
February 17 |
Ecological Anthropology |
Chapter 2 |
|
|
February 22 |
Life in the Rainforest |
|
|
|
February 24 |
Money, Gifts, Exchange |
|
|
|
March 1 |
MID TERM
EXAM |
|
|
|
March 3 |
Art and Expressive Culture |
Reread Chapter 4 |
|
|
March 8 |
Varieties of Religious
experience |
|
6 |
|
March 10 |
Religion and Mythology |
|
|
|
March 15-17 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
|
|
March 22 |
Marriage, Families and
Kinship |
Chapter
5 |
|
|
March 24 |
Different kinds of
Families |
|
|
|
March 29 |
Sex and Gender |
Reread Chapter 6 |
7 |
|
March 31 |
Culture Change |
|
|
|
April 5 |
Violence and Warfare |
Chapter 8 |
8 |
|
April 7 |
Cultural Survival |
Reread Chapter 2 |
|
|
April 12 |
Globalization |
|
9 |
|
April 14 |
Economic and Cultural
Development |
Chapter 9 |
|
|
April 19 |
Applied Anthropology |
|
|
|
April 21 |
Medical Anthropology |
|
|
|
April 26 |
More Applied Anthropology |
|
|
|
April 28 |
Course wrap-up and
evaluation |
|
|
|
May 5, Thursday |
FINAL EXAM:
5;00 – |
|
|
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