ANTHROPOLOGY E105 Spring 2007 SECTION 7592 |
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
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DR. RICHARD WILK |
12:20P-01:10P TR
CH 122
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Instructor's Office: 242 Student Building, Phone 855- 3901 |
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Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30-5:00 PM or by appointment |
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Instructor's Email address: WILKR |
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Class Website: http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/e105~07.htm |
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Associate Instructors: Evelyn
Dean emdean@indiana.edu,
Nicky Belle nibvu99@juno.com,
and Abby Drwecki alpicken@indiana.edu |
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Click here
for the course lecture, reading, and assignment schedule |
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Introduction
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Required Texts: Lavenda & Schultz, Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology,
2006, McGraw Hill. |
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Joan Abelove, Go and Come
Back, 2001, Puffin Books. |
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Both are available in bookstores
on and off campus, and on the internet. |
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Robert Borofsky, Yanomami: The Fierce Controversy and What We Can Learn
From It. 2005. |
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To buy, login to https://www.publicanthropology.net/ |
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Course Format:
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The course has two major parts, the lecture meeting and the discussion
sections. The lectures present basic course material, including
definitions of necessary vocabulary, which 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. But the main purpose of the discussion sections is to work through
practical exercises and examples which will teach you how anthropology
works as a practical tool for understanding the world around you. Your AI is a professional anthropologist
with experience in other cultures, who can help you in all aspects of the
course. |
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There will be two 50-minute lecture/discussions each week, on the
attached schedule. The lectures coordinate with the readings in the Lavenda
and Schulz 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. |
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During the last three weeks of the semester the class will be
participating in a public anthropology action project called “YANOMAMI: The
Fierce Controversy and What We Can Learn From It.” Along with introductory
anthropology students at other universities around the |
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http://www.publicanthropology.org/Yanomami/DirectionsForStarting.htm |
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It is very important that if you have an Apple MAC, you need to use
either SAFARI by Apple or FIREFOX by Mozilla as your Web Browser. If you have
a PC YOU SHOULD NOT USE MS INTERNET EXPLORER. Details on how to download
Mozilla’s FIREFOX are listed at: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/,
and you can also download it from IUware Online. |
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Questions about Lectures: |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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). |
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Raise your hand! |
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Discussion Sections:
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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. |
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7597 02:30P-03:20P T
FR C147B |
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7593 11:15A-12:05P |
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7594 03:35P-04:25P W
SE 010 |
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7595 10:10A-11:00A R
GG 101B |
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7596 03:35P-04:25P R
FR C147B |
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7598 11:15A-12:05P F
SB 140 |
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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! |
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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. |
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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 more than 1160 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 79%, which means that most people will get a D or lower if they only
do the tests. |
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12 short assignments will be handed out by your AIs in discussion
sections. They will be worth 25 to 50 points each, for a total possible
score of 400 points from the assignments alone. You do not have to do these assignments, but you can do all 12 if
you want; they will all count towards your grade. |
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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. |
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There will also be 12 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. |
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You will 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. |
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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. |
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Final grades will be based on the following point totals: |
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970 -1000= A+ 870 - 899
= B+ 770 - 799 = C+ 670 - 699 = D+ 0 - 600 = F |
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930 - 969 = A 830 - 869 = B 730
- 769 = C 630 - 669 = D |
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900 - 929 = A- 800 - 829 = B- 700
- 729 = C- 600 - 629 = D- |
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Notice that you can get a B in this course if you get perfect scores on
the exams (700) and a full score on just two assignments worth 50 points, if
you have no deductions. Or you could
get Ds on both exams (say 450 out of 700 points) and still get an A in the course. You could go into the final exam
with more than 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? |
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Problems and Rules
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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! |
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Our obligations to each other: |
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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. |
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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! |
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Make-ups and Incompletes: |
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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. |
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Honesty Policy: |
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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. Copying material from web pages or wikipedia is plagiarism unless you
credit the specific sources for each quotation. 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 !!! |
