ANTHROPOLOGY 2322.001
Global Cultures
Spring 2012
Instructor: / Julie Adkins / Class Time: T/Th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.Office: / UH 440 / Class Location: UH 104
Office Hours: / T/Th. 1:00-2:00 p.m. or by appointment / Office Phone: 817-272-2661
E-mail: / / (this is the anthro department phone)
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the methods and theories of cultural and anthropology, and to the wide variety of cultural systems around the world. We will examine how different cultural systems organize themselves to meet basic human needs for food and shelter; how they vary in terms of their core beliefs, values, and institutions; and how they change over time. In the process, we will also examine our own cultural system(s) and attempt to see ourselves and our “accepted” practices through the eyes of others.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
· Demonstrate an understanding of anthropological inquiry and its methodology
· Describe major theoretical perspectives in cultural anthropology
· Describe processes of social change and their effect on human societies and diversity
· Understand and appreciate cultural differences between and within societies
· Describe and critically analyze their “home” cultures
· Critically evaluate the role of applied anthropology in understanding and addressing global and local issues.
Required Texts:
Carol Ember and Melvin Ember, Cultural Anthropology, 13th Edition.
Aaron Podolefsky and Peter Brown, Applying Cultural Anthropology: An Introductory Reader, 8th Edition.
Course Format:
Class meetings will be a blend of lecture, discussion, videos, and in-class activities. Attendance is required, and students should have each day’s reading assignments and homework completed before the beginning of class.
Course Requirements:
Attendance and Participation 5%
In-class Quizzes 10%
Homework Assignments 20%
Exam #1 (February 21) 20%
Exam #2 (March 29) 20%
Final Exam (May 8) 25%
Attendance and Participation: Attendance is required, and roll sheets may be passed. While “participation” is sometimes difficult in a class of this size, students are expected to take part in classroom discussion and in-class activities. Perfect attendance without participation is not sufficient to meet this criterion.
Missed Class Attendance: Absences are excused only for a debilitating and/or contagious illness, a death in the family, or religious observance. Written documentation (e.g., by healthcare provider, funeral director) must be presented to the instructor upon your return in order to make up any missed work. If you fail to notify me and/or to provide the necessary documentation, you will not be permitted to make up the work. Missed assignments or exams receive a grade of 0 (zero), not F (50%).
Whether your absence is excused or unexcused, you are responsible for the material you missed in class. I do not share my lecture notes; you will need to get notes from a classmate. Because most of the videos are not available through the UTA library, I will provide a blank copy of the relevant quiz if you miss a video (but not the answers!) if you request it.
Quizzes: There will be twelve (12) quizzes given during the course of the semester, i.e., approximately one every week. Most often these will take the form of questions to be answered while watching a film or listening to a lecture. Quizzes will only become difficult and mean if it becomes apparent that a number of students are not preparing adequately for class ahead of time! The lowest quiz grade will be dropped; this may be a zero in the case of an unexcused absence.
Homework Assignments: There will be nine homework assignments during the semester, each of which will be posted to Blackboard and will explained and discussed in class as necessary. Most of the homework assignments will require about one hour of your time, over and above the assigned readings. These are due at the beginning of class on the due date, and they must be turned in even if you intend to be absent if you wish to receive credit. The lowest homework grade will also be dropped. Homework assignments must be typed/computer; there is not time for me to decipher handwriting and return graded assignments to you in a timely manner. (Exception: If you are asked to turn in observational notes along with your typed conclusions, the notes do not have to be typed.) Unless otherwise indicated, these must be written as formal assignments (complete sentences, corrected/proofread spelling, no abbreviations such as “b/w,” “ppl,” “LOL,” etc.). These assignments are graded with a √+ (=95), √ (=85), or √- (=75).
Late Assignments: Assignments which are turned in late will receive a full letter-grade penalty for each day that they are late (the “clock” begins at the start of class). Student with excused absences must make arrangements with the instructor to turn in late assignments in a timely manner; we will agree on a “grace period” before the penalty kicks in. If the absence is unexcused, the assignment must be turned in on time or the late penalty will be applied.
Excuses related to computer/printer problems are not acceptable for late assignments. Assignments must be turned in as hard copy; they may not be e-mailed to the instructor without express, prior permission, or in the case of absence.
Exams: The exams will be objective in format, and may include items such as multiple-choice, matching, true/false, and the like. The exams will cover material from course textbooks, lectures (including films), and activities; and are cumulative, although weighted toward material covered since the previous exam.
Make-up exams are offered only to students with written documentation of a debilitating illness or death in the family. You must notify me before you miss the exam. You must also make up the exam at the earliest possible date – as soon as you are well or return to campus. Failure to make up the exam promptly will result in the imposition of normal penalties for late work, i.e., 10 points per day will be deducted from your exam grade. If you experience an extended illness, please speak with your academic advisor about appropriate action. S/he and I will make arrangements to meet your needs.
NO make-up exams are given to accommodate students’ travel plans. It is your responsibility to plan your trips around official university holidays and around your coursework, not the other way around. Under NO circumstances will the final exam be offered early. If you become ill, or experience an unavoidable conflict, you will receive a grade of “I” (Incomplete) for the course and will be expected to take the exam within a month after the fall semester begins.
Extra Credit
Extra credit will not be offered to individual students; it may at the instructor’s discretion be offered at specific times to the entire class.
Additional UTA Policies:
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and the letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.
Student Support Services
The University of Texas at Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. These resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource Hotline at (817) 272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information.
Academic Integrity
It is the philosophy of the University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of contact and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. According to the UT System Regents’ Rule 50101, §2.2, “Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.”
Please note for purposes of this class that, since attendance constitutes a percentage of your grade, the act of signing a roll sheet with someone else’s name in order to give the impression that they were present when they were not, constitutes academic dishonesty and will be disciplined as such.
Drop Policy
Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw if s/he does not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.
Electronic Communication Policy
The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University “MavMail” address as the sole official means of communication with students. MavMail is used to remind students of important deadlines, advertise events and activities, and permit the University to conduct official transactions exclusively by electronic means. For example, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation are now sent to students through the MavMail system. All students are assigned a MavMail account. Students are responsible for checking their MavMail regularly. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/email/. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active even after they graduate from UT Arlington.
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS, AND ASSIGNMENTS
(subject to change with advance notice given)
Jan. 17 Introductions
Review syllabus and course requirements
Read: E & E, chapter 1: What Is Anthropology?
Jan. 19 Lecture: What Is Anthropology?
Read: P & B, chapter 2: “Slumber’s Unexplored Landscape”
Assignment: “Letter home from the field”
Jan. 24 Discussion of reading and assignment: Be prepared to share your “letter”
Video and discussion: “N!ai: The Story of a !Kung Woman”
Read: E & E, chapter 2: Culture and Culture Change
P & B, chapter 1: “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”
Jan. 26 Lecture: What Is Culture?
Discussion of the Nacirema and their culture
Read: E & E, chapter 3: History of Theory in Anthropology
Assignment: “Elevator ethnography” (due Feb. 2)
Jan. 31 Begin lecture: Theory, Evidence, Methods, Fieldwork
Video: “Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea”
Read: E & E, chapter 4: Explanation and Evidence
P & B, chapter 3: “Tricking and Tripping”
Feb. 2 Complete lecture: Theory, Evidence, Methods, Fieldwork
Discussion of readings and “elevator ethnography” assignment
Read: E & E, chapter 5: Communication and Language
Feb. 7 Lecture: Communication and Language
Read: P & B, chapter 5: “‘To Give Up on Words’: Silence in Western Apache Culture”
P & B, chapter 6: “A Cultural Approach to Male-Female Miscommunication”
Feb. 9 Lecture and discussion: Sociolinguistics
Video: “Gender and Communication”
Read: E & E, chapter 6: Getting Food
P & B, chapter 7: “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race”
Assignment: “Time Machine”
Feb. 14 Lecture: Food-Gathering, Food Production
Video: “In Good Hands: Culture and Agriculture in the Lacandon Rainforest”
Read: E & E, chapter 7: Economic Systems
P & B, chapter 8: “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari”
Feb. 16 Lecture: Economic Systems and Organization
Assignment: Review sheet for exam #1
Feb. 21 Exam #1
Read: E & E, chapter 8: Social Stratification: Class, Ethnicity, and Racism
P & B, chapter 11: “Race without Color”
P & B, chapter 12: “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
Assignment: “Waking Up Different”
Feb. 23 Lecture: Class and Caste, Ethnicity and “Race”
Video: “Mirrors of the Heart: Race and Identity”
Read: E & E, chapter 10: Sex, Gender, and Culture
Feb. 28 Lecture: Sex / Gender / Culture
Read: P & B, chapter 18: “‘Strange Country This’: An Introduction to North American Gender Diversity”
P & B, chapter 20: “Measuring Up to Barbie”
Mar. 1 Video: “Masai Women”
Read: E & E, chapter 11: Marriage and the Family
P & B, chapter 17: “Gay Marriage and Anthropology”
Mar. 6 Lecture and discussion: Patterns of Marriage and Family
Read: P & B, chapter 14: “When Brothers Share a Wife”
P & B, chapter 15: “Law, Customs, and Crimes Against Women”
P & B, chapter 16: “How Many Fathers Are Best for a Child?”
P & B, chapter 21: “Family Planning Outreach and Credit Progams in Rural Bangladesh”
Assignment: “Dear Diary …”
Mar. 8 Activity: Diary readings
Video: “Strange Relations”
Read: E & E, chapter 12: Marital Residence and Kinship
Mar. 20 Lecture: Residence Patterns, Kinship Systems
Activity: Drawing your family tree
Assignment: Drawing someone else’s family tree (due March 27)
Read: E & E, chapter 13: Associations and Interest Groups
Mar. 22 Video: “Dadi’s Family”
Lecture: Non-Kin Social Groups
Read: E & E, chapter 14: Political Life
Mar. 27 Lecture: Political Organization