Anthropology 100 (Section 03): Cultural Anthropology
Department of Anthropology, SUNY Geneseo
Spring 2012
Class Meetings: Monday and Wednesday 11:30- 12: 45 Newton 201
Instructor: Dr. James Aimers
Office: Sturges Hall 13H
Office Hours:
Please visit me if you have any questions regarding the content or organization of the course, or for other reasons related to your academic progress. My office hours are:
Monday 2:30- 3:30 pm
Tuesday 12-2 pm
You can also meet with me by e-mailing for an appointment 2-3 days in advance.
E-mail: aimers@geneseo.edu. Questions I can answer in three sentences or so can be e-
mailed, but please speak to me for more complex questions and problems. I read e-mail as often as possible but please allow 1-2 days for a response, not including weekends and holidays. Please include ANTH 100 and a topic in the subject line and sign your message.
Office Phone: 245-5276
Course Overview
Despite the interconnected nature of the contemporary world, distinct and often perplexing differences persist among people from different places and groups. Cultural anthropologists attempt to describe and explain these differences in aid of cross-cultural understanding. In this course we read chapters and articles that indicate the world’s diversity in social structure, kinship, marriage, gender roles, language, religion, economics, and politics. We will address issues of anthropological method and theory such as fieldwork techniques, cultural advocacy, and broad questions about objectivity in descriptions of human culture. The class will also examine historical and contemporary processes of culture contact and change, including colonization, industrialization and globalization. This semester, several readings and assignments will focus on food-related issues.
Learning Outcomes
In this course students will demonstrate
• Comprehension of basic and useful anthropological concepts like ethnocentrism.
• Familiarity with some of the diversity of human beliefs and practices as illustrated by course readings.
• The ability to research and critically evaluate at least one complex contemporary issues in a written group project.
Social Science Core
Besides fulfilling your multi-cultural graduation requirements, this course also fulfills one course in the social science general education requirements. The guidelines for a social science core course stress the development of the following characteristics of a responsible member of society:
(1) an acquaintance with major empirical, analytical, or theoretical approaches to human behavior, institutions or culture;
(2) an acquaintance with social, economic, political, or moral alternatives;
(3) an acquaintance with major problems, issues, institutions, practices or trends in the social world;
(4) a capacity to express ideas clearly, coherently and grammatically in written form as one component of the evaluation process. This written work must total at least 1500 words, at least half of which must be prepared outside of class.
Accommodations
SUNY Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented physical, emotional or learning disabilities. Students should consult with the Director in the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Buggie-Hunt, 105D Erwin, tbuggieh@geneseo.edu) and their individual faculty regarding any needed accommodations as early as possible in the semester.
Diversity and Debate in Our Classroom
I am trying to create an interactive class with a tolerant exchange of information and opinions about complex issues. In a class on global cultures we will inevitably confront difficult and controversial questions of power. The ways in which power is acquired, maintained, and challenged are the subject matter of politics, as well as a major focus in anthropology since the 19th century. Our class discussions will therefore occasionally become “political” in some sense. The following excerpt from Geneseo’s Statement on Diversity will help you to understand my approach to debate in our classroom:
Although they share common goals, the members of the Geneseo community also differ in many ways. Diversity at Geneseo is defined in part as differences in individuals that are manifested in their race, ethnicity, national origin, language heritage, world-view, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, physical ability, learning style, geographic background, mental health, age, and relationship status.
Geneseo recognizes that the individuals who make up our community bring to it unique perspectives and knowledge that contribute to its richness and vibrancy. Because Geneseo also holds educational excellence among its core value, it recognizes that its progress as a community toward such excellence is predicated on its ability to embrace both the diversity of its members and the vigorous exchange of their ideas.
Geneseo calls all members of our community to share responsibility for the ongoing work of continually recreating a sense of inclusion, belonging, and empowerment, so that together we will achieve our individual and collective aims, and experience the intellectual liberation that is at the heart of the educational enterprise. (http://www.geneseo.edu/diversity/statement).
If you are learning to think critically, you are unlikely to agree with everything you hear and read in this class. Please inform me in class, during my office hours, or by e-mail if you believe that an issue has been misrepresented. I will also set aside time at the beginning of each lecture for students to ask questions and make comments about the previous lecture. You will not be penalized for respectfully disagreeing with me or anyone else in the class, and I will be pleased if you express a clear counter-argument based on more than your emotions.
Required Books
Kottak, Conrad Phillip
2010 Mirror for Humanity, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill, Boston.
This is the core text and it covers fundamental concepts. There are online tests on each chapter.
“Angeloni Readings” in MyCourses (Course Materials Section)
Most weeks we will discuss readings from :
Angeloni, Elvio. Editor (2009) Annual Editions: Anthropology. Mc Graw-Hill/Dushkin, Guilford.
This is a collection of articles on various anthropological topics, usually written for a general audience.
Various Food Readings will also be in MyCourses
MyCourses Website
Access to a computer and the internet are essential in order to take this course. If you do not regularly check your @Geneseo.edu e-mail account you will not receive announcements from me.
Value of Course Components:
Participation (you will record this) 15 %
Weekly online reading tests 10 %
Midterm 1 (Weeks 1-5) 10%
Midterm 2 (Weeks 6-10) 10%
Annotated Bibliography Wiki entry (500 words) 10 %
Group Wiki entry (500 words/student) 15 %
Action Project Report (500 words) 10%
Final exam (all course material) 20 %
Grading Scheme
Geneseo Undergraduate Bulletin : Final grades are recorded as A, A- (excellent); B+, B, B- (very good); C+, C (satisfactory); C- (minimal competence); D (marginal); E (failure); F (failure in courses elected under the pass-fail option which are not completed successfully); P (pass in courses elected under the pass-fail option which are completed successfully; P is equivalent to a grade of C- or higher); S (satisfactory is equivalent to a grade of C- or higher); U (unsatisfactory); and W (withdrawn).
A = 94% +
A - = 90 - 93.99 %
B+ = 87 - 89.99 %
B = 83 - 86.99 %
B - = 80 - 82.99 %
C+ = 77 - 79.99 %
C = 73 - 76.99 %
C - = 68 - 72.99 %
D = 58 - 67.99 %
E = 0 - 57.99 %
See MyCourses -> Course Materials for a document that describes my grading criteria (e.g., what kind of work receives a grade of A in my classes).
Assignments, Attendance and Lateness
Regular attendance is the easiest way to ensure success in this course. Please arrive on time.
Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day, including weekends.
Make-up tests and exams are available only under extraordinary circumstances, and will require medical or other documentation.
Assignments
Online Reading Tests
Online tests on Kottak (2010) are due by 11:55 pm the Sunday before the readings are discussed in class. You can take each test up to three times and the software will record your best score. Each time you take the test the order of the answer options will be shuffled. There are 13 tests but you may ignore up to two during the semester without penalty. If you complete all the tests I will drop the lowest two scores. Tests can be found in the Course Materials section of the MyCourses website. The best strategy to succeed with these tests is to do the appropriate reading first and then complete the tests while referring to the reading. Note: MyCourses grades are only accurate for assignments/ categories that are completely finished (e.g., a midterm grade after the midterm) so you cannot assume the MyCourses grade display is accurate. You can, however, create a report that shows each test score and this will be accurate.
Annotated Bibliography Contribution
You will contribute a 500-word entry on the Geneseo Wiki. See the Written Assignments document in the Course Materials section of the MyCourses website.
Group Project
You will work with other students to produce a report on a food-related topic (500 words/student). See the Written Assignments document in the Course Materials section of the MyCourses website.
Action Project Report
For this assignment you are asked to foster change related to food. In 500 words (posted to the wiki) you will describe what you did and the results. This assignment, along with the annotated bibliography and your contribution to the group wiki project will fulfill the 1500 word M/S writing requirements of the General Education Curriculum. See the Written Assignments document in the Course Materials section of the MyCourses website.
Academic Honesty
Students are urged to read the policies on Academic Honesty at:
www.geneseo.edu/bulletin
As the policy notes, “Any one of the following constitutes evidence of plagiarism:
• direct quotation without identifying punctuation and citation of source;
• paraphrase of expression or thought without proper attribution;
• unacknowledged dependence upon a source in plan, organization, or argument.”
I also consider reusing your own work from another class to be plagiarism. I take academic honesty very seriously and I will follow up on instances of cheating and plagiarism to the fullest extent that the university allows. If I believe the offense is very serious, I can—and will—recommend suspension or dismissal to the Student Conduct Board.
Facebook-Free Zone
You may use your laptop to take notes using word processing software. You are not permitted to access Facebook, other social networking sites, play games, view photos, watch videos etc. in my class. I have adopted this rule because photos and moving images distract other students.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Topics and Readings
You are responsible for each week’s readings and you should be prepared to discuss them. I will take questions at any time during the lectures. Please feel free to raise your hand at any time.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 1: Wednesday January 18
Goals of the Course and Preliminaries; Introduction to Anthropology
Kottak Chapter 1: What is Anthropology? (online test due Sunday January 22 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: One hundred Percent American; Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (due to MLK day we will discuss these readings in Week 2)
• Review of syllabus
• Online tests begin this week: Kottak Chapters 1 and 2 are due by 11:55 pm Sunday January 22
________________________________________________________________________________________)
Week 2: January 23 and 25
The Concept of Culture
Kottak Chapter 2: Culture (online test due Sunday January 22 11:55 pm). We will discuss the Angeloni readings from Week 1
Lien, M. E.
2004 Dogs, Whales, and Kangaroos: Transnational Activism and Food Taboos. In The Politics of Food, edited by M. E. Lien and B. Nerlich, pp. 179-197. Berg, New York.
Angeloni: Understanding Eskimo science
Note: as is the case throughout the semester, the online test for Chapter 2 is due by 11:55 pm Sunday January 22—before we discuss it in class. This week two tests are due because Chapter 1 is also due.
• Plagiarism Quiz. There is an online quiz on plagiarism due by 11:55 pm Sunday January 29 This is required but it is not counted toward your final grade. I will not grade your written work if you have not completed this quiz.
• Critical thinking handout
• Wednesday: Research skills discussion
Clip: Makah whaling from The Meaning of Food.
• Online quiz on Kottak Chapter 3 due by 11:55 pm Sunday January 29. Note that online tests from this point on are due the night BEFORE we discuss them in class (usually Sunday at 11:55 pm)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 3: January 30 and February 1
Annotated Bibliography wiki CITATION is due by Monday January 30 at 8am. See the Written Assignments document in Course Materials (MyCourses website) for detailed guidelines. The annotation itself is due later.
Ethics and Methods
Kottak Chapter 3: Ethics and Methods (online test due Sunday January 29 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Eating Christmas in the Kalahari; Tricking and Tripping; Anthropology and
Counterinsurgency
Whitehead, Tony
2005 Basic Classical Ethnographic Research Methods: Secondary Data Analysis, Fieldwork, Observation/ Participant Observation, and Informal and Semi‑structured Interviewing. Ethnographically Informed Community and Cultural Assessment Research Systems Working Paper Series. University of Maryland, College Park.
• Plagiarism Quiz (MyCourses) is due Sunday January 29 by 11:55 pm.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4: February 6 and 8
Review of research, citation, and critical thinking. Discussion of group projects.
Lopez, A. A.
2007 The Farmworkers' Journey. In The Farmworkers' Journey, pp. 1-10. University of California Press, Berkeley.
2007 An Impoverished, Endangered, and Overworked People in the Land of Plenty. In The Farmworkers' Journey, pp. 126-146. University of California Press, Berkeley. Note: the section on agrochemical exposure is dense and technical—you are not expected to remember the names of chemicals etc. Focus on the “big picture” of Lopez’s argument.
• Groups 1, 2 and 3 report on their preliminary research on Wednesday. See “Written Assignments” handout in MyCourses for details.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Week 5: February 13 and 15
Your ANNOTATION is due on the wiki by Monday February 13 at 8 am.
Language
Kottak Chapter 4: Language and Communication (online test due Sunday February 12 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Language, Appearance, and Reality: Doublespeak in 1984; Fighting for Our Lives
• Groups 4, 5, 6 and 7 report on Wednesday.
Note that the online test for Kottak chapter 4 is due Sunday February 12 at 11:55 pm (before we discuss it in class); test for Chapter 5 is due after the midterm (by 11:55 pm Tuesday February 21)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6: February 20 and 22
Midterm 1 on Monday covers Weeks 1-5
Economics
Kottak Chapter 5: Making a Living (online test due Tuesday February 21 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Too Many Bananas
Pollan, Michael
2004 A Flood of US Corn Rips at the Heart of Mexico. The Ecologist 34 (5):6-7.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 7: February 27-- Class on Monday only, I am away on Wednesday February 29
Political Organization
Kottak Chapter 6: Political Systems (online test due Sunday February 26 at 11:55 pm)
In place of Wednesday’s class, watch the film Food Inc. It is on reserve at Milne Library and can also be found online through a Google Video search and on Netflix.
• You may want to meet with your group during class time Wednesday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 8: March 5 and 7
Roberts, W.
2008 Bread and Roses. In The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food, pp. 87-105. New Internationalist, Oxford.
Watson, J. L. and M. L. Caldwell
2005 Introduction. In The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating, edited by J. L. Watson and M. L. Caldwell, pp. 1-10. Blackwell, New York.
• Groups 8, 9, and 10 report on Wednesday
• Don’t forget about the online test for next week.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Spring Break March 12-16
Week 9: March 19 and 21
Ethnicity, Race, and Culture
Kottak Chapter 11: Ethnicity and Race (online test due Sunday March 4 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: The Inuit Paradox
• Groups 11, 12, 13 report on Wednesday
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 10: March 26 and 28
Religion, Belief, and Ritual
Kottak Chapter 9: Religion (online test due Sunday March 25 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Haiti’s Living Dead
Bryant, C. A., A. Courtney, B. A. Markesbery and K. M. DeWalt
1985 World View, Religion, and Health Beliefs: The Ideological Basis of Food Practices. In The Cultural Feast: An Introduction to Food and Society, edited by C. A. Bryant, A. Courtney, B. A. Markesbery and K. M. DeWalt, pp. 205-234. West, New York.
Note that the online test for Kottak Chapter 7 is due after the midterm (by 11:55 pm Tuesday March 27)
• Groups 14 and 15 report on Wednesday
Week 11: April 2 and 4
Midterm 2 on Monday Covers Weeks 6-10
Kinship
Kottak Chapter 7: Families, Kinship, and Marriage (online test due Tuesday April 3 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: When Brothers Share a Wife; Death Without Weeping; Arranging a Marriage in India;
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 12: April 9 and 11
Gender
Kottak Chapter 8: Gender (online test due Sunday April 8 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: The Berdache Tradition
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 13: April 16. Class Monday only I am at the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in Memphis on Wednesday.
Group Project wikis due by 5 pm Wednesday
Applied Anthropology
Kottak Chapter 12: Applying Anthropology (online test due Sunday April 15 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Ancient Teachings, Modern Lessons; The Price of Progress
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 14: April 23 and 25
Sociocultural Change
Kottak Chapter 10: The World System and Colonialism (online test due Sunday April 22 at 11:55 pm)
Angeloni: Why Can’t People Feed Themselves?; The Arrow of Disease
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 15: April 30 last day of class
Global Issues
Kottak Chapter 13: Global Issues Today (online test due Sunday April 29 at 11:55 pm)
Shiva, V.
2007 Manifesto on the Future of Food. In Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed, edited by V. Shiva, pp. 43-75. South End Press, Cambridge MA. Note: Manifestos of all sorts (e.g., The Communist Manifesto) are usually strongly-worded and uncompromising. What do you agree with in this manifesto? With what do you disagree?
• Action Report is due by class time Monday Assignments posted after class time will be penalized 5% per day including weekends.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Final Exam (all course material): Wednesday May 9, 12-3 pm , regular room.