ANT 2410 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Summer B 2016 Instructor: Christina Callicott Time: M-F 12:30-1:45 (period 4) Place: Little Hall 101 Email:
[email protected] Office: Turlington B346 (basement) Office Hours: Wed. 2:00-5:00 pm or by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION: “One of the intense pleasures of travel and one of the delights of ethnographic research is the opportunity to live amongst those who have not forgotten the old ways, who still feel their past in the wind, touch it in stones polished by rain, taste it in the bitter leaves of plants. Just to know that Jaguar shamans still journey beyond the Milky Way, or the myths of the Inuit elders still resonate with meaning, or that in the Himalaya, the Buddhists still pursue the breath of the Dharma, is to really remember the central revelation of anthropology, and that is the idea that the world in which we live does not exist in some absolute sense, but is just one model of reality, the consequence of one particular set of adaptive choices that our lineage made, albeit successfully, many generations ago.” Wade Davis, Anthropologist, National Geographic Explorer in Residence. (http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures/transcript?language=en#t15000) Cultural Anthropology is the study of human cultural systems. It is one of four subdisciplines of the field of anthropology (the other three are archeology, biological anthropology and linguistics). During this semester, we will explore cultural anthropology’s unique methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of humanity, in the course of examining how and why societies around the world differ in important and fascinating ways. Additionally, we will focus on how globalization and world systems threaten and undermine cultural systems (including our own), why globalization is a significant problem for humanity, and how anthropological approaches can help solve contemporary global problems. The textbook will provide the theoretical and organizational backbone of our course, while complementary readings and films will offer insight into the variability, and the sometimes surprising universality, that make anthropology such a fun and exciting discipline. This course introduces knowledge and concepts that may challenge students’ fundamental understandings of society and the human condition. Students are encouraged to discuss these issues with each other both in and out of class and to take advantage of instructor office hours. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: • Students will discover the elements of human cultural diversity and interpret this diversity according to the tenets of anthropological theory. • Students will recognize the fallacies of ethnocentric thinking and identify ways in which anthropology contributes to a holistic understanding of humanity. • Students will identify elements of the colonial legacy and evaluate its contribution to
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contemporary social, political and environmental problems. • Students will define key terms and explain key themes of anthropological research and theory. REQUIRED TEXTS: Schultz, Emily A., and Robert H. Lavenda. 2014. Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition, 9th edition. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Spradley, James, and David W. McCurdy. 2012. Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, 14th edition. Boston: Pearson. Select readings from other texts can be found on Canvas. Please see bibliography of supplementary readings at end of syllabus. ASSIGNMENTS: Readings and responses: This class aims for quality over quantity. Carefully chosen ethnographic, historical and theoretical readings from both classic and contemporary anthropology will accompany the week’s textbook assignments. Each Friday by noon, students will submit (on Canvas) a 500-750 word response to the readings. This response should show that the student has engaged thoughtfully and critically with the week’s readings. This is not a summary of the readings but a personal and intellectual reflection on themes presented in the works. Response papers may take an informal tone but must be grammatically correct and demonstrate a college-level understanding of the English language. Responses are worth 5% of the grade, for a total of 25%. Students are encouraged to craft their response in conversation with other student postings. Grading rubric for readings: Submitted on time, correct length: 1 point (See course policies re. late work.) Evidence of having thoroughly read and correctly understood the material: 1 point Correct use of anthropological terms and concepts: 1 point Independent/critical thinking based on evidence/examples from the readings: 1 point Grammar/spelling: 1 point Exams: Two exams (20% each) and a cumulative final exam (25%) will give students the chance to show their mastery of the material. Exams will draw from textbook and complementary readings as well as lectures, in-class discussions, and films. Questions will focus on major terms, themes, and trends in anthropological research and theory. Attendance: Attendance is required and will be recorded, counting for 10% of the grade. Each day missed will count for .25 point (26 days in the semester starting after drop-add and discounting July 4 and final exam day). Students get a free absence of 1 day. COURSE POLICIES: • Students must attend class, participate in discussions and complete all reading and writing assignments in order to succeed in this course. You will not get a good grade in this class if you don’t do the readings. • This course will use Canvas (UF’s online learning system) in order to manage response papers and exams. Students must complete assignments through Canvas in order to be
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graded for their work. According to UF policy, grades will not be discussed by email. Please come to my office hours or make an appointment if you have questions, comments or concerns. Grades will be considered final 48 hours after posting. Cell phones and Facebook must be OFF during class. No late work is accepted unless the student meets one of the approved excused absences and has the required documentation. Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work are consistent with university policies that can be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx
Accommodations for students with disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. UF Counseling and Tutoring Services: Student mental health and happiness are a central component of success in academia and in life, but are often overlooked in the competitive drive of the university setting. UF offers an abundance of resources to help students through difficult times and to provide life-long coping strategies. On-campus services are available for students having personal problems or for those lacking clear career and academic goals. These services include: • University Counseling and Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Road, 392-1575, personal and career counseling • Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling • Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling • Reading & Writing Center, Broward Hall, 392-0791, writing assistance, study skills, test preparation Academic honesty: As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” All students are expected to honor their commitment to the University’s Honor Code and the student conduct code. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Grading: For calculating final grades, the distribution of points will be the following: Response papers: 5 points each x 5 = 25 Exam 1: 20 Exam 2: 20 Final exam: 25 Attendance: 10 Total: 100 points
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Letter grades will be determined using the following scale. A: 93-100 B: 83-86.99 C: 73-76.99 A-: 90-92.99 B-: 80-82.99 C-: 70-72.99 B+: 87-89.99 C+: 77-79.99 D+: 67-69.99
D: 63-66.99 D-: 60-62.99 E: 0-59.99
A grade of C− is not a qualifying grade for major, minor, Gen Ed, or College Basic distribution credit. Additional information on UF grading policy can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx Course schedule Critical dates:
July 4 Holiday! Go play. July 7 Exam 1 July 22 Exam 2 Aug. 5 Final Comprehensive Exam Response papers due every Friday at 12 pm noon (July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29). No paper due final week of class. Date Daily topic June Course overview, 27 introductions June Anthropology and 28 the Concept of June Culture 29 June Fieldwork 30 July 1
Class activity/assignment due Course overview, introductions
Schultz and Lavenda Chapters 1 and 2 Conformity and Conflict chapters 1 (Spradley) and 2 (Lee) Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 3 Conformity and Conflict chapter 3 (Sterk) required, chap. 4 (Gmelch) optional. Lewis 2001, starting on p.450 at “Franz Boas’s Ideals” (preceding pages optional).
July 4 July 5
Readings due this day N/A
Film: Bronislaw Malinowski: Off the Verandah Paper due; inclass discussion. Holiday
Language
******************************************* **** Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 5 Wade Davis, “The Wonder of the Ethnosphere.”
July 6
Conformity and Conflict chaps. 6 (Deutscher) and 8 (Tannen)
July 7 July 8 July 11
N/A
Film: The Grammar of Happiness Exam 1
Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 6
Paper due.
Play, Art, Myth, Ritual
Conformity and Conflict chap. 31 (Miner). Turner, “Muchona” OR Evans-Pritchard, “Training of a Novice in the Art of a Witch Doctor.”
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July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 18 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 July 25 July 26 July 27 July 28
Religion and Worldview Power Subsistence
Kinship and social organization Marriage and family
Aug. 4 Aug. 5
Wright, “Indigenous Religious Traditions.” Davis, “The Forest and the Stars.” Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 8 Conformity and Conflict chap. 13 (Cronk) Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 9 Conformity and Conflict chapter 9 (Lee).
Social inequality
Paper due; inclass discussion and film.
Conformity and Conflict chaps.10 (Nelson) and 11 (Diamond) Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 10 Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 11 Conformity and Conflict chaps. 18 (McCurdy) and 19 (Goldstein). N/A
Film: The Third Sex Paper due; exam 2.
Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 12 Gravlee 2009, “How Race Becomes Biology”
Medical anthropology
July 29
Aug. 1 Aug. 2 Aug. 3
Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 7
History of anthropology Globalization
Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 13 Conformity and Conflict chap. 37 (Barrett) Mountains Beyond Mountains ch. 4 (chaps. 1-3 optional) Ethnomedicine and shamanism: Langdon, “Shamanism and Anthropology” Cepek, “Shamanic Training” Luna, “Magic Melodies” Men’s Journal, “The Dark Side of Ayahuasca” Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 4
Paper due; inclass discussion and film.
Schultz and Lavenda Chapter 14 Conformity and Conflict chaps. 34 (Shandy) and 15 (Weatherford). Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies chapter 1. N/A N/A
Review: Come to class with your questions. Final Exam
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Bibliography of supplementary readings: Cepek, Michael. 2012. A Future for Amazonia: Randy Borman and Cofán Environmental Politics. Austin: University of Texas Press. Davis, Wade. 2007. “The Forest and the Stars.” In Light At the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures, 1–14. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre Limited. Davis, Wade. 2007. “The Wonder of the Ethnosphere.” In Light At the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures, 1–14. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre Limited. Evans-Pritchard, E.E. 1976. “Training of a Novice in the Art of a Witch-Doctor.” In Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gravlee, Clarence. 2009. “How Race Becomes Biology: Embodiment of Social Inequality.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 139:47–57. Hearn, Kelly. 2013. “The Dark Side of Ayahuasca.” Men’s Journal March 2013 Accessed at http://www.mensjournal.com/article/print-view/the-dark-side-of-ayahuasca-20130215 on Jan. 25, 2015. Holmes, Seth. 2013. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. Berkeley: Univ of California Press. Kidder, Tracy. 2004. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. Random House. Langdon, Esther Jean. 1992. “Introduction: Shamanism and Anthropology.” In Portals of Power: Shamanism in South America, edited by Gerhard Baer and Esther Jean Langdon, 1–20. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Lewis, Herbert S. 2001. “The Passion of Franz Boas.” American Anthropologist 103(2): 447–67. Luna, Luis Eduardo. 1992. “Ícaros: Magic Melodies Among the Mestizo Shamans of the Peruvian Amazon.” In Portals of Power. Shamanism in South America, edited by Jean E. Langdon, and Gerhard Baer, 231–53. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Turner, Victor. 2010. “Muchona the Hornet: Interpreter of Religion.” In A Reader in Medical Anthropology: Theoretical Trajectories, Emergent Realities, edited by Byron Good, Michael M.J. Fischer, Sarah Willen, and Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good, 26–37. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Wright, Robin M. 2013. “Indigenous Religious Traditions.” In Religions of the World, edited by Lawrence E. Sullivan, 31–60. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
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