ANT 100 Introduction to Anthropology Fall 2011 Syllabus Instructor: David Putnam Office: 214 South Hall, Ph. Ext. 9726, Email:
[email protected] Ofiice hours: Monday and Wednesday 9-12 , or by appointment. Class Schedule: 2:00 – 3:15 PM, Tuesday-Thursday Location: Presque Isle, Folsom Hall, Room 105 Required Text:
Anthropology: The Human Challenge, Haviland, William A., Harald Prins, Dana Walrath, and Bunny McBride Thompson Wadsworth, 2010, (12th or 13th Edition)
Course Description: You will be introduced to Anthropology (Anthro = man, -ology = study of). This course is a survey of the four fields of anthropology: 1. Cultural Anthropology, 2. Physical Anthropology, 3. Linguistics, and 4. Archaeology. We will explore the human condition from the earliest traces to the present. Students will be introduced to indigenous human cultures from around the world and emphasis is given to the Native people of the MaineMaritimes region. Course Goals Students will acquire a basic vocabulary, and become familiar with various human groups and cultures from around the world. I will attempt to inspire enthusiasm for the subject of anthropology and an awareness of cultural diversity and the forces that cause and maintain it. Course Objectives a. Students will understand and appreciate the diversity and interrelationships of cultures on scales ranging from local and regional to global. b. Students will better understand their own society through the study of different world intellectual, social, political, economic, and cultural knowledge. c. Students will describe the nature of development, continuity and change in the history of the human kind. Course Requirements: 1. Exams: Two examinations will be given, for 100 points each = 200 points total. 2. Research Project: (100 points) Each student will select an indigenous cultural group for a course research project. You will prepare a 15 minute power-point presentation that will include the following elements: -Map showing where the group lives or lived (20 points) -A description and characterization of the group (30 points) -A description of contemporary threats to the people’s traditional lifeway and culture (20 points) - Aspects of the culture that you found most interesting (30 points) 3. Find 2 articles about current anthropology, paleo-anthropology, or archaeology in newspapers, journals, or a respectable source of current events. Read and prepare a 1-2 minute overview for the class. (20 points each, 40 points total).
340 points are possible for the course
Attendance: Class attendance and participation are required. Absences in excess of three may result in a lowering of your grade or failure of the course. Grading: Final grades are based on the following: A = 90%; B = 80%; C = 70%; D = 60%, F = less than 60 % of the total 300 points for the course. Accommodations The University of Maine at Presque Isle provides reasonable accommodations upon request to qualified individuals with documented disabilities. Students with documented disabilities have a right to ask for accommodations and are encouraged to talk directly with the responsible faculty member, supervisor or other staff person to explore possible accommodations. For assistance with accommodations or academic support services, contact Mary Kate Barbosa, Director of Student Support Services, South Hall, at 768-9613 or by email at
[email protected] . A copy of the accommodations request form can be found at http://www.umpi.edu/currentstudents/sss/disability-services/registration . Academic Honesty The academic community of the University of Maine at Presque Isle recognizes that adherence to high principles of academic integrity is vital to the academic function of the University. Academic integrity is based upon honesty. All students of the University are expected to be honest in their academic endeavors. All academic work should be performed in a manner which will provide an honest reflection of the knowledge and abilities of each student. Any breach of academic honesty should be regarded as a serious offense by all members of the academic community. UMPI Writing Center Located on the first floor of South Hall, the writing center offers one-on-one consultations for writers at all levels of course work, at all stages of the writing process. Call 768-9615 or stop by to set up an appointment. Tutoring Tutoring: Student Support Services offers tutoring to all students for all courses via experienced professional and peer tutors. If you are interested in receiving tutoring, please contact Meghan Lightbown, SSS Assistant Director, at 768-9614. Blackboard Log-in Information All students are required to log on to the course's “Blackboard” page, found at http://www.courses.maine.edu. Please see http://www.learn.maine.edu/crs/bb5_guide.html for current login info – if students have not already done so, they must activate their UMaine System email account before they can enter Blackboard. For further information, see the Quick Guide at http://www.learn.maine.edu/crs/bb5_guide.html.
ANT 200 Course Calendar Topics, Readings, and Assignments August 30 Introduction to Course Introduction to the four fields of Anthropology, how geography influences biology, cargo cults of the South Pacific and Yali’s question. Cultural diversity in Maine – Native and nonnative cultural groups. Assignment: read Chapter 1 and 2 in your text. September 1 Methods of Studying the Human Past Class lecture will touch on archaeological, paleontological, paleoecological and radiometric methods. Assignment: Read chapter 3 and 4 in your text,
September 6 Biology and Evolution Primate Evolution and the Emergence of the Hominines Are wolves (Canis lupus), coyotes (Canis latrans) and dogs (Canis familiaris) really different species? Is evolution synonymous with progress? Do organisms continually evolve into better, more advanced, or superior life forms from simple, primitive, or brutish beginnings? Class lecture will touch on theories and evidence of hominid development. The ethos of huntergatherers and why farmers are fierce. Assignment: Read Chapter 5 and 6 in text, -choose indigenous group for research by February 2. September 8 Primate Evolution and Diversity Introduction to extant primates and the evolutionary and behavioral traits that bind us together as a group. Read Chapters 6 and 7. First current anthropology article presentations (1-2 minutes each) September 13 The Earliest Hominines and Evolution of the Genus Homo When and where did the first Hominines appear, and what were they like. Meet the Australopithicines. The lecture will cover the geographic expansion of hominids from Africa to Europe and Asia. Distinctive tool types and significant archaeological sites will be introduced. *Students will have selected an indigenous culture for their projects. Your first task is to prepare maps illustrating where those people live on the planet. We will go over the basics of preparing maps. Assignment: Read chapter 8 September 15 Archaic Homo sapiens and the Middle Paleolithic Who were the Neanderthals and their contemporaries and what might have become of them. How and when did modern Homo sapiens appear? Assignment: Read chapter 9
September 20 Theories of the peopling of the New World How and when did the first people arrive in North and South America? We will explore old theories, diffusionist ideas, and more current views, including the possibility of multiple periods, mechanisms, and origins of immigration. Assignment: Read chapters 10 and 11, September 27
No Class (My son is defending his Ph.D. dissertation)
September 29 Cultural Evolution since the Old Stone Age Cultivation and Domestication. Mobile bands of food foragers come into conflict with sedentary food producers. Food foraging to food producing. Have we become servants to our domestic plants and animals? Assignment: Progress report on research project. Read chapters 12 and 13
October 4
Domestication of Plants and Animals, and The Rise of Cities and Civilization Agricultural innovation, labor diversification, centralized authority and social stratification. The irrigation agriculture of the Taos Valley. Assignment: Read chapters 14 and 15, October 6 Nature of Culture What is culture and why do cultures exist? What is language, how did it begin, and what can we learn from it? What is ethnocentrism? Assignment: Read chapters 16 and 17. Mid Term Exam review. October 8 (Saturday extra-credit) Maine Archaeological Society Meeting UMPI Campus Center (10 points) October 11
Fall Break
October 13 Language and Communication The development, nature, and diversity of human language. Language, culture, and identity are inseparable. Assignment: Read chapters 18 and 19. October 18 Patterns of Subsistence How have patterns of subsistence affected human adaptation and social structure? Assignment: Read chapters 20 and 21. Second current anthropology article presentations (1-2 minutes each) October 20 Economic Systems How and why are goods exchanged. Why are the north Alaskan Iñupiat Eskimos richer than the Athabascan Indians of interior Alaska. How does this affect group size, cooperation, and interpersonal interaction? Lineal descent and age grouping. How is order maintained in societies?
Assignment: Read chapters 22 and 23. October 25 Sex, Marriage, Family, and Household How do different cultural views of gender and family translate into judgements of an individuals value in society? Assignment: Read chapters 24 and 25 October 27 Art, Music and Culture Change Art reflects cultural exchange and innovation. What are the cultural roots of country music? What is a Mbanza? How and why do cultures change? Assignment: Read chapters 26 and 27. November 1 Musicology We will explore the lineage of contemporary American music. I’ll bring in some instruments – you may wish to bring earplugs. The Fate of Human Societies, the Tragedy of the Food Foragers and why some peoples have all the cargo. Family, band, tribe, state, nation, and ??? – corporations? Or are we headed toward a “One World Culture” where everyone has the same brown skin, speaks the same language and practices one religion? What are the pros and cons of this trend? The alignment of continents, domestication of plants and animals, mobile band to urban living, epidemic disease, innovation and exchange. Why didn’t the Incas cross the ocean, conquer Spain, abduct the King, and introduce diseases that would kill 85% of the population of Europe? Jared Diamond’s answer to Yali’s question. November 3
November 8 November 10 November 15 November 17 November 22 November 29 December 1 December 6
Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations Student Presentations
December 8
Review for exam.
Final Exam – Thursday, December 15 at 12:45 PM