Los Angeles Harbor College
Anthropology 102 Spring 2016
Human Ways of Life: Cultural Anthropology
Dr. Sasha David
davidae@lahc.edu
Section 0101: Mondays and Wednesdays 8 AM – 9:25 AM
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday 1-3 PM
Office Phone and Location: (310) 233-4577; NEA 157
Course Description: This course attempts to define culture and to survey the variety of man’s
cultures at all levels of socio-cultural development from the small-scale, technologically simple
cultures to the large-scale technologically complex ones. Topics described and analyzed include the
social institutions, such as kinship, marriage, family, religion, politics, language, and economics in a
cross-cultural perspective.
Los Angeles Harbor College Mission Statement:
Los Angeles Harbor College promotes access and student success through associate and transfer
degrees, certificates, economic and workforce development, and basic skills instruction. Our
educational programs and support services meet the needs of diverse communities as measured by
campus institutional learning outcomes.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Apply the ethnographic research method and typical themes of anthropological inquiry.
2. Define the term “culture” and explain how it impacts the lives of individuals.
3. Compare and contrast the differing subsistence strategies, and/or attitudes towards work,
that are found among varying societies.
4. Apply the key concepts and methods of anthropology to appraise how ideals of sex and
gender are shaped by cultural context.
5. Compare, contrast and critically assess the effect of globalization and consumerism on the
environment.
6. Compare and contrast different kinship and lineage systems, and explain how each affects
lifeways in various cultures.
7. Apply the fundamentals of linguistic anthropology to explain how language is an integral
part of human culture.
1|Page
Assigned readings for the course:
Guest, Kenneth J. 2014. Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age. New York: Norton.
ISBN: 978-0-393-92957-7.

E-Book Available for purchase at:
http://store.vitalsource.com/show/9780393521504R180
David, Sasha. 2013. The Anthro Download. Xanedu Press. ISBN-10: 1-58152-972-4. ISBN-13: 9781-58152-972-2.
***
COURSE WORK:
Lectures: Make sure to take thorough notes on each lecture for the course; this entails writing down
everything from the PowerPoint slides. Your performance on the pop quizzes and exams for the
class will depend on the quality of the notes that you take.
Pop Quizzes: On certain days, there will be a pop quiz at the end of lecture, to check to make sure
you were paying attention and taking good notes. The pop quiz will only cover that day’s lecture and
you will be allowed to use your notes. Any failed pop quiz will result in 1 point deducted from your
final grade for the course. If you come to class but do not turn in the quiz, it will count as a failed
pop quiz.
Reading Quizzes: These quizzes will assess your mastery of the material in the assigned textbook
reading. See below for Reading Quiz dates and the chapters they will cover. These quizzes consist
of five True/False questions. Make sure you study the reading in depth for these quizzes. These
quizzes cover both of the textbooks.
Midterm and Final Exam: These exams only cover the lectures and the Anthro Download; they do not
cover the other textbook for the course. The Midterm covers every lecture and assigned Anthro
Download chapter up to the date of the test. The Final Exam is cumulative and covers every lecture
and assigned Anthro Download chapter throughout the course. There will be review sessions for each
exam in which you will receive a review sheet to help you study. Both of these exams are entirely
multiple choice.
***
2|Page
GRADING FOR THE COURSE:
Reading Quizzes: Six quizzes worth a total of 30% of your final grade total; each quiz is worth 5%
of your final grade for the course.
Midterm Exam: Worth 35% of your final grade for the course.
Final Exam: Worth 35% of your final grade for the course.
Pop Quizzes: One point deducted from your final grade for the course for each failed quiz.
Extra Credit: Ten points will be added to your final grade for the course based upon successful
completion of the course Service Learning. (For example, a final grade of 75/C will become 85/B
with the extra credit.) There will be no other extra credit offered for this course. Service
Learning is taught by Prof. Lori Minor and Prof. Megan Lange; you may enroll with either
instructor. I will distribute two handouts that give you further information about this course and
enrollment instructions.
If you have taken Service Learning during a previous semester, please give me a copy of your
unofficial transcript on or before the date of the final exam, so I can give you your extra credit for
the class. Make sure to let me know if you are enrolled in multiple sections of mine, so I can apply it
to all your sections.
Calculation of final grades: This class will use the traditional numerical values for each letter grade.
(A = 90%-100%; B = 80%-89%; C = 70%-79%; D = 60%-69%; F = 59% or lower.)
***
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance: Attendance is taken at the end of class using a sign-in sheet.
Latecomers: Always enter through the rear door to the classroom. Do not walk in through the front of the
class when instruction is occurring.
Drop Policy: After the first week of class, it is your responsibility to drop the class if you will no
longer be participating.
Test Taking Policy: You must be present at the very beginning of any quiz or exam in order to take
it. This pertains to all pop quizzes and reading quizzes, as well as the Midterm and Final Exam.
Make sure to bring an unwrinkled, 50-question per side Scantron form and pencil with you for every
reading quiz and the Midterm and Final Exam. You must take all quizzes and exams for the class
during the time that is specified for the section in which you are enrolled. You will not be permitted
to take any tests or exams during a class in which you are not enrolled.
3|Page
Make-Up or Late Work: There will be no make-up quizzes or exams given for this class. You will
only be able to take the quizzes and exams for this class at the time that they are given in class; you
will not be able to take them earlier or later than the scheduled time and date. If you are sick, have
car trouble, cannot find a babysitter, have a doctor’s appointment, etc., you will NOT be given an
early or late make-up test. If you miss the test, you miss the test. THERE ARE NO
EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE. Therefore it is wise
to do the Service Learning extra credit opportunity in case anything like this should come up for you
during the semester. Remember, you must add Service Learning at the start of the semester. You
will not be able to add it later on.
Academic Honesty/Plagiarism Statement: All students are expected to adhere to the Los Angeles
Harbor College standards of academic honesty. These standards forbid plagiarism, unlawful copying
and, or, failure to give credit to sources that you may use in the research and writing of your class
work. Cheating and other forms of misconduct are covered under this statement. Failure to comply
with these standards will result in a failed assignment and, or, a failed grade in this class.
Controversial Content Statement: This course includes visual presentations and discussions of a
frank nature regarding particular subjects including race, religion and sexual orientation protected by
the college’s academic freedom statutes that may be considered offensive and controversial to some.
When such topics may arise during the course of this semester and a student wishes to be excused,
please notify the instructor that you wish to be excluded from class discussion on the ground that it
is personally offensive and the instructor will excuse you until such discussion has concluded.
Cell phone policy: For safety reasons, you may keep your cell phone on your desk at all times during
class; ringers must be turned off or set to vibrate. However, if you use your phone for any reason
that is not related to an emergency, I will confiscate your phone and keep it for the rest of the class
period.
Disruptive behavior: Students who engage in behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment
will be asked to leave the classroom and not return until the following class meeting, which may
involve missing a quiz or test that cannot be made up, as per the policies stated above. Assigned
seats may also be given. “Disruptive behavior” is defined as interacting with one’s neighbor at an
inappropriate time, sleeping, using the Internet, or otherwise disturbing the learning environment.
Repeated instances of disruptive behavior may lead to a failed grade or withdrawal from the class.
Disability Statement: Students with a verified disability who may need authorized accommodation(s)
for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and the Office of Special Services or Disabled
Students as soon as possible, at least two weeks before any exam or quiz. All information will
remain confidential.
Also, please let me know if you are hard of hearing so I may accommodate you during
lectures and audiovisual presentations.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO ANY OF THE ABOVE POLICIES,
REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE.
***
4|Page
SOME WORDS OF ADVICE:
Hearing from Dr. David: All emails that I send to you—and there may be quite a few—will only go
to your LACCD email account, so make sure you have it up and running ASAP. Also, there is a
good chance that the emails I send you will go to your spam/bulk/junk folder.
Start Keeping a Calendar: If you don’t have one already, use a calendar (whether it’s a desk or wall
calendar, or an app on your phone) and keep all your assignment dates marked in it. I am not
going to remind you about the reading quiz or exam dates.
Financial aid students: Please be aware that you will likely not receive your aid until several weeks
into the semester. The textbooks are on reserve at the library from the beginning to the end of the
semester, so not having your textbook will not be accepted as a reason to take the reading quiz late.
***
CLASS SCHEDULE:
2/8
Syllabus Review
TED Talk: “Gorgeous Portraits of the World’s Vanishing People”
2/10
Introduction: What is Socio-Cultural Anthropology?
2/17
The Contributions of Malinowski, Mauss, and Marx
2/22
Early Acknowledgements of the Connection Between Mind, Body, and Society
5|Page
2/24
Reading Quiz #1:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 1 & 2
The Anthro Download Chapters 1, 2 & 3
Film: Secret State of North Korea (Frontline)
2/29
The Contributions of Mary Douglas to Socio-Cultural Anthropology
3/2
Subjectivity in Anthropology
3/7
Studying Genocide as an Anthropologist
TED Talk: “My Wish: Let My Photographs Bear Witness”
3/9
Reading Quiz #2:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 3 & 4
The Anthro Download Chapters 4, 5 & 6
Film: God Grew Tired of Us
3/14
Work Among the Baining of Papua New Guinea
3/16
Sex as Metaphor in the U.S. and Papua New Guinea
6|Page
3/21
Anthropological Perspectives on Family Planning
3/23
Reading Quiz #3:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 6 & 7
The Anthro Download Chapters 7, 8 & 11
Film TBA
3/28
Midterm Review–Bring blank index cards with you or have Quizlet downloaded on your
phone
3/30
Midterm Exam
4/11
Spirituality and Capitalism
4/13
Formal vs. Informal Economies
4/18
Late Capitalism and the Selling of the Self
TED Talk: “The Power of Introverts”
7|Page
4/20
Reading Quiz #4:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 8 & 9
The Anthro Download Chapters 9, 10 & 12
Film: TBA
4/25
Applying the Anthropological Methodology to the Study of Hollywood
4/27
Today’s Flexible Workplace
5/2
Tour Guides, Flight Attendants, and Boxers
5/4
Reading Quiz #5:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 10 & 11
The Anthro Download Chapters 13, 14 & 15
Film TBA
5/9
Sex, Gender, and the Impact of Capitalism on It All
5/11
Anthropological Perspectives on Male and Female Body Image in the U.S.
8|Page
5/16
Anthropological Contributions to the Study of Alcoholism
5/18
Reading Quiz #6:
Cultural Anthropology Chapters 12 & 13
The Anthro Download Chapters 16, 19 & 20
Film TBA
5/23
Final Exam Review–Bring blank index cards with you or have Quizlet downloaded on your
phone
5/25
Final Exam Review–Bring blank index cards with you or have Quizlet downloaded on your
phone
6/1 @ 8 AM – 10 AM
Final Exam
9|Page