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ANT 2000
Introduction to Anthropology
SYLLABUS AND COURSE INFORMATION
FALL SEMESTER 2012
Instructor:
Mr. Benjamin Wells
Email:
bcw15@students.uwf.edu
Credit Hours:
3 credit hours
Required Textbook: Anthropology: Appreciating Human Diversity (14th ed.). Conrad Phillip
Kottak (McGraw Hill 2011; ISBN 978-0-07-811699-5).
Course Description: Introduction to Anthropology is designed to provide you with an
understanding of what anthropology and its sub-disciplines in cultural, physical, linguistic, and
archaeological anthropology are. This course focuses heavily on the study of humans and their
ancestors through time and covers a range of topics including development, kinship and descent,
political organization, social structure, and many more. Anthropology is a vast and varied field,
ever-evolving to better study its subject matter- man.
General Course Information: Introduction to Anthropology is designated as a General Studies
course. The General Studies curriculum at the University of West Florida is designed to provide
a cohesive program of study that promotes the development of a broadly educated person and
provides the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in university studies. This course has been
approved as meeting your requirement in the Behavioral area. The major General Studies
learning outcomes for this course are Writing and Diversity.
If you are interested in a major in Anthropology you should contact the Department of
Anthropology at 474-2797. If you are undecided about your major you should contact your
academic advisor or the Career Center at 850-474-2254.
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Course Objectives: By the end of the course I hope you will be able to:
 Demonstrate a clear understanding of the different sub-fields of anthropology and
how all work together to some degree.
 Illustrate the breadth of what culture is and the variety of ways it can be studied and
observed, not only scientifically, but in an everyday setting.
 Demonstrate an understanding of anthropological perspectives on cultural issues from
the past and present, and some of the solutions anthropology can offer on current
global problems.
 Be able to identify how anthropology works in the world today and the range of
possibilities and benefits it offers to students of any field of study.
Specific Course Requirements:
 Textbook assignments: Weekly reading will be assigned from the textbook. This
information will be necessary to complete quizzes, tests, assignments, and to actively
participate in weekly discussions.
 Discussions: Each week you will be required create a topic of discussion and respond
to another classmate’s topic. Topics such as “This week’s reading was interesting” or
“Culture is cool” will be considered unacceptable and not count toward your grade.
Likewise, responses such as “I agree/disagree” or “That’s a good point” will also not
count. I am looking for fully developed and defended thoughts and opinions. This
does not mean I expect page long essays. Please feel free to respond more than the
required amount, it may benefit you in the end!
 Live Chat: Each week I will be available for live chat for anyone that would like to
communicate that way. I will inform you on Mondays what day and time I will be
available. Keep in mind I am constantly monitoring the course online and may be
available throughout the week at other random times, though email will always be the
best way to contact me.
 Quizzes: I will periodically assign quizzes in order to gauge your understanding of
the reading for the week.
 Tests: Due to the nature of the material, four equally weighted tests will be given
during the course of the class. Each of these will be worth 100 points. Exams will
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draw from readings and discussions. Key concepts will be addressed in a variety of
formats including matching, multiple choice, short answer, and essay.
 Due Dates and Assignments: All discussions, assignments, quizzes, and tests are
time sensitive. They will open at 12:00 a.m. Tuesday mornings and close at 11:59
p.m. Monday nights. This gives you an entire week to complete all the required
assignments. It is your responsibility to ensure all material is turned in before the
deadline. Late work will not be accepted.
 Extra credit: There will be no extra credit work for this course.
Grading system: Letter grade to percentage equivalents (see Evaluation and Grades document
on eLearning for grades per assignment breakdown).
A 100-93%
A- 92-90%
B+ 89-87%
B 86-83%
B- 82-80%
C+ 79-77%
C 76-73%
C- 72-70%
D+ 69-66%
D 65-60%
F
59-0%
Technology Use: This course is entirely online. All instructional content and interaction occurs
over the internet, namely through eLearning. As this course is completely online, you must have
continual access to the internet. All quizzes, tests, discussions, and assignment are fulfilled
online.
University policy on academic conduct/plagiarism: As members of any academic setting, such
as the University of West Florida, we commit to honesty and integrity. The Student Code of
Conduct sets forth the rules, regulations, and expected behavior of students enrolled here at
UWF. It is your responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and act accordingly in all
situations. You may access the current Student Code of Conduct at
http://uwf.edu/osrr/documents/BOTApprovedStudentCodeofConduct-2010edition.pdf. This is
the most up-to-date version. As far as plagiarism is concerned, UWF defines it as “The act of
representing the ideas, words, creations, or work of another as one’s own.” The penalty for being
caught plagiarizing is failure for the assignment, and perhaps the whole course. It is up to the
instructor whether that student should be recommended for suspension from the university as
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well. Please see the UWF Student Handbook for further information. Additionally, the full
statement of the university’s academic integrity policy and misconduct procedures can be found
here http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/misconduct.cfm.
Statement about assistance for students with special needs: The Student Disability Resource
Center (SDRC) at the University of West Florida supports an inclusive learning environment for
all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full
participation, such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned
videos and podcasts, please notify the instructor or the SDRC as soon as possible. You may
contact the SDRC office by e-mail at sdrc@uwf.edu or by phone at (850) 474-2387. Appropriate
academic accommodations will be determined based on the documented needs of the individual.
Course Schedule1
Week 1 (August 28): Chapter 1 of Kottak – What is Anthropology?
Week 2 (September 4): Chapter 2 & Online Articles – Everything is Culture?!
Week 3 (September 11): Chapters 5 & 6 of Kottak –Evolution and human variation
Week 4 (September 18): Chapters 15 of Kottak – Race, ethnicity, population
Week 5 (September 25): Exam 1
Week 6 (October 2): Chapters 7& 8 of Kottak – Distant cousins, their relationship to us, early
Homini
Week 7 (October 9): Chapters 9 & 4 of Kottak – Our genus, how we study past cultures
Week 8 (October 16): Chapters 10 & 11 of Kottak – Let’s Move and Settle!
Week 9 (October 23): Exam 2
Week 10 (October 30): Chapters 16 & 17 of Kottak – Adaptive strategies, Political organization
Week 11 (November 6): Chapters 18 & 19 of Kottak – Kinship, Descent, Gender
Week 12 (November 13): Chapters 20 of Kottak – Marriage
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I reserve the right to alter the schedule throughout the course of the semester.
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Week 13 (November 20): Exam 3
Week 14 (November 27): Chapters 13, 22-24 of Kottak – Studying present cultures, cultures in
flux
Week 15 (December 4): Chapters 14 & 21 of Kottak – Belief systems and language
Week 16 (December 14): Final Exam Due 5:00 p.m.