SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal Form
Electronically submit a copy of the course proposal form and attachments to the Chair
of the CCC. Please submit a separate copy of the proposal form for each learning goal.
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Name of Proposer: Jennifer D. Heung
Email address: jheung@stmarys-ca.edu
Department/Program of Proposer: Anthropology
Name of Department/Program housing the course: Anthropology ( for SMS –
Studies for Multilingual Students.)
5. Name(s) of Program Director/Department Chair : Lynn Meisch
6. Course Acronym, Number and Title: SMS 15
7. Semester(s) in which course will be offered: Fall
8. How often is this course taught? Once a year.
9. Course Prerequisites (if any): None other than being an international student.
10. Unit Value of Course: 1 credit
11. Proper Audience for the course (delete those that don’t apply):
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
12. The Learning Goals for which the course is being submitted
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Pathways to Knowledge
Social, Historical, Cultural Understanding
SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
Outcome 1:
Examine human activity in particular periods or places from a social, cultural or
historical perspective and
Teaching: The first outcome of social, cultural, and historical understanding will be
met in a number of ways through the topics covered within the course. In particular the
course begins with a cultural examination of American values and assumptions while
placing them within a US historical context. This serves as an academic entry point for
students as well as cultural means for students to appreciate and understand their own
experiences of cultural adjustment and integration into the culture of higher education
in the US as well as the culture of the larger Saint Mary’s community. Important
anthropological concepts such as cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and culture shock
are introduced to students so they develop the tools to analyze and comprehend what it
means to “live in the US.” Next, the course builds on the student’s cultural knowledge
by moving on to larger intellectual categories such as race, socio-economic status,
gender and sexual orientation with an effort to contextualize these ideas within a US
context. For example when we discuss race-relations in contemporary US, the critical
discussion is situated within historical debates about scientific racism and civil rights.
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This framework then informs how we understand the cultural construction of race and
furthermore international students are encouraged to examine their own cultures’
attitudes on race. From this anthropological approach, students become aware of both
insider (emic) and outsider (etic) perspectives. Other topics such as socio-economic
status and gender are conceptualized and presented in a similar manner.
Learning: This learning outcome is measured by quizzes and student presentations in
class. Quizzes are usually 1-2 pages with short answer questions that cover basic
information about the readings (main points and central argument of a reading, key
concepts, etc) and ask students to articulate how class topics are approached within the
discipline of anthropology. Aspects of this learning outcome will also be measured in
the exams to determine if there are higher levels of understanding in terms students
ability to describe and speak about specific forms of human activity in relation to their
appropriate social, cultural and historical context.
Outcome 2:
Demonstrate an understanding of theories of human behavior, relations, culture, or
institutions; or interpretations of historical causation and change; and
Teaching: The second core learning outcome under Social, Cultural, and Historical
Understanding is achieved through the reading of articles that deal with American
culture and ethnographic readings that highlight the diverse values of American culture.
Course readings introduce different American cultural values and assumptions, which
include concepts such as individualism, freedom, and privacy to understand different
theories regarding cultural change and continuation. Different examples of how these
values manifest within American culture will be discussed to understand how these
ideas shape and influence individual behaviors as well as larger social structures such as
school systems or consumer markets. For example, the students read several articles
about courtship and marriage in the US. Through discussion, the class identifies specific
behaviors in courtship that are motivated by the concepts of individualism, freedom and
privacy. Next, the class reads additional articles about courtship and marriage in other
cultures so comparisons can be made to understand cross-cultural diversity when
analyzing a single topic. Finally the larger historical context of individualism, freedom,
and privacy (in this case, as they pertain to courtship and marriage) are contextualized
within larger cultural and historical processes such as feminism, gay rights, and
colonialism. Through discussions and written critical reflections, students examine these
processes of causation and change within the context of race, class, gender, and
sexuality. Again in these discussions, students are encouraged to draw from their own
cultural background, which can be quite different from the American values we have
been discussing. Through these discussion students will learn how to articulate and
identify the different factors that contribute to the formations or changes of different
American values they are studying and describing.
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Learning: The second core learning outcome under Social, Cultural, and Historical
Understanding is measured by critical reflections, discussions, and exams, where
students will have ample opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the
different socio-cultural, economic, and political processes examined during the
academic semester. In producing critical reflections as well as responding to specific
questions on exams, students will be asked to apply their understanding of concepts to
specific theories such as the enculturation process, assumptions made in high-context
cultures vs. low-context cultures, how power is maintained through racial hierarchies,
etc. Exams (midterm and final) will include multiple choice, fill-in responses, short
answers, and long essays, which are all used to test the student’s knowledge,
comprehension and application of anthropological concepts, theories and perspectives.
Outcome 3:
Employ social science or historical methodology to collect and interpret evidence
about the social world.
Teaching: Anthropology uses a number of different methodologies to interpret evidence
about the social world and during this course, students are introduced to and directed
to employ different methodologies to identify, analyze and evaluate different cultural
concepts and phenomenon. The methodologies covered in this course include:
participant observation, media and historical analysis, interviewing techniques, and
cross-cultural comparison. Participant observation is a primary method of research
used in cultural anthropology and involves the researcher living within a given culture
for an extended period of time to gain familiarity and to take part in its daily life. In
doing so, one is able to experience the richness and diversity of any given culture. As
international students, they practice participant observation everyday by being enrolled
at an US institution. This course directs students towards becoming increasingly aware
of their own practice of participant observation while living in the United States.
Naturally, these comparisons are cross-cultural in nature since international students
will notice differences between US cultural constructs and their home country’s cultural
ideals. Additionally, through class discussions, readings, and critical reflection
assignments, students gain the skills that allow them to identify and articulate cultural
concepts as well as the ability to analyze and interpret their own experiences of
different cultural events. Media and historical analysis is used as students learn to
contextualize cultural concepts and phenomenon within their cultural, social, political,
and historical circumstances. For example students may first explore gender
expectations as depicted in newspapers and magazines within the US, then identify
larger historical and social trends regarding gender expectations, and finally move
towards a larger cross-cultural comparison as students generate and evaluate different
interpretations between two cultures such as the US and China.
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Learning: This final outcome regarding methodology and interpretation under Social,
Cultural, and Historical Understanding will be measured specifically by two assignments:
1) a “Current Issue in US Culture” assignment, where students will work independently
in locating and analyzing a collection of newspaper clippings about one topic salient to
American culture; 2) a oral history interview where students will practice employing
anthropological methods such as taking fieldnotes, observations, and interview
techniques. With the “Current Issues” assignment, student will have the opportunity to
exercise interpretation skills with evidence that is collected from current news media.
The newspaper articles encourage international students to develop an interest in the
world around them through an anthropological lens. After collecting their own cultural
data, students will analyze the content and identify larger patterns and key concepts
related to their chosen topic. Students’ ability to interpret will be assessed by their
effectiveness in explaining how the data they collected stem from and are linked to
larger social and historical processes such as globalization or colonialism. The ability to
move from the micro (for example personal experiences of racism) to the macro (being
able to contextualize personal experiences as examples of larger processes of inequality
which have created and are structured by ideas of race) will demonstrate students’
ability to effectively interpret data. This final paper is 4-5 pages and requires student to
discuss their methodology as well as explicitly link three or more anthropological
concepts to their analysis.
The second assignment, Life History Collection, requires a student to create a set of
interview questions about different themes regarding life in the US and then interview
an individual. Interview questions are organized by themes such as gender, work, or
family. The final product is a written paper that presents an overview of an individual’s
life and the important events that shaped his or her worldview. Ultimately, both these
writing assignments are opportunities for students to demonstrate how they interpret
evidence from the social world. Before the final assignments are due there will also be
class discussion regarding the data student have collected. This allows students to learn
from each other and to practice critical interpretations in preparation for their final
draft, which serves as a formal assessment of the student’s learning.
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