Applied Anthropology
ADMPS 2353
Spring Semester 2015 (2154)
Thursdays 4:30 - 7:10 4321 Posvar Hall
Overview: This advanced seminar explores practical applications of anthropology to educational
programs and policies in varied cultural settings and applied contexts around the world. Authentic
examples of professional practice, as well as challenging, real-life dilemmas and problems let students see
the range of applied anthropological endeavors. Active student engagement is a hallmark of the course
pedagogy and reflects our long-standing emphasis on the ways that agency, voice, resistance, media and
representation, and cultural innovation shape education and culture in the wider world (as well as in
academe itself).
Each offering changes and has a focal set of applications for that year. This term it is a hands-on look
at two entwined topics, place-based education and indigenous education. The course opens with
questions about where we “come from” and how our “place” and “position” in the world can help to
generate assets and cultural affinities that help us to care about specific places. Starting at home and
working outward, students will have the chance to get to know Pittsburgh like never before. This is the
basis for thinking about much larger issues of sustainability and environmental education, as well as
about topics such as citizenship, belonging, immigration, and preserving the Commons. We will talk
about (new) media and technologies and how they help us to rethink borders, permeability, and
community buy-in and ownership of place-based practices and projects such as gardens, sustainable
schoolyards, and experiential education. Building culturally responsive and affirming pedagogies that
incorporate the tangible elements of place can help students connect to school and to achieve to their
potential; participants will be able to try their hand at creating model curricula, school policies, and to
contribute to a multi-layered model of integrated place-based education.
Place-based education owes much to indigenous education reform movements, and the topics of the
first half are entwined with parallel struggles among indigenous peoples for full cultural expression in
school, language and ritual revivals, and claims to authenticity and authority. The class offers a primer of
Indian Studies 101 for those who would like to know much more about Native Peoples and the essential
role that they have played in shaping this nation and its politics, borders, food, and customs. We will talk
about how culturally responsive pedagogies can change the nature of education for Native Americans,
First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Hawai’ians and Pacific Islanders – from the PreK-20 education levels (in
tribally-controlled colleges and in integrated settings in Head Start). We will talk about how communitydriven programs have been successful and how we can build responsive, respectful research partnerships.
A highlight of the unit on festivals, powwows, and museum programming will be the whole class putting
on a simple play about an Andean ceremony that the professor has participated in many times. Shared
discovery, music, stories from around the world, authentic projects tied to real school needs, and exciting
case studies will make this a very lively course.
This semester we have several unique opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, attendance
at the Society for Applied Anthropology, which is in Pittsburgh for the first time in many years. We will
take at least one short field trip, and may offer one to the National Museum of the American Indian in DC
after the semester ends. We will put on the play with help from colleagues from the Theater Arts
department and the Center for Latin American Studies. Students may have the opportunity to use this
course as a jumping off point for a summer student exchange program in Aachen, Germany and Brussels,
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Applied Anthropology Spring 2015
Belgium to talk about education in the European Union and innovations that foster diversity, dignity,
culturally-responsive and place-based/regional education.
By selecting their case studies in conjunction with the professor, participants can certainly count this
course towards a Global Studies certificate and any of the UCIS Area Studies Certificates. Therefore this
course may count as either an in or out of home department class for participants.
Learning Goals: There are many learning goals for this course, and graduate students will ultimately
design their own course of learning throughout the semester. The following goals provide a shared basis
for the course:
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Through the readings, classroom experiences, leadership opportunities, and written integrations,
students will be able to actively apply and integrate complex ideas and core concepts in
meaningful ways and to communicate them with others.
Students will be able to identify and interpret multiple theories and research that help us
understand both personal and systematic, theoretical approaches to place-based pedagogies and
indigenous education reform.
Students will be able to better articulate (including to express in visual forms and maps) their own
perspectives and position in relation to a range of theories, modes of inquiry, and action
strategies.
Students will gain a sense of the range, rewards, ethical practices of applied anthropology.
Through diverse readings and resources, including special guests, students will gain a sense of
how dimensions such as race, class, profession, cultural identity, and gender intersect with place,
and how these might be different when understood in an indigenous worldview.
Students will be able to exchange personal experiences from work, leisure, family, and school
with classmates as part of a safe, shared culture of candid and creative inquiry.
Students will better understand how place and culture impact the ways in which dominant groups
identify and categorize those defined as “Other.”
Students will be able to provide a more in-depth set of critiques and illustrations of culturally
responsive and relevant pedagogies that serve indigenous and non-indigenous students well, and
that take place and ecology into account in their design and practice.
Students will come to see some similarities and overlaps between policies for rural, reservation,
tribal, neighborhood, and urban settings, and the way that a place-conscious education can make a
difference.
Class members will have the chance to opt for an applied project, one that can be used for a
particular client or audience.
Students will have a chance to play with different ways of knowing and depicting relationships as
they creatively generate maps, diagrams, models, and schematics that honor indigenous images
and symbols.
Required Texts:
Bowman, P. & Hamer, L. (Eds.). (2011). Through the schoolhouse door: Folklore, community,
curriculum. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press.
Goodyear-Ka’ōpua, N. (2013). The seeds we planted: Portraits of a native Hawaiian charter school.
Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
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Jacob, W. J., Cheng, S.Y. & Porter, M.K. (Eds.). (2015). Indigenous education: Language, culture, and
identity. New York: Springer.
Lonetree, A. (2012). Decolonizing museums: Representing native America in national and tribal
museums. Chaprl Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.
Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill,
NC: Algonquin Books. (First or second edition is fine.)
Sobel, D. (2008). Childhood and nature: Design principles for educators. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Publishers.
Substantial sets of additional resources will be posted on Courseweb. Students are also encouraged to
contribute to the cumulative set of resources available to the course.
Requirements: Course grades are based on the following three elements:
50% from Course Presentations:
In lieu of constant short written assessments, students will have the opportunity to co-lead many
sessions of the course. These include both group and individual presentations. Groups are needed for the
sets of Louv chapters, the Sobel chapters 4-11, sets of the Bowman and Hamer book, chapter leadership
of Goodyear-Ka’ōpua chapters, FACTS/Juniper Hill/Hawaii sessions, and a focal week in the
language/culture/identity unit. Individual presentations include a content knowledge Pecha Kucha, review
and summary of a WQED film, and a post-play reflection.
For team projects, students may work in groups of up to 3 people; membership constellations must
change for each presentation. Typically the group presentation will constitute an hour to 90 minutes of the
session. Leadership may involve several of the following:
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presenting the set of readings in that module and on that day in an original synthesis, linking them
to shared core concepts
hosting guests/ partners and facilitating an exchange that substantially links to and enriches the
resources and module theme
providing additional insight about the authors of required and supplemental resources, as well as
the theoretical positioning that shapes their argument
applying the resources to a current problem, preparing an interactive presentation that could be/is
shared with a wider audience,
guiding classmates through an integration exercise that helps to clarify and enrich understanding
of core concepts.
Interpreting content in light of actual educational practices and policies
other modes of educational experiences that are embodied, passionate, intellectually and
emotionally challenging, safe, and fun
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On the day that the group leads, they should arrive with a finished packet of evidence that shows 1)
their statement of intentions and goals for the session, 2) the shared deliberations and collaborations that
have led up to the session, including any discussion threads or media exchanges, 3) any handouts, PPT or
Prezi slides, extra resources or media that they have incorporated into their leadership session. By the
following week at the latest, each person needs to submit, on paper, a 1-2 page personal statement
debriefing the leadership experience, audience responses, successes and changes, and identifying goals
and intentions for their next session. The final group of the term will need to submit this within three days
of the last class.
30% from semester-long project:
Students should work with the professor to design a meaningful integration activity that shows critical
synthesis of themes and theories in the course. It should have an applied element and may manifest itself
in many formats. Thorough use of required course textbooks and explicit use of core concepts is required.
However, the core issue or topic may be one that is not explicitly included in the course, but is of personal
interest. An initial plan is due in January and a well fleshed out working draft is due in February in class
for workshopping. The final is due April 16th. Student may opt to modify this paper for submission for
the graduate paper prize in in the Race and Social Problems program or as part of a larger comprehensive
exam, thesis, or publishing opportunity. Proof of use of bibliographic software, such as a screen shot, is
required in written projects and may also be required for other formats. Possible ideas:
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Academic paper for a UCIS certificate, thesis or comprehensive exam element, or the Race and
Social Problems competition
LibGuide or website for a major topic within the course or another live media resource
Curriculum project or proposal or documentation of an existing one
Draft of a publishable academic journal article on major course topic
Partnership proposal with agencies working in these fields
A grant proposal that is theoretically sound and ethically professional
Other, as mutually satisfactory
20% from Engagement:
This includes full course participation including preparation of the readings for each session, attendance
at varied field visits and collaborations, and positive contribution to flexible course format, contributions
and creative performances during sessions. It also includes being wonderful hosts to our guests. Students
are expected to perform to the best of their abilities in the play, and to attend museum visits. I hope that
students will attend the Society for Applied Anthropology, but a video and subsequent report are available
as an alternative.
Extra Credit: Students may earn extra credit by submitting reflections about directly related activities
and events. They may also take advantage of additional opportunities to turn in reflections from doing
community service or visiting agencies, or making a significant use of the SfAA conference.
Academic Integrity: All written work in this course must be the sole work of the student whose name
appears on that work. Students must clearly identify any group work or contributions from collaborations
and leadership sessions with the names of all participants. Students must observe the University of
Pittsburgh standards of academic honesty and comply with any additional regulations announced by the
instructor.
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Collegiality: Given the nature of the subject matter in this course, our discussions may well involve
sensitive topics and/or deeply personal experiences or views. We will work together to develop an
atmosphere where people are comfortable exploring and sharing diverse points of view. We will debate,
and even challenge, each other’s ideas with respect and compassion. Our dialogue will function within
the guidelines of academic freedom, defined by the American Association of University Professors as
follows:
The concept of academic freedom has been premised on the idea that human knowledge
is a never-ending pursuit of the truth, that there is no humanly accessible truth that is not
in principle open to challenge, and that no party or intellectual faction has a monopoly on
wisdom. Therefore, academic freedom is most likely to thrive in an environment of
intellectual diversity that protects and fosters independence of thought and speech.
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic
Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be
required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the
University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of
the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may
bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.
Disability Services: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation,
you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140
William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this
course.
Accessibility: Blackboard is ADA Compliant and has fully implemented the final accessibility standards
for electronic and information technology covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments
of 1998. Please note that, due to the flexibility provided in this product, it is possible for some material to
inadvertently fall outside of these guidelines.
Copyright Notice: These materials may be protected by copyright. United States copyright law, 17 USC
section 101, et seq., in addition to University policy and procedures, prohibit unauthorized duplication or
retransmission of course materials. See Library of Congress Copyright Office and the University
Copyright Policy.
Statement on Classroom Recording: To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not
record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the
instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own
private use.
Attendance: Mindful presence, thoughtful preparation, and full participation are expected for all class
activities. Class will be held unless I cancel it or unless the University cancels classes for weather
emergencies, etc. I recognize that there are times when events may prevent you from attending class
(illness, personal issues, professional responsibilities, etc.). I will also work to proactively organize
activities when I must be absent for academic reasons; I expect that you will fully participate in these
organized activities. I expect that you will treat excursions and guests will the full hospitality and respect
that we embody as representatives of the University of Pittsburgh. Please notify me by email at least a day
ahead, preferably at the beginning of the term, if you will not be in attendance at class. Since I am usually
at the room by a half hour beforehand and I seldom look at media or tech (i.e. email, messages, or texts)
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during class, if you are simply running late, please just come as soon as you can. Missing more than two
classes without a pre-approved plan has the potential to adversely affect your final grade.
This syllabus is subject to change based on the needs of the class. Students will be notified in class or by
e-mail of any changes to the Provisional Course Flow.
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Date
Topic
3/5
Placebased Ed
Tribal Crit
Positioning =
Map 3
NO
CLASS
FOR
3/19
Aesthetic modes
of education,
performance,
and intercultural
understanding
(3/26) Belonging and
Attend
migration,
Society for
applied
anthropology
4/2
World
indigenous
issues, border
crossings, rights,
and media
4/9
Critical race
theory, agency,
reform
4/16
Tribal Crit
Positioning =
Map 3
4/23
Museums as
transformative
spaces
8
Indigenous Ed
Due in class (in addition to
readings and presentations)
Porter culture
section
SPRING
BREAK
Pachamama Play
Performance, bring in props,
generate and invite audience for
full participation
Applied
Anthropology
Meetings in Pittsburgh
Culture
Reflection from the play
performance due
Language
Identity
Final projects due
Lonetree 3-5
Visit museum
Applied Anthropology Spring 2015