Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Anthropology 101-1002 (Car-CED 308); 101-1003 (Doug DC MC); 101-1004 (Fern FCH 2);
101-1005 (Fall VRGH 309); 101-1006 (Yer YCC Green)
Spring 2014
Tuesday 7-9:45 PM
Teacher: Emily “Eddie” Dale
Email: Emily.Dale@wnc.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Cultural anthropology is a discipline that can be applied to many
courses of study, as anthropologists are interested in people throughout time and all over the
world. Through this introductory course, we will explore topics relevant to anthropology,
including its history, theory, and research methods. We will attempt, in the words of Melford
Spiro, to “make the strange familiar, and the familiar strange.” By employing anthropological
theory to what people do and why, we will learn to think like anthropologists, analyzing our own
culture(s) and those of others. We will consider human diversity through comparative studies of
topics including gender, religion, economics, food, and kinship; we will also consider culture
change and globalization. Students will learn to think critically about themselves and others, an
important skill in this ever-increasingly connected (and possibly disconnected) world.
A Note on the Core Curriculum
This is a 3 unit introductory course. It is transferable to any college or university in Nevada as
Anthropology 101, and is accepted at colleges and universities outside of Nevada as the
introductory course to cultural anthropology. It will fulfill the SOCIAL SCIENCES requirements
for all WNC degrees, and will count toward the Anthropology major at UNR, UNLV, and
elsewhere.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
• Gezon & Kottak: Culture; McGraw Hill Publishing
• Articles will be available for download and reading on Canvas
CANVAS:
There is a Canvas page for this class, on which you can find an up-to-date syllabus, copies of
assignments, Powerpoint slides, reading materials, grades, and relevant course materials.
Assignments will also be due through Canvas. For first time users, go to
www.wnc.edu/wnconline, and click on “Access WNC Online (Canvas)” under “Online
Instruction.” Assignments will be listed under the “Assignments” tab. Extra Credit
Opportunities, Lectures, and Readings are under the “Files” tab.
1. EXAMS
• Three, non-cumulative exams administered throughout the semester will cover lectures,
text material, films, and assigned articles.
• Exams will consist of multiple choice and matching questions that will be administered
during class time. An essay question will be assigned and submitted through SafeAssign
on Canvas.
• Make-up exams must be scheduled with me and will require a doctor’s note or equivalent
proof for absence. If you are aware ahead of time that you will miss an exam, please try
•
to schedule a make up with me at least a week in advance of the scheduled test.
Points: Each exam is worth 50 points
2. WRITING
• In lieu of a formal research paper, your writing requirement for the class will be fulfilled
through a series of five critical thinking and response assignments, due throughout the
semester, as shown on the schedule below. These assignments will test your
understanding of certain concepts and require you to apply them to your everyday life.
• The assignments will be posted to Canvas and will be submitted in digital format (Safe
Assign) to Canvas. They are due at 11:59 pm on the night listed on the schedule below.
• Points: Each writing assignment is worth 10 points
3. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
• Do the readings prior to class so that you can contribute to the discussions. (They will
also show up on the tests, hint hint).
• Attendance and participation are a factor in this grade and will be calculated based off
daily roll call. Excused absences and documented emergencies do NOT count toward a
missed class. Please inform me if you will miss or have missed a class where attendance
was taken and you missed for a legitimate reason (family death, illness, etc… (sleeping in
past your alarm does not count). Documentation is required.).
• Points: Participation and attendance are worth 15 points
Extra credit will be offered during the semester, but will be limited to 10 points per student in
total. Extra credit opportunities, mostly in the form of attending lectures, reading extra articles,
or watching additional films and writing a 1-2 page summary and reflection of what you learned,
will be announced in class. Each submission is worth up to 3 points. A sheet detailing how to get
extra credit is posted to Canvas under “Files”, then “Extra Credit Opportunities.” Extra credit
articles will also be posted to this section of Canvas, as will links to films available on-line. Extra
credit is to be turned into me in class or e-mailed to me within two weeks of the extra credit
being assigned. No extra credit will be accepted after April 30.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
• Late assignments will not be accepted.
POINT BREAKDOWN:
Exams (3)
150
Assignments (5)
50
Participation
15
Total possible
215
For all graded assignments:
94-100 = A; 90-93 = A-; 87-89 = B+;
84-86 = B; 80-83 = B-; 77-79 = C+;
74-76 = C; 70-73 = C-; 67-69 = D+;
64-66 = D; 60-63 = D-; 0-59 = F
For those who fall in between two of these grade categories, people with .5 or higher will receive
the higher grade, while those with .4 or lower will receive the lower grade. For example,
someone with a 93.52 will receive an A for the class, while someone with a 93.46 will receive an
A-.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY
Students are expected to adhere to the ethical code as described in the WNC Student Handbook.
This code specifies that with enrollment, an individual commits to the principles embodied in the
code. Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.), in any form is unacceptable. Any student
engaging in academic dishonesty in this course will receive a 0 on the exam/assignment in
question, and the case will be reported to the proper university authorities.
ACADEMIC DISABILITY:
WNC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. Susan Trist (DSS
coordinator) is available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that students may
require. Please contact Susan (774-445-3268) at your earliest convenience.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS SERVICES
Your student fees cover usage of the WNC Academic Skills Center, which offers tutoring, both
walk-in and by appointment, computer use, and workshops. For more information, visit
www.wnc.edu/studentservices/asc or in person on the Carson City Campus in Bristlecone
Building, room 330.
PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES & OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES DURING
CLASS AND NO TALKING. THESE ARE ALL DISRUPTIVE AND INCONSIDERATE
TO YOUR FELLOW CLASSMATES.
SCHEDULE: The following class schedule is subject to change. All readings should be
completed before the class for which they are assigned. Under readings, TB=Textbook Chapter
and CA=Canvas Article.
Date
Topic
Readings
Assignments
Extra
Credit
Jan 21
Syllabus Overview and
Introduction to
Anthropology
TB: Chapter 1
None
None
Jan 28
Culture
TB: Chapter 2
CA: Body Ritual
among the Nacirema
Feb 4
Doing Anthropology
Film: The Language You
Cry In
TB: Chapter 3
CA: TBA
Updated
Nacirema,
Due Jan 29
Methods
Practice, Due
Feb 5
Film:
Merchants
of Cool
Article:
Shakespeare
in the Bush
Feb 11
Language and
Communication
Film: The Linguists
TB: Chapter 4
CA: How Language
Shapes Thought and
Rapport-talk and
Report-talk
None
None
Making a Living
TB: Chapter 5
CA: The Inuit Paradox
Food
Journal, Due
Feb 19
Feb 18
None
Date
Topic
Feb 25
EXAM ONE
Social Stratification
Mar 4
Ethnicity and Race
Film: Race: The Power of
an Illusion
Mar 11
Mar 18
Mar 25
Apr 1
Political Systems
SPRING BREAK
Familes, Kinship, and
Marriage
Film: The Women’s
Kingdom
EXAM TWO
Gender
Film: Two Spirits
Apr 8
Religion
Film: Maasai: A Warrior’s
Rite of Passage
Apr 15
Art and Culture
Apr 22
Colonialism and
Globalization
Film: T-Shirt Travels
Apr 29
Applying Anthropology
Film: Milking the Rhino
May 6
FINAL EXAM
Readings
EXAM ONE
CA: Cell Phones […]
in an African Society
TB: Chapter 11
CA: Can White Men
Jump?
TB: Chapter 6
CA: Eating Christmas
in the Kalahari
SPRING BREAK
Assignments
Extra
Credit
EXAM ONE
None
None
None
None
None
Article: The
Kpelle Moot
SPRING
BREAK
Article:
Death
without
Weeping
TB: Chapter 7
CA: Arranging a
Marriage in India
Kinship
Activity, Mar
25 (in-class)
EXAM TWO
TB: Chapter 8
CA: The Berdache
Tradition
EXAM
TWO
None
Film:
Taboo: The
Third Sex
None
Article: The
Notion of
Witchcraft
Explains
Unfortunate
Events
None
None
Your
Globalized
Self; Due
Apr 30
None
None
None
FINAL
EXAM
TB: Chapter 9
CA: Baseball Magic
CA: Where Fat is a
Mark of Beauty
TB: Skim Chapter 10,
Read Chapter 13
CA: The Price of
Progress
TB: Chapter 12
CA: The
Americanization of
Mental Illness
FINAL EXAM
Please complete this form, tear off the page, and turn it in to me by the end of class. This is the
first attendance sign-in. It is brief survey; it is kept confidential. I will use it to create a class
roster and to help me to assist students and accommodate their interests wherever possible.
Tell me about yourself…
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Preferred nickname:____________________________________________________________
Year in school: _____________________________
Academic major (minors):________________________________________________________
Have you taken any anthropology or related classes, perhaps in the social sciences? List them:
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Why did you decide to take this class? (Please be honest!)
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What topics in anthropology interest you in particular? Any from the syllabus or book?
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Do you have any concerns or questions about the class?
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