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ANTH 680: Seminar in Contemporary Anthropology
COURSE SCHEDULE
1a. January 27, 2009: Introduction to Course and Professor
 Introduction: Organization of seminar, contemporary anthropology, and critical
thinking
 Sign-ups for advisory meetings for your research projects by the fourth week
1b. January 29, 2009: Postmodern Issues of Representation
 “Introduction: Partial Truths." James Clifford. In Writing Culture: The Poetics and
Politics of Ethnography, ed. J. Clifford and G. E. Marcus. Pp. 1-26. University of
California Press, 1986.
2a. February 3, 2009: Critical Reflections on Multiple and Partial Truths
 AV: Rashomon
2b. February 5, 2009: Culture Concept in Anthropology
 "Writing Against Culture." Lila Abu-Lughod. In Recapturing Anthropology, ed. R.
Fox. Pp. 137-162. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, 1991.
3a. February 10, 2009: Feminist Dilemmas in Fieldwork
 "Situating Feminist Dilemmas in Fieldwork." Diane L. Wolf. In Feminist Dilemmas
in Fieldwork, ed. D. L. Wolf. Pp. 1-55. Boulder: Westview Press, 1996.
3b. February 12, 2009: Globalization and Ethnographic Studies
 “Transnationalism, Localization, and Fast Foods in East Asia.” James L. Watson. In
Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia, ed. J. L. Watson. Pp. 1-38. Stanford
University Press, 1997.
 “The Many Faces of Globalization.” D. Altman. In Global Sex. Pp. 10-33. University
of Chicago Press, 2001.
4a. February 17, 2009: Rigoberta Menchú Controversy
 “Epitaph for an Eyewitness Account.” David Stoll. In Rigoberta Menchú and the
Story of All Poor Guatemalans. Pp. 273-283; p. 310. Boulder, CO: Westview Press,
1999.
 "I, Rigoberta Menchú and the ‘Culture Wars’." Mary L. Pratt. In The Rigoberta
Menchú Controversy. Pp. 29-48. University of Minnesota Press, 2001.
4b. February 19, 2009: Test #1
 A one-page research proposal (indicating the topic and methods) due in class
5a & 5b. February 24-26, 2009:
 Advisory meetings for individual research projects (in SCI 397)
 Library research on annotated bibliographies for SIT Panel projects
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6a. March 3, 2009: Anthropological Perspectives on Culture and Rights
 “Introduction.” J. K. Cowan, M-B. Dembour, & R. A. Wilson. In Culture and Rights,
ed. J. K. Cowan, M-B. Dembour, & R. A. Wilson. Pp. 1-26. Cambridge University
Press, 2001.
6b. March 5, 2009: Culture, Law, and Gender Violence
 “Between Universalism and Relativism: A critique of the UNESCO concept of
culture.” Thomas H. Eriksen. In Culture and Rights, op. cit. Pp.127-148.
 “Changing Rights, Changing Culture.” Sally E. Merry. In Culture and Rights, op. cit.
Pp. 31-55.
7a. March 10, 2009: Between Universalism and Relativism
 “Following the Movement of a Pendulum: Between universalism and relativism.”
Marie-Benedicte Dembour. In Culture and Rights, op. cit. Pp. 56-79.
 “Imposing Rights? A case study of child prostitution in Thailand.” Heather
Montgomery. In Culture and Rights, op. cit. Pp. 80-101.
7b. March 12, 2009: Politics of Representation and Recognition
 “Ambiguities of an Emancipatory Discourse: The making of a Macedonian minority
in Greece.” Jane K. Cowan. In Culture and Rights, op. cit. Pp.152- 176.
 “Advancing Indigenous Claims through the Law: Reflections on the Guatemalan
peace process.” Rachel Sieder and Jessica Witchell. In Culture and Rights, op. cit. Pp.
201-225.
8a. March 17, 2009: Gendered Archaeology
 “Introduction”; “The Creation of Power and Prestige”; “Interpreting Gender in the
Past”; “Archaeology, Gender, and Origins Research”; “Gender and Division of
Labor.” Sarah M. Nelson. In Gender in Archaeology. Pp. 1-87. Altamira Press, 2004.
8b. March 19, 2009: Gender in Archaeological Interpretations
 “Households and Domestic Groups”; “The Larger Community”; “Human Images and
Ideology”; “New Paths to Gender in Archaeology”; “Gender, Agency, and Muted
Voices.” In Gender in Archaeology, op. cit. Pp. 88-158.
9a. March 24, 2009: Spring Recess: No Class
9b. March 26, 2009: Spring Recess: No Class
10a. March 31, 2009: Cesar Chavez Day: No Class
10b. April 2, 2009: Anthropological Work on International Disputes
 “Prologue”; “Introduction”; “From Multiple Symbolic Representations to the
Paradigmatic Story.” C. Sarah Soh. In The Comfort Women. Pp. xi-77. University of
Chicago Press, 2008.
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11a. April 7, 2009: Gender, Culture, History
 “Korean Survivors’ Testimonial Narratives”; “Japan’s Military Comfort System as
History.” In The Comfort Women, op. cit. Pp. 79-142.
 AV: Silence Broken.
11b. April 9, 2009: Memory
 “Postwar/Postcolonial Public Memories of the Comfort Women”; “Private Memories
of Public Sex.” In The Comfort Women, op. cit. Pp. 145-196.
12a. April 14, 2009: Sexual Culture
 “Public Sex and the State”; “Epilogue: Truth, Justice, Reconciliation”; “Appendix:
Doing ‘Expatriate Anthropology’.” In The Comfort Women, op. cit. Pp. 197-249.
12b. April 16, 2009: Test #2
13a. April 21, 2009: SIT Panel I
 Topics in Contemporary Biological, Linguistic, or Medical Anthropology
13b. April23, 2009: SIT Panel II
 Topics in Contemporary Biological, Linguistic, or Medical Anthropology
14a. April 28, 2009: SIT Panel III
 Topics in Contemporary Biological, Linguistic, or Medical Anthropology
14b. April 30, 2009: SIT Panel IV
 Topics in Contemporary Biological, Linguistic, or Medical Anthropology

SIT Reports Due in Class
15a. May 5, 2009: Student research presentations
15b. May 7, 2009: Student research presentations
16a. May 12, 2009: Student research presentations
16b. May 14, 2009: Last class

Research Papers Due in Class
(NB: This syllabus is your guide to the course and is subject to changes and adjustments.)