ANTH& 206: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
10-10:50am in room L141 (W11)
Dr. Kathryn Keith
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How do you get food? How are you supposed to behave toward your mother-inlaw? Who are your relatives? How do you know when you’re an adult? Who do
you expect to marry, and who should make that decision? What's the right way to
settle a disagreement? What does it mean to be a "good" man or woman? Are
some people more important than others? Why?
Your answers to these questions would be very different depending on what
society you belonged to. In Anthropology 206, we will explore (through readings,
film, and discussion) some of the vast and fascinating diversity in human cultures
around the world (including our own). We'll find out how people in different
groups would answer these and other questions, and why their answers might be
different from our own.
OUTCOMES
In this course, you will learn how to think like an anthropologist. In each chapter,
you’ll address specific issues from an anthropological perspective, drawing on
cross-cultural examples to support your ideas. Those issues are listed in the
chapter study guides. Some of the general themes we’ll be working on include:
* what culture is and how people get it
* how anthropologists study cultures around the world (including their own)
* the key concepts and attitudes that underlie the anthropological approach, in
particular:
* holism
* cultural relativism
* comparativism
* how and why cultures differ from each other, and in what ways they are similar
* how we understand culture change and the effects of cross-cultural interaction
* how anthropology can help us better understand ourselves and some of the
major issues we face today, in our own society and in our interactions with other
cultures in the modern world.
COURSE MATERIALS
There is one required text for this course. It is available in the campus bookstore.
A copy will also be on reserve for use in the library.
* Cultural Anthropology, 2nd edition (Bonvillain)
We'll also read several articles, available through our class website.
GRADING
Your grade in this course is based on the following components:
Participation, assignments:
25%
Quizzes:
25%
Exam #1:
25%
Exam #2:
25%
TOTAL:
100%
Calculating your grade: Not all points are weighted equally, so simply dividing
your points by the total possible points will NOT give you an accurate idea of
your grade. See our class website for instructions on how to calculate your
grade. Angel’s overall grade (on your grade sheet) is a rough approximation of
your grade at any given time.
Incompletes or NC grades: These options are only available under specific
(and relatively unusual) circumstances. For example, if you completed nearly all
the coursework, but were hospitalized the last week of the term and unable to
complete the last assignment or exam, a grade of Incomplete might be an option
for you. If your job or the military transferred you out of state after the deadline to
withdraw had passed, an NC grade might be an option for you. In general,
however, you should expect to receive the grade you have earned based on your
work in the course.
NOTE: * No late assignments accepted without previous arrangement.
* No emailed assignments accepted without previous arrangement
* Missed exams or assignments cannot be made up.
* No makeup exams are given without previous arrangement and
permission of the professor.
* Extra credit is not generally available for this course.
If you can't come to class the day an assignment is due, you can turn it in early,
have someone else bring it in for you (to class or to my office), or email it to
another student in the class and have them print it out and turn it in for you (do
not email it to me; I do not accept emailed assignments).
If you are having printer problems at home, email your assignment to yourself
(pasted into the body of your email, NOT as an attachment) and print it out on
campus. This might be a good strategy to use in general, just in case… 
Your final course grade will be recorded based on the 4-point decimal grading
system used at Pierce College. The table below shows how the decimal grades
relate to letter grades:
4.0-3.9 = A
3.4-3.2 = B+
2.4-2.2 =C+
1.4-1.2 = D+
3.8-3.5 = A3.1-2.9 = B
2.1-1.9 = C
1.1-0.9 = D
2.8-2.5 = B1.8-1.5 = C0.8-0.7 = DAnything below 0.7 (D-) is a failing grade.
Standard percentage equivalents are:
Grades in the 90s = A+ to AGrades in the 80s = B+ to BGrades in the 70s = C+ to CGrades in the 60s = D+ to DGrades of 59% or below are failing.
Expectations for adequate (C) work include: completing coursework on time and
doing an adequate job on it. To get an A or B in the course, your work must be of
correspondingly higher quality. For more information on grading standards and
expectations, see the Grading Standards document.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS - SUMMARY
This is a brief overview of the course requirements. For your success in the
course, it is vital that you carefully read the detailed instructions explained in the
Course Requirements document.
EXAMS: There will be two exams this term, each worth 25% of your grade.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR. You must be present
in class for each exam on the day and time it is scheduled; makeup exams are
ONLY offered in case of medical or other emergency, and then both
documentation and instructor permission are required. See the Course
Requirements document for more specifics.
* Exam #1: TUESDAY 2/8, in class.
* Exam #2: THURSDAY 3/17, 10:00am-12:00pm.
QUIZZES: There will be an online quiz over the readings nearly every week. The
first quiz is due by class time (10am) on Friday 1/7; the second quiz is due by
class time the following Tuesday. Most of the quizzes this term are due by
class time Tuesdays. See the Course Calendar document for specific readings
and due dates. There will also be a comprehensive 50-question optional quiz
available the end of the term. If you choose to take the optional quiz, your lowest
quiz grade of the term will be dropped. Your quiz average is 25% of your grade.
ASSIGNMENTS: Several short in-class and take-home assignments during the
term will be collected for 5-20 points each. Late assignments are not accepted;
missed in-class assignments cannot be made up. Assignments and participation,
taken together, are 25% of your grade.
PARTICIPATION: Each class day is worth either 5 or 0 points; partial credit is
not available. To earn the points, you must be present, prepared, focused, and
engaged during the entire 50 minutes.
CORE ABILITIES
Responsibility, Information Competency, and Effective Communication are
important for your success in any class. You’ll be building on those abilities in
part through the choices you make regarding class attendance, completion of
assignments, and independent study. You’ll work on communication skills in
class discussions and writing assignments, and on information competency as
you find, evaluate, organize, and explain new vocabulary, information, and ideas.
In this course, you’ll be asked to adopt a Multicultural, relativist perspective as
you learn about lifeways other cultures and diverse ways of being. Much of what
you will be asked to do in this class - on assignments, discussions, and activities
– involves Critical Thinking as you identify, explain, analyze, and evaluate
anthropological evidence from your own and other cultures.