COURSE SYLLABUS
ANTH 102: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
C01: TR 8:00-9:20 am, Aspen 108
C02: MWF 8:00-8:50 Aspen 108
C05: TR 1:00-2:20 Aspen 108
(3 credits)
Fall 2011
James C. Woods
jwoods@csi.edu
Office Aspen 128b
Office hours posted online
Office 208-736-6862
Note: This syllabus applies to three sections of cultural anthropology. Efforts will be
made to keep the three classes on the same weekly schedule, though the interactive
nature of the course will result in some variation from section to section.
1.
Course Description:
This course is a cross-cultural examination of the diverse lifeways that humans
have created around the world; and an analysis of the similarities and differences
that exist among them. Primary topics include the nature and beginnings of
human culture, language, growth and development, subsistence and economic
systems, sex and marriage, family and household, kinship and descent, social
groupings, political organization, religion and the supernatural, the arts, and
cultural change.
2.
Pre-requisites:
There are no pre-requisites for this class.
3.
Required Textbooks and Supplies:
Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge, by William A. Haviland, 13th ed.,
Harcourt Brace. Supplementary readings may be assigned.
4.
Course Objectives:
ANTH 102 is a CSI General Education course satisfying Social Science
requirements. As such, it is designed to satisfy General Education, Social Science
Department, and Anthropology Program goals as outlined below.
CSI General Education Goals
a) Help you develop as a discerning individual.
b) Teach you to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
c) Increase your awareness of the balance between individual needs and
demands of our society.
d) Encourage you to be a life-long learner.
e) Encourage your creativity.
CSI Social Science Department Goals
a) Learn important facts, concepts, and theories of Social Science.
b) Acquire new techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge.
c) Learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
d) Use evaluation, analysis, and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
e) Use social sciences to make better-informed decisions.
CSI Anthropology Program Goals
a) Provide you with a survey of the history of anthropology and its major
contributors.
b) Provide you with an overview of the sub-disciplines of anthropology, its
current trends, and specialized terminology used by anthropologists.
c) Instill in you an awareness of worldwide cultural diversity to help you
appreciate the commonality of mankind.
d) Introduce you to the methodology used by anthropologists.
e) Reinforce your reading, writing, and speaking skills to help prepare you for
transfer to a four-year college.
Specific Goals for ANTH 102
a) Provide you with a basic understanding of the historical development of the
science of anthropology, and familiarize you with some of the disciplines major
contributors.
b) Help you distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations of
human behavior.
c) Help you learn contemporary theories used in cultural anthropology.
d) Familiarize you with the terminology used in this discipline.
e) Show you the fascinating diversity of human culture and help you see how
your cultural practices relate to others worldwide.
f) (for anthropology majors especially) Help prepare you to transfer to an upper
division program elsewhere.
5.
Outcomes Assessment:
To accommodate different learning styles, a variety of assessment methods will
be used in this class to determine if you are achieving the above course
objectives. Five in-class short essay quizzes will be used to measure your
knowledge of the history of archaeology, your familiarity with the disciplines
major contributors, and your knowledge of the basic vocabulary of archaeology.
Successful completion of several in-class projects will demonstrate your
knowledge of the techniques used by anthropologists. You will be required to
write summaries of each project. In-class discussions will be used to enhance
and assess your ability to verbally communicate archaeological concepts to
others. Near the end of the semester, you will be required to submit a paper
wherein you create a fictitious but believable description of a recently-discovered
culture. Lastly, a written comprehensive exam consisting of ten essay questions
will be used to determine your ability to synthesize course material.
6.
Policies and Procedures:
a.
Attendance policy: Attendance is required for this course. In
accordance with CSI policies, school-sanctioned absences will not
count against you if advance notice is provided. Please note the
following new changes to the CSI attendance policy:
1-If you fail to show up the first week of school, you will be
dropped by the instructor. You may qualify for a refund and
you will not receive a “W” on your transcript.
2-A student can still withdraw the second week of school, but
you will get a “W” on your transcript. You will not be eligible for
a refund, and you cannot be reinstated. Faculty can drop
students this week for “no show”.
3-During the third week and until November 12, 2011, students
can withdraw from class but will receive a “W” on their
transcript. After the second week, faculty cannot drop students,
only issue letter grades.
b.
Class structure: Approximately one chapter will be reviewed each
week. The instructor will provide a review of chapter readings and
facilitate discussions using projected lecture notes and other visual
aids. Videos, slide programs, and demonstrations will also be used
when appropriate. An active interchange between all students and
the instructor will be encouraged.
c.
Assignments: Many assignments will be completed during class
time, there will be minimal homework other than reading and some
on-line research activities. Some in-class assignments will require
your response to activities during class that day, so these cannot be
made up if you miss that class. You are required to read the
textbook. Some questions on quizzes may come from the text
without review in the classroom, and the text provides the basic
organizational structure for the entire semester. It only takes an
hour or so to read each chapter, PLEASE be responsible about this
most important course requirement. You will also be required to
write one paper for this class as described below.
d.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are violations of
the honesty policy found in the CSI General Catalog. Violators will
receive a zero for the work in question.
e.
Cell phones: Please silence ringers on cell phones, save
conversations or texting for after class.
f.
Personal musical devices: Please do not use musical devices during
class time.
g.
Laptops, notebooks, etc: You may use computers for taking notes,
but not for accessing any social media, or other non-class-related
h.
7.
activities. The lab has ample power sources and a fast wireless
connection.
Visitors: Lecture topics will not be adjusted for guests, some topics
in this class may be unsuitable for children. Videos include some
adult themes and images and are NOT rated using any standard
film rating system.
Grading Practices:
a.
Testing procedure:
Five quizzes, 50 points each, 250 points total
Six in-class exercises, 25 points each, 150 points total
“New Culture” Paper, 250 points total
Final exam, 250 points
In-class participation, 100 points
TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS, 1000 (no extra credit)
b.
Grading Scale: you can earn a maximum of 1000 points and your
final grade will be determined by the percentage of this total A=90100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, F=less than 60%.
Special note:
It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course.
A student may drop a course or all courses prior to the end of late
registration (first Friday of the term) without it being recorded on the
student’s official transcript. A student initiated drop after the late
registration period is considered a withdrawal, and results in the grade of
W.
(Students may drop courses online until the end of the late registration
period. In order to withdraw from one or more courses following late
registration, a completed registration form is required. Instructions on the
form indicate when a signature of instructor and/or Financial Aid advisor is
required. The completed form may be submitted to Admissions & Records
or any off-campus center.)
Students may withdraw from courses until 75% of the course meetings
have elapsed. No course may be withdrawn from after 75% of the course
has elapsed.
8.
New Culture Paper:
You will be required to write a paper (approx 8 pages) due near the end of the
semester that shows me your ability to synthesize the information learned in
class. For this paper you will create a fictitious culture and describe some of its
attributes using terms and concepts learned in class. This is a major portion of
your grade so do not wait until the last minute to write your paper. You can
start on it early in the semester and add to it as you learn more about world
cultures. A detailed description of this project is available on the instructor’s web
page.
9.
CSI E-mail
9.
On-line course evaluation:
10.
Disabilities:
11.
Topical Outline for the Course:
The following schedule is provided as a general guide only. Some adjustments
will be made to accommodate special class interests, weather cancellations, etc.
It will be your responsibility to keep current with the readings. Please be aware
that you are expected to read the assigned pages BEFORE the class meets so
you can participate in discussions. In instances where a student’s final grade is
between two letter grades, class participation will determine the earned grade.
Since email is the primary source of written communication with students,
all registered CSI students get a college email account. Student e-mail
addresses have the following format: <address>@eaglemail.csi.edu
where <address> is a name selected by the student as a part of activating
his/her account. Students activate their accounts and check their CSI email online at http://eaglemail.csi.edu. Instructors and various offices
send messages to these student accounts. Students must check their CSI
e-mail accounts regularly to avoid missing important messages and
deadlines. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions are
offered to students who need help in using their accounts.
To help instructors continually improve courses, students are strongly
encouraged to go online to http://evaluation.csi.edu and complete
anonymous evaluations which open two weeks before the end of the
course and close the last day of class. When students enter the site, they
find evaluations for their enrolled courses. Thank you for this valuable
input!
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for reasonable
accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students
should contact Student Disability Services at their first opportunity after
registration for a class(es). Student Disability Services is located on the
second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus.
208.732.6260 or e-mail Scott Scholes, sscholes@csi.edu.
Dates*
Aug 22-26
Aug 29-Sept 2
Sept 5
Sept 6-9
Sept 12-16
Sept 19-23
Sept 26-30
Oct 3-7
Oct 10
Oct 11-14
Oct 17-21
Oct 24-28
Oct 31-Nov 4
Nov 7-10
Nov 11
Nov 14-18
Nov 21-22
Nov 23-25
Nov 28-30
Dec 2
Dec 1-7
Dec 8 and 9
Dec 13 (Tue)
Dec 15 (Thur)
Dec 15 (Thur)
Ch Lecture/Discussion Topics (follows text)
1 The Essence of Anthropology
2 Characteristics of Culture
No school, Labor day
3 Ethnographic Research: History, Methods, Theories
4 Becoming Human: Origin and Diversity of Our Species
5 Language and Communication
6 Classification and Analysis of Artifacts
7 Patterns of Subsistence
No school, Columbus Day
8 Economic Systems
9 Sex, Marriage, and Family
10 Kinship and Descent
11 Groupings by Sex, Age, Common Interest, and Class
12 Politics, Power, and Violence
No school, Veteran’s Day
13 Spirituality, Religion, and the Supernatural
14 The Arts
No school, Thanksgiving Vacation
The Arts (cont.)
“New Culture” paper due
15 Will combine last two chapters: Processes of Change and Global
16 Challenges, Local Responses, and the Role of Anthropology
Semester Review
ANTH 102-C02 Final Exam, 8-10 AM
ANTH 102-C01 Final Exam, 8-10 AM
ANTH 102-C05 Final Exam, noon – 2 PM
*Dates may change due to the informal nature of class discussions, related world events
worthy of class discussion, uncontrollable cancellations due to weather, etc.
Special Note to all ANTH 102 students: Please feel free to stop by my office anytime
during my office hours to chat. I am especially interested in any of your experiences in life
that I can use to enhance my teaching of this particular class (travels to other places,
friends or family in other countries, experiences with other cultures, etc.).
Revised 8/11