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Anthropology 104
Spring 2009
John Whittaker
Office: Goodnow 207
Phone: -3447 whittake@grinnell.edu
CLASS MEETS: MWF 8:00-8:50
Steiner 106
All aspects of human life are relevant to anthropologists, who
usually divide the discipline into four subfields. The first part
of the course will deal with physical anthropology - human
biology, adaptation, and evolution, followed by archaeology,
considering human life in the past. The second part, cultural
anthropology, examines different ways of life and how human
cultures change and adapt. The fourth subfield, linguistics, is
included as we discuss the social use of language and symbols.
We will use several detailed case studies, as well as
supplemental readings, to examine particular cultures and at the
same time explore major concepts and subdivisions of the systems
we call cultures. A major goal of the course is to expose you to
anthropological thinking - cultural diversity based on common
humanity, culture as our adaptation to the world around us, and
reasoning from evidence in an interpretive "humanistic science."
With an anthropological eye you should see your own life in
different ways.
TEXT BOOKS
Walker, Alan, and Pat Shipman
1997
The Wisdom of the Bones: In Search of Human Origins.
New York: Random House.
Kamp, Kathryn
1998 Life in the Pueblo: Understanding the Past Through
Archaeology. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press.
Balikci, Asen
1989 The Netsilik Eskimo. Prospect Heights: Waveland.
Chagnon, Napoleon
1997 Yanomamo 5th ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Dettwyler, Katherine A.
1994 Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa.
Prospect Heights: Waveland Press.
Howell, Joseph T.
1973 Hard Living on Clay Street: Portraits of Blue Collar
Families. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press.
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The other readings will be posted on Blackboard and electronic
reserve. You are encouraged to print them and bring them to class
for discussion.
REQUIREMENTS
There will be two exams, a final exam, and a short paper. Class
participation will also be considered.
SYLLABUS
Week 1.
M 1/19 Introduction: What is Anthropology?
W 1/21 The Pretzel of Life: Evolutionary Theory and Human Biology
READ Desowitz, Robert S. 1981 New Guinea Tapeworms and Jewish
Grandmothers: Tales of Parasites and People. New York:WW
Norton. Chapters 4, 5 pp 46-74
F 1/23 Evolution - Selection and Speciation
READ: Poirier, Frank 1987
The Meaning
Evolution. In Understanding Human Evolution
and
Process
of
Week 2.
M 1/26 Film: Monkey in the Mirror
W 1/28 Sociobiology and its critics
READ Wilson, Edward O. On Human Nature. NY:Bantam, Chapter 6
"Sex" pp 125-154.
READ: Rodgers, Joann Ellison 2001 Flirting Fascination. In
Anthropology: Contemporary Perspectives, P. Whitten ed., pp.
182-187.
Human Ancestors
F 1/30 Interpreting the fossil record: I. Our primate relatives.
Taxonomy and behavior, Stone Tools
READ Lewin Human Evolution 4th ed. Chapter 10 (Primate
Heritage)
READ Smuts, Barbara 1987 What are Friends For? Natural
History 96(2):36-45, reprinted Whitten, P and D. Hunter eds,
Anthropology: Contemporary Perspectives.
Week 3.
M 2/2 Interpreting fossils:II. Analogies, biomechanics, taphonomy.
READ Lewin Human Evolution 4th ed. Chapters 15, 17, 18
READ Walker and Shipman Wisdom of the Bones Chapters 1-5.
W 2/4 Early Fossil Record - Australopithecines and relatives.
READ Lewin Human Evolution 4th ed. Chapters 19-22.
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READ Walker and Shipman Wisdom of the Bones Chapters 6-9.
F 2/6 Homo erectus and Neanderthals
READ Lewin Human Evolution 4th ed. Chapter 27
READ Walker and Shipman Wisdom of the Bones Chapters 10-end.
Week 4.
M 2/9 The transition to modern humans.
Reading past minds: cave art.
READ Lewin Human Evolution 4th ed. Chapter 28
READ Leroi-Gourhan, Andre 1968 The Evolution of Paleolithic
Art. Scientific American 218(2):58-74.
W 2/11 Archaeology: Studying the Past: Discovering and Recovering
READ Kamp Life in the Pueblo Chapters 1-4.
F 2/13 Archaeology: Peopling the Past.
READ Kamp Life in the Pueblo Chapters 5-8.
Week 5.
M 2/16 Archaeology: From Physical Remains to Culture.
READ Kamp Life in the Pueblo Chapters 9-11.
Studying Other Cultures
W 2/18 The Concept of Culture
READ Geertz, Clifford 1973 "Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese
Cockfight." In The Interpretation of Cultures. NY: Basic
Books, pp 412-453.
READ Rothman, Rodney 2000 My Fake Job. New Yorker Nov 27,
2000: 120-128
F 2/20 Studying Other Cultures
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapter 1
READ Bohannan, Laura 1966 Shakespeare in the Bush. Natural
History 75(7): 28-33.
Week 6.
M 2/23 Language and Communication
READ Spradley, James and Brenda Mann 1975 Ethnolinguistics:
How to Ask for a Drink at Brady's. In Conformity and
Conflict, J. Spradley and D. McCurdy eds. pp 61-79. Boston:
Little,
Brown, and Co.
READ Bing, J. 1992. Penguins Can’t Fly and Women Don’t
Count: Language and Thought. Women and Language 15:11-14.
READ Rickford, J. 1999 (1997). Suite for Ebony and Phonics.
In: Podolefsky, A.; Brown, P. (eds), Applying Anthropology:
An Introductory Reader, 5th ed. Mayfield Publishing,
Mountain View, CA
W 2/25 Burial Exercise
[JW leaves for EARTH]
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F 2/27 EXAM I
[JW gone]
Week 7.
M 3/2 Film: Yanomamo
[JW returning from EARTH]
Hunter-Gatherers
W 3/4
Concepts of Cultural Evolution
Hunter-Gatherers, a cultural pattern
READ begin Balikci The Netsilik Eskimo, Chapters 1, 2
F 3/6 Materialist Perspectives: Subsistence and Technology as
the Base of Culture. Discuss Balikci
READ Balikci The Netsilik Eskimo, Chapters 3-6
Week 8.
M 3/9 FILM "Nanook of the North"
Continue Reading Balikci The Netsilik Eskimo, Chapters 7-9
W 3/11 Anthropological Images
Living in a band: other aspects of Netsilik culture
READ finish Balicki, Netsilik Chapters 10-end, for final
discussion
Horticulturalists
F 3/13 Hoes, Seeds, and Villages: Horticulturalists
READ begin Chagnon Yanomamo
SPRING BREAK BREAK BREAK 3/14-3/29
Week 9.
M 3/30 Cultural Ecology
READ Rappaport, Roy A. 1967
Ritual Regulation of
Environmental Relations among New Guinea People. Ethnology
6(1):17-29.
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapter 2
[Handout Kinship Project]
W 4/1 Social Organization: Status, Roles, and Kinship
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapters 3, 4
F 4/3 Social Organization continued - marriage, descent, families
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapter 5
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Week 10.
M 4/6 Discuss Kinship Project
Kinship Project Due
W 4/8 Social Control and Political Organization
FILM "Axe Fight"
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapters 5, 6, 7
F 4/10 [GOOD FRIDAY] Religion
READ Malinowski, B. 1925
Rational Mastery by Man of His
Surroundings in Science, Religion, and Reality J. Needham ed.
reprinted in Anthropology for the Eighties J. B. Cole ed. pp.
386-393.
READ Gmelch, George 1971 Baseball Magic. Transaction 8(8).
reprinted in Anthropology for the Eighties J. B. Cole ed. pp.
394-399.
READ
Dubisch, Jill 1981 You Are What You Eat: Religious
Aspects of the Health Food Movement In The American
Dimension:
Cultural
Myths
and
Social
Realities,
S.
Montague and W. Arens eds., pp 115-127. Sherman Oaks:
Alfred Publishing.
Week 11. Small Communities in a Larger World
M 4/13 Pastoralists, Peasants, and Villagers -Darnaj, Syria
READ Barth, Fredrik 1956 Ecologic Relationships of Ethnic
Groups in Swat, North Pakistan. American Anthropologist
58:1079-1089.
READ Begin Howell Hard Living on Clay Street
W 4/15 EXAM II
F 4/17 American Social Order and Kinship
READ continue Howell Hard Living on Clay Street
READ Bean, Susan
1982
Soap Operas: Sagas of American
Kinship In Anthropology for the Eighties J. B. Cole ed, pp.
161-174
SATURDAY RAGING COW
Week 12.
M 4/20 Women, Households, and Power
READ Continue Howell Hard Living on Clay Street
READ Stein, Leonard, I. 1967 Male and Female: The Doctor Nurse Game. In Conformity and Conflict, J Spradley and D.
McCurdy eds, pp. 167-176.
W 4/22 No Class [JW gone to SAA]
F 4/24 No Class [JW gone to SAA]
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Week 13.
M 4/27 Success, Survival, American Dreams and Culture of Poverty?
READ Finish Howell Hard Living on Clay Street for final
discussion
W 4/29 Culture Change and Contact
READ Bodley, John H. 1990 Victims of Progress,
Mountain View: Mayfield. Chapter 1, pp. 3-23.
READ Chagnon Yanomamo Chapter 8
READ Begin Dettwyler Dancing Skeletons Chapters 1-3
F 5/1
3rd
ed.
Development, Health, and Ethics
READ continue Dettwyler, Dancing Skeletons Chapters 4-10.
Week 14.
M 5/4 What can we do, what should we do? The anthropologist in
difficult situations
READ continue Dettwyler, Dancing Skeletons Chapters 11-end
W 5/6
Ethical Issues in Anthropology
READ Jorgensen, Joseph G. 1971
On Ethics and Anthropology
Current Anthropology 12:326-333.
READ Brown, Michael F. 1998 Can Culture Be Copyrighted?
Current Anthropology 39(2):193-232.
F 5/8
LAST CLASS
EXAM AS SCHEDULED
Anthropology: Reflections and Subversions
Thurs May 14, 9:00 am