ANT200E
Introduction to Anthropology
Fall 2006
Thursdays, 6-9 pm, AC228
Professor: Jenell Williams Paris, Ph.D.
Office: I205 (townhouse I)
E-mail: jparis@bethel.edu
Office phone: 638-6538
Office hours: Tuesday 1-2 and by appt
Home phone (before 9 pm): 763-784-1180
Graduate assistant: Lindsay Norman, M.A.
Phone: 612-229-9328
Email: lnorman@efca.org
Course description (from college catalog)
Study of humankind, with an emphasis on human social and cultural systems. Survey of the
variety of world cultures, as well as attention to the problems of human origins and diversity,
archaeology, and language.
Course objectives
1. Learn about the discipline of anthropology, the careers of anthropologists, and how
anthropologists gain new knowledge about humans and their behavior.
2. Gain factual knowledge (terms, classifications, methods, trends).
3. Appreciate the cultures of the Waorani and the Kung.
4. Gain knowledge about how to live in a multicultural world.
5. Learn to empathize with people of different cultural backgrounds.
Expectations for time commitment
Bethel expects students to spend, on average, 2 hours outside of class for each hour in class.
ANT200E is a 3-credit course. We spend 3 hours each week in class, and I expect you to spend
around 6 hours outside of class each week on this material.
Texts
1. Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology, Lavenda and Schultz, McGraw Hill, 3rd edition.
2. Waorani: Contexts of War and Violence, Robarchek and Robarchek, Thomson Custom.
3. The Harmless People, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Random House, 1989 edition.
4. Nisa, Marjorie Shostak, Vintage, any edition.
Disclaimer
Some of our course texts and films include discussions of human sexuality, images of humans in
other cultures who wear less clothes than we do, and violence in other cultures. I understand that
this can be challenging for some students. Please talk with me about your concerns if you have
them. I choose texts and films based upon their educational and ethnographic value, realizing
that learning about human sexuality and violence in cross-cultural perspective always presents
challenges. I do not use potentially offensive material in a gratuitous or thoughtless way, and I
am always open to discussion and negotiation with individual students.
Course requirements
20% exam 1
20% final exam
30% in-class exercises or open-book quizzes
30% reading guides
Grading policies
Exams must be taken during the exam period. Please check your semester schedule now, and
arrange it so you will not miss exams. If you are sick or have a family emergency, a letter should
accompany your request for a make-up. By remaining in the course, you agree to abide by the
terms of this syllabus, which includes attending exams at their scheduled times.
Academic honesty policy Refer to the Bethel College Handbook for Bethel’s official academic honesty
policy. Violation of honesty standards can result in denial of credit for a course as well as dismissal from
the college. In my class, academic dishonesty will result in failure of an assignment at the very least, and
at most, dismissal from the course and referral to the dean. Sometimes you may not be sure whether your
work has crossed the line of plagiarism or inappropriate collaboration. Please ask me, refer to the catalog,
or talk to a professor at the Academic Enrichment and Support Center.
Accessibility: Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if disability-related accommodations are
needed. Accommodations are set up through the office of Disability Services. (Contact Kathy
McGillivray, Director of Disability Services) A letter from the Disability Services office is needed to
obtain accommodations.
Appeals Procedure: Any concerns that you have either about the course, your grades, or the instructor
should be handled in the following manner. (1) Communicate your concern clearly to the instructor as a
first step. (2) If you are not satisfied with the instructor's resolution of your concern, talk to the
department chairperson. (3) If you are still not satisfied, then you should make an appointment to
communicate your concerns to the Office of Academic Affairs. If this procedure is not followed, the
rights and freedom of both the instructor and student are potentially violated.
Computer and Network Ethics at Bethel (Computing Acceptable Use Policy): With the freedom of
access provided by our computing network comes the responsibility of good citizenship. As with any
community, the electronic community of which you are now a member cannot function without some
sense of order. In general Bethel's lifestyle expectations apply to network citizenship. However,
additional specificity for appropriate behavior is necessary. Please read the official guidelines for network
usage discussed below. Your use of our network obligates you to know and adhere to these regulations.
Ignorance of the policy is not an acceptable defense.
Classroom Behavioral Expectations: You should arrive before the beginning of class, listen
courteously, participate when requested, and refrain from any behavior that might restrict your learning or
the learning of other class members.
Course Schedule
LS = Lavenda and Schultz, Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology
Nisa = Nisa
RR = Robarchek and Robarchek, Waorani: Contexts of War and Violence
MT = Marshall Thomas, The Harmless People
I strongly recommend that you spread out your reading time across the week. Reading
assignments are designed to be read over the course of the week – try reading two chapters of the
ethnographies at a time, and one chapter of LS at a time. Because our class meets only once a
week, the reading load is significant, and should not be read all at one time.
week
1 Sept.7
2 Sept. 14
3 Sept. 21
4 Sept. 28
5 Oct. 5
6 Oct. 12
7 Oct. 19
8 Oct. 26
9 Nov. 2
10 Nov. 9
11 Nov. 16
12 Nov. 30
13 Dec. 7
6-8 pm,
Friday, Dec.
15
topics
What is anthropology?
What do anthropologists do?
What is ethnography?
What is culture?
Introduction to the Kung
Language and culture
Gender and the Kung
Social organization
Social organization and change among the
Kung
Political organization
Kung
Economic organization
Kung
Exam 1 and film
Globalization
Introduction to Waorani
Religion, witchcraft, and magic
Christianity and the Waorani
Waorani
Culture, the individual, and violence
Waorani
Culture change
Indigenous rights and activism
Theory in anthropology
Graduate studies and careers in anthro
review semester
test preparation
FINAL EXAM
read
LS ch. 1
Nisa intro- ch.5
LS: appendix on ethnography,
chapter 2
Nisa ch. 6-12
LS: ch 3
Nisa ch. 13-end
LS: ch 6
MT: ch 1-8
LS: ch 7
MT: ch 9-epilogue
LS: ch 8
RR: ch 1-3
LS: ch 11
RR: ch 4-5
LS: ch 5
RR: ch 7-8
LS: ch 4
RR: ch 9-end
LS: ch 12