ANTH 110
Cultural Anthropology
Fall 2011, Block A
Instructor: Kristen Adler
Office: McGregor 223
Office Phone: TBD
Email: kadler@antiochcollege.org
Office Hours: Thursday 10:00-2:00, or by appointment
Meeting Times, Location: T, F 1:00-3:50pm, TBD
Class Size Limit: 12 (Additional enrollment per instructor’s permission)
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Course Materials
Required readings:
1. Weekly readings are in electronic format, listed below by date. These are available at
www.dropbox.com (ANTH 110 shared folder).
2. One ethnography of choice. A list of possibilities is attached. Prior approval by instructor
is required for books other than those listed.
Course Description
This course is designed to acquaint students with the anthropological approach of studying the
structures and institutions, world views and belief systems of other peoples. Students will have the
opportunity for experientially learning the primary methodology of cultural anthropology, participant
observation, data collection and analysis. One major outcome of the course will be the expansion of
the student’s ability to understand and participate in cultures other than their own.
Additionally, this course will provide an introduction to the basic concepts and findings of cultural
anthropology. Cultural anthropology, which is one subfield within the larger discipline of anthropology,
seeks to understand the ways humans organize and experience their lives through distinctive cultural
practices. This course explores social and cultural diversity through a variety of topics such as: language
and communication, marriage and family, social stratification, economic and political organization,
supernatural beliefs, sex and gender, and globalization. Each topic is explored via lectures and
discussion, readings, films and presentations that focus on specific case studies which reflect a broad
range of cultural groups. Throughout this course we will focus on the concept of culture, especially the
ways in which the notion of culture has changed. Our readings and discussions will allow a better
understanding of the world’s cultures, but will also provide an opportunity to critically assess
commonly held assumptions about cultural practices – including our own.
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Student Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives
Students will:
1. be familiar with the basic concepts and theories of cultural anthropology.
2. acquire working knowledge of the anthropological method of participant observation.
3. have a broader understanding and appreciation for the diverse social practices found
throughout the world.
4. be able to critically reflect on U.S. culture and society.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
The following are the key institutional outcomes for this course (For a full description, please
see Curriculum Catalog):
1. Knowledge & Inquiry
2. Skill & Innovation
3. Critical Thinking
4. Intercultural Effectiveness
5. Written & Oral Communication
Basis of Evaluation
Participation
100 points (10%)
Attendance
100 points (10%)
Threaded Discussions 100 points (10%)
Ethnographic Study 200 points (20%)
Book Review
150 points (15%)
Take-home Exam
200 points (20%)
Presentation
150 points (15%)
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
59 or below
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Participation: Your participation in this class is critical to a positive learning experience. In order to
effectively participate, it is absolutely necessary to complete the required readings prior to class.
Attendance: To encourage student presence, attendance will be taken daily. Attendance will account
for 10% of your final grade. More than one absence will have a significant negative impact on the final
grade and may prevent the student from passing the course. Please note: late arrivals and early
departures impact your attendance grade.
Threaded Discussions: Threaded discussions offer an alternative forum for further reflection on the
various topics addressed in class. Comments might consist of additional thoughts on readings,
potential discussion questions, something you read or observe outside of class that seems relevant,
etc. Students are required to post ONE (1) original comment and ONE (1) response (to a classmate’s
comments) each week (Weeks 1-5 only, for a total of 5 comments and 5 responses.)
To access threaded discussion, go to: http://www.network54.com/Forum/678302/ and use your
Antioch email address to register.
Ethnographic Study: You will conduct a brief ethnographic observation in a public place with 3-4 of
your classmates, and then compile the results of this study in essay form. The essay needs to be 4-5
pages, double spaced, 12 point font, 1” margins. Essays must be submitted in hard copy – emailed
essays will NOT be accepted. Essays turned in late will be docked one letter grade per day. A detailed
description of the project requirements is attached.
Book Review: You will be required to write a book review on the ethnography of your choice. This is
not simply a summary of the book, but rather a critical assessment of the book’s strengths and
weaknesses. We will learn how to assess and analyze anthropological works throughout the course,
which will provide you with the tools necessary to complete this assignment. It will also be very helpful
to look over other book reviews (examples posted on course web page) to use as models. The review
should be 2-3 pages, double spaced, 12 point font, 1” margins. Reviews must be submitted in hard
copy – emailed reviews will NOT be accepted. Reviews that are turned in late will be docked one
letter grade per day. A detailed description of the requirements is attached.
Take-home Exam: There will be ONE (1) take-home exam for this course, which will be short
answer/short essay format. You are free to use class notes, as well as all assigned reading materials.
While there will be ample opportunity for collaborative work in this course, the exam is an individual
endeavor meant to further your educational experience (without causing you unnecessary anxiety).
Exams will be posted on the course web page one week prior to the due date. Exams must be
submitted in hard copy – emailed exams will NOT be accepted. Exams turned in late will be docked
one letter grade per day.
Presentation: Presentations will take place on the last day of class. The topic of your presentation is up
to you. You may choose to present on your ethnographic observation project, the ethnography you
read, or some other topic (chosen in consultation with the instructor). Presentations must not exceed
15 minutes. Otherwise, you are free to structure your presentation however you choose.
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ADA Policy
If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me so
that we can discuss ways to ensure your full participation. If you determine that disability-related
accommodations are necessary, please register with Academic Support and notify me of your eligibility
for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.
Incomplete Policy
Students must have completed a majority of the course work in order to opt for an Incomplete. In such
cases, the remaining course work must be completed by the end of the following quarter to have the
Incomplete replaced.
Academic Honesty Policy
Community members should understand that academic dishonesty is harmful to the Antioch College
community and its reputation. The college expects high standards of behavior and that all community
members act responsibly and honestly.
For a full discussion and definition of the College's Academic Honesty Policy, please see the curriculum
catalog.
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Course Schedule
Week 1
Tuesday, October 4: Course Introduction, Film and Discussion
Friday, October 7: Anthropology and the Notion of Culture: Dispelling Stereotypes
Readings:
1. Body Ritual among the Nacirema – Horace Miner (5)
2. One Hundred Percent American - Ralph Linton (3)
3. Circumcision, Pluralism, and Dilemmas of Cultural Relativism Corinne A. Kratz (12)
4. The Shifting Middle Ground: Amazonian Indians and Eco-Politics –
Conklin and Graham (14)
Activity: Group Observations
Week 2
Tuesday, October 11 – Studying Culture: Methodological and Ethical Considerations
Readings:
1. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari - Richard Borshay Lee (4)
2. Thick Description - Clifford Geertz (30)
3. Culture Never Dies: Anthropology at Abu Ghraib - Gregory Starrett (2)
Activity: Writing Workshop
**ROUGH DRAFT OF ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION ESSAY DUE**
Friday, October 14 – Language and Communication
Readings:
1. “To Give Up on Words” - Keith Basso (11)
2. Forms of Address: How Their Social Functions May Vary – Salikoko S.
Mufwene (3)
3. Language, Race, and White Public Space – Jane H. Hill (10)
Film: American Voices
**FINAL DRAFT OF ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION ESSAY DUE**
**BEGIN READING ETHNOGRAPHY OF CHOICE**
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Week 3
Tuesday, October 18 – Political and Economic Systems
Readings:
1. Crack in Spanish Harlem… - Philippe Bourgois (7)
2. Learning How to Bribe a Policeman – Sean Cush McNamara (3)
3. Say “Cheese!” The Disney Order That Is Not So Mickey Mouse –
Clifford D. Shearing and Philip C. Stenning (4)
4. Deceptive Stereotypes about “Tribal Warfare” – Neil L. Whitehead
and Brian Ferguson (3)
Friday, October 21 – Kinship and Marriage
Readings:
1. Mother’s Love… - Nancy Scheper-Hughes (10)
2. Arranging a Marriage in India - Serena Nanda (5)
3. Land of the Walking Marriage – Lu Yuan and Sam Mitchell (3)
Week 4
Tuesday, October 25 – Gender
Readings:
1. “Ladies” Behind Bars… - John Coggeshall (4)
2. Afghan Boys Are Prized… - Jenny Nordberg (11)
3. Hanky-Panky and Spanky-Wanky: Sex and the Single Boy – David
Bennett (4)
Friday, October 28 – Social Stratification
Readings:
1. Mixed Blood - Jeffrey Fish (11)
2. Class Matters (Chapters 1 & 2) – various authors (50)
Film: Race, The Power of an Illusion
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Week 5
Tuesday, November 1 – Religion
Readings:
1. Baseball Magic - George Gmelch (6)
2. On Dance and Difference: Bodies, Movement and Experience in
Khoesaan Trance-Dancing – Perceptions of “a Raver” (8)
Activity: Writing Workshop
**ROUGH DRAFT OF BOOK REVIEW DUE**
Friday, November 4 – Globalization
Readings:
1. The Ugly American Revisited - James L. Brain (4)
2. The Roots of Chiapas - Jonathon Fox (5)
3. Suffering from Water: Social Origins of Bodily Distress in a Mexican
Community – Michael C. Ennis-McMillan (18)
Film: Zapatista
**FINAL DRAFT OF BOOK REVIEW DUE**
Week 6
Tuesday, November 8 – Student Presentations
**TAKE-HOME EXAM DUE**
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List of Ethnographies
Allen, Catherine J. The Hold Life Has. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.
Basso, Keith H. Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache. Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press, 1996.
Bourgois, Philippe I. In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1995.
Chavez, Leo R. Shadowed Lives: Undocumented Immigrants in American Society. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich College Publishers, 1992.
Dettwyler, Katherine A. Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa. Prospect Heights, Ill: Waveland Press,
1994.
Earle, Duncan, and Jeanne M. Simonelli. Uprising of Hope: Sharing the Zapatista Journey to Alternative
Development. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. 2005.
Fernea, Elizabeth W. Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Bolin, Inge. Growing Up in a Culture of Respect: Child Rearing in Highland Peru. Austin: University of Texas Press,
2006.
Nanda, Serena. Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 1990.
Oakdale, Suzanne. "I Foresee My Life": The Ritual Performance of Autobiography in an Amazonian Community.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
Rodríguez, Sylvia. Acequia: Water-sharing, Sanctity, and Place. Santa Fe, N.M: School for Advanced Research
Press, 2006.
Shostak, Marjorie, and Nisa. Nisa, the life and words of a !Kung woman. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University
Press. 1981.
Shostak, Marjorie. Return to Nisa. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2000.
Tsing, Anna L. Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.
Turnbull, Colin M. The Forest People. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961.
Yang, Erche N, and Christine Mathieu. Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World. Boston: Little,
Brown, 2003.
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Essay Assignment: Ethnographic Observation
Working in groups of three or four people, visit a public place. You might choose a place with which
you are unfamiliar, as do many anthropologists, or you may decide to observe a familiar event or
setting.
Step One: Observation
Plan to spend at least 45 minutes taking detailed notes about everything you see, hear, smell, etc. Be
sure to note the date and time of your observation period.
Be sure that all group members sit in the same place and face the same direction (so that you are all
seeing the same things).
Upon the completion of your observations, give copies of your field notes to the other people in your
group. Do NOT write up a summary of your notes – just share your original notes so that you they are
easily compared with other’s notes. (You can either make copies of/scan original notes or type up
notes exactly as you wrote them to send electronically.) Don’t worry if your notes seem unorganized or
different from others – the point is to make comparisons in observations.
Step Two: Analysis and Write-up
Compare your notes with the notes of the other people in your group. Describe how your notes both
differed and were similar. Do you notice any patterns? Why do you think you observed things in a
similar or different manner from others in your group?
Think about the implications of your findings for anthropology more generally. Do all anthropologists
experience their field sites and the people there in the same way? How might this affect the type of
ethnography that they write?
Write 1) a detailed description of the place, 2) the findings of your comparison and 3) address the
implications for anthropology more generally. Your description and analysis should be 5 typed pages.
You should use a normal sized, 12-point font and 1-inch margins on all sides.
Step Three: Turn in your assignment
Turn in your analysis, your field notes, and your copies of your group members’ notes. You must
turn in all of these things in order to be considered for full credit.
You will be graded individually on this assignment. However, you should include in your notes the
names of the people with whom you carried out the observation.
Late assignments will receive a grade reduction as outlined on the syllabus.
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How to Write a Critical Book Review
A book critique (or review) is not the same thing as a book report, which simply summarizes the
content of a book. When writing a book critique, you not only report on the content of the book but
also, assess its strengths and weaknesses. Your critique should have two goals: first to inform the
reader about the content of the book, and second, to provide an evaluation that gives your judgment
of the book
A critical book review briefly describes the content of the book and more importantly, provides indepth analysis and evaluation of its ideas and purpose. The descriptive element of a review should give
the reader an understanding of the author’s arguments, while the evaluative element should detail
your assessment of the book’s ideas. Familiarize yourself with the book before reading it. Note the title
and subtitle. What do they lead you to expect about the book’s ideas? Study the table of contents,
chapter titles to understand how the author has organized the content. Read the preface or
introduction for statements of the author’s intended purpose in writing the book. Do some research
and read any information about the author to learn what authority he or she has to write about the
topic area of the book.
Your introduction should include an overview of the book that incorporates an encapsulated summary
and a hint of your general judgment. This is equivalent to a thesis statement. Do not spend more than
one third or so of the paper summarizing the book. In writing a critique you do not just relate whether
or not you liked the book; you also must tell your reader why you liked or disliked it. It is not enough to
say “This book is interesting” you need to explain why it is interesting or disinteresting.
To understand your own reaction to the book, you need to read it carefully and critically. As a critical
reader, you are not passive; you should ask questions of the book and note reactions as you read. Your
critique discusses those questions and reactions.
Here are a number of POSSIBLE questions you can address as part of your critique. You need not
answer them all, but questions one and two are essential to any book critique, so those must be
included. And these are ABSOLUTELY NOT to be answered one after the other. Do not have one
paragraph that answers one, and then the next paragraph that answers the next, etc. The answers
should be part of a carefully constructed essay, complete with topic sentences and transitions. Your
title should be something catchy and your opening sentence should capture my interest so that I want
to read the rest of your critique.
What is your overall opinion of the book? On what basis has this opinion been
formulated? That is, tell the reader what you think and how you arrived at this
judgment. What did you expect to learn when you picked up the book and read the
preface and forward? To what extent—and how effectively—were your expectations
met? Did you wish you could talk back to the author? Amplify upon and explain your
reactions.
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1. Identify the author’s thesis and explain it in your own words. How clearly and in what context is it
stated and, subsequently developed? To what extent and how effectively is this thesis proven? Use
examples to amplify your responses. If arguments or perspectives were missing, why do you think this
might be?
2. What are the author’s aims? How well have they been achieved especially with regard to the way
the book is organized? Are these aims supported or justified? How closely does the organization follow
the author’s aims? Are there places/ sections/ sentences/ actions in the book that evoke a strong
response from you? What are those words or sentences? What is your reaction?
3. How are the author’s main points presented, explained, and supported? What assumptions lie
behind these points? What would be the most effective way for you to compress and/or re-order the
author’s scheme of presentation and argument?
4. Identify the assumptions made by the author in both the approach to and the writing of the book.
For example, what prior knowledge does the author expect readers to possess? How effectively are
those assumptions worked into the overall presentation? What assumptions do you think should not
have been made? Why?
5. What new insights do you have as a result of reading this book? Has your world view changed? If so,
why? If not, why not?
6. Does the author’s presentation seem fair and accurate? Is the interpretation valid?
Are you aware of a new way to understand history? What is it?
7. What comments can you make about the over-all presentation of the subject of the book?
8. What is your recommendation: do you think others would enjoy reading the book? What type of
audience would you recommend this book to? Over-all, what did you gain by reading this book? What
do you think that others who read the book will gain? If you have a negative opinion of the book, tell
why you think others would not enjoy reading the book.
(Adapted from original by Dr. Budani, University of Delaware)
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