DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY
ANTH 112 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
OUTLINE FOR WINTER 2013
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Susan Vincent (Office: JBB 335E; tel: 867-5281; email: svincent@stfx.ca)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces students to the discipline of anthropology.
Two ethnographies will be used to explore what anthropologists study, how they gather
information, and the key concepts they use to analyse information.
REQUIRED TEXTS (available at university bookstore):
Kenny, Mary Lorena
2008 Hidden Heads of Households: Child Labor in Urban Northeast Brazil. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.
Menzies, Charles
2011 Red Flags and Lace Coiffes: Identity and Survival in a Breton Village. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.
EVALUATION :
Midterm test (February 19):
20%
Small in-class assigments (various due dates):
First essay (due March 7):
30%
Second essay (optional, due April 4):
Final exam (see exam schedule):
30%
10%
NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE CLASSROOM WITHOUT
PRIOR PERMISSION. YOUR SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE DEPENDS ON YOUR
ATTENDANCE. IF YOU MISS THREE CLASSES OR MORE, WHETHER FOR ILLNESS
OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON, YOUR ABILITY TO PASS WILL BE SEVERELY
COMPROMISED.
NOTES ON TESTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
1. Make-up small in-class assignments will not be given. They are important and students who
have not completed at least 70% of them will not be receive a passing grade, no matter what the
reasons for this and regardless of their mark on the other components of the grade. The small
assignment mark will reflect the actual number completed; no exemptions will be made for
illness or other reasons.
2. You must contact your instructor as soon as possible (i.e. ahead of time, when known) with
the reasons for missing a test or assignment due date. Be prepared to provide documentation.
3. Written assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day specified. Only under
exceptional circumstances supported by documentation will I accept a late assignment. You must
keep a copy of assignments when you hand them in. If a paper is lost and you do not have a
replacement, you will receive a 0. Keep the returned marked assignment until the end of the
course.
4. Please note the University’s policy on plagiarism and cheating. It is covered in Section 3.8,
“Academic Integrity Policy” in the Academic Calendar.
EQUITABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Everyone learns more effectively in a respectful, safe and equitable learning environment, free
from discrimination and harassment. I invite you to work with me to create a classroom space—
both real and virtual—that fosters and promotes values of human dignity, equity, nondiscrimination and respect for diversity. These values and practices are in accord with the
StFX Discrimination and Harassment Policy which can be found at
http://www.mystfx.ca/campus/stu-serv/equity/.
Please feel free to talk to me about your questions or concerns about equity in our classroom or
in the StFX community in general. If I cannot answer your questions or help you address your
concerns, I encourage you to talk to the Chair of the Department of Anthropology (this rotates
between Dr. Clare Fawcett and Dr. Jane McMillan), or the Human Rights and Equity Advisor
(Marie Brunelle at mbrunell@stfx.ca).
ASSIGNMENTS:
The quiz and exam will consist of multiple choice, short answer and/or essay answer questions.
The small assignments will take various forms and be given in class. These are intended to give
you practice with anthropological concepts. They may include quizzes, group work, or individual
assignments.
The term papers will be a 5-7 page essay, including bibliography.
First essay topic: Is cultural relativity essential to understanding the lives of poor Brazilian
children, who are discussed by Kenny in her book Hidden Heads of Households, or does this
concept prevent action from being taken to improve their lives?
This assignment is intended to develop the following skills:
1) defining a theoretical concept (that is, presenting a definition of cultural relativity);
2) applying a theoretical concept to evidence to see what it can explain;
3) using ethnographic evidence (from Kenny’s ethnography);
4) using the essay form to present an argument and support it with evidence.
You will be marked on the strength of your argument; the clarity of the presentation; the quality
of your evidence and explanation; and your essay style. DUE MARCH 7.
Optional second essay: If your performance on the first essay is not acceptable, you have the
option of replacing that mark by writing a second essay. This essay topic deals with Menzies’
book. Menzies argues that, rather than being opposed to one another, isolation and integration
are different sides of the same process (2011: 20). For example, the “traditional” lace coiffe worn
by the Breton women developed as a symbol of local identity at a time when people were
defending their ability to get a fair price for their fish, as well as fighting for rights as workers in
industrial fish processing. Thus, although the lace coiffe might seem to symbolize an isolated
Breton culture, in fact it was the product of struggle with exploitation by actors in the national
economy. Currently, it is used both as a symbol of struggle and as part of attracting tourists and,
therefore, still linked to the effects of integration into national or international markets. Do you
agree that “traditional culture” is the outcome of struggle with wider forces or do you think it is
the product of customs that are simply passed on over time?
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE:
January 8: Introduction to course
January 10: What is anthropology?
January 15: What might anthropologists study? Read Kenny chapter 1.(What is a child?)
January 17: How do anthropologists do research? Read Kenny Chapter 2 and Appendix A.
January 22, 24: How does theory work? Read Kenny Chapter 3.
January 29, 31, February 5-7: How do political and economic systems affect how people live
their lives? What about their health? Read Kenny Chapters 4 and 5.
February 12: Essay writing skills
February 14: Identity, policy and life chances. Read Kenny Chapter 6.
February 19: MIDTERM TEST
February 21:Taking action. Read Kenny Chapter 7.
February 25-March 1: Midterm study break
March 5: Another ethnographic example: in each section compare what Menzies does with what
Kenny’s work. Read Menzies Introduction.
March 7: FIRST ESSAYS DUE
March 7, 12: Background and theory: Read Menzies Chapters 1 and 2.
March 14: Economic pressures. Read Menzies Chapter 3.
March 19, 21: Political pressures. Read Menzies Chapters 4 and 5.
March 26, 28: The role of kinship. Read Menzies Chapter 6.
April 2: Culture and global political economy. Read Menzies Conclusion.
April 4: Course conclusion.