University of New York, Tirana
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Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology [Summer 2010]
MWF 9:00-12:00 / 3C
Sofia Kalo
kalo.sofia@gmail.com
by appointment only
Course Introduction
Welcome! This course is designed to introduce you to the main themes, methods and intellectual
traditions of cultural anthropology and to help you consider a variety of anthropological
approaches to understanding human diversity. The thematic threads for this course are culture,
power, and change. Through these rubrics we will explore topics such as social structure, race and
ethnicity, language and communication, art, gender and sexuality, class and labor. Some of the
questions that we will return to throughout the semester are:
What is culture?
What is society?
What is the range of behaviors human beings are capable of?
How do anthropologists actually answer these questions?
Course Objectives
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To become acquainted with the discipline of anthropology—specifically the sub-discipline
of cultural anthropology—including its principle methodology (ethnography) and its basic
concepts (culture, society, ideology, cultural logics, domination, hierarchy, etc)
To introduce students to anthropological theory in order to develop students’ intellectual
tools for understanding the politics of culture in contemporary society [Albanian and
elsewhere]
To practice and develop critical thinking and writing skills.
To practice and develop reading skills; reading texts closely for both content and argument.
To develop group communication skills
Readings
I will either distribute hard copies of select readings in class or send them to you through e-mail.
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Course Requirements
Attendance: Your attendance in class is very important especially considering that this is a five
week course which means that during each three hour session we will be covering the material that
is equivalent of a week’s work during a regular semester. If you have to miss a class it is your
responsibility to 1) ask for notes, and 2) make up the work.
I will keep track of your attendance and punctuality every hour of class. The grades for attendance
will be as follows (please note that it refers to hours missed and not days):
Hours Missed
0-3
4-6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Grade Points
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
In case of emergency, students are required to submit proper documentation to the Record’s Office
to receive an excused absence. I will NOT excuse ANY absence. ONLY the Record’s Office will
excuse an absence. In addition, students should refrain from arriving late and should not leave
early without prior approval from the professor (or the hour will be counted as an absence).
Participation: It is extremely important to participate in class actively and to engage in discussion
in every class session. It is thus important that you do all assigned readings before you come to class.
The grade for class participation will be based on your contribution to in-class activity including
group work and presentations. Points for participation will be deducted for excessive talking and
other disruptive behavior.
Written Work: This semester you will be assigned TWO short papers (1-2 pgs.) and ONE longer
paper (7-8 pgs.) which will be due at the end of the semester.
Midterm and Final Exam: These two exams will consist of short-answer and short-essay
questions (i.e. questions that can be answered in 6 to 8 sentences) based on the readings,
discussions and films.
Ethnographic Project: At the middle of the fourth week of the semester, you will receive
guidelines for conducting a small ethnographic research project which will be the basis for your
long paper which is due at the day of your final exam i.e. last day of the semester.
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General Requirements
Conduct: You are expected to behave with civility and appropriate etiquette toward faculty and one
another. Please turn off all electronic devices (e.g. iPods, laptops, etc.) and set your cell phones on
silent ring before class begins and refrain from using them until class is over.
Meetings with Instructor: If you wish to meet with me to discuss class material or just to chat, let
me know through e-mail kalo.sofia@gmail.com.
Format: Unless indicated otherwise, all written assignments must adhere to APA format: A4 size,
Times New Roman font, 12 pt, double spaced with standard margins and page numbers. You
should always check your work for spelling and grammar and I also advise you to read your written
assignments aloud to avoid awkward statements. Your final Ethnographic Project is to be handed
in electronically via Turnitin.com.
Late Assignments: All assignments must be handed in at the beginning of class the day they are
due. Assignments handed in after this point will be considered late. Unless you have an excused
absence or you are facing extraordinary circumstances, I will deduct 10% from your grade for
EVERY 48 hours (2 days) it is late.
Your final paper (to be handed in via Turnitin) must be received by midnight the day it is due or
Turnitin will automatically consider it late. After this, 10% of the grade will be deducted for EVERY
48 hours (2 days) it is late. This will mean a 40% deduction after only one week. After that it will
be worth only 50% of the grade received.
Academic Dishonesty/Turnitin: UNYT does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Read the UNYT
Student Honor Code for a more detailed description of plagiarism and cheating. Please be aware
that your Ethnographic Project paper will be submitted via Turnitin and it must not receive an
overall plagiarism mark of over 20% and no single source may be over 6% (we will discuss these
details later in class).
Learning Difficulties: If you feel that you have encountered special learning difficulties, please
make an appointment with Anxhela Gramo at agramo@unyt.edu.al.
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Assessment Criteria
Attendance
Participation
Short Written Assignments
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Ethnographic Project Paper
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Percent (%)
96-100
90-95
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
10%
10%
10%
20%
25%
25%
Generally Accepted Meaning
Excellent
Good, above average
Acceptable
Significantly below average
Failing grade
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Course Schedule and Readings
(Readings listed are expected to be completed on the assigned day, e.g. On Friday, June 25 you
should have read Lassiter’s Chapter Three and Horace. Please do your readings before coming to
class and be prepared to discuss them. Reading schedule may be subject to change. )
(Session 1) Introductions
Monday, June 23, 2010
Film Screening: Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa.
(Session 2) What is anthropology? What is anthropological theory?
Wednesday, June 23 2010
Lassiter (Chapter Two p. 33-66);
(Session 3) Cultural Anthropology and Ethnography as Process and Product
Friday, June 25, 2010
Lassiter (Chapter Three p. 67-100); Horace (503-507)
Guidelines for FIRST SHORT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT Distributed – Due Monday, June 28
(Session 4) Thick Description, Participant Observation, Role of Researcher
Monday, June 28, 2010
Myerhoff (p. 1-33); Scheper-Hughes (p. 7-8)
http://www.newint.org/issue254/truth.htm
End of Week I
First Assignment DUE TODAY at the beginning of class
(Session 5) Morality and Cultural Relativism
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Roth (short reading); Scheper-Hughes (409-428); Walley (p. 405-438)
(Session 6) Power and Anthropology
Friday, July 1, 2010
Lukes (p. 14-37); Asad (short reading); DeLind (p. 80-91); Therborn (1-6)
Film Screening: Les Maitres Fous, Jean Rouch
SHORT REVIEW FOR MIDTERM EXAM
End of Week II
(Session 7) MIDTERM EXAM
Monday, July 5, 2010
Guidelines for SECOND SHORT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT – DUE Monday, July 12
Anthropology, Language and Communication
Ferraro (Chapter Two p.118-146); Daniels (p.19-36)
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(Session 8) Anthropology and Art
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Svasek (Introduction p. 3-16); Svasek (Chapter Four p. 67-88)
(Session 9) Science, Belief, Disbelief
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lassiter (Chapter Seven p. 214-230); Keller (p.77-103)
(Session 10) Race and Ethnicity
Monday, July 12, 2010
Lassiter (Chapter One p. 3-32); AAA "Official Statement on 'Race'"; McIntosh (1-6)
End of Week III
Second Short Written Assignment DUE TODAY in Class
(Session 11) Social Class
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Ortner (p. 63-79); Weston (p. 154-179)
Guidelines for Final ETHNOGRAPHIC PROJECT/PAPER Distributed—DUE JULY 23
(Session 12) Gender and Sexuality
Friday, July 16, 2010
Lassiter (Chapter 5); Kulick (p.19-33); Woodcock
ASSIGNMENT: Please bring to class to share with your peers a short paragraph where you
describe what your Ethnographic Project will be about and the methods you will use to
gather information.
(Session 13) Reading Ethnography: Selling Crack in El Barrio pt. 1
Monday, July 19, 2010
Bourgois (p. 1-18, p. 114-131)
(Session 14) Reading Ethnography: Selling Crack in El Barrio pt. 2
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Bourgois (p. 132-173)
In Class Review for Final Exam
(Session 15) Final Exam
Friday, July 23, 2010
FINAL PAPER DUE
End of Term
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End of Week IV
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Course Bibliography
American Anthropological Association September 1997
"Official Statement on 'Race'." Anthropology Newsletter 38 (6)
Bourgois, Philippe 1995
In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio. NYC, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Daniels, Harvey 1985
“Nine Ideas about Language”
DeLind, LB 2004
“Social Consequences of Intensive Swine Production: Some Effects of Community Conflict”. Culture &
Agriculture, vol. 26, issue 1-2.
Ferraro, Garry and Robert Anderson 2008
Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective.
Keller, Eva 2007
“Why, Exactly, Is The World As It Is?” in Questions of Anthropology , Astuti, Parry & Stafford eds. NYC: Berg
Press.
Kulick, Don 2009
“Can There Be An Anthropology of Homophobia?” in Homophobias: Lust and Loathing
Across Time and Space. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, p. 19-33.
Lassiter, Eric Luke 2006
Invitation to Anthropology (second edition). Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Lukes, Steven 2005
Power: A Radical View. Pelgrave Macmillian.
McIntosh, Peggy 1989
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
Miner, Horace 1956
“Body Ritual among the Nacirema.” American Anthropologist 58, no.3. 503-507.
Myerhoff, Barbara 1978
“So What Do You Want From Us Here?” in Number Our Days: Triumph of Continuity and Culture Among
Jewish Old People in an Urban Ghetto. New York City: Simon & Schuster, p. 1-33.
Ortner, Sherry 2006
“Identities: The Hidden Life of Class” and Chapter Five (edit) “Subjectivity and Cultural Critique” in
Anthropology and Social Theory: Culture, Power and the Acting Subject. Durham, NC: Duke
University Press, p. 63-79 and p. 107-119.
Roth Pierpont, Claudia March 8, 2004
"The Measure of America." New Yorker.
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy April 1992
"Speaking Truth To Power" New International, p. 7-8. http://www.newint.org/issue254/truth.htm.
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy 1995
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"The Primacy of the Ethical." Current Anthropology 36, no. 3: 409-428.
Svasek, Maruska 2007
Anthropology, Art and Cultural Production. Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press.
Therborn, Göran. April 6, 2009
“The Killing Fields of Inequality”, Open Democracy, http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-killingfields-of-inequality.
Walley, Christine J.
"Searching for 'Voices': Feminism, Anthropology, and the Global Debate over Female
Genital Operations." Cultural Anthropology 12, no. 3: 405-38.
Weston, Kath 2005
"Class Politics and Scavenger Anthropology in Dinesh D'Souza's Virtue and Prosperity". in Why America's
TopPundits Are Wrong: Anthropologists Talk Back. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, p. 154179.
Woodcock, Shannon 2005
“Globalization of LGBT Identities: Containment Masquerading as Salvation Or Why Lesbians Have Less
Fun”
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