COURSE SYLLABUS
Welcome to:
INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Spring Semester 2012
ANTH 201-003
Call #20033
TR 8:00 – 9:15 am.
KINA 315
ANTH 201-005
Call #20035
TR 9:30 – 10:45 am.
KINA 315
Instructor: Mrs. Susan R. Osborne
Office: KINA 340
Email: osbornes@winthrop.edu
Phone: 803-323-2524
ANTH 201-004
Call #20034
MW 2:00 – 3:15 pm.
KINA 315
Office hours: Tues. & Thurs. 11:00 am. – 1:45 pm.
Mon. & Wed. 12:00 – 12:45 pm.
Additional hours by appointment
Required tests:
Bates, Daniel G. and Elliot M. Fratkin. Cultural Anthropology. Third Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003.
Chagnon, Napoleon A. Yanomamo. Legacy Sixth Edition. USA: Wadsworth/CENGAGE Learning, 2013.**
**Please note this is a new edition of the book; you will need to acquire this newest edition.
Course Goals
This three-credit hour course will provide an introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Through readings, class
discussions, and films, we will explore what it means to be human. We will examine similarities and differences
among cultures – their social, economic, and political characteristics; subsistence patterns; family and kinship
customs; traditions and belief systems. Finally, we will examine how anthropology, through its distinctive methods,
can clarify not only our understanding of each other and ourselves, but also other cultures from their own
perspective and in their own terms. Thus, students will acquire knowledge about and learn to
“…appreciate human diversity (both past and present) as well as the diversity of ideas, institutions,
philosophies, moral codes, and ethical principles” (See Touchtone goal #4, page 4, below.)
Course Requirements/Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Activities:
Classroom activities directed toward student learning will include lectures, group discussions, and the viewing of
anthropology-related films, photos, and artifacts. Students are expected to be active participants in the course.
Questions, comments, and even differences of opinions are an important part of the learning process. Anthropology
is a very visual discipline; therefore, we will view several films during the term. Hopefully, this activity will
provide students with a kind of vicarious fieldwork experience. A highlight of our human evolution study will be a
“field trip” to the Archaeology Lab to view the department’s collection of early human skulls. Test questions will
involve material from the two texts and other information presented in class, handouts (typically distributed through
the class elist), outside articles, and films.
Grading Scale:
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 – 89
C = 70 – 79
D = 60 – 69
F = 0 – 59
Evaluation:
Your evaluation will be based on three (3) in-class tests, the final exam, and a paper (the paper being the only
evaluation instrument on which you may see a “plus” or “minus” grade). Each element counts 20% of your overall
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grade. Two of the tests plus the final exam will each include a one-page essay, and the minimum length of the paper
is five full pages, thus fulfilling the eight pages of grading writing requirement for general education courses.
Papers:
Your paper will consist of an anthropological analysis of a commercial feature film. It may be a “Hollywood”
feature, an independent film, or a foreign film. It may not be a documentary you watched on the National
Geographic channel, nor an animated film. The content of your paper must be no fewer than five full pages in
length and no longer than seven pages. It must be double-spaced and typed with no wider than 1.25 inch margins
throughout (top, bottom, left, and right) and no larger than 12-point font. The paper will be due very late in the
semester. Therefore, details regarding the content of the paper, reporting deadlines, and film suggestions will be
provided in a separate handout about halfway through the semester. Papers turned in past the announced deadline
will be heavily penalized, and no work is accepted after the last scheduled class meeting of the semester.
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes. Regular attendance is vital for group discussions and will obviously help
your grade. Students whose attendance is perfect throughout the semester will have two points added to their final
grade point average. However, excessive absences and tardies will decrease your final grade significantly. The first
three absences will not count against you. Two tardies are counted as one absence, and leaving class early is
considered a tardy. Each absence over three will result in a one point reduction of your final grade. An absence
resulting from illness severe enough to require medical help will not count as part of the three absences you are
allowed without penalty if you provide medical documentation immediately upon your return to class. If you are
absent, it is your responsibility to determine what you missed (call your classmates listed below) and complete any
work you missed before returning to class. Absence from class when work is assigned or due is not a valid excuse
for late work. Special note to student athletes/performers: If you play on a team or perform with a group whose
travel, game, or performance schedule necessitates your missing class, you must provide me in advance with
documentation so I can excuse your absence. Please note that participation in these activities (including Model UN)
is considered a part of your education and therefore is the only type of absence which does not affect a perfect
attendance record.
Withdrawal:
The last day to drop full semester courses with an automatic grade of N is Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The
University website states the following: “Students may not withdraw from a course after this date without
documented extenuating circumstances.” Occasionally, events will conspire which prevent students from
completing a course. Do not simply disappear from class. Just ceasing attendance will earn you an F in the course,
as you will have earned a 0 on all work you missed, including tests. It is very important that you complete the
required procedures prior to the deadline established by the University. Your instructor does not have the authority
to assign an N grade.
Examination Policy:
A definitive test schedule for the semester has not as yet been determined. However, tests will be announced
approximately two weeks in advance, and you may count on having one in-class test each month in February,
March, and April. A link to the final exam schedule is provided on page 4 of this syllabus. If you have a valid,
documented reason for missing a test, you must contact me immediately to discuss the possibility of a makeup, and
certainly no later than the next class meeting. Makeup tests, if allowed, must be taken at times other than our
scheduled class meetings and must be completed no later than one week after the originally scheduled test date. If I
have not heard from you within one week, your grade for the missed test becomes a zero. Except for dire
circumstances, there is no makeup for the final exam.
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Extra Credit:
There will be opportunities for extra credit during the semester. Usually these take the form of either presentations
by visiting scholars (for which you may also receive Cultural Event credit) or field trips to museums or
archaeological sites. For on-campus presentations I will provide details and instructions regarding your earning
extra credit as opportunities arise. An additional possibility is the Mummies of the World exhibit currently on
display at Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte, an exhibit of particular interest to anthropology students.
Student Behavior:
Student code of conduct: As noted in the Student Conduct Code: “Responsibility for good conduct rests with
students as adult individuals.” The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student Conduct
Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook at:
http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffair/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf
Basically then, students are expected to treat one another and their instructor with politeness, courtesy, and respect
at all times. Please eat your breakfast (or your lunch) before (or after) class; eating in the classroom is not
permitted. With the exception of using a laptop only to record lecture notes, the use of “personal technology”
during class must be avoided. As a courtesy to your instructor and fellow students, please turn off all cell phones,
beepers, pagers, music players and other personal communication devices of all types, etc. prior to entering the
classroom. Questions are always welcomed, but please ask your instructor, not your neighbor. Class discussions are
greatly encouraged; private conversations between individuals are disruptive and must be avoided.
Students with Disabilities:
Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and require specific
accommodations to complete this course, contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 803-323-3290. After
receiving your official notice of accommodations from the Office of Disability Services, please inform me as early
as possible in the semester.
Additional Information:
Winthrop’s Academic Success Center is a free resource for all undergraduate students seeking to perform their best
academically. The ASC offers a variety of personalized and structured resources that help students achieve
academic excellence, such as tutoring, academic skill development (test taking strategies, time management
counseling, and study techniques), group and individual study spaces, and academic coaching. The ASC is located
on the first floor of Dinkins, Suite 106. Please contact the ASC at 803-323-3929 or success@winthrop.edu. For
more information on ASC services, please visit www.winthrop.edu/success.
Relationship of Course to Winthrop’s General Education program and the mission of the Department of
Sociology and Anthropology:
“This course participates in the Global Learning Initiative by its very nature.”
Goals in the Touchstone program related to the Global Perspective Component that are satisfied by ANTH 201.
3.2 Analyze and use a variety of information gathering techniques
4.1 Analyze diverse world cultures, societies, languages, historical periods, and artistic expressions
4.2 Understand cultures in their own terms and in terms of the diversity of ideas, institutions,
philosophies, moral codes and ethical principles
4.3 Understand in the nature of social and cultural conflict and methods of resolution
6.1 Participate in and/or observe a variety of artistic expressions
7.1 Examine problems, issues, and choices that confront citizens of the world
Student learning outcomes related to the Global perspective component:
1. To expose students to multiple perspectives such as the influences
of economic, historical,
political, social and cultural forces in the development and functioning of the world.
2. To study the effects of such forces on particular countries, cultures and geographic regions,
3. To apply critical thinking and analytical skills
4. To recognize human diversity.
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Goals and associated student learning outcomes in the Touchstone Program related to the Social Science Perspective that are satisfied by
ANTH201.
3.0/3.1 To use critical thinking, problem solving skills and research methods in identifying sound and unsound reasoning.
4.0/4.2 To recognize and appreciate human diversity (both past and present) as well as the
diversity of ideas, institutions, philosophies, moral codes and ethical principles by understanding
cultures in their own terms.
7.0/7.2 To examine values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits which define the nature and quality of
life in terms of problems, issues and choices that confront citizens of the world.
For detailed information relative to the mission of the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, please see:
http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/sociologyanthropology/default.aspx?id=10128
Contacting Your Instructor:
Students desiring individual attention are encouraged to discuss their specific needs, concerns, and problems with
the instructor. My office hours are listed above. Please feel free to come by my office at any time while I am on
campus. An effective way to contact me is by email, but please do not expect a response during weekends. My
computer access is limited to my Winthrop computer.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
•
Chapter numbers from Bates & Fratkin
(Bates & Fratkin)
1
Course Introduction: The Anthropological Perspective
Films introducing the discipline of anthropology
• Hunter-gatherers
• Anthropological Theory
A film concerning the life and theories of a prominent anthropologist
• Chagnon, Yanomamo, Chapter 1
Test 1
Culture and Language, Subsistence Patterns (Part 1)
• Culture and Language
• Adaptation and Ecology
• Horticulturalists
• Chagnon, Chapters 2 and 5
Test 2
Subsistence Patterns (part 2) and Cultural Diversity
• Pastoralists
• Intensive Agriculture: Feeding the Cities
• Kinship, Marriage, and the Household
• Chagnon, Chapters 4 and 6
Test 3
Cultural Diversity (cont.)
• Supernatural Belief Systems and Ritual
• Politics and Social Control
• Chagnon, Chapters 3, 7, and 8
Final Exam
The complete final exam may be viewed at:
http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/recandreg/Calendars/Exams.pdf
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Use the Spaces Below to Monitor Your Progress throughout the Semester:
Test No. 1______________
Test No. 2______________
Test No. 3______________
Film Review Paper______________
Absent on:
_________
_________
Tardy/left early on:
____________ _______________
____________ _______________
______________
______________
Phone numbers of two classmates:
Name______________________________________ Phone_____________________
Name______________________________________ Phone_____________________
Please note carefully:
This syllabus, especially the schedule, may be changed at any time at the option of the instructor. Students will be
informed in advance of any changes. It is important to note that the above test schedule with regard to assignments
from Chagnon’s Yanomamo is based on the earlier, fifth edition of the ethnography. Since the new edition has only
just been released, you may expect some adjustment to the assignment schedule. Please note also that we will view
additional films during the semester.