ANTH 102L721 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Syllabus - Fall 2014
Instructor: Kerry M. Dore, Ph.D.
E-mail: Kerry.Dore@Marist.edu
Welcome:
Greetings! My name is Kerry Dore and I will be your instructor for this course. I am a part-time
instructor in the School of Science and I have been teaching at Marist since Spring 2012. I live
fairly close to Poughkeepsie in Pawling, NY, at the Trinity-Pawling School, where my husband
works as an English teacher. My training is in biological anthropology but my expertise is in
ethnoprimatology, a field that combines primatology and cultural anthropology, so I have a very
strong interest in and knowledge of cultural anthropology. Most specifically, I work on the
Caribbean island of St. Kitts studying conflict between farmers and the invasive African green
vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus).
Course Description (Marist Catalog):
An introduction to the nature, uniformity, and diversity of cultures through an exploration of
people in different times and regions. Topics include: the family, economics, political systems,
religion, social stratification, and art and crafts. (Fulfills core / LS Social Science requirement)
Course Outcomes:
At the completion of this course, you will understand the meaning of participant observation and
how it enables cultural anthropologists to understand why people living in different cultures act
the way they do. My goal is for you to view and learn about other cultures through a lens that
does not see your own culture as better, more important, more modern, or more “civilized.” I will
help you reach this goal by exposing you to cultural anthropology theory and classic and modern
ethnographies (cultural anthropologists’ work) through a number of mediums: powerpoints,
films, and articles.
Text(s):
Required: Haviland, W.A., Gordon, R.J., Vivanco, L.A. 2006 (4th edition). Talking about
People: Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology. McGraw Hill.
Optional: Nanda, S. and Warms, R.L. 2015 (3rd edition). Culture Counts: A Concise Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology. Cengage Learning.
Instructor Availability:
As this class is entirely online, please contact me via email or ilearn.
Academic Dishonesty:
As outlined in the Marist College bulletin, academic dishonesty will be met with harsh
consequences. For your sanity and mine, please do not engage in such behavior.
Grading:
A
100 – 93
A92.9 – 90
B+
89.9 – 87
B
86.9 – 83
Breakdown of grades:
Weekly forums:
Weekly quizzes:
Two assignments:
Mid-term and Final Exam:
BC+
C
C-
82.9 – 80
79.9 – 77
76.9 – 73
72.9 – 70
D+
D
DF
69.9 – 67
66.9 – 63
62.9 – 60
Below 6
20%
20%
15%/each
15%/each
Weekly Forums and Quizzes:
Each week, with the exception of exam days, there will be a forum post and quiz on the week’s
material. THERE ARE NO MAKEUPS FOR QUIZZES OR FORUMS, but your two worst
scores (for each) will be dropped. Quizzes will be comprised of five multiple choice and/or truefalse questions. If you miss a quiz or forum post due to an illness or emergency situation, this
will count as one of your dropped scores. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE QUIZZES OR FORUM
POSTS.
Two Assignments: You will do two ethnographic assignments, a Field Observation Project and
a Money and Exchange Journal, each worth 15% of your grade. Due dates are below and
detailed descriptions can be found under “announcements” on ilearn. Unlike your weekly forum
posts, these will require ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF WORK IN ADVANCE, so plan accordingly.
Exams:
There will be a midterm and a final, each worth 15% of your final grade. Each exam will be a
mixture of multiple-choice and true-false questions. The final exam is NOT cumulative. I will
never put material on exams that we have not directly discussed and/or watched, and I will often
repeat questions from quizzes on exams, so be sure to study them.
Class Schedule: (Read/watch in the order listed below! All films, PDFs, articles, and activities
will be posted in “resources” and “lessons” in ilearn. This schedule is subject to change.)
Week Date
1
9/2
Topics, Required Work, and Assignments
Anthropology & Culture
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapters 1 and 2)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 1-2, 21-23, 27-49 (Introduction to Chapter 1,
Klausner, Introduction to Chapter 2, Morgan, Engle Merry, Mulcock)
Film: Cannibal Tours (O’Rourke 1988, 68 minutes)
PDF: O’Rourke (1999) On the making of Cannibal Tours
Introductory and week 1 forum posts due 9/6 and quiz on week 1 and
response to “two truths and a lie” forum due 9/8
2
9/9
Ethnicity & Race
(Optional: review Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 1)
Read powerpoint
Film: Race: The Power of an Illusion (Strain et al. 2003, 56 minutes)
Watch Fuentes and Wade race debate
Read articles on white privilege
Week 2 forum post due 9/13 and quiz on week 2 due 9/15
3
9/16
Ethnography
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 3)
Read powerpoint
PDF: Geertz (1973) Thick description: toward and interpretive theory of culture
Film: Off the Verandah (Singer 1990, 54 minutes)
Week 3 forum post due 9/20 and quiz on week 3 due 9/22
4
9/23
Religion
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 11)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 223-241 (Introduction to Chapter 6, Niehaus,
Rodgers, Sullivan)
PDF: E.E. Evans-Pritchard (1937) The notion of witchcraft explains unfortunate
events
Week 4 forum post due 9/27 and quiz on week 4 due 9/29
5
9/30
Language
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 4)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 50-68 (Introduction to Chapter 3, O’Barr & Conley,
Mufwene, Hill)
Watch YouTube clips on Black English
Week 5 forum post due 10/4, NO QUIZ
Field Observation Project due 10/6
6
10/7
Subsistence
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 5)
Read powerpoint
PDF: Sahlins (1972) The original affluent society
Film: N!ai: The Story of a !Kung Woman (Ambrosino 1980, 59 minutes)
Week 6 forum post due 10/11 and quiz on week 6 due 10/13
7
10/14 Human-Environment Relationships
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 87-108 (Introduction to Chapter 5, Stiles, Sillitoe,
Colchester)
PDF: Milton (1993) Introduction: environmentalism and anthropology (In: Milton
(1993) Environmentalism: The View from Anthropology)
PDF: Milton (2000) Ducks out of water (In: Knight (2000) Natural Enemies:
People-Wildlife Conflicts in Anthropological Perspective)
Week 7 forum post due 10/18, NO QUIZ
8
10/21 MIDTERM EXAM (covering weeks 1-7)
9
10/28 Kinship
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 9)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 143-167 (Introduction to Chapter 8, Nanda, Williams,
Yuan & Mitchell, Egan, Maschio)
Film: Dadi’s Family (Camerini & MacDonald 1981, 58 minutes)
Week 9 forum post due 11/1 and quiz on week 9 due 11/3
10
11/4
11
11/11 Economy
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 6)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 109-124 (Introduction to Chapter 6, Cush McNamara,
Bourgois, Sennett)
Week 11 forum post due 11/15 and quiz on week 11 due 11/17
12
11/18 Politics
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 7)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 201-203, 209-222 (Introduction to Chapter 5, van
den Berghe, Whitehead & Ferguson, Cornish)
Film: Ongka’s Big Moka (Nairn 1976, 60 minutes)
Week 12 forum post due 11/22 and quiz on week 12 due 11/24
13
11/25 NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
14
12/2
Gender & Sex
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 10)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 125-142 (Introduction to Chapter 7, Lancaster,
Bennett, Wood & Lewin, Houston)
Film: Taboo: The Third Sex (National Geographic 2008, 60 minutes)
Week 10 forum post due 11/8 and quiz on week 10 due 11/10
Stratification
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 8)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 168-190, 197-200 (Introduction to Chapter 9,
Gutmann, Williams, Garland)
Read articles about the wealth gap in America
Film: Inequality For All (Kornbluth 2013, 90 minutes)
Week 14 forum post due 12/6 and quiz on week 14 due 12/8
15
12/9
Development
(Optional: Nanda & Warms (2015) Chapter 14)
Read powerpoint
Haviland et al. (2006) pages 245-257, 263-266 (Introduction to Chapter 12, Brain,
Ferguson (with Lohmann), de Waal)
Week 15 forum post due 12/13, NO QUIZ
12/16 FINAL EXAM (covering weeks 9-15)