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DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY 1020E/003
MANY WAYS OF BEING HUMAN
COURSE OUTLINE
September 2012-April 2013
This course introduces students to anthropology, which is the study of human
beings and the differences and similarities among groups. The course will be
taught by three instructors, each specializing in one of the subfields of
anthropology: linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, biological
anthropology and archaeology. This approach will give students both an in-depth
and a holistic look at the various ways anthropologists learn about human
groups, and the kinds of questions they ask.
TIME:
PLACE:
Tuesday 9:30 – 11:30; Thursday 9:30 – 10:30
SEB 2200
INSTRUCTORS for TERM 1:
Dr. Karen Pennesi
(Linguistic Anthropology)
Office:
SSC 3304
E-mail:
pennesi@uwo.ca
Hours:
Tuesday 1:00 – 2:00
Dr. Sherrie Larkin
(Sociocultural Anthropology)
Office:
SSC 3328
E-mail:
slarkin@uwo.ca
Hours:
Tuesday 1:00 – 2:00
TEACHING ASSISTANTS for TERM 1:
Megan Devries mdevri2@uwo.ca Hours: Thurs.10:30–12:30 Office:3303
Lara Wood
lwood48@uwo.ca Hours: Friday 12:30-2:30 Office: 3306
INSTRUCTOR for TERM 2:
Dr. Chris Ellis
(Biological Anthropology and Archaeology)
Office:
SSC 3409 (acting Department Chair: so outside of regular office
hours I may be in Chair’s office: SSC 3323)
E-mail:
cjellis@uwo.ca
Hours:
Mondays 1:30-3:00PM
TEACHING ASSISTANTS for TERM 2:
Paul Szpak pszpak@uwo.ca Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-3:30 PM Office: SSC 3407
Lara Wood lwood48@uwo.ca Hours: Thursdays 10:30 AM-12:30 PM Office: SSC 3306
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BOOKS TO PURCHASE:
Richard Robbins & Sherrie Larkin. 2007
Approach, Canadian Edition.
Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based
Zdenek Salzmann, James Stanlaw, & Nobuko Adachi. 2012. Language, Culture and Society:
An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (5th Edition).
Barry Lewis, Robert Jurmain, Lynn Kilgore. 2012. Understanding Humans: Introduction to
Physical Anthropology and Archaeology (11th Edition; comes with bundled with: FREE
Anthropology Resource Access Card).
Be sure to purchase the correct editions. Both new and used copies of some texts are
available at the Western Bookstore. If you decide to purchase your texts through the
internet, keep in mind that delivery delays for online orders may cause you to fall behind in
the reading assignments.
MARKS WILL BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:
Language Autobiography
Oct 11
Discussion Papers (2 at 5% each)
Nov 6 & Nov 27
December Exam
TBA
Spring Term Test
Feb 26 (in class room)
Essay
Mar 21
April Exam
TBA
10%
10%
30%
15%
20%
15%
WEB SITE:
We have a web site for this class. The address is https://owl.uwo.ca. This site includes the
course outline, study guides or overheads used in lecture, class announcements, and a
“Grade Book” that contains your marks for each assignment.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
This is an essay course and it requires that you write at least 3,000 words in order to
successfully complete the course. If you do not complete your written assignments, you
will fail the course, regardless of your exam marks.
All assignments must be submitted BOTH electronically, through OWL, and as a hard copy
in class. Your assignments will not be considered complete until BOTH the electronic copy
and the paper copy have been received. If you are unable to submit your assignment in
class, you may leave it in the drop box outside the Anthropology Main Office (SSC 3326).
The drop box is emptied each morning and stamped with the previous day’s date. Do NOT
submit assignments as e-mail attachments or by sliding them under the professor’s door.
These will be discarded unread. Late assignments will be penalized 5% per weekday unless
you provide documentation from Academic Counselling to justify an extension.
Missed Deadlines
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Occasionally illness or other personal issues make it impossible to meet deadlines. In such
cases adequate documentation must be submitted to Academic Counselling of your home
faculty, according to the terms of the Senate policy regarding medical accommodation as
specified at: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf.
Providing such documentation is accepted by Academic Counselling, reasonable effort will be
made to accommodate your situation. Without this, no accommodations will be made.
Format of Assignments
All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, with 2.5 cm (1 inch)
margins, and stapled (staplers can be purchased for less than $2 and will be useful for the
rest of your academic career). You may print double-sided. Number all pages except the cover
page, if there is one. The title page must have your name, the professor's name, the course
number and the assignment title. Follow the guidelines of the American Anthropological
Association (http://www.aaanet.org/publications/style_guide.pdf) for proper citation of
references within the essay and in the bibliography. Points will be deducted if your assignment
does not meet these requirements.
Note: Additional instructions for each written assignment will be provided in class or
on OWL.
Assignment for Linguistic Anthropology (Due Oct. 11)
Write a language autobiography in 1000 words, reflecting on your experiences learning and
using language(s) in relation to the concepts and issues we have studied in the course. The
assignment is designed to get you to think about the variety of linguistic experiences and
competencies individuals have and how language is connected to many other aspects of life.
In particular, you should consider how culture, social structure, institutions and power
relationships affect language choices and practices. This assignment is worth 10% of your
total mark for the course.
Discussion Papers for Sociocultural Anthropology (Due Nov. 6 and Nov. 27)
During the semester, you will write two short papers (about 2-3 pages each) in which you
discuss some aspect of the material that has been covered in class or in the text. Each
paper should be between two and three pages in length. This is your chance to elaborate on
the issues that you find interesting. Each discussion paper is worth 5% of your total mark
for the course.
Essay for Biological Anthropology and Archaeology (Due March 21, 2013)
Students are required to submit a course paper/essay on some topic relevant to biological
anthropology and archaeology. This paper will be based on reading academic resources
available through UWO’s libraries either by direct visits to the libraries or by use of
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resources made available through those libraries such as on-line electronic versions of
academic journals. A detailed guide for writing such papers, including late penalties, a list
of some possible topics, etc. will be made available on our website by the first class of the
second term. You must read it carefully! Students are strongly advised to begin searching
out a topic and have it approved as soon as possible in order to ensure its suitability and to
make sure one can obtain the necessary reference materials. These papers are to be
placed in Ellis’ hands during class or in his office on March 21st. We will endeavour to
provide as much feedback as possible on all papers and aim to have these marked for
returning by the final exam date at the latest. This essay is worth 20% of your total
mark for the course.
VIDEOS:
We will see several videos throughout the course. They will be treated the same as
lectures, so don’t miss them.
DECEMBER EXAM
The date for the December exam will be announced when the time and place become
available through the Registrar’s Office. The material covered in the December exam will
be limited to Linguistic Anthropology and Sociocultural Anthropology. The format of the
exam will be multiple choice and short answer questions.
FEBRUARY AND APRIL TESTS/EXAMS
The mid-term exam/test will be held in class on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 and will only
cover material from the beginning for the second (January) term or the subdisciplines of
biological anthropology and archaeology. The April exam/test will be held in the final exam
period (April 14-30) and the exact time and place will be announced when they become
available through the Registrar’s Office. The April exam will only cover material from
after the February mid-term or from the classes of February 28 to April 11, 2013. The
format of both exams will include multiple choice and short written answer questions.
OTHER COURSE INFORMATION:
No electronic devices will be allowed in the classroom during tests and examinations.
“Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words.
Whenever students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must
acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper
referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see
Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). All required papers may be
subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection
software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers
submitted will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose
of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the
service is subject to the licensing agreement currently between the University of Western
Ontario and Turnitin.com” (http://www.turnitin.com).
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“Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the
appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at
the following Web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf”
LAPTOPS:
You are welcome to bring your laptop to class for the purpose of taking notes, and only for
that purpose. If it becomes obvious that you are using your laptop for some other purpose,
you will no longer be allowed to have it in the classroom. All other electronic devises must
be turned off during class.
First term:
OUTLINE OF TOPICS AND READINGS
How will the course work? How can students succeed? What is anthropology?
Sept. 6
introductions; expectations; study tips
What is linguistic anthropology?
Sept. 11
anthropology; linguistics; linguistic anthropology; methods
Required Readings: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 1, 2
What is unique about human language?
Sept. 13
development of language; design features
Required Readings: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 6
Sept. 18
nonverbal communication; language acquisition; multilingualism
Required Reading: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 5, 7
How and why do languages change?
Sept. 20
sound systems
Required Readings: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 3
Sept. 25
word and sentence structure; processes of change; reconstruction of
languages
Required Reading: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 4, 8
How is language used to accomplish social goals?
Sept. 27
dialects; styles; pidgins and creoles
Required Readings: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 9
Oct. 2
ethnography of communication; verbal art; performance and performativity
Required Readings: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 10
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How do we use language to divide and unite people?
Oct. 4
linguistic ideology
Required Reading: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 13
Oct. 9
indexicality; identity; gender; race; ethnicity
Oct. 11
standard and non-standard language
Assignment 1 due Oct. 1 1
How does language affect the way we think?
Oct. 16
linguistic relativity; colours and kinship
Required Reading: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 12
How can we apply linguistic anthropology?
Oct. 18
language planning; language revitalization; translation; law; ethics
Required Reading: Salzmann, Stanlaw, Adachi Ch. 14
What is Sociocultural Anthropology?
Oct 23-30
What do anthropologists study? What is Culture? How do anthropologisgts
study culture?
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 1
Video: Off the Veranda
What is Progress?
Nov 1-8
Is economic development progress? How do people make their living?
Discussion Paper #1 due Nov 6
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 2
Video: Ongka’s Big Moka
What is Kinship?
Nov 13
How does kinship work? Why isn’t kinship the same everywhere?
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 5
How is social inequality created?
Nov 15
Are some people just better than others?
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 7
How do we form our identity?
Nov 20
How do we know who we are?
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 6
How do we define and understand our world?
Nov 20Why are symbols important in understanding our world?
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What is a worldview and what happens when our world changes?
Required Reading: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 4
What is a Nation-State?
Nov 27-29
Violence and the nation-state
Is violence part of human nature?
Discussion Paper #2 due Nov 27
Required Readings: Robbins & Larkin, Chapter 3 and Chapter 8
Video: Bitter Paradise: Sellout of East Timor
Review for Midterm in December
Dec 4
We will review both the Linguistics and the Sociocultural sections.
Second Term:
“What is Anthropology?” Revisited
Jan. 8– 10
Term content and rationale; anthropology from a biological anthropology and
archaeology perspective.
Required Readings: Lewis et al., chaps. 1 & 2
How did Biological/Physical Anthropology develop as a field of scholarly inquiry?
Jan 15 & 17 Biological anthropology: historical background and evolutionary theory.
Required Readings: Lewis et al., chaps. 2, 3 & 4
Video: Great Books: On the Origin of Species (note all video dates are approximate)
How did Anthropological Archaeology develop as a field of scholarly inquiry?
Jan 22-24
Archaeology: historical background and research methods.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 8
Video: Archaeology in Laboratories
If Anthropology is about people, why study monkeys and apes?
Jan 29-31
The living primates; fossil record.
Readings: Lewis et al., chaps. 5, 6, & 7
Video: Life in the Trees
When and why did primates first evolve and what were they like?
(or there is more to eating insects than one might expect!)
Feb 5-7
The Earliest Primates.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 9 (pages 197-208 only).
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When and where did bipedal primates first evolve and how did they differ from modern
people?
Feb 12-14
The Earliest Hominins (bipedal creatures).
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 9 (pages 208-221 only):
Video: In Search of Human Origins, Part I
** FAMILY DAY/READING WEEK: NO CLASSES: February 19 & 21!: Study for mid-term
test in next class!
**** TERM TEST: Tuesday, FEBRUARY 26 in regular classroom (up to 110 minutes)***
What is the earliest evidence for culture? (or what was life like in the stone age?)
Feb 28
The Earliest Hominins (continued).
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 9 (pages 222-230 only)
What human ancestors first left Africa and what were they like?:
Out of Africa Part I.
March 5-7
Homo erectus and contemporaries.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 10
Where did modern people come from and are Neandertals our direct ancestors?:
Out of Africa Part II.
March 12-14 Neandertals and modern human origins.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 11 & 12 (pages 255-297 only)
What is the earliest evidence for modern human behavioural capabilities?
(or let’s domesticate dogs, invent art and explore new places)
March 19-21 Upper Paleolithic and peopling of new continents.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 12 (pages 297-306 only) & chap. 13 (307-326 only).
Video: The Cave Beneath the Sea
*** ESSAY DUE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21st***
When was agriculture invented and why go to the trouble?
March 26-28 Complex foragers and the origins of agriculture.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 13 (pages 326-338 only) & chap. 14.
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People invent political societies, marked social inequalities, writing and cities: why?
April 2-11
Development of state-level Societies.
Readings: Lewis et al., chap. 15 and 16
Video: Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization
** EXAM DATE IN APRIL EXAM PERIOD (April 14-30) TBA**