ANTH 172 CULTURE AND POWER MWF 2:00-3:15 pm, Fall 2012 Classroom: George Wilson Hall Professor: Sarah M. Mathis School for International Studies Office hours: MW 4:00-5:00, H 1:30-2:30 or by appointment Email: smathis@pacific.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION What is power? How do power relations shape the everyday lives of people around the globe? How is power institutionalized and contested in an increasingly interconnected world? The theme that unites all these concerns is the politics of everyday life: how power works in and through culture to shape the lives of individuals and societies. This course will begin with an overview of classical political anthropology, which is focused on power relations in non-state societies and the origins and expansion of states. Next, we will consider various aspects of politics in state based societies past and present. Finally, we will examine the relationships between changing structures of power and forms of agency in the contemporary global era. COURSE GOALS By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Distinguish among key concepts and theories of power used by anthropologists and apply them to specific ethnographic cases. 2. Compare and contrast the four major types of political system in terms of organization, leadership, function, and environment. 3. Discuss the diverse sources and manifestations of power across cultures and how they interrelate. 4. Relate structures of power to systems of social inequality and conditions of material production. 5. Theorize individual agency in relation to specific power structures. 6. Grasp the global significance of contemporary changes to local power relations. 7. Interpret the relationships between colonial power and anthropological knowledge 8. Demonstrate progress in developing the following skills necessary for higher learning: a. Critical reading: Moving beyond reading for information to critically evaluating the author’s assumptions, evidence, and arguments and putting the reading in conversation with other course material. b. Oral Communication: Collaborating to develop effective oral presentations and lead group discussions. c. Written Communication: Learning to construct and articulate clear arguments by logically marshalling evidence in support of a thesis. d. Research: Gaining familiarity with library and online sources, as well as with the process of critically assessing the merits of different sources of information. This course addresses SIS Learning Outcome #2, the ability to understand and apply economic, social, and political theory in the analysis of historical events and contemporary international issues and SIS Learning Outcome #4, the ability to think and communicate critically and clearly in both written and oral forms. Copies of student work may be retained for assessment purposes. READINGS Lewellen, Ted C. 2003. Political Anthropology: An Introduction (Third Edition). Lansing, J.S. 2012. Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali. Other readings will be available on Sakai. You may find the readings and many other useful course materials after logging in (using your Inside Pacific ID and password) at https://pacific.rsmart.com. E-mail me at the address above if you have problems. REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Class participation Student-led discussion Terms and questions Term paper, 10-12 pages Midterm Final exam 10% 5% 15% 25% 20% 25% DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP During the weeks designated on the syllabus, two students will be responsible for opening up and facilitating whole-class discussions of the assigned readings. Each student will have two opportunities to help lead discussion. This is primarily an opportunity for you to practice professionalism in how you lead the class. Work on speaking clearly, organizing material logically and facilitating discussion so that your fellow students come away from the class with a better understanding of the material than they had when they came in. You will also be responsible for starting and ending the class and the discussion, although please leave a few minutes at the end of class for any announcements from the professor. TERMS AND QUESTIONS There will be two exams in this course that comprise 45% of your grade. You will be tested on material from lectures, films, readings, and discussions. The midterm will cover all material through the first part of the course. The final will cover the remainder of the course. Students will help to generate the exams by submitting terms, quotes and questions as reading responses. Each day before class commences, students will be responsible for submitting one term (with a definition) and a “quotable quote” for each reading and (additionally) on Friday, one sample essay/discussion question that ties together all of the week’s readings. These will be submitted online through Sakai on the wiki provided. Before you write your definition, check the wiki to be sure you are not using a term that has already been posted. Your submissions will be regularly reviewed and collated to serve as an online study guide. Your submissions to this online study guide will count for 15% of your course grade. No late submissions will be accepted. CLASS RULES 1. You will be expected to attend every class session. Failure to attend class with be reflected in your class participation grade. You can miss up to 3 classes with no penalty, but please save this allowance for your sick days! 2. In-class work cannot be made up. Late assignments will be accepted but a third of the grade will be deducted for every day that the assignment is late unless you have cleared an extension with me ahead of time. Extensions will only be granted if you have a legitimate excuse. Recognizing the night before the assignment is due that you won't finish in time does not count as a legitimate excuse. 3. Use of wireless devices is prohibited during all class meetings (except to take notes) and exams. 4. Copies of student work may be retained to assess how the learning objectives of the course are being met. 5. Revisions to this syllabus will be announced in class and will take precedence over this document. COMMUNICATION You are welcome to visit me during my office hours or by appointment to ask for further explanations, to get help, to introduce yourself, etc. You may also contact me by email but please allow 24 hours for response during the week. Emails should be addressed to your professor in formal, respectful English (correct grammar, standard punctuation, etc.). HONOR CODE The Pacific policy on academic honesty is detailed in Tiger Lore. You may be failed in the course and reported to the Director of Judicial Affairs in the Office of Student Life for violating the honor code, so please read this policy. See Tiger Lore for details about the university’s proceedings and punishments. Please see a good style manual for what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. Obviously, turning in someone else’s work with your name on it is theft and will be treated accordingly—this includes any work that you didn’t write, whether you stole it from a roommate or cut/paste it from an internet site or anything else. You are encouraged to discuss your ideas with each other, but do your own work; turning in identical or nearly identical assignments is a violation of the Honor Code. LEARNING OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES If you need accommodations because of a certified learning or physical disability, you must contact Mr. Daniel Nuss, Coordinator of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, in 101 Bannister to obtain an Accommodations Request Letter. Once you have obtained the letter, I will happily work with you to make appropriate arrangements to accommodate your needs. Please see me after class or in office hours. COURSE CONTENTS Please prepare readings for the day on which they are listed. Week 1: Introduction Aug 27: Introduction Aug 29: Lewellen, Chapter 1 and Vincent, the Enlightenment and its Challenges Aug 31: Lewellen, Chapter 2 Week 2: Early Political Anthropology Sept 3: LABOR DAY H OLIDAY Sept 5: Fortes and Evans-Pritchard “Introduction” to African Political Systems Sept 7: Present one chapter from African Political Systems Week 3: Decentralized Societies Sept 10: Turnbull, The Lesson of the Pygmies; Harris, Life without Chiefs Sept 12: Lee, Primitive Communism; Lee, The Gods Must be Crazy but the State has a Plan Sept 14: Evans-Pritchard, The Nuer (SLD – Caitlin and Caitlin) Ongka’s Big Moka (film) Week 4: The State Sept 17: Llewellen, Chapter 3 Sept 19: Scott, Seeing Like a State (Chapter 1) Sept 21: Nugent, Building the State, Making the Nation (SLD – Caitlyn T. and Alexis) Week 5: Sacred Power and Symbolism Sept 24: Llewellen, Chapter 4; Turner, Passages, Margins and Poverty (excerpts) Sept 26: Comaroff, Talking Politics Sept 28: Perfect Order, pages 1-19, 62-71 The Goddess and the Computer Week 6: Perfect Order Oct 1: Perfect Order, 72-121 Oct 3: Perfect Order, Chapter 5 Oct 5: FALL BREAK Week 7: Perfect Order Oct 8: Perfect Order, Chapter 6 Oct 10: Perfect Order, Chapter 7 Oct 12: MIDTERM Week 8: Structure and Process and the Individual Oct 15: Llewellen, Chapters 5 and 6 Oct 17: Gluckman, Social Situation in Modern Zululand Oct 19: Bailey, Stratagems and Spoils; Asad, Reconsideration of Swat Poli. Org. (excerpts) (SLD – Danielle and Tiresa) Due: One paragraph describing the idea for your paper Week 9: Resistance and Rebellion Oct 22: Lewellen, Chapter 7; Gough, New Proposals Oct 24: Thompson, Moral Economy; Marx, Communist Manifesto Oct 26: James Scott, Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (SLD – Caitlin M. and Kelly) Week 10: Gender Oct 29: Lewellen, Chapter 8 Oct 31: Van Allen, Sitting on a Man Nov 2: Stoler, Making Empire Respectable (SLD – Tiresa and Patrick) Week 11: Ethnicity and Nationalism Nov 5: Lewellen, Chapter 9; Barth on ethnicity Nov 7: Southall, The Illusion of Tribe Nov 9: Hutchinson, Nuer Ethnicity Militarized (SLD – Danielle and Mayra) Due: Annotated Bibliography of 10 anthropological sources for your paper Week 12: Reframing Power Nov 12: Lewellen, Chapter 10 Nov 14: Wolf, Facing Power Nov 16: Hegemony; Durrenburger and Doukas (SLD - Alexis and Mayra) Due: Revised one page summary of/introduction to your paper Week 13: Beyond States Nov 19: Lewellen, Chapter 11 Nov 21: THANKSGIVING BREAK Nov 23: THANKSGIVING BREAK Week 14: Beyond States (cont.) Nov 26: Juris, The Seattle Effect Nov 28: Ong, Flexible Citizenship Nov 30: Ferguson, Anti-Politics (SLD – Kelly and Patrick) Week 15: Wrap-up Dec 3: Gledhill, Politics and the Academy Dec 5: Present paper topics Dec 7: Paper Due Final Exam: Wednesday, Dec. 12th, 12:00-3:00pm