1
Spring 2004
Lecture
MWF: 9:00-9:50 a.m.
Goodnow Hall Rm. 105
Instructor
Monty Roper
204 Goodnow Hall
Office phone: 269-3017 e-mail: roperjm@grinnell.edu
Office Hours: M/W 2-4, and T/TH 10-12 (excluding convo dates) . During office hours, you are welcome to stop by without an appointment. During non-office hours, you are also welcome to stop by, but I may be occupied and unable to meet. I will be happy, however, to schedule appointments during non-office hours. If you are having problems with course materials for any reason, I strongly encourage you to come see me. If you need to get in touch with me and are unable to do so by phone (or prefer not to), you can e-mail me. I check my e-mail regularly.
Accommodations for students with disabilities: Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability is requested to speak with the professor no later than Feb 13 th . You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the
Associate Dean and Director of Academic Advising, Joyce Stern, located in the lower level of the Forum
(x3702).
This course is a general introduction to anthropology. It will be taught using a combination of lectures, readings, class discussion, projects, and films (when time and pace permit). The purpose of the course is to introduce you to the diverse field of anthropology – the study of humans – through a consideration of the four fields of anthropology. These include biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and social/cultural anthropology. One of our goals will be to gain a general understanding of the nature of the discipline. As such, throughout the course we will explore what anthropologists do, how they gather their data, and how this helps to understand the human condition. Our other main goal is to examine how anthropological study has broadened our understanding of the species. Some of the underlying questions that we will address include: How did humans evolve as a species and what makes us unique? What kinds of similarities and differences have been found between societies and cultures, and how can we explain these? How and why are cultures changing today as interactions and communication between diverse groups increase?
Please understand that this is an introductory course to a field of study with an enormous breadth of inquiry. I am certain that there will be times when we cover only very briefly materials that you would like to explore in more depth. I encourage you to ask questions whenever you have them, but understand that the pace of the course will often be rapid.
Required Texts:
1.
Roger Lewin Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction .
2.
Elvio Angeloni (ed) Annual Editions: Anthropology 03/04 .
3.
Kathy Kamp Life in the Pueblo: Understanding the Past through Archaeology .
4.
Kenneth Good 1996 Into the Heart: One Man’s Pursuit of Love and Knowledge among the
Yanomamo
5.
Elliot Fratkin 1997 Ariaal Pastoralists of Kenya .

2
Reserved readings will be available in a folder in the student projects room on the 3 rd floor of Goodnoow
(straight above the classroom). They will also be available in the library.
C OURSE R EQUIREMENTS
1.
Examinations: ( 60% of grade ) There will be three exams respectively worth 15%, 20%, and 25% of your final grade. Exams will include multiple choice, short answer and short essay questions.
2.
Projects:

1. Name that Skull project: (10% of grade) Early in the semester, I will arrange a set of labs during which time each student will be required to analyze and identify a number of hominoid skulls. The final report will identify the mystery skulls, explain the logic of the identification, and answer several questions that will be posed.

2. Group Silent Sociolinguistics Project (10% of grade). Groups will be required to either 1) observe and analyze the use of space (proxemics), or 2) record and analyze the use of graffiti.
Findings will be presented in class.

3. Kinship chart.
(5% of grade) Each student will be required to construct a kinship chart of a family (may be his/her family). Analysis of kinship norms and organization will be done in class.

4. Indigenous Peoples and Change web exercise . (5% of grade) Each student will be required to find and share information relating to current threats to indigenous cultures and responses to these threats.
3.
Participation and Attendance (10% of grade ) Everyone should keep up with the reading and come to class prepared to answer questions, ask questions, and/or engage in discussion of materials with the class. In the course of lecturing, I will often ask questions related to the reading and to materials that we have covered in past classes. We will also devote a number of classes primarily to discussion and will undertake some group activities in class. Everyone's participation is expected. On occasion, I will also provide opportunities for students to research information for the benefit of the class and/or present information in class.
Attendance is required, and I will take roll. Any exam or in-class assignment that is missed because of an unexcused absence will receive a zero. An excused absence is given only through prior permission of the instructor, for verified illness, or family/personal emergency. In the later two cases, notice must be provided through the health center or academic affairs. Each unexcused absence will result in the automatic loss of 10% of the participation grade (1% of the final grade).
COURSE SCHEDULE
(Readings may be added or deleted as deemed necessary by the professor)
Date Topic Readings
AE: Annual Editions
RR: Reserved Readings
Mon 1/19 Introduction to course and review of syllabus.
Anthropology and the Four Fields
1/21
NA
Human Evolution and Variation
Principles of adaptation and evolution

Lewin 2-6 (focus on 4,5,6)

3
1/23 Studying human ancestry: methods and analysis
Mon 1/26 From primates to hominoids
1/28
1/30
Australopithecines and bipedalism
Early Homo and the first tools
Mon 2/2 Homo Ergaster/Erectus (a well traveled hunter?)
2/4 Homo Sapiens
2/6
Mon 2/9,
2/11
The evolution of language – A human
Trait?
Hot Topic: The question of race

Lewin 7-9, 18

Lewin 10, 15,16

Lewin 17,19,20

Lewin 21-23

Lewin 24-26

Lewin 27-30

Lewin 31-33

Name That Skull Project

AAA Statement on Race

RR: Whitten, Arts 12, 13

RR – TBA 2/13
Mon 2/16
Human Variation (or catch up day)
2/18
2/20
Mon 2/23
2/25
Cultural Evolution and the Study of Prehistory
Culture and social institutions

RR: Kottak, Ch1.
The Neolithic Transition

Rise of Cities and States
Doing Archeology
Lewin 33-35

RR: TBA

Kamp 1-4
2/27 – 3/1
Case Study: The Sinagua of Lizard Man
Village
Hot Topic: Whose Remains and Whose
History?

Kamp 5-11

Archeology Project
 AE # 5, “Battle of the Bones”

RR: Endicott and Welsch "Should the
Remains of Prehistoric…”
3/3-3/5
Mon 3/8-
3/10
3/12
Culture and Communication
Culture and Symbolic Communication
 AE: # 9, “Shakespeare in the Bush”
 AE: #6, “Language Appearance, and
Linguistic Diversity – Do Different Cultures
Just Use different Words?
Sociolinguistics
Reality…”
 AE: #8, “I Can’t Even Open My Mouth”
 AE: #7, “Why Don’t You Say What You
Hot Topic: Can apes learn language
Mean?”

RR: Whitten #28, #29

Sociolinguistics Project

RR: K. Endicott and R. Welsch "Can
Apes Learn Language?"

RR: Whitten #27
Mon 3/29 Anthropological methods and perspective
 AE: #1, “Doing Fieldwork Among the

4
Yanomamo”
3/31
4/2,
Mon 4/5,
4/7
4/9,
Mon 4/12
The Organization of Society - Subsistence,
 AE: #4, “Eating Christmas in the
Economy and Politics Kalahari”

AE: UNIT 3. The Organization of
Case Study: The Yanomamo
4/14, 4/16 Families, Kinship, and Marriage
Society and Culture.
 Good, “Into the Heart”
 AE: #2, “Spin-Doctoring the Yanomamo”

AE: UNIT 4. Other Families, Other
Ways

Kinship Project

AE: UNIT 5. Gender and Status 4/16,
Mon 4/19
Gender (and other statuses)
4/21, 4/23 Religion, Belief and Ritual

AE: UNIT 6: Religion, Belief, and Ritual
Mon 4/26,
4/28
4/30-Mon
5/3
5/5
5/7
Culture change, Colonialism and the Modern

AE: UNIT 7: Sociocultural Change: The
World System
Case Study – Development and Culture
Change among the Ariaal Pastoralists
Applying Anthropology
Impact of the West
 Fratkin, “Ariaal Pastoralists”

Cultural Survival Web Exercise

RR: TBA
Wrap Up
Final Exam