Anthropology 309 [K] [SSCI]
CULTURAL ECOLOGY
SPRING 2016
Instructor: Scott Calvert
Office: VMMC 207J
email: scott.c.calvert@wsu.edu
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday10:30-11:30 and by appointment
Website: http://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/course-folders/anth-309-edward-h-hagen/
Password: anth309calvert
This course provides an anthropological (i.e., cross-cultural, biocultural, historical) perspective to
understanding human-nature relationships. Questions considered include: How do natural environments
influence culture (i.e., way of life, beliefs, and practices? How do different cultures view the environment?
How do cultural views of nature influence how people interact with the environment? Why is an
anthropological perspective on human-nature relations important for understanding the future of
humankind?
Aims
The course aims to:
1. Provide an introduction to theory, methods, and topics in environmental anthropology.
2. Examine human-nature relations from cross-cultural, historical, and biocultural perspectives.
3. Examine the extensive cross-cultural indigenous knowledge of natural environments.
4. Develop theoretical and methodological tools to evaluate contemporary environmental issues.
5. Critically evaluate how theories and cultures influence human perceptions and interactions with nature.
Skepticism is encouraged as it is the main engine of scientific progress; the scientist’s rule is to try to doubt
every explanation.
Grading
EVALUATION
POINTS
3 exams (50 points each)
6 in-class assignments/quizzes/participation (5
pts each)
Human Relations Area Files assignment
Gibe III Dam assignment
Group project on conservation group
TOTAL
Grading Scale
A = 93-100%
A- = 90-92.9
B+ = 87-89.9
B = 83-86.9
B- = 80-82.9
C+ = 77-79.9
C = 73-76.9
C- = 70-72.9
D+ = 67-69.9
D = 63-66.9
150 points
30 points
10 points
10 points
20 points
220 points
D- = 60-62.9
F = < 60%
PERCENTAGE
OF GRADE
68%
14%
4%
4%
10%
Exams consist or multiple choice and short answer essay questions. Exams are based upon lectures,
discussions, films and readings. Make-ups are allowed in exceptional circumstances (e.g., incarcerated, in
hospital).
There will be about six in-class quizzes or writing assignments. It is not possible to make-up in-class
activities and quizzes. The eHRAF and Gibe III Dam assignments are short take-home assignments and
will be explained in greater detail in class.
I accept late assignments only under exceptional circumstances (e.g., incarceration, hospitalization).
Learning Goals
WSUV has 7 learning goals: critical and creative thinking, quantitative reasoning, scientific literacy,
information literacy, communication, and depth, breadth, and integration of learning. The course has
elements of all learning goals, but emphasizes critical thinking, information literacy, quantitative literacy,
diversity, depth and breadth of learning. The course has elements of all learning goals, but emphasizes
critical thinking and self in society. The course introduces students to alternative ways of thinking and
knowing and provides a framework for understanding and critically evaluating the assumptions, morality,
and emotional basis of their own and other peoples’ behaviors and beliefs.
You can read more about WSUV learning goals as they apply to anthropology at:
http://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/programs/learning-goals/
Disability Accommodation
Accommodations may be available if you need them in order to fully participate in this class because of a
disability. Accommodations may take some time to implement so it is critical that you contact Disability
Services as soon as possible. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Services, located in
the Lower Level of the Student Resource Center, (360) 546-9138.
Academic integrity
Cheating in any form or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism means using other people’s work and
claiming it to be your own. The first time you are caught plagiarizing any portion of an assignment you will
receive an “F” on the assignment and a possible failing grade in the course. Infractions will be reported to
the Office of Student Conduct and entered into your permanent student record. Two such reports may
results in expulsion from the University. For additional information about WSU’s Academic Integrity
policy/procedures please contact (360) 546-9573.
Emergency Notification System
WSU has made an emergency notification system available for faculty, students and staff. Please register at
zzusis with emergency contact information (cell, email, text, etc.). You may have been prompted to
complete emergency contact information when registering for classes on RONet. In the event of a building
evacuation, a map at each classroom entrance shows the evacuation point for each building. Please refer to
it. Finally, in case of class cancellation campus-wide, please check local media, the WSU Vancouver web
page and/or http://www.flashalert.net/. Individual class cancellations may be made at the discretion of the
instructor. Individuals are expected to make the best decision for their personal circumstances, taking safety
into account.
Campus Safety
Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University, and are the
shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the “Alert, Assess,
Act” protocol for all types of emergencies and the “Run, Hide, Fight” response for an active shooter
incident. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency notification),ASSESS your specific
situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to assure your own safety (and the safety of others if you
are able).
Please sign up for emergency alerts on your account at MyWSU. For more information on this subject,
campus safety, and related topics, please view the FBI’s Run, Hide, Fight video and visit the WSU safety
portal
ANTH 309 – SPR 2016
COURSE OUTLINE
JANUARY
1/ 11 - Introduction to the course, anthropology basics
1/13 - An introduction to history of theory and methods in cultural ecology - Marvin
Harris, Julian Steward
READ: “India’s sacred cow” by Marvin Harris
READ: Fratkin textbook – Fieldwork among the Ariaal – pp. 8-19
1/15 - An introduction to history of theory and methods in cultural ecology, Marvin
Harris, Julian Steward cont.
READ: Julian Steward, biography and cultural ecology
READ: Wade Davis Lecture
1/18 - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
1/20 - Contemporary theory: ethnoecology, ecosystems, and political ecology
READ: Gurven - Human behavioral ecology
READ: Hunn – Ethnoecology
1/22 - Contemporary theory continued
READ: Bates, Ecosystems, Political Ecology
READ: Ecosystem ecology in biology and anthropology by E. Moran
1/25 - Culture Scale and Economic Systems
READ: Culture Scale Overview
READ: Bodley - Chapter 1 Introduction, Indigenous Peoples and Culture Scale
1/27 - Culture Scale and Economic Systems
READ: Diamond – Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary
1/29 - Culture Scale and Economic Systems
FILM: Diamond – Guns, Germs, and Steel
FEBRUARY
2/1 - Aka hunter-gatherers of the Congo Basin
READ: Cultural diversity among African pygmies
READ: Foraging lifestyle in the African tropical rainforest by H. Sato
DISTRIBUTE: eHRAF Assignment
2/3 - Hunter-gatherer issues, the original affluent society, why do foragers share so
extensively?
READ: Hewlett et al.- Internal working models
READ: Hewlett et al. – Allomaternal nursing
READ: Hewlett et al. - Cosleeping
READ: Hunter Gatherers of the Congo Basin - TBD
2/5 - Baka foragers of Cameroon
FILM: Human Planet, Komba’s Forest
READ: Hunter-gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes
by T. Headland and H. Green on Angel
2/8 - Congo Basin environmental issues
READ: Forest conservation and indigenous peoples in the Congo Basin by M. Ichikawa
on Angel
READ: Bushmeat hunting in the Congo Basin: An assessment of impacts and options for
mitigation
2/10 - DUE: eHRAF assignment
Discussion of eHRAF assignment
Review for Exam #1
2/12 FIRST EXAM
2/15 - PRESIDENT’S DAY
2/17 – DUE: eHRAF assignment
Discussion of eHRAF assignment
Adaptations to arid environments—pastoralism
READ: Fratkin – Ariaal Textbook, chapters 1 & 4
2/19 – NO CLASS
WATCH AT HOME: FILM – Land of Thorns – Struggling for Survival in Karamoja
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk4_j0HcxRs
READ: Hardin - Tragedy of the Commons
2/22 - Adaptations to arid environments—pastoralism cont.
READ: Fratkin et al. -When nomads settle: the effects of commoditization, nutritional
change, and formal education on Ariaal and Rendille pastoralists
READ: Fraktin et al. Sedentism and children’s health
DISTRIBUTE: GIBE III Dam Assignment
2/24 - Adaptation to arid environments—pastoralism cont.
READ: WISP - Pastoralists know
FILM: Human Planet, pastoralists in grasslands
2/26 - Demography and the demographic transition
DUE: Gibe III Dam assignment
Group Debate on Gibe III Dam assignment
2/29 - Religion and ecology
READ: Lansing - Balinese "Water Temples" and the Management of Irrigation
FILM: The Goddess and the Computer
MARCH
3/2 - The Konso terraces
READ: Konso as world heritage site: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1333/
READ: Watson - Konso terraces
3/4 - The Konso Terraces
DISTRIBUTE: Group project assignment
3/7 - DUE: eHRAF Assignment
Discussion of eHRAF Assignment
Group project meetings
3/9 - Exam Review
3/11 SECOND EXAM
3/14—16 SPRING BREAK
3/21 - Marriage and ecology:
Polyandry and the Nyimba
FILM: Nyimba
3/23 – Marriage/War and ecology
Lecture: Polygyny among the Yanomamo, the protein debate
READ: Chagnon - Life Histories, Blood Revenge, and Warfare in a Tribal Population
READ: Diamond - Wars
3/25 - The Amazon Basin culture and ecology
3/28 - Contemporary Issues among the Yanomamo
FILM: Gold mining in the Amazon
3/30 - Are traditional peoples natural conservationists?
Evolutionary ecology, optimal foraging theory
READ: Intraspecific prey choice by Amazonian hunters by M. Alvard
READ: Indigenous management of tropical forest ecosystems by D. Posey on Angel
APRIL
4/1 - Traditional ecological knowledge—how is it transmitted and why is it important?
READ: McDade - Ethnobotanical knowledge is associated with indices of child health in
the Bolivian Amazon
READ: Reyes-Garcia et al. - A multi-stage learning model for cultural transmission:
Evidence from three indigenous societies
READ: Reyes-Garcia et al. - Cultural transmission of ethnobotanical knowledge and
skills: an empirical analysis from an Amerindian society
4/4 - Integrating theoretical orientations; genes, culture, and ecology
Africa: culture, ecology, history
READ: When culture affects behavior by W. Durham on Angel
READ: Hewlett, Semes and Genes in Africa
4/6 – IN-CLASS FILM: Kuru
4/8 - Cultural Niche Construction
READ: Boyd et al. – Cultural niche construction
READ: Bird - A landscape architecture of fire: cultural and ecological niche construction
Australia’s Western Desert
Group Project meetings
4/11 - Ebola, culture, and ecology
READ: Hewlett & Hewlett - Pages 1-5 and chapters 1 thru 4
4/13 - Ebola, culture, and ecology cont.
READ: Bausch & Schwarz - Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea: Where Ecology
Meets Economy
READ: Robbins, The Ecology of Disease
FILM: Bushmeat in the Time of Ebola
4/15 - The Contemporary environmental crisis
READ: Bodley - Anthropology and Global Environmental Change
4/18 - The Contemporary environmental crisis cont.
READ: Scoones – Sustainability
Group Project Meetings
4/20 - Exam Review
What can we learn from small-scale cultures?
4/22 THIRD EXAM
4/25 - Group Presentations
4/27 - Group Presentations
4/28 - ???