Towson University
Department of Sociology/ Anthropology/ & Criminal Justice
ANTH 207:102(6758) – CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Classroom Location and Hours
PROFESSOR:
K. Nyerere Ture'
Office phone: (301) 256 5280; Office
Office Location and Hours:
E-mail: kt7219a@american.edu
6:30- 9:10 pm @ Linthicum 0009
1/26/2009 – 5/19/2009
2-4pm @ Linthicum 200B
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Anthropology is concerned with the diversity of human existence and human practice.
By attempting to understand the ways of others, we can begin to better understand
ourselves. This course is designed to introduce students to the general principles and
findings of Cultural Anthropology, as well as the value of utilizing an “anthropological
perspective” in everyday life.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon successful completion of this course, engaged students should be able to:
- Identify and explain key concepts, theories and debates in contemporary, cultural
anthropology.
- Connect social and cultural practices to larger contexts of politics, economics, and
power.
- Apply anthropological perspectives to critique ethnocentric assumptions and to address
contemporary, human problems.
- Effectively communicate anthropological findings learned in the course.
RELATED COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Use and explain the anthropological concept of culture.
- Distinguish between human universals and culturally specific traits.
- Apply cultural relativism as a defense toward ethnocentrism, racism, and other -isms.
- Analyze sociocultural systems, such as economics, marriage, religion, etc.
- Apply the comparative perspective in cultural analysis to find cultural patterns and
Dissimilarities.
- Identify and analyze the multi-level and shifting basis of ethnicity.
- Employ ethnographic techniques to describe and analyze contemporary social systems.
TEXT AND READINGS:
James Peoples and Garrick Bailey. Humanity. Thomson 2008, 8th Edition.
Fedorak, Shirley A. Applying Anthropology: An Introductory Reader, McGraw Hill
2009, 9th Edition.
Shostak, Marjorie. Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman, 1981 (2001).
1
Note: Other readings will be given out in class and/or made available electronically.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Anthropology Conference Reaction Paper: (Extra Credit Only) You will need to
choose one panel session and one keynote address at a local anthropology conference or
public lecture and write a reaction paper by the end of March. Your reaction paper
should compare information presented at the panel, keynote sessions with course
discussion and provide your critical response. The reaction paper is due March 30th..
The paper does not need to exceed 5 double space pages. I will give out other specifics
for this assignment the first meeting in February. (Extra Credit only and worth 10 points).
2. Focus groups- chapters from Applying Anthropology: During the course of the
semester you will be assigned to a group, where you all will be responsible for a focusgroup presentation on one of the Applying Anthropology articles. These articles are
numbered and located in the course schedule below. Details on this assignment are
below as well and you are responsible for knowing when your group is to present, full
participation in your group, and making contact with your group members. You will
need to sign-up for the focus-group list. Focus group presentations are worth 20 points.
3. Participant observation (PO). Some say the only way to really learn cultural
anthropology is to do it, so a 5-page, double space and typed participant observation
paper will be due on the week of May 4TH. A guide for this assignment is attached here.
Please discuss your PO plans with me early in the semester or throughout the semester as
needed. Participant Observation assignment is worth 20 points.
4. Exams. Exams will be formatted as multiple choice questions only and a study guide
will be provided one-week before each exam. There are two exams in this course,
midterm and final. If necessary, I will give surprise quizzes. Please note that each exam
is worth 30 points each.
COURSE FORMAT:
This course will include lecture, video documentaries, discussion groups, and a few
participatory exercises where students with have a chance to be actively engaged and to
help shape the learning experience. Your attention and participation is required so that
this course can be a rich experience. Your challenge is to find approach each class with a
query and leave each class with a keeper. Queries are questions about content and lecture
that you are either unclear on or would like to expand a discussion around a particular
topic. Keepers are reflection on something that was spoken or written that pique your
interest. By maintaining attendance, preparedness, and respectfulness this class will
benefit us all.
GRADING:
Grades will be based on the focus group presentation (20pts); the participant observation
paper (20pts), Lecture/Conference reaction paper (10 pts), and each exam (30 points
each). The grading scale for this course is below:
2
A
AB+
B
B-
93-100
90-92.99
87-89.99
83-86.99
80-82.99
C+
C
D+
D
F
77-79.99
73-76.99
67-72.99
60-66.99
0-59.99
SEMESTER SCHEDULE:
Week of
Readings
Peoples and Bailey
Topics
JAN
26TH
Ch 1
FEB
2ND
Ch 2,4
FEB
9TH
Ch 3,5
Methods of fieldwork; language and
communication (Reaction Paper
Handout).
FEB
16TH
Nisa
Read and discuss Nisa
FEB
23TH
Ch 6,7
Adaptations; economic systems
Article #9 “Ancient Genes and
Modern Health”
MAR
2ND
Ch 14,15
Religion and Art (Midterm Exam
Guide Handout & Participant
Observation Topics Due).
MAR
9TH
Ch 17
Ethnicity
Article #11 "Race without Color"
Midterm Exam
MAR
16TH
MAR
23RD
Ch 9
Kinship and Descent
Article #16 How Many Fathers?
MAR
30TH
Ch 8
Marriage and the Family
Article #15 Dowry Death
Article # 14 When Brothers Share
a Wife
(Extra Credit Assignment Due)
Course Intro: What is Anthropology?
The Study of Humanity
Culture, Anthropological Thought
Spring Break March 15th - 22nd
Enjoy!
3
APRIL 6TH
Ch11
Gender
Article # 3 Tricking and Tripping
Article # 6 A Cultural Approach to
Male- Female Miscommunication
APRIL 13TH
Ch 12
Political Systems
Article #25 Kpelle Moot
APRIL 20TH
Ch 13
Social Inequality
Participant Observation due May
4TH
Article #35 Culture, Poverty, and
HIV Transmission
APRIL 27TH
Ch 16
Globalization
Article #36 Cell Phones
Article #24 Just Another Job
MAY 4TH
Ch 18
World Problems
Article # 38 The Price of Progress
Participation Observation
Assignment Due
MAY 11TH
Ch 10
Enculturation and the Life Course
(Final Exam Guide)
MAY 18TH FINAL EXAM
DEADLINE POLICY:
I will accept late assignments only if you notify me that the assignment(s) will be late.
Otherwise you risk a potential 20% grading penalty for each late assignment.
Late papers/assignments and make-up exams need to be discussed with me immediately
as these exercises significantly affect your final grade.
If you are having problems with the assigned work, you need to communicate this to me
before the work is due so that I can accommodate any special needs. If you need special
accommodations for work due, contact me in a timely manner; the responsibility is yours
to ask for an extension and to complete the work.
In general, please turn in a hard copy of your assignments. As a back-up, you can also email your work to me as an attachment, but check with me to see if I received it.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
4
& ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Attendance/Participation
Attendance and participation is the most important requirement for passing this class.
Each class session will include discussion and debate. Exams will draw from lecture,
discussion group presentation, films and text.
Cutting class, leaving early and arriving late, failure to participate, and inappropriate
class behavior can result in a course grade reduction. In particular, missing classes with
no explanation can result in a decrease in your final grade. In the event you need to miss
class, an explanation, Drs. Note or any other helpful information is in your best interest.
Your course grade will be lowered one letter grade for every three UNEXCUSED
absences from class. Obvious and consistent failure to prepare for class and participate
in class will lower your final score by five points.
I, the professor of this course support the College's commitment to academic honesty as
found in the current UMBC student hand book.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
A student who may need an accommodation due to a disability should make an
appointment to speak with me or contact Carol Muller, Learning Specialist @ 410 704
2638. A letter form Disability Support Services authorizing your accommodations is
required for special allowances in the course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
The faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice takes a
strong stand against Academic Dishonesty of all forms. Academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated in any class. All incidents of dishonesty will be referred to the Department
Chair.
FOCUS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS:
Meet with group members and decide who will complete each task. Prepare the class
presentation. Note how you form your presentation is to your discretion as long as it is
safe and respectful. In other words, you can use power point, present a paper with
YouTube clips for example.
Task 1. Prepare a summary of the article (1.5 pages)
Task 2. Prepare a biography of the author (.5-1 page, use internet sources)
Task 3. Relate the article to the course: develop a list of questions (at least two) that the
article answers, and a list of questions the article raises; compare or contrast the article to
an example or explanation presented in the textbook. (1.5 pages)
Each individual will turn in a copy of their “task,” as well as their own evaluation (.5 pages) of the article.
This evaluation should be a balanced judgment about the strengths and weaknesses of the article.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION INSTRUCTIONS:
5
Doing field ethnography defines the American cultural anthropologist. The
tradition began with Franz Boas in the early 20th Century, became a rite of passage for
anyone interested in becoming an anthropologist, and remains more often than not the
high point of our careers. A difficult intellectual and emotional experience, it is
sometimes frightening, often exciting, and usually satisfying. It is also a lot more fun
than reading ethnographies or viewing ethnographic documentaries that others have
written or filmed.
This project is designed to get you started in the participant observation process.
You will develop your observation skills through the description of a cultural scene or
subsystem that is unfamiliar to you. You will also have the opportunity to try to
understand and interpret some parts of the event or scene you have observed. This
exercise should help you see both some of the powers of the participant observation
method as well as some of its limitations and/or drawbacks.
Choosing the cultural scene or event:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pick a scene or event that is new/unfamiliar to you.
It should be something you can handle in terms of time, i.e., 1-3 hours in
length should be enough time.
It should be a setting where you have a right to be present, either because
you have been invited, or the event is open to the public, or you have paid
an admittance fee.
Observation of illegal activities or activities that might be dangerous to
you as a student are not permitted
Observing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Plan to attend the entire event if possible. The entrance and exit of other
participants is part of the cultural scene you are observing.
Pay attention to the physical surroundings: all details of the environment are
important, including visual, auditory, olfactory, and perhaps tactile
information.
Note the age/sex/ethnic composition of the participants, their dress, their
behavior, and their interaction with each other.
Note any responses by the participants, their dress, their behavior, and their
leaders. Also give particular attention to the cultural knowledge manifested
through behavior and language.
If appropriate, take notes. (In fact, if you are allowed to take notes take a lot of
notes). The more notes you have the more data you have to try and identify
cultural patterns. If note taking is not possible, write an outline and fill in as
many details as you can as soon as possible after the event.
If possible, try to talk to/interview a participant to get an emic perspective.
Writing the Participant Observation Paper:
1.
The paper should have three sections.
6
I.
Section I should consist of an objective description of the event you
observed.
a.
b.
c.
d.
2.
Ethnocentrism can creep in where you least expect it. Be
careful of the adjectives and adverbs you use to describe
events. This part should be free from assumptions and value
judgments as you can make it.
Do not draw conclusions about people’s motivation or
inferences about the meaning of behaviors. Simply describe
the behavior you observe.
Do not summarize, generalize, or interpret behavior, which is
composed of many small observations. For example, do not
write, “The crowd was happy.” Tell instead, exactly what
you observed: e.g. “75% of the crowd clapped and whistled.”
Do not use terms like “most,” “many,” or “few.”
While the page minimum is three type pages, you may find
that your objective description can take as many as three or
more pages. This is okay. Often this can be a very bulky
section of the paper. However, try to keep the description
within three pages. The point here is to cause you to
appreciate how difficult it is to be objective, and get you
started thinking about the problems associated with
objectivity.
II.
Section two should consist of approximately one page of
Anthropological comments or analysis. You may use any concepts or
terminology or methods we have discussed in class or you have read
about in the text. Generally a good way to understand the event is as a
ritual, i.e. as symbolic expression of appropriate sentiments (John
Honigmann’s definition). You should include at least one sentence
about an emic and one sentence about an etic understanding of the
event you observed.
III.
Section three should contain your not-so-objective reactions to this
event and experience, and may range from one sentence to one page in
length. Tell me what you really thought and felt about this
event/assignment. (Remember, the first section of the paper should be
so objective that I don’t have a clue as to what you actually thought.)
Some cautions and suggestions:
I.
II.
Act ethically toward your research participants at all times.
Don’t get yourself into a situation that is so scary that the only thing
you can observe is your own fear.
7
III.
IV.
V.
Keep a balance: don’t participate so much that you can’t observe
objectively.
Have fun! This assignment should expand you world.
Don’t do this assignment in a vacuum. Discuss it with your friends
and fellow students, bring up general questions in class, or come talk it
over with me during my office hours.
8