globe and people of diverse cultures University

Department of Geography and Anthropology

ANTHROPOLOGY 161
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Fall
2007

Dr. Helaine Minkus                     Office hours: MTWTh 1:15-2:00

Office Phillips 252                                             TTh  10:30-11:00

Phone: 836-5481

Home phone 832-5391

Email: minkushk@uwec.edu

 

Section 002 TTh 11:00-12:15 P319 

Section 005 TTh 2:00-3:15  P387

 

Course Goals and Methods

The central concept of this course will be culture. We will consider the nature of human nature and the many ways of being human--the vast number of alternative life styles found in societies around the world. The course will use lecture, whole class discussion and small group discussion. Students will teach by leading discussion of some of the articles. A panel of international students will be invited to interact with the class. Videos will be an important part of the course.

UWEC Academic Goals

The UWEC Academic Goals which will be addressed by this course are primarily:
  • Ability to inquire, think, analyze
  • Ability to write, read, speak, listen An historical consciousness
  • International and intercultural experiences An understanding of values
  • An understanding of human behavior and human institutions
The course readings and lectures focus on understanding the worldwide diversity of human behavior and values and appreciating the historical development of humankind. The cross-cultural report will require each student to have an intercultural experience. The field work assignment will provide an opportunity to collect and analyze data.

The course will be most effective and enjoyable for all of us if you actively participate in class discussion. To participate successfully will require that you keep up with the assigned reading and attend class. Meaningful contributions to class discussions will be considered very favorably when averaging grades..

 

I consider any academic misconduct in this course as a serious offense, and I will pursue the strongest possible academic penalties for such behavior.  The disciplinary procedures and penalties for academic misconduct are described in the UW-Eau Claire Student Services and Standards Handbook(http://www.uwec.edu/sdd/publications.htm) in Chapter UWS 14—Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures. 

Any student who has a disability and is in need of classroom accommodations, please contact the instructor and the Services for Students with Disabilities Office in Old Library 2136 at the beginning of the semester.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY                                                                                             

You will be expected to attend regularly and will be held responsible on the exams and quizzes for all material presented in class. Excessive absences may result in a lowering of your grade: if there are 5 unexcused absences, the course grade may be lowered by 1/3 (e.g. from B to B-); if 10 unexcused absences, the grade may be lowered by 2/3.

READINGS                                                                                                  

Textbook: Ferraro, Gary Cultural Anthropology, 6th edition. Available at Textbook Rental Library.
CRIM: Articles listed on syllabus by author's name. All articles are available on electronic reserve.  Instructions for Ereserve readings
All the PowerPoint slides are available .Go to the  course Web page http://www.uwec.edu/minkushk/anthropologysyllabus_161.htm and click on the lecture topic that is highlighted in yellow.  It would be a very good idea to print the slides before class so that during class you won’t have to copy the slides but can listen and take additional notes.   Instructions for printing PowerPoint slides

 

Color coding:

PowerPoint slides

Important information

For your information

live link

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Exams:  Two midterms:  multiple choice questions and essay.  Final:  multiple choice
Quizzes:  6 quizzes will be given during the term, each worth 20 points. The lowest  grade will be dropped. You can make up the quiz if you see me before they are handed back.

 

Reports:  You will be expected to complete two reports during the semester.  Each report will be worth a maximum of 20 points. Fieldwork report due Thursday, November 29.   Cross-cultural report due Tuesday, Dec. 4.   Writing Standards

 

Cross-cultural report .  One will be a report of a cross-cultural experience such as an interview with a person from a culture different than yours or attendance at a lecture, concert, film or other event.  A listing of some of the events that qualify for the report:

Coming events

 

Fieldwork report  One report will involve your careful observation of behavior.  Garbage on a dorm corridor; Crowded parking lot; Tendency to lean; Behavior at Tyme machine; Urinal etiquette; Experiment in McIntyre Library; Eating alone; Behavior at a stoplight; Gender and exercise machines; Money on a bar counter; Greeting experiment

Student presentation of articles

A group of two or three students will prepare questions on a specific article which members of the class will discuss in small groups.  The group should come up with about  4 questions which relate to the main points of the article and which will be interesting for other students to discuss. The questions must be sent to me the day before the class discussion. A sign-up list will be passed around in class.  

 

Presentation schedule

 

Determination of Course Grade

 

The principle that will be used to determine grades is the following:  94% of all points= A; 90%  A-; 87%  B+, 84%  B, 80% B- and so on. The total number of points on midterms and final may vary slightly from what is listed below, but the distribution of points will be close to the following:

 

Midterms (2 @ 88)                  176                  A   350

Final                                          60                  B   301                   

Quizzes  (5 @ 20)                  100                  C   275

Reports  (2 @ 20)                     40                  D   238

                                               376 points

 

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Sept. 4    Anthropology and Culture

                Video:  Bridging the Culture Gap  E184.2 .B68 1983

 

Sept. 6    Introduction

    Text Ch. 1 pp. 2-16

    Features of an anthropological perspective

 

Sept. 11   Anthropological perspectives

     Ch. 1 pp. 17-23

     Diamond "Race without Color"

                 Miner "Body Ritual among the Nacirema"

                 Emic and etic perspectives

 

Sept. 13   Happy New Year!!

                  Video: Split Horn: Life of a Hmong Shaman in America

 

Sept. 18   Concept of Culture; Anthropological Theory;

                  Applied Anthropology   Culture

                  Ch. 2

                  Cross-cultural miscues p. 37, 43. 163, 425;

                  Applied Perspectives pp. 272-273; 278-9

       

Sept. 20   Fieldwork  Field Methods

                 Ch. 5 pp. 94-110

                  

Sept. 25   Lurie "Two Dollars" 

                 Quiz: “Two Dollars”, Ch. 1,  Ch. 5 94-110;

                      Cross-cultural miscues    

                 Ho-Chunk honor Nancy Lurie 

                 Army enlists anthros; Reaction

 

Sept. 27   Gmelch "Lessons from the Field"

                 Koltyk "Fieldwork Among the Hmong" pp. 12-16

                 Ch. 5 pp. 110-118

                 Quiz: Gmelch, Koltyk, Ch. 5 pp. 110-118

                  Information on Hmong

 

Oct. 2    Language and Non-verbal Communication 

              Ch. 6 pp. 122-125; 132-148

         

 

Oct. 4    Learning Culture

              Turnbull "The Mbuti Pygmies"

              "Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Preschools in Japan,

                 China and the U.S."               

              Video: All-Japan Picture Forming Contest  

 

Oct. 9    Whitaker "Ancient Bodies, Modern Customs and Our Health"

             

               Miscues p. 71; 85; 99; 127; 138; 268; 308; 412

              English bloopers

 

Oct. 11   Midterm  Essay questions

 

Oct. 16   Foragers

                Video: The Hunters GT5856.84 H86 1989

 

Oct. 18  Ch. 7 pp. 151-162 Ch. 8 p. 182;  Ch. 12 pp. 290-292;

              Ch. 13 pp.  323-324

              Turnbull “The song of the forest” 

              

Oct. 23   Nelson "Understanding Eskimo Science" 

               Lockwood “The master hunter’s apprentice”

               Quiz: Text on foraging, 3 articles

 

Oct. 25   Food Producers  Tribes and States

               Farming sheet     Farming      

               Video:  Food Producers GN31.2 .F32 1994 pt. 8

               Ch. 7 pp. 162-170; Ch. 8 p. 183; Ch. 12 pp. 292-294

 

Oct. 30   Ch. 7 pp. 170-176; Ch. 8 pp. 184-186; Ch. 12 pp. 295-300

 

Nov. 1     Social stratification

    Ch. 11 pp. 321-322; 325-334

    Anand “The sweeper”

Nov. 6     Colonialism; Globalization

                Ch. 16 pp. 416-430

               

Nov. 8    Janus "Advertising and Global Culture"  

                Marie Claire "You're not fat, you're living in the wrong    

                  country"            

                Bestor "How Sushi went Global"

  

Nov. 13   Midterm   

 

 

Nov. 15   Kinship  Kinship terms

                Ch. 10 pp. 237-242  

             

Nov. 20   Ch. 10  pp. 243-251  include p. 247

                I am my own Grandpa 

                            

Nov. 27   Marriage and Family

    Mace "Cultural Differences in Mate Selection" 

                Ch. 9 pp. 209-223  Cousin marriage

                Quiz: Mace, Ch. 10

 

Nov. 29   Ch. 9 pp. 224-234

                Terry "Cultural Tradition and Law Collide in

                   Middle America" 

                Lessinger "Family, Gender Relations & the                     

                   Second Generation"  

                Quiz: Terry,  Lessinger,  Ch. 9

 

Dec. 4    Religion    Religion sheet

               Ch. 14 pp. 348-359

            

Dec. 6  Ch. 14 pp. 360-376

               Video: Mammy Water excerpts 2151

 

Dec. 11   Healing

                 Plotkin "Shamans"

                Johnson "African Healing"      pm

                Goode "The Cultures of Illness"   pm

                Quiz: 3 healing articles

 

Dec. 13   Video: 3 Worlds of Bali

 

Final

 

Section 002  Wednesday, Dec. 19  10:00 am  P319

                   or Tuesday, Dec. 18 3:30 pm P387

Section 004  Tuesday, Dec. 18 3:00 pm P387

   

 

                    

 

  

  


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Updated:  December 11, 2007

Contact:  Helaine Minkus (minkushk@uwec.edu)