Anthropology 101
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
Dr. Wesley Shumar, Assoc. Professor
Winter 2008-09
Office: PSA Rm. 215
Office Hours: By Appt.
Phone: 895-2060
[email protected]







CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY





COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology stressing the contribution of anthropology's methods and theories to the social sciences. Students will become familiar with the basic concepts of cultural anthropology as well as gaining some familiarity with the theories developed by cultural anthropologists over the course of the 20th century. We will look at the method of participant observation and the evolution of the ethnography as a genre of writing. Recent trends in thinking about human cultures and societies will be explored as students seek to apply anthropological knowledge to the complex problems of the world today.

COURSE OBJECTIVE: Students will be introduced to a critical anthropological perspective encouraging them to see other people and other ways of living as interesting alternatives to their already familiar ways of being. Students will be asked to carefully observe and think about human interactions and human behavior as well as communicate those observations both orally and in writing. Finally students will gain a mastery of the basic concepts of cultural anthropology as well as a basic undestanding of anthropological theories and methods.

Texts available in the University Store:

Miller, Barbara D.
2007 Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Podolefsky, Aaron and Peter J. Brown
2007 Applying Cultural Anthropology . Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

*Additional Readings may be assigned throughout the course.

SCHEDULE


Week 1 Culture
Readings: Miller Ch. 1; Podolefsky and Brown Ch.1-3.

Week 2 Fieldwork and Ethnography
Readings: Miller Ch. 2; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 4-5.

Week 3 Economics
Readings: Miller Ch. 3,4; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 8, 11, 17-20.


FIELDWORK PROPOSALS DUE


EXAM I

Week 4 Language and Semiotics
Readings: Miller Ch. 12, 14; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 5-7.

Week 5 Marriage and Kinship
Readings: Miller Ch. 8; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 23-25.

Week 6 Social Organization
Readings: Miller Ch. 9; Podolefsky and Brown Ch.14-16.

EXAM II

Week 7 Politics
Readings: Miller Ch. 10, 11; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 26-28.

Week 8&9 Religion, Identity and Belonging
Readings: Miller Ch. 5-7, 13; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 21-22, 29-31.

ETHNOGRAPHIC PAPERS DUE

Week 10 Globalization and Change
Readings: Miller Ch. 15, 16; Podolefsky and Brown Ch. 32-38.

Final Exam

Details



1. You are expected to do all of the reading for this course.
2. It is expected that you will attend all classes.
3. All papers (Exams, projects, etc.) are due on the dates listed in the syllabus.

Assuming that the above expectations are met, each assignment will be weighted as follows:

1. Class Participation (10% of the final grade).
Class participation will be measured primarily through attendance and students' being prepared for the class by doing the assigned work for the week.

2. Participant Observation Project (30% of the final grade).
Each student will engage in a small ethnographic research project. The project will be discussed in detail in class but some suggestions for the project are interviewing someone from another culture, conducting interviews and observations of an institution or group, or direct observations of a public setting. The ethnographic project will demonstrate the students knowledge of ethnographic fieldwork gathered through lectures and the texts. The independent field project designed by the student and approved by the professor will allow the student to experience some of the practical aspects of doing anthropological research in a restricted setting. Students must submit a half page written proposal for the fieldwork and a 5-7 page paper based on their fieldwork. Written fieldnotes should be maintained for all observations and interviews. Fieldnotes will be used as the basis for the final paper.

3. Midterm Exams (40% of the final grade).
Two short exams will be assigned in lieu of one midterm exam. The exams will be in-class essay exams. Students will be asked to synthesis ideas from the texts, class discussions and films. Emphasis will be placed on student's ability to critcally think about the ideas that they have been exposed to and to compare and contrast ideas across the texts, lectures and films.

4. Final Examination (20% of the final grade).
The final for this course is a written examination which requires you to synthesize materials covered throughout the term, although it focuses on the last four weeks of class. Like the midterms the final exam will focus on critical thinking skills and not the memorization of particular information. The final exam will be given during the regular exam period.

5. Statement on Plagiarism: Plagiarism, also known as academic cheating or theft, includes submitting some else's work as your own or not appropriately acknowledging (through correct reference citation) material you have borrowed/taken from other writers. Plagiarism also includes using without attribution material written or created by others that you have taken from the World Wide Web. Review guidelines in the Drexel Student Handbook on pages 40-42 or speak to your instructor.

Plagiarism is a serious ethical offense that can result in a failing grade for the paper and/or the course and will result in a letter to the University Judicial Board.

6. Grading Breakdown
10% Class Participation
30% Participant Observation Paper
20% Exam 1
20% Exam 2
20% Final Exam
100% Total


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