Spring 2014 Withers

1

ANTH 411.02

Global Perspectives on the Human Condition: An Introduction to Anthropology

Instructor: Dr. Sara Withers

Email: sara.withers@unh.edu

Class Time: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:10-12:30pm

Location: DeMeritt 112

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 1-2pm

Huddleston 317

Course Description:

This course introduces the principal ideas and methods of social and cultural anthropology by

offering a comparative study of a diverse cross-section of human societies. This course is

designed to examine the ways people—within a range of communities in Africa, Europe, Latin

America, South Asia, and the United States—make sense of and order their lives. The course

will consider the effects and relationships between class, caste, ethnicity, race, and gender in

human societies. A key theme running through the course is that of globalization and

transnationalism. How do people around the world interact with, interpret, use, and/or resist

political, economic, and cultural changes that often are associated with participation in today’s

world? Are the cultures of the world becoming homogenous or are communities working within

the boundaries of globalization to create new and unique cultural spaces? What is the role of

anthropology/the anthropologist within this context?

Objectives:

In addressing such broad themes, by the end of the course, students should be able to:

Identify a range of key concepts and ideas of cultural anthropology, including the

founding scholars of the discipline.

Identify common areas of research within the discipline: kinship and social organization;

political economy; symbols and language; religion and ritual; gender and sexuality;

resistance and social change; and violence and human rights, and to draw on

ethnographic examples that relate to these topics.

Discuss what makes ethnographic fieldwork unique, and be able to apply these

anthropological methods in practice.

Use anthropological ideas and questions to critically examine their own culture, daily

practices, and ways of life.

Required Texts: The following books are available at the Durham Book Exchange:

Lee, Richard. The Dobe Ju/’hoansi, 4th

ed. Thomson Learning (2012).

Kottak, Mirror for Humanity, 9th

ed. McGraw Hill (2014).

Additional articles will be available through Blackboard, or will be handed out in class. These

are marked with a (Bb) in the syllabus. Please complete the reading on or before the class date

listed in the syllabus. Films will be viewed in class.

Spring 2014 Withers

2

Course Grading System: A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69

A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 63-66

B+ 87-89 C 73-76 D- 60-62

B 83-86 C- 70-72 F Below 60

Course Assessments/Assignments:

1. In-class attendance quizzes 20% Unscheduled (10x/semester)

2. Reading Quizzes (online) 10% Unscheduled (5x/semester)

3. Culture Snapshots (online) 10% Unscheduled (5x/semester)

4. Exam I (online) 15% Feb 27 (during class time)

5. Exam II (online) 15% April 15 (during class time)

6. Final Exam 30% May 8, 3:30-5:30pm

In-class “quizzes”:

Over the course of the semester, there will be ten (10) in-class quizzes. The quizzes will take the

form of discussion questions that address the readings, lectures, and films. Many times, after the

quizzes have been completed individually, there will be small group discussions that tackle

similar, thought-provoking questions. I encourage respectful debate; disrespectful comments or

conversations will not be tolerated and will not count towards your final grade. At the end of

each discussion, I will ask various groups to report back to the class as a whole about what they

discussed. Most of the time, you will not receive a letter grade for the quiz, but will simply get

credit for participating in the quiz. Each quiz is worth 2% of your grade, and together, they are

worth 20% of your final grade for the semester.

Reading Quizzes

There will be five (5) on-line quizzes over the course of the semester—these quizzes will be

announced in class, and will be noted in the lecture slides posted to Blackboard. Quizzes will

test your knowledge about assigned readings, and will be available on Blackboard for two days.

Each quiz will have ten questions, and you will have 15 minutes to take each quiz. You may

take the quiz at your convenience during those two days. If you do not have internet access at

home, you can always take the quiz on the computers in the library. Because they are announced

in class and posted for two days, ABSOLUTELY NO MAKEUPS will be given for missed

quizzes. Each quiz is worth 2% of your final grade; together they are worth 10% of your final

grade.

“Culture Snapshots”

Periodically throughout the semester I will ask you to record visual images of various aspects of

culture, based on that particular week’s topic (e.g. religion, or gender and sexuality), or on a

specific concept (e.g. ethnocentrism). You will take a picture of what ever item, person, event

you think best reflects the assigned idea or concept, and will post them to that snapshot topic’s

wiki page on our Blackboard site by midnight before the following class—along with a brief, 1-2

sentence description of why and how your photo reflects that particular aspect of culture. If you

meet this deadline, you will receive full credit for the snapshot (NOTE: I have to be able to see

the connection between the image and the assigned concept. If that connection is unclear, or if

the image is overtly offensive or degrading, it will not be accepted). There will be five “culture

Spring 2014 Withers

3

snapshots” throughout the semester, each worth 2% of your final grade; together they are worth

10% of your course grade.

***Extra Credit Opportunity***: For three out of the five cultural snapshots, you may choose

to submit a brief analysis (1-2 paragraphs) of your classmates’ posted pictures. After three of the

cultural snapshots are due, I will post questions on a discussion board on Blackboard, and you

may respond to those questions and submit your analysis there. The discussion boards will be

available for two days. Each response is worth a possible 2 points, for a total of 6 over the

course of the semester. These points will be added to your final grade at the end of the semester

(e.g. if you had an 86 for the course, and received 4 out of 6 extra credit points, your final grade

would be raised to a 90). Partial credit for each response is possible (see the rubric below).

Extra Credit Grading Rubric

0 Points Did not post a reply; did not address relevant topic or pictures.

1 Point Analysis was vague and/or incomplete, and responded to only some

parts of professor’s discussion question; did not refer to specific photos

or to specific concepts from the course.

2 Points Analysis was detailed and drew on particular photos (2-4) and concepts

from the course. Analysis responded to all parts of professor’s

discussion question.

Exams:

There will be three exams. The first two exams are each worth 15% of your grade, for a total of

30% for the course. The final exam is cumulative, and will count for 30% of your course grade.

The exams will have T/F, multiple choice, and/or matching questions. There will not be essays.

The exams will cover lecture, readings, and films. Exam I is online, and will cover material

from weeks 1-6. Exam II is online, and will cover material from weeks 7-12. The Final Exam

will be given in person, and will cover material from the entire course. Review sheets will be

handed out in class, and posted to Blackboard, approximately one week before each exam.

Online Exam Policies

Exams 1 and 2 will be given online on February 27 and April 15 during regularly scheduled class

time—reserve this time on your schedule now!

Students can take the exams on any computer but they must ensure they have a strong and

reliable connection to the internet and that Blackboard runs on their computer. Students are

responsible for ensuring these facts BEFORE the day of the exam. If a student has any concerns

about their computer or internet access they should work at a campus computing cluster where

internet and Blackboard access is guaranteed.

The exams will only be available to the students during normally scheduled class time on the

exam days. At that time, a link to the exam will become available under the “Exams and

Quizzes” tab on Blackboard. Both of these exams will consist of 50 questions each, and will be

a mixture of T/F, multiple choice, and/or matching questions.

Spring 2014 Withers

4

Students will have 60 minutes to take the exams. Blackboard times you but does not cut you off

after 60 minutes, so be diligent about your time. Your time gets recorded, and is reported to me.

For every minute you go over the 60 minute time period, one point will be deducted from your

grade.

Students will be shown one question at a time and questions will be randomized. Back tracking

will also be prohibited, so once you enter your answer to a question, it is final.

Students who experience any technical problems while taking the exam MUST IMMEDIATELY

email the instructor at:

sara.withers@unh.edu

Emails received outside of designated exam taking time claiming an inability to take the exam

will not be considered for make-up. That is, if you email me at 5:30 pm saying you could not

take the exam, it will be obvious that you did not follow directions and take the exam during

class time, and you will be excluded from a make-up possibility.

Students who email me during the exam time slot indicating they are having technical problems

will be allowed to take a make-up exam, or if the technical issue can be fixed in a timely manner,

and the professor deems it appropriate, to continue taking the original exam. If a make-up exam

is required, this exam will be taken in hard copy, proctored in the Anthropology Department.

Make-ups will be completely different exams and they will be in Essay and Short-Answer

format. Such make-ups will have to be scheduled within one week of the original exam to count

as a full make-up.

Students must adhere to UNH’s standards of academic honesty. You are allowed to use your

notes.

As noted above, make-up exams are provided only under very rare circumstances for those

with officially excused absences. The final exam—Thursday, May 8—is scheduled by the

University and cannot be changed.

Course Conduct:

Because the exams draw largely from class lectures and discussions based on the readings and

films, attendance and participation will be important. Read the assigned articles or chapters

before the class because they will be required for in-class participation (as well as for the online

reading quizzes).

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion in this course, and I expect that you grant this right to

your classmates. Be respectful of others, even if you disagree. If you do want to voice

disagreement, do so in a constructive, responsible manner. Disruptive or offensive behavior will

not be tolerated.

Use of Electronics:

The use of phones, laptops, etc. is permitted in the class, primarily for the purpose of class-

related work (e.g. taking notes, doing quick in-class research projects, following along with the

PowerPoint lecture slides, etc.). Please, however, use them responsibly. If it is clear that they

Spring 2014 Withers

5

are being used for non-class related activities, or if student use of these devices becomes a

distraction to the professor or others in the class, you will be asked to stop using them. If you do

not comply with this request, you will be asked to leave the classroom.

Student Support: The University is committed to providing students with documented

disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you think you have a

disability requiring accommodations, you must register with Disability Services for Students

(DSS). Contact DSS at 603-862-2607, in person at 201 Smith Hall, or

disability.office@unh.edu. If you have received Accommodation Letters for this course from

DSS, please provide me with that information privately in my office so that we can review those

accommodations.

Office Hours:

My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2pm in Huddleston 317. If you are unable

to meet with me during these times, please email me to set up a separate time (put ANTH 411-

02 in the subject header so I can recognize your email). I am always happy to discuss

anthropology, and if you are unclear about the subject matter, it is always better to talk with me

before the exams.

Class Schedule: The schedule and syllabus is subject to reasonable modification by the instructor in response to

the needs of the class. Changes will be communicated in a timely manner.

SECTION ONE:

An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology/History/Important Concepts and Issues

Week 1 Introduction to the course and to Anthropology

T 1/21 Introduction to the course. What is anthropology? Anthropology and the concept

of culture—introduction to cultural relativism.

READ: Kottak, Chapt. 1

R 1/23 Culture revisited. How to explain cultural difference? Ethnocentrism and

Cultural Relativism.

READ: Miner, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (B)

Week 2 Who are we? Where do we come from? History of anthropology.

Alternatives to cultural relativism.

T 1/28 READ: Kottak, Chapt. 2

R 1/30 READ: Abu-Lughod, Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? (B)

Week 3 Encountering the “Other.” Anthropological Fieldwork and Methods. Ethical

Issues.

T 2/4 FILM: First Contact

READ: Kottak, Chapt. 3

Spring 2014 Withers

6

R 2/6 READ: Sterk, Tricking and Tripping (B)

Lee, Eating Christmas in the Kalahari, Appendix A (pp. 245-251)

SECTION TWO:

Cross-Cultural Diversity: People’s everyday lives?

Week 4 Kinship and Family

T 2/11 FILM: N!ai

READ: Lee, Chapters 1-3

Kottak, Chapt. 7 (skim)

R 2/13 READ: Lee, Chapter 5 and pp. 85-93

Week 5 Kinship and Family/Making a Living: Economic and Political Systems

T 2/18 READ: Goldstein, When Brothers Share a Wife (B)

Small, How Many Fathers are Best for a Child? (B)

R 2/20 READ: Kottak, Chapt 5 (skim)

Lee, Chapter 4, and pp. 130-136, pp. 171-176, and pp. 184-190

Week 6 Making a Living: Economic and Political Systems

T 2/25 READ: Gibbs, The Kpelle Moot (B)

Kottak, Chapt 6

R 2/27 EXAM 1 (online)

SECTION THREE:

Cross-Cultural Diversity: Constructing Social Relationships and Categories

Week 7 Religion and Ritual T 3/4 READ: Kottak, Chapt 9

R 3/6 READ: Lee, Chapter 9

Gmelch, Baseball Magic (B)

Week 8 NO CLASSES—SPRING BREAK!

Week 9 Anthropology of Sport and Entertainment/Medical Anthropology

T 3/18 Anthropology of Sport

READ: TBA

R 3/20 Medical Anthropology

READ: Farmer, Culture, Poverty and HIV Transmission (B)

Kottak, Chapter 11—only pp. 252-256

Week 10 Race and Ethnicity

Spring 2014 Withers

7

T 3/25 READ: Kottak, Chapt. 10

R 3/27 READ: McIntosh, White Privilege (B)

Week 11 Gender and Sexuality

T 4/1 READ: Kottak, Chapt. 8

R 4/3 READ: Roscoe, Strange Country This (B)

FILM: 1 in 2000

Week 12 Language and Communication

T 4/8 READ: Kottak, Chapt. 4

R 4/10 READ: Basso, To Give Up on Words (B)

Tannen, Talk in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers (B)

SECTION FOUR:

Anthropology of Globalization: Our Changing World

Week 13 The Global and the Local: Anthropology of Immigrants and Refugees

T 4/15 EXAM 2 (online)

R 4/17 FILM: Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in NH

Week 14 The Global and the Local: Structural Violence and Cultural Change T 4/22 READ: Kottak, Chapt 13

Bodley, The Price of Progress (B)

R 4/24 READ: Lee, Chapters 12, 13 and pp. 229-236

SECTION FIVE:

Applied Anthropology: Anthropology in the “Real” World

Week 15 Applied Anthropology. A reflection on ethics.

T 4/29 READ: Kottak, Chapt 11

Rohde, Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones (B)

R 5/1 A Recap: What is the aim of anthropology? Wrap-up the course and review.

Evaluations.

***FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 8, 1-3pm***