Syllabus

Description This course introduces anthropology as a four-field discipline, encompassing biological anthropology, archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. The primary objective of this course is to expose you to the broad range of humans and cultures that exist today and that existed in the past. You will learn the basic methods and techniques anthropologists use to conduct research and the terms that they use to communicate their findings. When you leave this course, you will see the world differently; you will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the diversity of humans and cultures around the globe, as well as the biological and cultural changes our species underwent to make us who we are today.

Date, Time & Location

Instructor

Teaching Assistants

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 am – 9:20 am THEAT Lincoln Hall

Sarah E. Baires, MA

Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Davenport Hall 309 R, Tuesday 10:00

am - 12:00 pm

Erin Benson

Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Davenport Hall 309 E, Wednesday 1:00-4:00 pm

Amanda Butler

Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Davenport Hall 309 L, Wednesday 9:00 am-12:00 pm

Katharine Lee

Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Davenport Hall 283, Tuesdays 2:00-5:00 pm

Adam Sutherland

Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Davenport Hall 309 Q, Monday 1:00-4:00 pm

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Objectives

• Understand how anthropology contributes to how we know the world in the 21st century

• Gain a greater understanding and appreciation of human peoples and cultures around the globe

• Understand human evolution and how this informed who we are today • Challenge assumptions about what we think of as “human nature”

• Use anthropological research to foster critical thinking skills and instill the values of protecting our cultural heritage

Required Text and Readings Anthropology: What Does it Mean to be Human, 2nd Edition By Robert H. Lavenda and Emily A. Schultz, Oxford Press © 2013.

This text is required and is available in the University Bookstore.

Additional readings will be available on Compass 2g.

Course Information

ANTHROPOLOGY 101 Spring 2014

Exams, Reading Response Papers and

Extra Credit

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Exams There will be three in-class exams of multiple choice and fill in the blank. These exams will be non-cumulative and will cover materials from class lectures, in class videos, readings, and the textbook. Make-up exams will only be granted in extenuating circumstances and with a letter from the Emergency Dean. Make-up exams will be in essay format. Reading Response Papers In addition to the exams there will be three short, written assignments on a particular article and topic as designated in the syllabus. These written assignments are 2 page double-spaced response papers (Times New Roman font, 12 pt., 1-inch margins). The purpose of these written assignments is to help you think about the types of work anthropologists do outside of academia, and for you to obtain a more nuanced grasp of what anthropology is and how it is applied in the ‘real world’. You should draw correlations among what is learned/discussed in class, the required course readings, and the Response Paper articles in order to make a robust commentary on the role and importance of the study of Anthropology. These papers are due via Compass 2g on the date specified below on the syllabus. No late papers will be accepted.

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Extra Credit

There will be three options for extra credit throughout the semester. They will typically take the form of attending lectures or events out of class that explore different components of Anthropology. I will announce these opportunities in class prior to each event. After each extra credit opportunity you will turn in a 1-2 page double-spaced (Times New Roman font, 12pt, 1-inch margins) response to the event you attended. These response papers will connect what you learned in the extra credit lecture/event to any of the topics covered in class.

Please present a thoughtful response to the lecture or event; if you are critical of the event you attended explain why and provide examples of ways you think the event or lecture material could have been presented better. Base this critique on what you have learned in class about Anthropology and provide examples of alternative approaches to the subject matter. If you thought the lecture/event was put together well and clearly presented the topic and material in a thoughtful way indicate what you enjoyed about the event and the reasons why you believed the event/lecture to be a productive and positive representation of Anthropology.

You will be allowed to complete all three extra credit opportunities for a total of 10 extra points to be added to your final grade. I reserve the right to give you 0 points if you do not provide a satisfactory response.

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DUE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED PRIOR TO EVENT IN LECTURE

• Attending 1 Extra Credit Opportunity 3 points

• Attending 2 Extra Credit Opportunities 6 points

• Attending 3 Extra Credit Opportunities 10 points

Your grade on the extra credit assignment will be determined on how well you formulate your argument and discuss the event you attended. The Instructor and TA have the right to give out full credit or no credit for submissions depending on how well your submission is organized, is relevant to the class and the event, and well-written.

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Expectations and Conduct

Come to class regularly and complete required readings prior to class!

Be on time and be respectful to your fellow classmates, instructor, and Teaching Assistants.

Be active in class! Take notes, participate, and contribute to discussion.

The instructor and TAs will NOT provide lecture notes; if you miss a class you are responsible for obtaining notes from a fellow classmate.

Check the Compass 2g course website regularly for announcements and updates.

Cell phones must be turned off before class. Checking Facebook, text messages, or emails will not be tolerated. Anyone caught doing any of these things will be asked to leave the class.

Academic Integrity

The UIUC library (http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/academicintegrity.html) defines academic integrity as follows: "Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Students and faculty alike must obey rules of honest

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scholarship, which means that all academic work should result from an individual's own efforts. Intellectual contributions from others must be consistently and responsibly acknowledged. Academic work completed in any other way is fraudulent." Note that cheating will automatically result in the failure of the assignment and possibly the course.

Course Policy

Course content is subject to change, please check compass weekly to double check course content, schedule, and assignment due dates.

Plagiarism involves the

representation of another's work as your own. The UIUC library (http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/academicintegrity.html) defines plagiarism as follows: "Plagiarism is using others' ideas and/or words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. It may be intentional (e.g., copying or purchasing papers from an online source) or unintentional (e.g., failing to give credit for an author's ideas that you have paraphrased or summarized in your own words).

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Plagiarism is dishonest and prevents instructors from being able to assess students' authentic strengths and weaknesses and thereby help students to improve. It is crippling to your intellectual progress as it interferes with your ability to trust your own thinking, and it constipates future creative thinking. It is also an infraction of academic integrity and could result in expulsion from the university. The University of Illinois student code defines all types of plagiarism: Article 1, Section 4(d) of the student code." Visit the UIUC library website for more information on avoiding plagiarism.

Learning Disabilities

Any student in the course who has a disability should contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss accommodations to ensure full participation and educational support. Please see the Disability Resources and Educational Services website http://www.disability.illinois.edu/ for more information.

Important Information

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Part 1: Introduction to Anthropology

Week 1

Tuesday, January 21: Course Introduction, What is Anthropology

Reading Due (optional): “What is Anthropology: What it Means to be Human” Anthropology Report

Thursday, January 23: What is Anthropology?

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Chapter 1, pp. 3-18

Part 2: Biological Anthropology and Evolution

Week 2

Tuesday, January 28: Evolutionary Theory, Natural Selection, and Darwin


Thursday, January 30: Basics of Genetics: Mendel to DNA


Week 3

Tuesday, February 4: Human Variation and Adaptation


Thursday February 6: A Case Study: Human Rights and Identifying Remains

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Chapter 2, pp. 44-45 Anthropology in Everyday Life

Week 4

Tuesday, February 11: What are

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Primates? Taxonomy and Living Primates


Thursday, Febrary 13, 2013: Primate Evolution and Chronology

In Class Film: Ape Genius

Week 5

Tuesday, February 18: Human Origins: The First Hominins


Thursday, February 20: The Evolution of Homo sapiens

In Class Film: Becoming Human Part 3


Response paper 1 Due: “What Modern Humans Can Learn From the Neanderthals’ Extinction”

Popular Science by, Annalee Newitz

Week 6: EXAM WEEK

Tuesday, February 25: REVIEW FOR EXAM

Come with questions, this is a time for you to present any questions or concerns about the upcoming exam. No questions, no review.

Thursday, February 27: EXAM 1

Part 3: Archaeology

Week 7

Tuesday, March 4: Reconstructing the Past

In Class Film: Secrets of Stonehenge


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Thursday, March 6: How do we

learn about the human past? Methods and Materials

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Module 2, pp. 82-91

Week 8

Tuesday, March 11: Whose past is

it? Archaeology, Politics, and NAGPRA


Response paper 2 Due: “Kennewick Man Debate Not Easily Put to Rest” Seattle Times by Lynda V. Mapes

Thursday, March 13: First Cities

and States: Agriculture, Labor, and Hierarchy


Week 9

Tuesday, March 18: What is social

complexity? Band, Tribe, Chiefdom, State


Thursday, March 20: A Case

Study: Ancient Maya Hieroglyphs

In Class Film: Cracking the Maya Code

Week 10: SPRING BREAK!

Lecture Schedule

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Instructor: Sarah E. Baires, MA Spring 2014

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Week 11: EXAM WEEK

Tuesday, April 1: REVIEW FOR EXAM

Thursday, April 3: EXAM 2

Part 4: Culture and Language

Week 12

Tuesday, April 8: Understanding Human Culture and Diversity: Ethnography

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Chapter 8, pp. 214-218, pp. 220-228 & Module 3: On Ethnographic Methods, pp. 231-241

Thursday, April 10: Language and Culture


Basso, “To Give up on Words: Silence in Western Apache Culture”

Week 13

Tuesday, April 15: Kinship and the Role of Descent


Thursday, April 17: Marriage and Family

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Chapter 13, p. 379-403

Response Paper 3 Due: “Defending ‘Traditional Marriage? Whose Definition? What Tradition?”

The Blog American Anthropological Association, Huffington Post by, Richard Feinberg

Week 14

Tuesday, April 22: Myth, Ritual and Symbolism

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Kertzer, Ritual, Politics, and Power, Chapter 2

Thursday, April 24: Culture and Economics


Week 15

Tuesday, April 29: Social Inequality: Race and Gender


Thursday, May 1: A Case Study: Anthropology and Human Rights, Immigration and the U.S. Border

Reading Due: “An Anthropologist Records the Lives Behind the Border Crossings”

By, Kristina Puga, NBC LATINO

Week 16

Tuesday, May 6: Political Anthropology and Globalization

Reading Due: Lavenda and Schultz, Chapter 12, pp. 339-361; Chapter 15, pp. 437-467

FINAL EXAM/EXAM 3 LOCATION/TIME TBA

Lecture Schedule

Course Grades

A ………...........................90-100

B…………………………………80-89

C………………………………...70-79

D…………………………………60-69

F…………………………………..0-59

Due Dates

1. Response Paper 1……February 20

2. Response Paper 2……...March 11

3. Response Paper 3……….April 10

4. EXAM 1……………..February 27

5. EXAM 2…………………..April 3

6. EXAM 3/FINAL………....TBA

Course Points

Assignment Possible Points

Exam 1……………………………….100

Exam 2……………………………….100

Exam 3……………………………….100

RP 1……………………………………25

RP 2……………………………………25

RP 3……………………………………25

Total Possible Points: 375

Total Possible Extra Credit Points: 10

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Documents

Syllabus