Anthropology 100-V01: Telecourse, Faces of Culture

Syllabus, Fall 2007

This Telecourse, ANTH 100-V01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, is designed as an Independent Learning experience in Cultural Anthropology. You will learn about the field of cultural anthropology, the concept of culture, how anthropologists study human ways of life, and all that it means to be a human, culture bearing animal. Topics to be studied will include language, families, social organization, kinship, economies, political systems, religion, law, and art. All topics will be explored cross-culturally, to learn how diverse groups of people experience their lives and practice their cultural traditions.

Textbooks:

The following texts will be used in the Telecourse and can be purchased at the Bridgewater State College Bookstore:

Course Goals:

Upon completion of this course and its assignments you should be able to:

1. Understand and appreciate the concept of culture, from the perspective of anthropologists, as

the adaptive mechanism that provides for survival of the human species.

2. Recognize underlying similarities as well as the wide range and variability of human cultures.

3. Recognize and appreciate that there are a number of valid “cultural solutions” to living on earth

4. Understand the relationship between culture and the individual.

5. Understand the factors involved in culture change.

6. Gain a broad cross-cultural background against which to view your own culture as well as

contemporary social problems.

7. Know the meanings of the basic concepts and terms used by cultural anthropologists.

8. Understand some of the procedures used by anthropologists in studying cultures.

About the Telecourse Videos

You will receive the 26 videos in either VHS or DVD format at the first class meeting. Videos will not be available for viewing at Bridgewater State College. If your set of videos is damaged, please contact the Video Systems Office located on the lower level of Maxwell Library (next to Starbucks) who will assist you in obtaining new copies. You should take notes as you view the films.

Assignments:

Students should read the textbook and study guide assignments prior to viewing the videos. The Study Guide is intended to assist you in summarizing and reviewing the material presented. Use the Study Guide weekly as you progress through the course. The following weight will be given to each assignment:

Mid-Term Exam 25%

Final Exam 25%

Ethnography Paper 25%

Short Papers (4) 25%

Course Requirements: Students are required to:

1. Read the textbook/student guide chapters as indicated on your Syllabus.

2. View the 26 ½ hour video segments, provided as part of the course.

3. Complete the four study activities assigned and submit to the Digital Dropbox in the Blackboard Site or to my mailbox per the attached schedule (see details below).

4. Complete a 5-page critical analysis paper based on the ethnography, The Bakairi Indians of Brazil (see details below).

4. Take the midterm and final exams.

Students should enroll in the Blackboard Site for this course. Consult the College’s webpage to enroll. You should submit short papers into the Digital Dropbox in the Blackboard Site or submit paper copies to me in my Department mailbox.

Midterm and Final Review Sessions:

There will be review sessions prior to the midterm and final exams. You are encouraged to attend these sessions. Optional review sessions will be approximately 1½ hours long and will be held on a Tuesday prior to each scheduled exam at 5:00 PM in Maxwell Library Room L310.

Dates for Review Sessions are Tuesday, October 16 and Tuesday, December 11, 2007.

Midterm and Final Exams:

You are required to take both a midterm and a final exam. Both exams will consist of multiple choice questions, identifications, fill-ins, and approximately three short focused essay questions. Exams will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 20 and Saturday, December 15, 2007, in Room L007 of Maxwell Library. L007 is located on the lower level at the rear of the Library, opposite Kelly Gym.

The first midterm will cover:

Textbook Chapters 1, 2, 4-9 (Consult syllabus for exact assignments)

Video Lessons 1-12

Telecourse Study Guide 1-12

The final exam will cover mainly the following; however some questions may pertain to earlier chapters:

Textbook Chapters 10-16 (Consult syllabus for exact assignments)

Video Lessons 13-26

Telecourse Study Guide 13-26

You MUST attend each exam as scheduled. Only medical or emergency excuses will be accepted if you miss the scheduled exams. The midterm exam will concentrate on the first half of the course. The Final Exam will concentrate mainly on the second half of the course.

Short Assignments:

Students will be required to complete four short papers during the semester. :NOTE: Two papers must be submitted by the first midterm exam. These assignments must be turned in within one week of the date assigned. Assignments are listed on a separate sheet attached to this syllabus. You may select whichever assignments you want to complete; however you may complete only one assignment for any single lesson. You may complete more than one assignment in a single week, provided that questions are taken from two different lessons. Papers should be 2-3 typed pages, double spaced, with margins. You may submit the papers in the Digital Dropbox in the Course Blackboard site.

Ethnography Paper

As part of this course students are to read the ethnography, The Bakairi Indians of Brazil: Politics, Ecology, and Change. Your paper should include a title page, should be double spaced with standard type face (10 or 12), 1” margins, and other standard features. You should list the complete citation for the text on the cover page. You must not plagiarize. If you quote directly from the text you must use quotation marks. If you paraphrase, you must do so in such a way that you do not plagiarize. If you plagiarize you will receive a failing grade on this assignment. If you need assistance or information about this assignment please make an appointment to see me. Select one of the following topics;

1. Traditional Bakairi life and social change.

2. Men and women in Bakairi society.

3. Discuss culture shock and Bakairi society. Discuss at least three areas of Bakairi social life that are significantly different from life in US society, and how you have overcome culture shock to understand their way of life from the native’s point of view.

Your paper is due by Tuesday, December 11, 2007, the date of the Final Exam review session.

Weekly Assignments

The following Weekly Assignments should be read prior to viewing the Video portion:

9/8/2007 1^st Meeting, Saturday 10:00 AM

9/10/07 (Week begins on Monday)

Lesson 1: READ Haviland, Pgs. iv-vii, Preface, xxvi+, Chap 1

Study Guide, Preface, Lesson 1

Lesson 2: READ Haviland, Chapter 2

Study Guide: Lesson 2/Notes 2A, 2B, 2C

View Films: 1. "The Nature of Anthropology"

2. "The Nature of Culture"

Week OF: 9/17

Lesson 3: READ Haviland, Review Chs. 1 and 2, esp. Pgs 5, 19-26, and 30

Study Guide, Lesson 3/Notes 3A, 3B, 3C

Lesson 4: READ Haviland, READ Intro to Part II, P. 88-91, and Ch. 4.

Also Ch. 3, “Intellectual Abilities of Orangutans,” pgs. 65-69

Study Guide, Lesson 4

View Films 3. "How Cultures are Studied"

4. "Language and Communication"

Week OF: 9/24

Lesson 5: READ Haviland, Chapter 5

Study Guide, Lesson 5/Note 5A

Lesson 6: REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 5

READ Study Guide, Note 6A, REVIEW Note 5A

View Films: 5. "Psychological Anthropology"

6. "Alejandro Mamani: Case Study in Psychological Anthropology"

Week OF: 10/1

Lesson 7: READ Haviland, Ch. 6, Pg. 148-165, “adaptation,” “culture areas,” “culture

core,” food foraging,” and 170-173, “pastoralism”

Study Guide, Lesson 7/ Notes. 7A and 7B

Lesson 8: READ Haviland, Ch. 6, Pg. 165-170, “Food Producing Societies,” and 173-

179, “Intensive agriculture” and “Nonindustrial Cities,”

Study Guide, Lesson 8/Notes. 8A, 8B, 8C,

View Films: 7. "Patterns of Subsistence: Food Foragers and Pastoralists"

8. "Patterns of Subsistence: Food Producers"

Week OF: 10/8

Lesson 9: READ Haviland, Chapter 7, Review Chap. 6, esp. pgs. 150-154, “Adaptation”

Lesson 10: READ Study Guide, Notes. 10A

Haviland, Review Ch. 7, esp. pgs. 191-192, “Levelling Mechanisms”

View Films: 9. "Economic Anthropology"

10. "Highland Maya: Case Study in Economic Anthropology"

Week OF 10/15

Lesson 11: READ Haviland, Part III, Intro AND Ch. 8

Lesson 12: READ Haviland, Ch. 9, REVIEW Ch. 8, esp. p. 225, “Marriage and the

Family”

View Films: 11. "Sex and Marriage"

12. "Family and Household"

Week OF 10/22

Lesson 13: READ Study Guide, Notes 13A, 13B

Haviland, REVIEW Pgs. 248-249, “Functions of the Family,” 251-254, “Form of the Family,” 259-262, Problems: Extended Families”

Lesson 14: READ Haviland, Ch. 10, pgs. 268-284, “Descent groups”

View Films: 13. "The Yucatec Maya: Case Study in Marriage and the Family"

14. "Kinship and Descent, Part I"

Week OF 10/29

Lesson 15: READ Haviland, Ch. 10, pgs. 288-293, “Kinship terminology”

REVIEW Pgs. 270-288, Review Ch. 9, pp. 254-258.

Lesson 16: READ Haviland, Ch. 11; REVIEW Ch. 10, “Kinship and Descent,” esp.

pgs. 280-288, “Forms and functions of descent groups”

View Films: 15. "Kinship and Descent, Part II"

16. "Age, Common Interest, and Stratification"

Week OF 11/5

Lesson 17: READ/REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 11, esp. pgs. 308-319, “Social Stratification”

And Chapter summary.

READ Study Guide, Notes 17A

Lesson 18: READ Haviland, Part IV, Ch. 12, pgs 324-339, “Kinds of Political Systems,”

and 355-356, “Political Systems and Legitimacy”

View Films: 17. "The Aymara: Case Study in Social Stratification"

18. "Political Organization"

Week OF 11/12

Lesson 19: READ/REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 12

Lesson 20: READ Haviland, Ch. 13

View Films: 19. "Social Control"

20. "Religion and Magic"

Week OF 11/19

Lesson 21: READ Study Guide, Notes 21A

REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 13, esp. pgs. 367-368, “Ancestral Spirits” and

“Animism,” 370-374, “Shamans,” 377-382, “Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft”

Lesson 22: READ Haviland, Ch. 14

VIEW Films: 21. "The Asmat of New Guinea: A Case Study in Religion and Magic"

22. "The Arts"

Week OF 11/26

Lesson 23: READ Study Guide, Notes 23A

REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 14, esp. pgs. 394-406, “verbal arts” and “music”

Lesson 24: READ Haviland, Part V Intro. and Ch. 15

Also Review Ch. 13, pg. 384, “Religion and Culture Change”

View Films: 23. "New Orleans Black Indians: A Case Study in the Arts"

24. "Culture Change"

Week OF 12/3

Lesson 25: READ Study Guide, Notes 25A

REVIEW Haviland, Ch. 15, esp. pgs. 427-440

REVIEW sections on Yanomamo: Ch. 7, Kula ring trading, pgs. 195-97, 199-

201, 214-15 ; Ch. 8, “courtship and marriage,” pgs. 233-36; Ch. 9,

“residency patterns,” pgs. 257-58.

Lesson 26: READ Haviland, Ch. 16,

REVIEW Ch. 15, pgs. 448-49, “Mondernization: Must it always be painful?”

VIEW Films: 25. "Cricket the Trobriand Way: A Case Study in Culture Change"

26. "Anthropology and the Future"

Short Paper Assignments

AN 100-V1 Telecourse, Fall, 2007

NOTE: You are required to prepare four short, focused essays in response to FOUR questions from the following list. You MUST SUBMIT your paper NO MORE THAN ONE WEEK AFTER the week your paper is assigned. I will not accept late papers!

NOTE: You should complete at least one paper within the first four weeks of class. You MUST complete two papers before the first mid-term exam.

Lesson 2 The Nature of Culture

1. Identify a contemporary U.S. subculture group and report on the ways in which the group varies from the dominant culture and how well the group functions in the larger culture. You should identify some problems with which subcultures must cope. Do not stereotype!

Lesson 3 How Cultures are Studied

1. Write accounts of your own encounters with “culture shock.”

Lesson 4 Language and Communication

1. Report on the influence of a particular U.S. subculture, such as African American or Latino/Latina, and cite particular, identifiable instances in music and language, such as rap.

2. Compare hand movements, facial expressions, and other forms of nonverbal communication exhibited by members of several cultural groups, emphasizing both similarities and differences. Do not stereotype!

Lesson 5 Psychological Anthropology

1. Observe a mother-child interaction and a father-child interaction. Analyze these interactions to determine how they differ in areas such as verbalizing, touching, gesturing, and closeness.

Lesson 6 Alejandro Mamani

1. Write a paper on the effect, if any, of the ethnographers on Alejandro Mamani’s life and describe what you would have done differently, and why?

2. Conduct an anthropological analysis of cultural patterns regarding death and preparation for death in the U.S. For example, does the status of the elderly in this country influence social practices regarding death and dying?

Lesson 7 Patterns of Subsistence: Food Foragers and Pastoralists

1. The food-foraging way of life as a major human adaptation and had significant impact in at least three important areas: social organization, material technology, and egalitarian relationships. Prepare a detailed analysis of the nature of the impact in these areas.

Lesson 8 Patterns of Subsistence: Food Producers

1. Contrast the character, behavior, and beliefs of the nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturalists and explain the differences.

Lesson 9 Economic Anthropology

1. Identify the kinds of goods exchanged among friends, including labor skills, material objects, and nonmaterial services. In your own experience, is there evidence of reciprocity, redistribution, or bartering in these exchanges?

Lesson 10 Highland Maya

1. Compare the cargo system of the Highland Maya with the affluent Western practice of donating large sums of money to philanthropies for tax purposes or the Christian religious practice of tithing. Are there similarities in terms of status and prestige? What responsibilities does the philanthropist assume? (select one)

Lesson 11 Sex and Marriage

1. Assuming that polygyny, bride price, the levirate, and the sororate are institutionalized in North America, argue the advantages and disadvantages of these practices for members of each sex.

Lesson 12 Family and Household

1. Compare various child-care practices in the United States with those of other cultures. Discuss how changes in family structure affect child care arrangements used.

Lesson 13 Yucatec Maya

1. Compare the strengths and weaknesses of nuclear and extended families. Use information from examples in videos and text,and your own experiences.

Lesson 15 Kinship and Descent, II

1. Construct a genealogy chart of your family over at least three generations, and explain it using anthropological kinship terminology.

Lesson 16 Age, Common Interest, and Stratification

1. Discuss the concept “blood is thicker than water,” drawing upon material on families, to assess the strength or weakness of familial ties, as opposed to age, common-interest, or social-class groupings. Use cross-cultural examples.

2. In the U.S. older persons often live in residences or communities segregated from the rest of society. Analyze the reasons for this vol