ANTH 210

ANTH 210.001: HONORS CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

MWF, 11-11:50 a.m.

RI Commr

Samuel G. Collins

Li-318A, x3199

scollins@towson.edu

www.towson.edu/~scollins

Office Hours:

Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m.

Fridays, 1-2 p.m., or by appointment

class description:

Anthropology has been called "a critique of common sense," a description that highlights anthropology’s critical role in a contemporary world riven with inequality and a studied lack of understanding: i.e., the "gadfly" discipline. By reflexively discomfiting "common sense" social and cultural categories in the perception of difference, anthropology opens a "middle ground" between "self" and "Other," "rationality" and "emotion," "politics" and "ritual." That "middle ground" is the locus of connections between discursive and geographic orders, potentially powerful sites allowing us to perceive the linkages between not only institutions and ways of knowing, but between places in the multiplying networks of global society. In this course, we will strive for that "middle ground," using studies of the local in an Odyssean cycle of travel and return to critique our common sense notions and to suggest the possibility of mediated understandings of "structure" and "agency," "group"" and ""individual," "nature" and "culture."

In this class, we will consider all aspects of cultural anthropology, both historically (from the 18th century to the present) and synchronically, in the careful analysis of case studies and ethnographic films. Our goals are threefold: 1) to map the space of cultural anthropology as an academic discipline; 2) to make thematic and epistemological connections between anthropology and other academic disciplines; and 3) to understand the relevance of cultural anthropology for everyday, modern life.

I will be a guide of sorts as you enter the study of cultural anthropology, but much of the responsibility rests on you to participate in all aspects of this class, from attendance to class discussions, reading and assignments. In particular, students will apply many of the concepts and theories developed in this course to an online cultural simulation (Solsys) that will demand a high degree of engagement in both individual- and group environments. In this semester’s project, students will construct their Mars colony using one of the groups of people we study in class as a template for identity, social and cultural life.

About Solsys
Solsys is a social and cultural simulation of a future, space-faring society played out in a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD). The simulation was developed by Professor Reed Riner at Northern Arizona University in 1989, and has since been enacted 11 times. In Solsys, students adopt fictional (but plausible) roles and personas and construct the parameters of their assigned colony (Mars). After designating teams, roles and the history of the colony, students then interacts online with each other and with other classes at other universities, each of which has also developed a contemporaneous colony.

required readings:

The following texts are available in the campus bookstore:

Greenwood, Susan. Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld. NY: Berg Publishers, 2000.

Battaglia, Debborah (ed.). E.T. Culture. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005.

Monaghan, John and Peter Just. Social & Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Moon, Seungsook. Militarized Modernity and Gendered Citizenship in South Korea. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005.

graded assignments

Class Assignments:
1). Homework: Includes reports on readings, acting as team leader and extra work during the simulation. 25 pts.
2). Presentation #1 (oral and written) (the week of February 13): An introduction to your persona, including name, physical description and job description followed by a group presentation involving aspects of Mars germane to your team’s mission. A more detailed style-sheet/ checklist will be distributed during the second week of class. 50 pts.

3). Midterm examination (March 8): T-F and short answer questions testing your comprehension of the material from lectures, films and readings. 25 pts.
5). Participation (ongoing) and Journal (May 15): Students will recount efforts in building the simulation and participating in the class in a weekly journal due at the end of class and will additionally be graded according to their participation in discussions both in- and out of class. Participation grades will be based on student self-reporting and on numerical "footprints" left online by student personas, expressed as a "number of commands." Journals should include specific entries demonstrating online participation, construction, etc. 50 pts.
6). Analysis Paper (May 15): Students will critically analyze their participation in the Mars project, reflecting on the simulation as an application of theories from class. A style sheet specifying sections to be included will be disseminated after Spring Break. 25 pts.
7). Final Exam (May 17): A short battery of questions evaluating knowledge of different configurations of power and knowledge in cultural anthropology. 25 pts.

Your final grade will be computed by adding together the point values for graded assignments and examinations:

notes 1. Although exams and graded work will remain as stated above, I may have to change different readings or films on the syllabus throughout the semester. I will, in any case, try to give you ample warning of any syllabus changes. 2. Each student is required to review and understand the University's rules regarding cheating and plagiarism (Towson University Undergraduate Catalog, Appendix F). Neither will be tolerated in my class and will result in a flunking grade.

The faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice take a strong stand against Academic Dishonesty of all forms. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any class. It includes, but is not limited to, any form of cheating or unapproved help on an exam or academic exercise, copying someone else’s written work without citation, presenting fabricated information as legitimate, any unauthorized collaboration among students, or assisting someone to cheat in any way. All students have the ethical responsibility for doing their own work. A student who is uncertain about whether or not something constitutes academic dishonesty in a particular class has the obligation to see their instructor for clarification. Consistent with university policy, the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty in any form is determined by the individual faculty member in each class, and may consist of ““a reduced grade (including ““F”” or zero) for the assignment; a reduced grade (including ““F””) for the entire course,”” or other options as stipulated in Appendix F of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students who are charged with academic dishonesty must remain enrolled in the course and cannot withdraw. Instructors who make the determination that academic dishonesty has occurred will notify the student in writing of the finding, the penalty, and the process for appeal. The same written notice will be forwarded

3. Students with learning disabilities should register at the Disability Support Services Office.

Consistent with University policy, the following grades will be assigned according to the designated criteria:

integrating diverse ideas from a wide range of sources in addition to those discussed in class.

B: Excellent work surpassing the expectations of the assignment and demonstrating initiative

D: Work in some way less than satisfactory. Although conforming to basic requirements in