ANTH 207.003: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
MWF, 10-10:50 a.m.
Li-316
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.
required readings:
The following texts are available in the campus bookstore:
Greenwood, Susan. Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld. NY: Berg Publishers, 2000.
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
attendance Attendance in this course is required. Here's how it works: students begin the course with an "A" in attendance but, for each class missed, lose two points. However: each student can miss two "grace classes" before being penalized. 30 pts.
activities and homework
Students will (occasionally) undertake activities related to readings and lectures, including group discussions, films and out-of-class assignments. Students will be graded on the work they produce and their participation in the activity. 20 pts.
first exam (March 3) The midterm exam will test both your knowledge and understanding with a battery of multiple choice, "True-False" and short answer questions. 50 pts
second exam (April 5) The second exam will test your intellectual probity through a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. 50 pts.
final exam (May 22) The final examination will measure your apprehension through the application of ideas and theories from lectures, readings and films to different situations drawn from current events. 50 pts
class grading
Your final grade will be computed by adding together the following point values for graded assignments and examinations:
class grading: A 186+
A- 180-185
B+ 174-179
B 166-173
B- 160-165
C+ 154-159
C 140-153
D+ 134-139
D 120-133
F <120
class schedule:
1st Week Introduction to the course and explanation of syllabus.
(1/30-2/3) What is cultural anthropology?
Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 1-12.
2nd Week Fundamental Concepts
(2/6-2/10) Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, 14-33
February 7: Change of Schedule period ends.
3rd Week Multiple Modernities
(2/13-2/17) Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 34-52
Greenwood, Chp. 1 (Introduction)
4th Week Conceptualizing Culture
(2/20-2/24) Film:Rito Terminal (2000)
Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 53-74
Greenwood, Chapter 2-3
5th Week Culture, Ritual and Power
(2/27-3/3) Film: Les Magiciens du Wanzerbe (1949)
Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 107-130
Greenwood, Chapter 4-5
MARCH 3--FIRST EXAMINATION
6th Week Culture Change and Acquisition
(3/6-3/10) Assigned Reading: Greenwood, Chapters 6-7
Film: Herders of Mongun-Taiga
7th Week An Introduction to the History of Anthropology
(3/13-3/17) Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 131-146
Greenwood, Chapter 8
8th Week SPRING BREAK
(3/20-3/24)
9th Week Towards an Anthropology of Capitalism
(3/27-3/31) Assigned Reading: Moon, Chapters 1-2
10th Week Globalization
(4/3-4/7) Assigned Reading: Moon, Chapters 3-4
Film: Ch’unhyangdyeon (2000)
April 5: SECOND EXAMINATION
11th Week: Politics and Power
(4/10-4/14)
Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 89-106
Moon, Chapter 5
April 10: Last day to withdraw with a 'W'
Film: Yeopgi Jokin Geunyo (2002)
12th Week Korea and Modernity
(4/17-4/21) Assigned Reading: Moon, Chapter 6
13th Week Assigned Reading: Moon, Conclusion
(4/24-4/28)
14th Week Kinship and Marriage
(5/1-5/5)
15th Week Anthropology and Modernity
(5/8-5/12) Assigned Reading: Monaghan and Just, pp. 75-88
16th Week
(5/15) Review
May 22: FINAL EXAMINATION, 10:15 am-12:15 pm
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.
Department Statement on Academic Dishonesty
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.
explanation of grading
explanation of grading
Consistent with University policy, the following grades will be assigned according to the designated criteria:
A: A superior performance surpassing assigned work in unique and novel ways and
integrating diverse ideas from a wide range of sources in addition to those discussed in class.
A-
B+
B: Excellent work surpassing the expectations of the assignment and demonstrating initiative
and a willingness to move beyond the basic requirements of the assigned work.
B-
C+
C: Satisfactory work meeting all basic requirements of the assignment.
D+
D: Work in some way less than satisfactory. Although conforming to basic requirements in
some way, the completed work is nevertheless not a coherent response to the
assignment.
F: A profoundly unsatisfactory performance which doesn't meet
the intent of the assignment at any level.