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Last modified August 28, 2009 |
Fall 2009 ANTH 2243: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY ANTH 5223: THEORIES OF CULTURE Fall 2007 ANTH 3423: ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION Spring 2007 ANTH 1823-001: RELIGION IN EVERYDAY LIFE ANTH
5273: THESIS/DISSERTATION WRITING Spring 2006 ANTH
5273: THESIS/DISSERTATION WRITING Fall 2004 ANTH
4633-001:
CULTURES OF LATIN AMERICA By the end of the course students will be able to: • Understand how anthropologists collect their data • Identify the key theoretical questions in socio-cultural anthropology • Recognize the interaction between global trends and local communities • Gain a stronger sense of the career options that anthropology prepares them for • Improve their written and oral communication skills Assessment Student objective: 100 points In the first week, identify a learning objective for your participation in the course. Then design a means for testing if you achieve that goal. When you complete it, address a letter to the instructor describing how you met the objective and what you learned from the process. The letter may be turned in any time between weeks 3 and 16 of the semester. In-class writing and editing: 100 points Throughout the semester, you will perform in-class writing exercises and edit the writing of your peers. These will be ungraded, but I will evaluate your overall contribution to the classroom learning environment. Blog: 300 points Students will establish a blog on the Ning community and complete an assignment for 14 weeks of the course. Each assignment will be worth 25 points per week and must be posted by 5 p.m. on Monday of the week it is due. The explanatory text accompanying each post should be between 200 and 300 words. In addition, you must leave comments each week on at least two other student blogs. Students who complete all 14 blog posts are eligible for 50 extra credit points. Grading will be based on completeness, clarity, and creativity. Learning measurements: 300 points The course is divided into five modules, each with a learning objective and a corresponding measurement. You will draft a response to each one to discuss in class. Then, you will revise your response to turn in the last class day of each module. Grading will be based on completeness, clarity, and creativity. You may revise and resubmit any of the measurements for a new grade. Final exam: 200 points Two-hour cumulative exam with map, identifications, short answers, and long essays on Thursday, December 17 from 8 to 10 am A = 900-1000 points, B = 800-899, C = 700-799, D = 600-699, F= 599 points and below Required readings available at the OU bookstore and on reserve at Bizzell: Fadiman, Anne (1998) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kotlowitz, Alex (1992) There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America. New York: Vintage Anchor. All other readings are available as PDF files to download on D2L. Week 1: What is culture? Blog: You will receive an invitation to join the class Ning community at http://anth2243.ning.com/. Log in and create a blog (for detailed instructions, see http://howtotechtips.blogspot.com/2008/07/ning-accepting-ningcom-invitation.html). Post a paragraph introducing yourself and explaining why you chose anthropology as a major. Describe an aspect of culture that has always fascinated you. Readings: • “Shakespeare in the Bush” by Laura Bohannon in Natural History August-September 1966. • “Hamlet Meets Mao” by Peter Hessler in The New Yorker November 13, 2000. Tues. 8/25 Introduction to the course Thurs. 8/27 Draft of first measurement for discussion Week 2: How can we study culture in an ethical way? Blog: Visit the site for the journal Cultural Anthropology http://www.culanth.org/. Select one of the articles listed, skim the full text, and describe the methodology the researchers used to obtain their findings. Include a link to the article on your blog. Readings: • “Welcome to AnyU” from My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student by Rebekah Nathan Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005. • “A Science is Born” from Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000. Tues. 9/1 Thurs. 9/3 Turn in completed first measurement Week 3: How are families formed? Blog: Pretend that there is a magazine called “Kinship Weekly.” Pick a movie you have seen and write a review of it focusing on the family relationships of the characters. Readings: • “When Brothers Share a Wife” by Melvyn C. Goldstein in Natural History March 1987. • “Who Needs Love! In Japan, Many Couples Don’t” by Nicholas D. Kristof in New York Times February 11, 1996, A1. • “Arranging a Marriage in India” by Serena Nanda in Stumbling Toward Truth: Anthropologists at Work edited by Philip R. Devita. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, pp. 196-204, 2000. Film: “The Wedding Banquet” Tues. 9/8 Thurs. 9/10 Week 4: What is the difference between men and women? Blog: Scan the questions under Guy Wisdom in Men’s Health magazine http://search.menshealth.com/vignette/mh/advice.jsp?q=&mh_channel=guy_wisdom. Take a Cosmopolitan quiz http://www.cosmopolitan.com/archive/quizzes-games/online-quiz/ Summarize what you learned and write a paragraph explaining the gender norms assumed by the two magazines. Readings: • “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles” by Emily Martin in Signs 16(3): 1991. • “Getting Started” from Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent, New York: 2006. Film: “Paris is Burning” Tues. 9/15 Thurs. 9/17 Draft of second measurement for discussion Week 5: How do people build social ties? Blog: How do you decide what to give for someone’s birthday? Design a flow chart to describe your decision making process. Write a paragraph to explain your thinking. Readings: • “Too Many Bananas, Not Enough Pineapples, and No Watermelon at All” by David Counts in The Humbled Anthropologist edited by Philip DeVita. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990. • “Strings Attached” by Lee Cronk in The Sciences 29(3), 1989. Tues. 9/22 Thurs. 9/24 Turn in completed second measurement Week 6: Why don’t religions get along? Blog: Take the Belief-o-matic quiz at http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx.What is the result? Is this the religion you were raised in? What does this tell you about how religious beliefs get instilled in people? Readings: • “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” by Lila Abu-Lughod in American Anthropologist 104(3): 783-790, 2002. • “Christian Violence” by Mark Juergensmeyer in Annals AAPPS, 558, 1998. Tues. 9/29 Thurs. 10/1 Week 7: Can science and faith coexist? Blog: Describe a time when you were sick. How did you decide what treatment to seek? Reading: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, pp. 3-118. Film: “Between Two Worlds: The Hmong Shaman in America” Tues. 10/6 Thurs. 10/8 Week 8: What happens to culture when you migrate? Blog: View the 50 paintings in the on-line gallery of Hmong migration at http://www.chgs.umn.edu/museum/responses/hmongMigration/. How does the Hmong move to the United States fit into their history within Asia? Does this history match what the Lee family experienced? Reading: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, pp. 119-224 Tues. 10/13 Thurs. 10/15 Draft of third measurement for discussion Week 9: Are there any more isolated cultures? Blog: Log onto the Smithsonian Global Sound archive through the OU Libraries website. Browse by cultural group and listen to songs from five to ten cultural groups you have never heard of. What similarities and differences do you hear between them? Do the songs remind you of anything else you have heard? Reading: • The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, pp. 225-288 • “The Truth about the Tasaday” by Carol Moloney in The Sciences 28, 1988. Tues. 10/20 Thurs. 10/22 Turn in completed third measurement Week 10: How much does race determine performance? Blog: Take the quiz “White Men Can’t Jump” at the Understanding Race website: http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/sports/index.html. What was your score? What surprised you about the answers? Readings: “The Minority Quarterback” by Ira Berkow in The New York Times July 2, 2000. “The Sports Taboo” by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker May 19, 1997. Tues. 10/27 Thurs. 10/29 Week 11: What causes inequality in urban settings? Blog: Use Google maps to identify segregation in a city by comparing the locations of two kinds of institutions, say pawn shops vs. yoga studios or dry cleaners vs. dollar stores. What can you guess about residential patterns in the city from the two maps? Reading: There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz, pp. 1-105. Tues. 11/3 Thurs. 11/5 Week 12: Is class mobility possible in the United States? Blog: Consult the job listings for Chicago at http://jobsearch.monster.com Which ones would Lafayette and Pharoah be prepared for? What sort of career path could they expect? Reading: There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz, pp. 106-210. Film: “Hoop Dreams” Tues. 11/10 Thurs. 11/12 Draft of fourth measurement for discussion Week 13: Should the government regulate the private lives of its citizens? Blog: Visit the websites of the Democratic and Republican candidates for Oklahoma governor (http://www.jariaskins.com/, http://edmondson2010.com/, http://www.randybrogdon.com/, http://www.maryfallin.org/). Identify any positions they take that would affect the lives of the residents of Sooner Haven. What impact do government policies have on local communities? Readings: • There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz, pp. 211-305. • “The Marriage Cure” by Katherine Boo in The New Yorker August 18, 2003. Film: “Let’s Get Married” Tues. 11/17 Thurs. 11/19 Turn in completed fourth measurement Week 14: Break Tues. 11/24 NO CLASS Thurs. 11/26 NO CLASS Week 15: Will globalization make all cultures one? Blog: Go through your wardrobe and note where the articles of clothing are made. Make a chart showing their countries of origin. In a paragraph describe any patterns you see. How do you explain them? Readings: • “Grand Opening” by Jake Silverstein in Harper’s January 2005. • “McDonald’s in Hong Kong” by James L. Watson in Golden Arches East. Stanford University Press, 1997. Tues. 12/1 Thurs. 12/3 Draft of fifth measurement for discussion Week 16: Are humans heading for self-destruction? Blog: Post your completed fifth measurement. Readings: • “Lessons from Environmental Collapses of Past Societies” by Jared Diamond at the National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment 2004. • “Earth Without People” by Alan Weisman in Discover February 2005. Tues. 12/8 Thurs. 12/10 Review for final exam Final exam: Thursday, December 17 from 8 to 10 a.m.
ANTHROPOLOGY
OF RELIGION
ANTHROPOLOGY
1823-001:
RELIGION IN EVERYDAY LIFE Students who successfully complete this course will be able
to: Course requirements: Religious joke: 50 points This I Believe essay: 100 points Mid-term exam: 200 points Ethnography of Ritual: 300 points Final exam: 300 points There are no make-ups for in-class tests. Late assignments receive a 1/3 letter grade penalty per day. A = 900-1000 points, B = 800-899, C = 700-799, D = 600-699, F= 599 points and below Required readings available at the OU bookstore and on reserve
at Bizzell: Religions are composed of stories Week 2: What is the origin of religion? Religions posit the existence of nonempirical beings, powers,
states,
places, and qualities Week 4: How is religion used to heal? Religions include rituals Religions have clerics Religions make common use of symbols and symbolism Week 8: What is magic? Religions frequently make use of altered states of
consciousness Week 10 Spring Break The practice of religion changes over time Week 12: Why do religions focus on gender and the family? Week 13: Why do people join new religious movements? Week 14: How does religion respond to socioeconomic change? Week 15: Why is fundamentalism on the rise? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the capstone course for undergraduate majors in
anthropology.
A primary focus of the class is on the development of research skills.
Through readings, discussion, and independent research, students who
successfully
complete the course will: A second focus of the class is on post-graduate employment.
Through
presentations by guest lecturers and a series of exercises, students
will: Final grades for the course will be based on a total of 1000
possible
points, earned through: INTRODUCTION (20%) BODY (35%) CONCLUSION (15%) DELIVERY (30%) * Research Paper (600 points): Identify a controversy in
the field
of anthropology and design a 4,000 to 5,000 word (15 to 20 page) essay
establishing a context for the problem, presenting relevant evidence,
and
advancing an argument. All assignments are due at the beginning of the
designated class period. The points for the paper will be comprised
of: Final letter grades will be assigned: Course Schedule (subject to change at the instructors’
discretion) Week 1: What is problem-oriented research? Week 2: How do you read an academic article? Week 3: Library work on your research question and
bibliography Week 4: Research questions Week 5: Anthropological debate: Indigenous rights Week 6: Anthropological debate: Food and feasting Week 7: Anthropological debate: Social inequality Week 8: Improving your writing skills Week of 3/14 and 3/16...NO CLASS (SPRING BREAK) Week 10: Preparing for a career in anthropology Week 11: Careers in Anthropology, Part 1 Week 12: Careers in Anthropology, Part 2 Week 13: Refining your paper, part 1 Week 14: Refining your paper, part 2 Week 15: Paper Presentations Week 16: Paper Presentations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The goal of this seminar is to provide a supportive space for discussing the craft of writing, sharing tips for organizing large amounts of data, and critiquing drafts of works in progress. Every student will be required to circulate thesis chapters, which will form the texts for the seminar. It is open to students of all subdisciplines and at all stages of thesis writing. Course requirements: A = 900-1000 points, B = 800-899, C = 700-799, D = 600-699, F= 599 and below Recommended reading available at the OU bookstore: Week 1: Getting Started Week 2: What is good writing? Week 3: The mechanics of writing Week 4: Working from fieldnotes Week 5: Ethnographic description Thurs. 2/16 Week 6: Secondary sources Week 7: Organizing chapters Week 8: Common frustrations Week 9: Spring Break Week 10 Rewriting Week 11: Writing day Week 12: Honing the argument Week 13: Ethical considerations Week 14: Digital publishing Week 15: From manuscript to book Week 16: Final paper due Despite its stereotypical image in the United States, Latin America is a continent of vast contradictions. The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the diversity of cultural expression in the countries of Mesoamerica, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. We will consider some of the major debates that have engaged anthropologists who conduct research in Latin America and draw out connections between their ethnographic evidence and trends across the globe. Taking a diachronic approach, we will examine how cultures encounter, adapt, and resist outside influences over time. Course requirements: A = 895-1000 points, B = 795-894 points, C = 695-794 points, D = 595-694 points, F= below 594 points Required readings available at the OU bookstore and on reserve
at Bizzell: Week 1: How do outsiders view Latin America? Week 2: What was the impact of conquest on Latin America? Week 3: Who is an Indian? Week 4: How do the people of Sonqo express their common
identity? Week 5: What role does coca play in ritual life? Week 6: How has modernity affected traditional villages? Week 7: Reading catch-up Week 8: What are the causes and consequences of urbanization? Week 9: Why has AA gained acceptance in Mexico? Week 10: How do AA group dynamics help achieve sobriety? Week 11: What new challenges does the Roman Catholic Church
face? Week 12: How have gender roles changed over time? Week 13: How are Latin Americans organizing for political
action? Week 14: Thanksgiving Break Week 15: How do Latin Americans cope in a global economy? Week 16: Is Latin America reconquering the United States? Final exam: Tuesday, December 14 from 8 to 10 a.m. Web resources: Current periodicals room at Bizzell -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We end the tour of anthropology in the 1980s at the cusp of fragmentation and self-reflection in the discipline. In this way, the course serves both as an introduction to the intellectual forefathers and mothers for students who will continue in socio-cultural anthropology and a reference point for students who pursue research in other subfields. It prepares all students to meet the sophisticated reading and writing demands necessary for obtaining a graduate degree. And it indoctrinates them into the cultural norms of the tribe called “anthropologists.” Objective: Stimulate discussion of anthropological debates. Learning measurement: Maintain a blog on the course Ning community. On 12 of the weeks, you will respond to the prompt on the syllabus by 5 p.m. on Monday. A complete response will be concise (between 200 and 300 words), clear (address the theme of the week directly), and creative (makes original observations and links between course material). In addition, leave comments each week on at least two other course blogs. Each post is worth 25 points for a maximum of 300 points. Objective: Cultivate deep engagement with academic texts. Learning measurement: For each week’s reading, complete a reading chart that records in brief form the author’s main argument, the evidence offered to support it, and your reaction to it. In your summary be sure to include what questions the author addresses and which ones he or she leaves unanswered. I will collect these some weeks and return them to you with my comments. Each chart is worth 10 points for a maximum of 100 points. Objective: Develop public speaking skills Learning measurement: During the semester every student will have the chance to frame a week’s discussion by presenting biographical information of the authors and the intellectual climate in which they wrote. Presenters should draw on additional readings to contextualize the book or articles discussed as well as connect the readings to previous week’s texts. You will be evaluated on thoroughness, organization, and effectiveness in sparking classroom conversation. The presentation is worth 100 points. Objective: Gain familiarity with the history of the discipline Learning measurement: From the JSTOR database, browse past issues of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, American Anthropologist, and Man. Select a year before 1980 and skim all the articles in one or a combination of the journals for that year. Write a 1000-word essay answering the question “What is culture?” for the anthropologists featured in your chosen year. You will be evaluated on the strength of your argument and the persuasiveness of the evidence you marshal to support it. To the extent that clear prose makes your argument easier to understand, I will take writing style into account. The assignment is due at the start of class on October 20 and is worth 150 points. Objective: Begin to amass and organize a literature review Learning measurement: As you work on collecting sources for the grant proposal, record the readings using a bibliographic software. You may turn in a one-page screen shot or printout from the program with the draft of your proposal on November 10. This is worth 50 points. Objective: Identify an intellectual question for future research Learning measurement: Prepare part of a grant proposal for a research project that could become a M.A. or Ph.D. thesis. Develop a specific research question that can be answered with anthropological methods and that relates to the theme of culture. Include a statement of your research objective (2 pages), a review of relevant literature (2 pages), and the contribution this project will make to anthropological theory (1 page). You will be evaluated on originality, feasibility, and the relationship between your project and existing scholarship. The proposal is worth 300 points. Required readings available at the OU bookstore and on reserve at Bizzell: Benedict, Ruth (1934) Patterns of Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. $11.25 Mintz, Sidney W. (1985) Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. New York: Viking Press. $12 Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1937) Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. Oxford: Oxford University Press. $32.25 Rabinow, Paul (1978) Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. Berkeley: University of California Press. $15 Weber, Max (2001 [1904-5]) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London: Routledge. $7.50 Recommended: McGee, R. Jon and Richard L. Warms (2004) Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw Hill. $103.25 ORIENTATIONS August 25: What questions can we ask about culture? Blog: You will receive an invitation to join the class Ning community at http://anth5223.ning.com/. Log in and create a blog (for detailed instructions, see http://howtotechtips.blogspot.com/2008/07/ning-accepting-ningcom-invitation.html). Post a paragraph introducing yourself and describing an aspect of culture that has always fascinated you. Reading: • Sass, Louis A. (1986) “Anthropology’s Native Problems: Revisionism in the Field,” Harper’s Magazine May: 49-57. September 1: Where does the idea of culture come from? Blog: Browse the on-line collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology: http://140.247.102.177/col/default.cfm. Why do you think researchers chose to collect these items? How do the objects convey culture? Include a link to an image to illustrate your post. Readings: • Spencer, Henry (1860) “The Social Organism.” • Tylor, Edward Burnett (1871) “The Science of Culture” in Primitive Culture pp. 1-25. • Morgan, Lewis Henry (1877) “Ethnical Periods” in Ancient Society. THE CULTURAL AND THE MATERIAL September 8: How do material conditions influence social life? Blog: Search for mentions of Karl Marx on Google news. How is his name invoked in contemporary discourse? Readings: • Marx, Karl (1845) “Feuerbach: Opposition of the Materialist and Idealist Outlook,” in The German Ideology. • Marx, Karl and Fredrick Engels (1848) “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” • Marx, Karl (1869) The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. Chapter 1, pp. 5-12 and Chapter 7, pp. 67-78. September 15: Is there a science of culture? Blog: Search the archive of American environmental photographs at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/ecology/place.html. Compare images of at least three different states. Based on the environment depicted, what sort of cultures would you expect to arise in each setting? Readings: • White, Leslie A. (1943) “Energy and the Evolution of Culture,” American Anthropologist 45(3): 225-356. • Steward, Julian (1949) “Cultural Causality and Law: A Trial Formulation of the Development of Early Civilizations,” American Anthropologist 51(1): 1-27. • Harris, Marvin (1966) “The Cultural Ecology of India’s Sacred Cattle,” Current Anthropology 7(1). September 22: What is the relationship between capitalism and culture? Blog: Keep track of how much sugar (artificial or otherwise) you consume in a day. Check some of the products’ websites to see if you can obtain any information about the sweeteners. How ubiquitous is sugar in your life? Reading: • Mintz, Sidney W. (1985) Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. New York: Viking Press. Due: Bring draft of paper on journal articles to class THE CULTURAL AND THE SOCIAL September 29: How are individuals integrated into society? Blog: What rules do you follow in deciding whether to get someone a birthday gift? If you do get a gift, how do you determine the value? Design a flow chart to show the decision-making process. Readings: • Durkheim, Émile (1895) “What Is a Social Fact?” in The Rules of Sociological Method. • Durkheim, Émile (1912) “Introduction” in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. • Malinowski, Bronislaw (1918) “Fishing in the Trobriand Islands” Man 18: 87-92. • Mauss, Marcel (1925) “The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies.” October 6: Do cultures form a stable, coherent system? Blog: Think of a film, book, or television show that features a scene in a courtroom. How does the legal process in that example dispense justice? Why does everyone agree to its authority? Reading: • Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1937) Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. Oxford: Oxford University Press. October 13: How are anthropologists implicated in the cultures they study? Blog: Sign up for the on-line ethics training module at http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics_training/index.php. Read through the section titled “ethnographic research.” How easily could you implement these guidelines when conducting social science research? Reading: • Rabinow, Paul (1978) Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. Berkeley: University of California Press. October 20: Paper on journal articles due. Catch-up time. THE CULTURAL AND THE DYNAMIC October 27: Does culture influence history? Blog: Listen to a podcast of Planet Money http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/. What assumptions do the reporters make about capitalism? Is there anything religious in the way they talk about money? Reading: • Weber, Max (1904-5) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. November 3: Can cultures be compared? Blog: Take the human variation quiz at the Understanding Race website: http://www.understandingrace.org/humvar/quiz.html. How did you do? What do the results reveal about how most people think about race? Readings: • Kroeber, A. L. (1915) “Eighteen Professions,” American Anthropologist 17(2): 283-288. • Kroeber, A. L. (1919) “On the Principle of Order in Civilization as Exemplified by Changes of Fashion,” American Anthropologist 21(3): 235-263. • Boas, Franz (1920) “The Methods of Ethnology,” American Anthropologist 22(4): 311-321. • Boas, Franz (1936) “The Effects of American Environment on Immigrants and Their Descendants,” Science 84(2189): 522-525. November 10: Do cultures have personalities? Blog: Interview someone who grew up outside the United States. What traits, if any, do members of that person’s culture share? Write an introduction to a guidebook for visitors seeking to understand your interviewee’s country. Reading: • Benedict, Ruth (1934) Patterns of Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Due: Bring draft of grant proposal and proof of bibliographic software to class. November 17: What does ritual reveal about culture? Blog: Thanksgiving is a ritual central to North American identity. Describe how you mark the occasion and what that reveals about your culture more broadly. Readings: • Douglas, Mary (1966) “The Abominations of Leviticus” in Purity and Danger pp. 51-71. • Geertz, Clifford (1972) “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight,” Daedalus 101(1): 1-37. November 24: No Class December 1: Students’ choice December 8: Grant proposals due by 3 p.m. |