ANT 102 Section 001: Intro Cultural Anthropology
Spring, 2010
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Sarah Szurek
Core Designation: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Office and office hours TBA
This course is required for majors and fills a requirement for minors in Anthropology, and is open to students from all divisions. There are no prerequisites. It is advisable for Anthropology students to take this course within the first year or two of study, as it provides a basis for understanding of material offered in higher level courses. ANT 102 also fulfills the Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum Requirement for a social science (SS or SB). It is a social science because it deals systematically with the behaviors and practices of living peoples.
This course will provide a worldwide overview of culture groups, with an emphasis on the contrasts between Western and non-Western peoples. By means of the assigned textbook, ethnography, films, lectures and sections, the course aims to explore the diversity of practices people have developed to tackle the universal problems of human living. Specific objectives include:
2. Improvement of reading rate and comprehension.
3. Sharpening of comparative and analytic skills.
Week1: Introduction Chapters 1-2
Week2: Core Concepts of Anthropology Chapters 3-4
Week3: Communication and Language Chapter 5
Week4: Food and Foodways Chapter 6
Week5: Economic Systems Chapter 7
Week6: Social Structures Chapters 8 and 12
Midterm 1
Week7: Gender, Ethnicity, and Culture Chapters 8 and 9
Week8: Marriage and the Family Chapter 10
Week9: Kinship Chapter 11
Week10: Religion and Magic Chapter 15
Week11: Political Organization Chapter 13
Week12: Psychology and Culture Chapter 14
Midterm 2
Week13: Applied Anthropology Chapter 18
Week14: Culture Change Chapter 17
Week15: Medical Anthropology Chapter 19
Week16: America as a Foreign Culture Articles assigned
Final Exam
SUBJECT TO CHANGE: Final, hard copy syllabus will be delivered to the students on the first days of class.
There will be two midterm exams and a final exam, all consisting of short answer, fill-in, and matching. The final will also include short essay questions. Homework assignments may be added upon a one-week notice. Attendance at all classes, guest lectures, and films is mandatory as the material presented complements the assigned readings and will appear on examinations.
There will be NO MAKEUP EXAMS given for midterms regardless of the circumstances. Two midterm exams, section scores, and a final exam are the assignments required to pass the course. If you miss a midterm, you must prepare a 10-page research paper in place of a make-up exam. A relevant topic will be selected by the student in consultation with the instructor. Missing both midterms results in a grade of F for the course. A make-up for the final exam will be allowed if, and only if, you have an official written excuse, that is, one from a doctor, minister, coach, or other authority, AND, you have notified the professor at least two hours prior to the scheduled exam time. The midterms account for 25% each, the sections 10%, the final 35%, and class-participation 5% of the grade, respectively. Check E-Learning for midterm and section grades. Final grades can be accessed only on MyBama: http:/mybama.ua.edu. Go to the "Student" tab and hit Student Records.
See "Grading Policy"
Attendance is required at all scheduled classes, guest lectures and films. Maintaining good attendance is the individual responsibility of each student. Failure to do this will only be to the student's disadvantage, as the bulk of the exam questions will be drawn from materials presented in class, including films. Be polite! Cell phones, Blackberries, laptops, etc. must be turned off during class. If used during class, they will be confiscated. Reading newspapers, sleeping, emailing, text or instant messaging, answering the phone, coming in late, and talking are behaviors disrespectful to the professor and the rest of the class and absolutely will not be tolerated. Students who persist in these behaviors may be excused from the class or even dropped from the course.
All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. This includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event that misconduct occurs. Students should refer to the Student Affairs Handbook.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE: Final, hard copy syllabus will be delivered to the students on the first days of class.
E-LEARNING
E-Learning has replaced WebCT as the website that organizes the course content. You must use this to access other important documents, services, and notices. The simplest way to get to E-Learning is go to MyBama, hit the Student tab, and look for E-Learning courses: Ant 102-001 should be visible there. An alternative path to E-Learning is: http://elearning.ua.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Ember and Ember 2007 Cultural Anthropology, 12th ed. (includes CD Rom)
REQUIRED ARTICLES ON GORGAS E-RESERVES:
1. Lee, Eating Christmas in the Kalahari
2. Lappe & Collins, Why Can't People Feed Themselves?
3. Marks, Jonathon, Black, White, Other
4. Nanda, Arranging a Marriage in
5. Harris, Life Without Chiefs
6. Young,
LOCATION OF REQUIRED
Required TEXTS may be purchased at any of these three locations: Alabama Bookstore, Supply Store, or The College Store. Assigned ARTICLES will be available on e-reserve from Gorgas Library at http://www.lib.ua.edu/reserves.
ON-LINE STUDY GUIDE:
An on-line study guide to the Ember and Ember textbook can be found at: http://www.prenhall.com/ember. Click on “Cultural Anthropology 12/e” (not “Anthropology”).
TBA as they arise.
All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.
The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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