Play, Games

Cultural Anthropology /Spring 2015Anthro 171

Illinois Wesleyan U.

Instructor: Chuck Fruehling Springwood

Office: CLA 228

Phone: 3180

cspring@iwu.edu

Hrs: m/w/f @10-11:30 a.m.Class meets M/W/F at 9:00 a.m. in room 205 of CLARequired Text1) Cultural Anthropology, 7th Edition. Miller. Course Description

An introduction to the field of cultural anthropology, this course is ideal for students wishing to broaden their understanding of what it means to be human & to better appreciate the varied range of ideas that people throughout the world have about nature, language, family, religion, race, gender, & the meanings of life. Students will be introduced to many basic concepts and issues related to human culture and interaction by reading an introductory textbook throughout the course. The one question we shall continually ponder is, What is culture? Several articles are available as pdf files (available on the course page on my.iwu.edu, & as handouts.

Students will be expected always to have carefully read the assignments before class so that they can participate in group discussions, activities, and debates about the issues. I will expect students and teacher to work to get to know one another in order to create an open environment for discussion and sharing. In addition to merely learning about anthropology as a body of knowledge we shall also try to learn exactly what it is that anthropologists do and experience. And most importantly, we shall strive to relate the content of the course to our everyday lives. As you will quickly learn, I incorporate collaborate and active learning into my teaching. Indeed, instructor and students ideally become both learners and teachers. I will show a lot of films because I think it is important to teach visually as well as verbally.

Course Requirements

* Attendance as well as genuinely inspired, enlivened, creatively exciting participation at all classes

* Read all assignments carefully & thoroughly before the class period for which they are listed

* Complete three exams

* Complete written assignments

Communication and Kinship AssignmentsStudents will interview (at least two times) a person who speaks a native language besides English. The first interview will center on communication and language, and the second will focus on the kinship system used by this persons culture. Each assignment will require a written analysis.

Comparative essays on ritual

The main writing assignment for the semester is based on a project in which students will select one cultural ritual from the society of the person they have chosen to interview. Information about this ritual will be gathered through library research, and can be gathered also through observation, AND through interviews. The essay will be 6 to 7 typed-written pages, double-spaced, and will include a description of the ritual, its meaning/role in that society, and some comparative commentary based on the students own society.

Course Evaluation: Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Midterm I

21%

Midterm II

21%

Final Exam

21%

Interview w/ informant re: communication

09%

Kinship interview/assignment

05%

Comparative essay on ritual

15%

Participation, Exercises, Attendance [pop quizzes, etc.]

08%

100%

A brief reminder about grading. I will make both qualitative and quantitative assessments of your performance, and I adhere to the system of grading protocols listed in the handbook. Review them. Remember, for example, that in order to earn an A you must do work of superior quality which shows application and achievement well beyond the criteria of acceptability of subject mastery... That is, I will not give out As and Bs just because you show up. I assign letter grades on writing assignments and number grades on exams and certain exercises. At the end of the semester, I translate the letter grades into a percentage grade so that I can calculate one percentage-based grade average.

93% and higher = A

93%> and =>90% = A-

90%> and => 88% = B+

88%> and => 82% = B

82%> and => 80% = B-

80%> and => 78% = C+

78%> and => 72% = C

72%> and => 70% = C-

70%> and => 60% = D

60%> = F

Late papers

You may not turn in papers after the due date unless you talk to the professor beforehand. Papers turned in one class period late will receive a penalty of one letter grade Schedule of Readings, Films, Topics, Exercises, and Exams

Read the assignment listed before class begins. Please note that the content of the readings will not always directly correspond to lectures and discussions. However, always try to make your own connections. (Syllabus subject to change)

Week one

Wed. Jan. 7

Course introduction. Cultural Anthropology. Fri. Jan. 9Miller, ch. 1 (begin page 9 near the bottom, starting with the section A Brief History of Cultural AnthropologyWeek two

Mon. Jan. 12What is Culture? Read: Miller ch. 3; Geertz selection (pp. 412-417 in Geertz, ch. 15)Wed. Jan. 14Symbols & Meanings. Read: Shakespeare in the Bush, L. Bohannon; Where Fat is a Marker of Beauty, A. Simmons; Hallucinatory Voices Shaped by Local Culture, http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/july/voices-culture-luhrmann-071614.htmlFri. Jan. 16More on symbols.Week three

Mon. Jan. 19Language. Read: Miller ch. 11

Wed. Jan. 21

Speaking and thinking. Read: Sapir-Whorf, ThompsonFri. Jan. 23Context, High and Low

Week four Mon. Jan. 26The idea of race. Read: Kottak chapter (e-reserve); Mixed Blood, Fish,; CNN article on racism in soccer: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/21/sport/soccer-word-controversy/index.html?iref=allsearchWed. Jan. 28Belief, religion, & culture. Read: Miller, ch. 12 Fri. Jan. 30Rites of passage/ritual/myth. Read: Shamanism Enjoys Revival in Techno-Savvy South Korea, New York Times (2007), pg: 3. DUE: Interview reportWeek FiveMon. Feb. 2Continue discussion. Film: Passage to WirikutaWed. Feb. 4

Midterm I Fri. Feb. 6

Subsistence. Read: Miller, ch. 4

Week Six

Mon. Feb. 9

Continue subsistence. Read: The Inuit Paradox, P. GadsbyWed. Feb. 11Marriage and Family. Read: Miller, ch. 8Fri. Feb. 13Discuss: Whats a family? Read: When Brothers Share a Wife, M. Goldstein; Arranging a Marriage in India, S. Nanda; Life Without Fathers, C. GeertzWeek Seven

Mon. Feb. 16

Kinship. Read: D. Van der Elst, All in the FamilyWed. Feb. 18

Incest taboos. Fri. Feb. 20 Lecture, discussion.Week Eight

Mon. Feb. 23

Sex, gender, and reproduction. Read: Miller, ch. 6; The Hijras, S. Nanda.

Wed. Feb. 25Cultural Pollution. Read: A Womens Curse?, M. Small DUE: Kinship assignmentFri. Feb. 27Bodily discipline and culture. Read: Beyond the Veil, Fernea.Week Nine

Mon. Mar. 2Review.Wed. Mar. 4

Review.Fri. Mar. 6

2nd Midterm*** SPRINGBREAK ***

Week Ten

Mon. Mar. 16

Booze, boozers, & culture. Read: Malcom Gladwell, Drinking GamesWed. Mar. 18

Fri. Mar. 20

Cultural expression. Read: Miller, ch. 13Week Eleven

Mon. Mar. 23Traveling cultures. Film: see Japanese Version (on reserve) Read: Japanese Hip-hop; DUE: Essay topic & 2 sources

Wed. Mar. 25Consumption and Exchange. Read: Miller, ch. 5Fri. Mar. 27Web of reciprocity. Read: Allen, ch.two

Week Twelve

Mon. Mar. 30

Read: Cell Phones, Sharing, and Social Status in an African Society, J. Smith. Wed. Apr. 1

Film: tbaFri. Apr. 3

Healing and dying. Read: Miller, chap. 7Week Thirteen

Mon. Apr. 6

Healing and dying.Wed. Apr. 8

Healing and dying.Fri. Apr. 10

Healing and dying.Week Fourteen

Mon. Apr. 13

Cultural Relativism, revisited. Read: tba

Wed. Apr. 15

Read: Who Sleeps by Whom Revisited, R. Shweder, et al.Fri. Apr. 17

Due: Comparative essaysWeek Fifteen

Mon. Apr. 20

Review. Read: Bruner & Kirschenblatt-Gimblett, Masai on the Lawn

Wed. Apr. 22

Reading day. FINAL EXAM: Fri, Apr. 24th @ 1:15 p.m