Spring 2004

Introduction to Anthropology (ANT 104-02)

 

Lecture

MWF:  9:00-9:50 a.m.

Goodnow Hall   Rm. 105

 

Instructor

Monty Roper

204 Goodnow Hall

Office phone: 269-3017

e-mail: roperjm@grinnell.edu

 

Office Hours: M/W 2-4, and T/TH 10-12 (excluding convo dates).  During office hours, you are welcome to stop by without an appointment.  During non-office hours, you are also welcome to stop by, but I may be occupied and unable to meet.  I will be happy, however, to schedule appointments during non-office hours.  If you are having problems with course materials for any reason, I strongly encourage you to come see me. If you need to get in touch with me and are unable to do so by phone (or prefer not to), you can e-mail me.  I check my e-mail regularly.

 

Accommodations for students with disabilities: Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability is requested to speak with the professor no later than Feb 13th.  You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Advising, Joyce Stern, located in the lower level of the Forum (x3702).

 

Course Description and Goals

This course is a general introduction to anthropology.  It will be taught using a combination of lectures, readings, class discussion, projects, and films (when time and pace permit).  The purpose of the course is to introduce you to the diverse field of anthropology – the study of humans – through a consideration of the four fields of anthropology.  These include biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and social/cultural anthropology.  One of our goals will be to gain a general understanding of the nature of the discipline.  As such, throughout the course we will explore what anthropologists do, how they gather their data, and how this helps to understand the human condition.  Our other main goal is to examine how anthropological study has broadened our understanding of the species.  Some of the underlying questions that we will address include:  How did humans evolve as a species and what makes us unique?  What kinds of similarities and differences have been found between societies and cultures, and how can we explain these?  How and why are cultures changing today as interactions and communication between diverse groups increase?

            Please understand that this is an introductory course to a field of study with an enormous breadth of inquiry.  I am certain that there will be times when we cover only very briefly materials that you would like to explore in more depth.  I encourage you to ask questions whenever you have them, but understand that the pace of the course will often be rapid.

 

Required Texts:

1.       Roger Lewin  Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction.

2.       Elvio Angeloni (ed) Annual Editions: Anthropology 03/04.

3.       Kathy Kamp  Life in the Pueblo: Understanding the Past through Archaeology.

4.       Kenneth Good  1996  Into the Heart: One Man’s Pursuit of Love and Knowledge among the Yanomamo

5.       Elliot Fratkin  1997  Ariaal Pastoralists of Kenya.

 

Reserved readings will be available in a folder in the student projects room on the 3rd floor of Goodnoow (straight above the classroom).  They will also be available in the library.

 
Course Requirements

1.       Examinations: (60% of grade) There will be three exams respectively worth 15%, 20%, and 25% of your final grade.  Exams will include multiple choice, short answer and short essay questions.

2.       Projects:

·       1.  Name that Skull project: (10% of grade) Early in the semester, I will arrange a set of labs during which time each student will be required to analyze and identify a number of hominoid skulls.  The final report will identify the mystery skulls, explain the logic of the identification, and answer several questions that will be posed.

·       2.  Group Silent Sociolinguistics Project (10% of grade).  Groups will be required to either 1) observe and analyze the use of space (proxemics), or 2) record and analyze the use of graffiti.  Findings will be presented in class.

·       3.  Kinship chart. (5% of grade) Each student will be required to construct a kinship chart of a family (may be his/her family).  Analysis of kinship norms and organization will be done in class.

·       4.  Indigenous Peoples and Change web exercise.  (5% of grade) Each student will be required to find and share information relating to current threats to indigenous cultures and responses to these threats.

3.       Participation and Attendance (10% of grade) Everyone should keep up with the reading and come to class prepared to answer questions, ask questions, and/or engage in discussion of materials with the class.  In the course of lecturing, I will often ask questions related to the reading and to materials that we have covered in past classes.  We will also devote a number of classes primarily to discussion and will undertake some group activities in class.  Everyone's participation is expected.  On occasion, I will also provide opportunities for students to research information for the benefit of the class and/or present information in class.

      Attendance is required, and I will take roll.  Any exam or in-class assignment that is missed because of an unexcused absence will receive a zero.  An excused absence is given only through prior permission of the instructor, for verified illness, or family/personal emergency.  In the later two cases, notice must be provided through the health center or academic affairs.  Each unexcused absence will result in the automatic loss of 10% of the participation grade (1% of the final grade).

 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

(Readings may be added or deleted as deemed necessary by the professor)

 

Date

Topic

Readings

AE: Annual Editions

RR: Reserved Readings

 

Mon 1/19

Introduction to course and review of syllabus.

 

Anthropology and the Four Fields

NA

 

Human Evolution and Variation

1/21

Principles of adaptation and evolution

·         Lewin 2-6 (focus on 4,5,6)

1/23

Studying human ancestry: methods and analysis

·         Lewin 7-9, 18

Mon 1/26

From primates to hominoids

·         Lewin 10, 15,16

1/28

Australopithecines and bipedalism

·         Lewin 17,19,20

1/30

Early Homo and the first tools

·         Lewin 21-23

Mon 2/2

Homo Ergaster/Erectus (a well traveled hunter?)

·         Lewin 24-26

2/4

Homo Sapiens

·         Lewin 27-30

2/6

The evolution of language – A human Trait?

·         Lewin 31-33

Mon  2/9, 2/11

Hot Topic: The question of race

·         Name That Skull Project

·         AAA Statement on Race

·         RR: Whitten, Arts 12, 13

2/13

Human Variation (or catch up day)

·       RR – TBA

Mon 2/16

Exam I

 

Cultural Evolution and the Study of Prehistory

2/18

Culture and social institutions

·       RR: Kottak, Ch1.

2/20

The Neolithic Transition

·         Lewin 33-35

Mon 2/23

Rise of Cities and States

·         RR:  TBA

2/25

Doing Archeology

·         Kamp 1-4

2/27 – 3/1

Case Study: The Sinagua of Lizard Man Village

·         Kamp 5-11

·         Archeology Project

Mon 3/1

Hot Topic: Whose Remains and Whose History?

·         AE # 5, “Battle of the Bones”

·         RR: Endicott and Welsch "Should the Remains of Prehistoric…”

Culture and Communication

3/3-3/5

Culture and Symbolic Communication

 

Linguistic Diversity – Do Different Cultures Just Use different Words?

·         AE: # 9, “Shakespeare in the Bush”

·         AE: #6, “Language Appearance, and Reality…”

·         AE: #8, “I Can’t Even Open My Mouth”

Mon 3/8

Hot Topic: Can apes learn language

·       RR: K. Endicott and R. Welsch "Can Apes Learn Language?"

·       RR: Whitten #27

3/10, 3/12, 3/29, 3/31

(catch up days here)

Sociolinguistics

·         AE: #7, “Why Don’t You Say What You Mean?”

·       RR: Whitten #28, #29

·       Sociolinguistics Project

 

Spring Break – Relax, Have Fun 

Or, Make the World a Better Place through Alternative Break!

 

4/2

 

Exam 2

 

Ethnography and Ethnology

Mon 4/5

Anthropological methods and perspective

·       AE: #1, “Doing Fieldwork Among the Yanomamo”

4/7, 4/9

The Organization of Society - Subsistence, Economy and Politics

·       AE: #4, “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari”

·       AE: UNIT 3.  The Organization of Society and Culture.

Mon 4/12, 4/14

Case Study: The Yanomamo

·       Good, “Into the Heart”

·       AE: #2, “Spin-Doctoring the Yanomamo”

4/16

Families, Kinship, and Marriage

·       AE: UNIT 4.  Other Families, Other Ways

·       Kinship Project

Mon 4/19, 4/21

Gender (and other statuses)

·       AE: UNIT 5.  Gender and Status

4/23

Religion, Belief and Ritual

·       AE: UNIT 6: Religion, Belief, and Ritual

Culture Change and Cultural Survival

Mon 4/26, 4/28

Culture change, Colonialism and the Modern World System

·       AE: UNIT 7: Sociocultural Change: The Impact of the West

4/30-Mon 5/3

Case Study – Development and Culture Change among the Ariaal Pastoralists

·       Fratkin, “Ariaal Pastoralists”

·       Cultural Survival Web Exercise

5/5

Applying Anthropology

·       RR: TBA

5/7

Wrap Up

 

Final Exam