ANT 100-01

INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY I: SOCIETY

Dr. N. Bethel

MW 6-8

Tentative Semester Plan - Fall 2003

 

WEEKS 1-8:  FOUNDATION

 

TEXTS FOR WEEKS 1-5:  Haviland, Lee

 

WEEK 1: August 25

á       Personal introductions; introduction to the course, objectives & grading system

á       Distribution of texts

á       Prerequisites: Eng 119

Ÿ     Journal assignment: Aim to finish the Dobe Ju/'hoansi (Lee) by Week 3.  Note any questions, problems, issues or difficulties you have with the content in your journal.  (Please note: finding the book "boring" or "difficult" does not constitute a legitimate problem!)

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:  Haviland Ch. 1

Lee Chs. 1 & 2 

Miner, "The Body Ritual of the Nacirema" (handout)

 

WEEK 2: September 1

á       Definitions: what is anthropology?

á       the main branches of anthropology in the academy:

o      archaeology

o      physical anthropology

o      biological anthropology

o      medical anthropology

o      social and cultural anthropology

á       definition of society

o      definition of social anthropology

o      definition of ethnocentrism

o      introduction to ethnographic writing

á       classical assumptions about ÔsocietyÕ

á       Class discussion on the Miner article

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:  Haviland Ch. 6

Lee Chs. 3 & 4

 

WEEK 3: September 8

á      Unit 1:  Subsistence

o      food foraging

o      horticulture

o      agriculture

o      pastoralism

o      urbanization

o      industrialism

á       Class discussion on subsistence among the Ju/'hoansi

Ÿ     Assignment #1:  Short essay on subsistence among the Ju/'hoansi (questions to be supplied) Ð Due Wednesday September 17

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:  Haviland Chs. 8 & 9

Lee Ch.  5

 

WEEK 4: September 15

á       Class discussion on the Ju/'hoansi kinship

á       Unit 2:  Kinship and the formation of groups

á       marriage & reproduction

á       family & household

Ÿ     Presentation #1: Due Wednesday October 1

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Haviland Ch. 10

Lee Ch 6

 

WEEK 5: September 22

á       Unit 2:  Kinship and the formation of groups (cont'd)

á       kinship & descent

v    Class 2: Quiz #1: weeks 1-4

Ÿ     Journal assignment:  Write down any questions you may have about Ju/'hoansi kinship/kin terms.  Think laterally.  How does the Ju/'hoansi case relate to the theory presented by Haviland?  Are there any parallels with Bahamian culture? 

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Haviland Ch. 7

Lee Ch. 8

 

TEXTS FOR WEEKS 6-10:  Haviland, Chevannes

 

WEEK 6: September 29

v    Class 2: presentations on Kinship & Subsistence

á       Unit 3: Economics and Exchange

¯     Readings for next classes:          Keesing Economic Systems (handout)

Chevannes Chs 1-2

 

WEEK 7: October 6

Ÿ     Journal assignment: Aim to finish Learning to be a Man (Chevannes) by Week 9.  Note any questions, problems, issues or difficulties you have with the content in your journal.  (Please note: finding the book "boring" or "difficult" does not constitute a legitimate problem!)

v    Mid-semester exam

 

WEEK 8: October 13

á       Unit 3: Economics and Exchange (cont'd)

á      Unit 4: Politics and Order

o      groupings beyond the kin group

¤       associations & common interest groups

¤       stratification: specialization and class

Ÿ     Presentation #2: Due Wednesday October 29

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Haviland Ch. 11-12

Chevannes Ch 3

 

WEEKS 9-14:  APPLICATION

 

WEEK 9: October 20

v    Class 2: Quiz #2: weeks 5-8

á      Unit 4: Politics and Order

o      political systems

¤       uncentralized

á       bands

á       tribes

¤       centralized

á       chiefdoms

á       kingdoms

á       states

á       nations

Ÿ     Journal assignment: If you have not yet done so, develop ideas for your term paper in your journal.  You may write a theoretical paper, using books from the library and your ethnographies to explore some aspect we have covered in the course, or you may decide to carry out some kind of ethnographic study of your own.  Explain what you have chosen and (more importantly) why.

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Chevannes Ch 5

 

WEEK 10: October 27

v    Class 2: presentations on Learning to be a Man

á      Unit 4: Politics and Order

o      maintenance of order

¤       internalized social controls

á       taboo

á       religion & ritual as social control

á       witchcraft as social control

¤       externalized social controls

á       negotiation

á       mediation

á       adjudication

á       sanctions

á       laws

á       force

Ÿ     Assignment #2:  Short essay on politics/economics/kinship (questions to be supplied) Ð Due Wednesday November 12

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Chevannes Ch 7

 

WEEK 11: November 3

á      Unit 4: Politics and Order (cont'd)

á      Unit 5: Social Change

o      internal change

á       innovation

á       diffusion

á       loss

o      forcible change

á       acculturation

á       genocide

á       directed change

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class: Haviland Ch. 15

Keesing Selections (handout)

 

WEEK 12: November 10

á      Unit 5: Social Change

o      development

á       colonization

á       industrialization

á       world systems theory

á       dependency theory

o      responses to forced change

á       revitalization movements

á       rebellion and revolution

á       loss

¯     Readings for next weekÕs class:             Haviland Ch. 16

Lee Chs 11-13

 

WEEK 13: November 17

v    Class 2: Quiz #3: weeks 9-12

á      Conclusion

o      limitations of the concept of ÔsocietyÕ

o      the politics of social anthropology

o      social contact and social change

o      agency, resistance and rebellion

o      globalization

o      applications of the concept of ÔsocietyÕ in a postcolonial world

 

 

WEEK 14: November 24

¯     TERM PAPERS DUE

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

Haviland, W. A.  (1999).  Cultural Anthropology.  Ninth Edition.  Fort Worth, etc: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

Chevannes, B. (2001).  Learning to Be a Man.  Mona, etc: University of the West Indies.

Lee, R. B. (2001). The Dobe Ju/'hoansi.  Third Edition. Toronto, etc: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.