ANTH 101 Syllabus PDF

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ANTH 101 World Cultures: Introduction to Social Anthropology Spring 2018 Mon. & Wed. 1:00-1:50 p.m. Room 250 Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB) Instructor Dr. Nermeen Mouftah [email protected] Office: University Hall 904 Office Hours: Tues. & Wed. 2:00-3:00p.m. (or by appointment) Teaching Assistants (Office: 3152B BSB) Jozi Chaet: [email protected] Damian Peoples: [email protected] Kevin Oliver Suemnicht: [email protected] Sadie Elaine Wendler: [email protected] * Emails sent to the instructor and TAs must have “ANTH 101” in the subject line and must be sent from your UIC email account * Course Description_______________________________________________________ Sociocultural anthropology, one of the major branches within the field of anthropology, explores the wide variety of human life-ways, past and present, in terms of cultures, customs, identities, religion, language, economics, and politics. In this course, you will examine diverse world cultures and the major themes of human life from a comparative and holistic perspective. After this course, students will be able to speak to some of the fundamental questions that shape the human experience: What does it mean to be human? What is culture, and how does it shape our social realities, ideologies, and practices? How do anthropologists go about studying and interpreting culture and society? What is the significance of cultural difference? Are there universal aspects of human existence that cross cultural divides? How do anthropologists describe, analyze, and explain racism, ethnic conflict, gender roles and politics, marriage traditions, and globalization? This course is designed to help you think critically and analytically about culture and the modern world. Course Materials_________________________________________________________

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Robert Welsch and Luis Vivanco, Cultural Anthropology: Asking Questions About Humanity, second edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz, Becoming Legal: Immigration Law and Mixed Status Families. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. **YES, THIS EDITION OF THE TEXTBOOK IS REQUIRED** Weekly discussion readings are available on the course Blackboard site. The articles are posted under the section titled “Discussion Readings.” Course Goals____________________________________________________________ By the end of this semester, students will be able to… 1) Identify the fundamental concepts of anthropology and its principle subfields. 2) Describe the chief characteristics of culture. 3) Discuss the structure of language and the field of sociolinguistics. 4) Explain modes of food production, types of economic exchange systems, and types of political organization. 5) Discuss the diverse ways that humans define kinship and descent, regulate sexual relations, and negotiate marriages. 6) Explain different belief systems and practices concerning gender, race, ethnicity, and nationalism. 7) Discuss the functions of religion, the types of supernatural forces, varieties of religious organization, and the logic of fundamentalism. 8) Describe how aesthetic taste, performance/ritual, and artistic expression are part of the broader social, economic, and political context. 9) Identify and discuss key features of globalization and global capitalism.

Grade Breakdown Class Component Three Exams Life History Project Discussion & i>Clicker Lecture Participation Total

Points 300 points (100 pts each) 120 points 180 points (130 for Discussion & 50 for i>Clicker Lecture Participation ) 600 points

A = 90-100% B = 80-89.9% C = 70-79.9% D = 60-69.9% F = 0-59.9%

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Coursework, Assignments, and Grading_____________________________________ READINGS Assigned readings are listed under the week that they are due on the course schedule below. Students are expected to complete assigned textbook readings during the week that they are assigned. Reading assigned textbook chapters before class meetings will help you to better follow lectures, to better understand the weekly discussion section readings, and help guide your participation in discussion class. Discussion readings consist of additional short articles each week. These readings must be completed before coming to discussion class each week. Students should bring printed copies of the articles to class to refer to them. Failure to complete readings for discussion in advance will severely affect your ability to earn points by engaging in the class conversation and debates. See the section on discussion requirements below for more information.

LECTURES Regular attendance in lecture is strongly recommended. Lectures will correspond with textbook readings for the week, covering many of the major concepts and vocabulary; however, lectures will also focus on material NOT in the textbook by expanding on certain concepts, presenting additional case studies/examples, showing videos and other relevant media, and occasionally featuring guest speakers. Course exams may cover any of this material. If you must miss lecture, it is your responsibility to get any notes from fellow classmates. NOTE: Lecture PowerPoint presentations will be posted on Blackboard at the end of each week of instruction. PowerPoints are meant to showcase only basic points, vocabulary, and questions, however, and do not give all of the material covered during each lecture session. Much information presented during lectures will be presented verbally. Please be sure to listen to what is being said and take good notes. EXAMS There will be three exams in this course: during Week 6, Week 12, and Finals Week. All of the exams will be non-cumulative, meaning that each exam will only cover the material read or discussed since the preceding exam. Exams will consist of 50 questions each, comprising a mixture of multiple choice and true/false items. DISCUSSION & i>Clicker Lecture Participation

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Discussion is an important part of the learning process in this course. It is designed to expose students to additional readings that (a) expand on the theme of each week and (b) introduce students to critically reading and examining a book-length ethnography. More importantly, discussion classes provide a space for students to try to gather their thoughts and work through questions they have about the course materials and issues. Discussion is a key place to “figure things out” with the personal guidance of your TA, and together with your fellow classmates. Student participation in discussion class is required. You are expected to offer questions and comments about the assigned readings, but also to address relevant current events, your own experiences, and other points brought up by your TA and fellow classmates. Regular attendance and participation are essential in order to earn maximum points in discussion (up to 10 points per week). TAs will be taking attendance and noting student participation weekly; TAs are also at liberty to call on students in class in order to stimulate discussion. Please bring printed copies of the articles to class in order to refer to them during discussion—use of cell phones and laptops in discussion is not allowed. To facilitate participation students will bring a typed discussion reflection assignment to class every week—you should have a minimum of two talking points per assignment. (See example on course Blackboard site). Reflections may be questions about the readings, observations/interpretations of the issues raised in the articles, connections between the material and current events or your own experiences, etc. These discussion reflection assignments must be typed for full credit, and your TA will collect the assignments at the end of every discussion class. Give your name, TA name, day/time of discussion class, and the week of the semester at the top of each assignment. Reflections must be turned in on time and in class—no late assignments will be accepted. **NOTE: Discussion sections will not meet until Week 3 of the semester** Your active participation in lectures through your registered i>Clicker will be a part of your student record in this course that will allow your instructor and TAs to learn about what material is challenging and requires further revision. Your participation throughout the semester will be assigned a grade out of 50. For more on i>Clicker, see below. LIFE HISTORY INTERVIEW PROJECT Students will also write an 8-page paper due on Wednesday April 9th (during Week 12). This paper will present a life history—a narrative

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description of a person’s life and experiences—of someone at least 60 years of age or older (i.e., about two generations older than the student). Students will personally interview this individual in order to obtain the material for the paper. Papers must be submitted online via SafeAssign on Blackboard AND in hard copy form in lecture on the due date—failure to complete both of these submission requirements will result in a “0” for the paper grade. During Week 5, you will submit a brief proposal (worth 10 points toward the final project grade) to your TA in discussion class. Proposals will include a few sentences that give basic information about the person you would like to interview, how you know the person or how you will contact them, etc. Your TA must approve your choice of interviewee—if you have difficulty finding an appropriate person, or if your choice does not meet the criteria of the project, your TA can offer advice/suggestions to help you find someone else. Detailed guidelines for the life history project, including tips on conducting interviews, putting together a life history narrative, grading criteria, and submission requirements, will be posted on Blackboard and discussed in Lecture during Week 4. NOTE: We strongly encourage you to seek help with your writing project and goals at the UIC Writing Center. The Writing Center (WC) welcomes you to work on writing for this or any course. You are welcome to work with a tutor before you start writing in order to brainstorm, plan, or ask questions about an assignment. Tutors work together with you to provide options for improving and learning about writing. The final responsibility for revising and completing writing assignments remains with you. You can meet with a tutor face-to-face or online. If you have questions, you can call the WC at 312-413-2206 during business hours or visit in person. The WC is in Room 105 Grant Hall (next to Lincoln and Douglas Halls). The WC is open from the second week of the semester through Wednesday of finals week. For more information or to make an appointment, go to writingcenter.uic.edu

Course Policies and Classroom Procedures___________________________________ Add-Drop & Withdrawal Deadline: The official course add/drop cutoff date is January 26th. A student who does not drop/withdraw officially from a course may receive a grade of “F”, depending on

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course progress or course attendance. More information is listed here: http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/financial_matters/withdrawal.html Absence: Regular attendance is essential to do well in this class. Under exceptional circumstances, such as family emergencies, illness, religious holidays (see below), absences may be excused. Documentation (i.e., a doctor’s note or hospital paperwork for health emergency) must be provided in order to receive extensions on assignments or to make up exams. Please be in touch with your TA prior to expected absences, or as soon as possible afterward in the case of emergencies. Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities who require accommodations for full access and participation in this course must be registered with the Office of Disability Services: 1200 W. Harrison St. Room 1190 SSB (MC 321); phone: (312) 413-2183 (voice) or (312) 4130123 (TTY); email: [email protected]. Please inform your TA as soon as possible regarding any accommodation needs. Religious Holidays: If you will be observing a religious holiday that conflicts with the course schedule you must notify your instructor within the first two weeks of the start of the semester. If religious observance dates are not known (i.e., the dates are traditionally movable and not fixed), please inform your TA as soon as possible once they are confirmed. For more information, please see guidelines on the bottom of this page: http://oae.uic.edu/UnlawfulDiscrimination/Policies.htm Academic Integrity: All submitted work must be the result of the student’s own efforts. Plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Copying sentences or paragraphs or pages from a website, or from another student’s paper (either from this university or another, from another student’s work during this semester or any other) is plagiarism and is unacceptable. First offenses will result in an automatic “0” for the assignment. Second offenses will result in automatic failure of the course and a report to the student’s college for further disciplinary action. For details as to what constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty, it is strongly recommended that you read UIC’s official statement and guide: http://dos.uic.edu/docs/Student%20Disciplinary%20Policy.pdf http://dos.uic.edu/docs/Guidelines%20for%20Academic %20Integrity.pdf Blackboard will be used to manage most of the materials for the course, including discussion readings, student assignment submissions

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(via SafeAssign), student point totals, and to make course announcements. Check it regularly! Laptops and Cell Phones: Use of cell phones during lecture or discussion—whether to text, surf the web, or make/take calls—is distracting and will not be tolerated. Please silence and put away all mobile devices for the duration of class time. Laptops may be used to take notes in lecture, but their use is not permitted in discussion classes. Bring printed copies of discussion readings to class, and take notes with good old-fashioned pen & paper! i>Clicker: You are required to purchase an i>Clicker remote for inclass participation. i>Clicker is a response system that allows you to respond to questions I pose during class. The instructor and TAs will review student participation in class lectures to track your comprehension of course material. Your participation as recorded through the i>Clicker system will be taken into consideration by your TA in the Discussion component of your final grade. In order to receive this credit, you will need to register your i>Clicker remote. Directions on registration are on our class Blackboard site. Note: once your remote is registered, your [student ID] will no longer appear on that scrolling list and you are registered for the entire semester. All students must have a registered i>Clicker by January 22 (the beginning of Week 2). Mutual Respect: Please refrain from distracting behaviors both in lecture and discussion, such as arriving late; interrupting another student while they are talking, using computers for online shopping, social media, to listen to/watch media, etc. Students talking amongst themselves, texting, or using a laptop during discussion will be asked to leave and will be marked as absent for the day. Throughout the semester you will participate in discussions where the opinions of others may differ from your own. As this happens, keep debates civil and refrain from namecalling, audible sighing, and other actions that may give the appearance of disrespectful. We will be grappling with issues such as gender, race, power, and discrimination, topics that can be politically and emotionally charged. The only way to sustain an intellectually stimulating environment is to consciously maintain a safe and open atmosphere where ideas can be freely exchanged, debated, tested, and followed to often surprising—but sometimes uncomfortable—conclusions. Our code of conduct as good students of anthropology cultivates the good practice of it. Please be on time! Traffic, parking, or transportation issues are not valid excuses for being late—please leave plenty of time to get to class. Habitually late students are disruptive to others and will incur point penalties based on severity and frequency.

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Communication: Take advantage of our office hours to come see us and discuss your questions about our course and any issue of cultural anthropology. Email us if you cannot make it to regular hours, and we will make an appointment with you. We are here to help you with the learning goals. Plan ahead to avoid the crunch of asking your questions directly before an exam or writing due date.

COURSE SCHEDULE (Note: This schedule is subject to change as course needs may dictate. Any changes would be announced in class and posted to Blackboard)

Week 1 | What is Cultural Anthropology? 1/17 1/15 NO CLASS - Martin Luther King Jr. Day 1/17 Welcome to the class! What is cultural anthropology? Textbook: No Reading **NO DISCUSSION CLASS**

Week 2 | Asking Questions About Humanity 1/22 - 1/24 Textbook: Chapter 1, Anthropology: Asking Questions About Humanity **NO DISCUSSION CLASS**

Week 3 | Culture Concept 1/29 - 1/31 Textbook: Chapter 2, Culture: Giving Meaning to Human Lives Discussion: Queer Customs; Shakespeare in the Bush

Week 4 | Ethnographic Fieldwork 2/5 - 2/7 Textbook: Chapter 3, Ethnography: Studying Culture Discussion: Tricking and Tripping; Eating Christmas in the Kalahari

Week 5 | Language and Culture 2/12 - 2/14

ANTH 101: SPRING 2018 SYLLABUS Textbook: Chapter 4, Linguistic Anthropology: Relating Language and Culture Discussion: How Language Shapes Thought; Vanishing Languages **Life History Project Proposals DUE in Discussion

Week 6 | Foodways 2/19 - 2/21 Wednesday 2/21

EXAM ONE

Textbook: Chapter 6, Foodways: Finding, Making, and Eating Food Discussion: The Inuit Paradox; The Price of Progress

Week 7 | Globalization and Culture 2/26 - 2/28 Textbook: Chapter 5, Globalization and Culture: Understanding Global Interconnections Discussion: Becoming Legal 1, “Four Million Families”

Week 8 | Family and Kinship 3/5 - 3/7 Textbook: Chapter 12, Kinship, Marriage, and the Family: Love, Sex, and Power Discussion: Becoming Legal 2, “Grounds for Exclusion: The U.S. Immigration System” Recommended: When Brothers Share a Wife; Arranging a Marriage in India

Week 9 | Politics 3/12 - 3/14 Textbook: Chapter 9, Politics: Cooperation, Conflict, and Power Relations Discussion: Becoming Legal 3, “The Family Petition” Recommended: Life Without Chiefs

Week 10 | Race, Ethnicity, and Class 3/19 - 3/21

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ANTH 101: SPRING 2018 SYLLABUS Textbook: Chapter 10, Race, Ethnicity, and Class: Understanding Identity and Social Inequality Discussion: Becoming Legal 4, “The Punishment” Recommended: No Place to Call Home; Black, White, Other

Week 11 | SPRING BREAK 3/26, 3/28 NO CLASS

Week 12 | Economics 4/2 - 4/4 Wednesday 4/4 EXAM TWO Textbook: Chapter 8, Economics: Working, Sharing, and Buying Discussion: Becoming Legal 5, “Extreme Hardship”

Week 13 | Environment 4/9 - 4/11 Textbook: Chapter 7, Environmental Anthropology: Relating to the Natural World Class Guest April 11: Dr. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz Discussion: Becoming Legal 6, “Life After Legal Status” & 7, “Documented and Deportable” PAPER DUE: Wednesday April 11th On Blackboard by 12:30pm & hard copy in Lecture @ 1:00PM

Week 14 | Gender and Sexuality 4/16 - 4/18 Textbook: Chapter 11, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: The Fluidity of Maleness and Femaleness Discussion: The Berdache Tradition; The Hijras

Week 15 | Religion 4/23 - 4/25 Textbook: Chapter 13, Religion: Ritual and Belief

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ANTH 101: SPRING 2018 SYLLABUS Discussion: Understanding Islam; Christian Violence in America

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