Introduction to Cultural Anthropology: Anth 101

M W F 3:15 – 4:15 RKS 160

Stephen C. Smith, Ph.D.

Office Hours: MWF 8:30, TTh 9:00

Office: Ricks 132C

smiths@byui.edu

http://emp.byui.edu/smiths/

Text: Introducing Cultural Anthropology 4^th ed., Roberta Edwards Lenkeit

On-line readings.

Course Description: Anthropological approaches and perspectives on humans, their culture, and their society; early and prehistoric humans. Basic concepts for analyzing cultural behavior, and comparison of non-Western with Western societies, will be presented.

Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course the student can be expected to:

1. Define anthropology and explain key concepts of the discipline.

2. Analyze cultural behavior; including their own and others’ cultures.

3. Explain key differences between Western society and non-Western society.

4. Identify how culture influences individuals.

Course Evaluations:

Evaluation	Points	Grade Scale
Portfolio	100	93%-100%	A	73%-76%	C
Quizzes	60	90%-92%	A-	70%-72%	C-
Discussion Papers	60	87%-89%	B+	67%-69%	D+
Cultural Analysis	50	83%-86%	B	63%-66%	D
Participation	30	80%-82%	B-	60%-62%	D-
Total	300	77%-79%	C+	0%-59%	F

Final Grades: Final grades will be calculated on a straight percentage scale as indicated. Total points earned will be summed and divided by 300. Extra credit is not offered in this class.

Attendance: Attendance is necessary for the successful completion of this course. There are 30 participation points that are directly related to attendance. The discussion papers and quizzes are in-class activities. You are responsible for all materials and information that is given in class. Tardiness or non-attendance does not excuse you from these responsibilities or from any assignments or activities. This means that no matter the reason, if you do not do the work in class at the appropriate time you will have to make it up according to the make-up policy.

Make Ups: You can make up only the portfolio, with certain conditions. Any work done before the due date will not be assessed a late penalty, all late work will automatically be assessed a 10% penalty and an additional 10% penalty per week that it is late.

Assignments:

Portfolio. The purpose of the Portfolio is to give you a place to record your exploration of the course material. It will be evaluated on how well you document your exploration, and on the depth and breadth of your exploration. It must include at least one of the following, and may include multiple of all but the kinship chart: 1) response to readings, 2) review of a research article, 3) your kinship chart, 4) interview of a foreign student/person, 5) review of a PREAPPROVED film. 6) various assignments during the semester that I will give. Each menu option is worth 5 points, so you need at least 20 different specific things in addition to your writings and thoughts on the course topics. They will be turned in for evaluation on May 30 and July 16 (10 entries each time).

Discussion papers. The beginning of each section will be devoted to small group interactions. Each student will come to class having researched something that is relevant to the topic for the day. In small groups you will share your research findings which will also need to be written up in a single page. These papers will be turned in to me for evaluation that class period. Discussion papers may not be turned in late. Be sure to provide references.

Quizzes. In each section will be a 5 point quiz over the reading from the textbook.

Cultural Analysis. You will keep an anthropological field journal of your exploration of a culture and write up a final report on your analysis of the culture. This will be further explained during the first section of the course material. Formatting: one inch margins, black ink, Single Spaced, 12 point - Times New Roman font, NO coversheet. No more than 10 pages in length.

Participation. You are expected to come to class prepared and to participate. Attendance is necessary for the successful completion of this course. There are 30 participation points that are directly related to attendance and participation.

Some thoughts from and about our namesake:

Brigham Young's sanguine discourses on education were meant to stir his people up and shame them out of their intellectual lethargy. No one knew better than he the weaknesses of human nature ("Mankind are weak and feeble, poor and needy; how destitute they are of true knowledge, how little they have when they have any at all!"); the hebetude of minds used to having others think for them ("The great masses of the people neither think nor act for themselves. . . . I see too much of this gross ignorance among this chosen people of God"); the hesitancy of the uprooted, tending either "to hide ourselves up from the world" or "to pattern after the people they had left"—both wrong; the smugness of the chosen people, who "imagine that they must begin and unlearn the whole of their former education," and who expect God to give them everything on a platter: "Have I any good reason to say to my Father in heaven, 'Fight my battles,' when He has given me the sword to wield, the arm and the brain that I can fight for myself?" The Saints were much too easily satisfied with themselves: "How vain and trifling have been our spirits, our conferences, our councils, our meetings, our private as well as public conversations—too low, too mean, too vulgar, too condescending for the dignified characters of the called and chosen of God," wrote the Prophet Joseph from Liberty Jail. "Condescending" means settling for inferior goods to avoid effort and tension. Brigham hated that: "That diffidence or timidity we must dispense with. When it becomes our duty to talk, we ought to be willing to talk. . . . Interchanging our ideas and exhibiting that which we believe and understand affords an opportunity for detecting and correcting errors"—the expanding mind must be openly and frankly critical, come hell or high council; without that we get "too much of a sameness in this community"—"I am not a stereotyped Latter-day Saint, and do not believe in the doctrine. . . . Are we going to stand still? Away with stereotyped 'Mormons.'" -Hugh Nibley, Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, edited by Don E. Norton and Shirley S. Ricks [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994], 329 - 330.)

Brigham was right after all. As administrative problems have accumulated in a growing Church, the authorities have tended to delegate the business of learning to others, and those others have been only too glad to settle for the outward show, the easy and flattering forms, trappings, and ceremonies of education. Worse still, they have chosen business-oriented, career-minded, degree-seeking programs in preference to the strenuous, critical, liberal, mind-stretching exercises that Brigham Young recommended. We have chosen the services of the hired image-maker in preference to unsparing self-criticism, and the first question the student is taught to ask today is John Dewey's golden question: "What is there in it for me?" -Hugh Nibley, Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, edited by Don E. Norton and Shirley S. Ricks [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994], 338.)

Plagiarism and Cheating policy: Plagiarism and cheating are not tolerated in this class. Any evidence of plagiarism or cheating will be grounds for an automatic F in the course. Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work. This includes your peers, any written sources and the internet. Any information that is not your own original thoughts should be properly documented. For example, if you write about the relationship between religion and people, and include complete sentences or ideas from another author you need to acknowledge them. It is ok to include something that Thomas Jefferson wrote, just make sure that it is clear that you are not presenting it as your own work. It is appropriate to write: Thomas Jefferson said, “yada yada yada”. It is inappropriate to say that religion is the opium of the people without acknowledging that Marx said this, not you.

W	Apr 18	Intro
F	Apr 20	Discuss readings
M	Apr 23	Chapter 1 Discussion
W	Apr 25	Chapter 1 Lecture
F	Apr 27	Chapter 1 Cultural analysis
M	Apr 30	Chapter 2 Discussion
W	May 2	Chapter 2 Lecture
F	May 4	Chapter 2 Cultural analysis
M	May 7	Chapter 3 Discussion
W	May 9	Chapter 3 Lecture
F	May 11	Chapter 3 Cultural analysis
M	May 14	Chapter 4 Discussion
W	May 16	Chapter 4 Lecture
F	May 18	Chapter 4 Cultural analysis
M	May 21	Chapters 5 Discussion
W	May 23	Chapters 5 Lecture
F	May 25	Chapters 5 Cultural analysis
M	May 28	NO Class, Memorial Day
W	May 30	Chapters 6 Discussion Portfolio Due
F	June 1	Chapters 6 Lecture
M	June 4	Chapters 6 Cultural analysis
W	June 6	Chapter 7-8 Discussion
F	June 8	Chapter 7-8 Lecture
M	June 11	Chapter 7-8Cultural analysis
W	June 13	Chapter 9 Discussion
F	June 15	Chapter 9 Lecture
M	June 18	Chapter 9 Cultural analysis
W	June 20	Chapter 10 Discussion
F	June 22	Chapter 10 Lecture
M	June 25	Chapter 10 Cultural analysis
W	June 27	Chapter 11 Discussion
F	June 29	Chapter 11 Lecture
M	July 2	Chapter 11 Cultural analysis
W	July 4	NO Class, Independence Day
F	July 6	Chapter 12 Discussion
M	July 9	Chapter 12 Lecture
W	July 11	Chapter 12 Cultural analysis
F	July 13	Chapter 13-14 Discussion
M	July 16	Chapter 13-14 Lecture Portfolio Due
W	July 18	Chapter 13-14 Cultural analysis Cultural Analysis paper Due