Instructor:  Gerry Waite  
Office: BB311Phone: 765-285-3279
E-mail  gwaite@bsu.edu

Graduate Assistant : Julie Koogler
Office BB321A Phone 765-285-1578                          
E-mail  jlkoogler@bsu.edu

ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE NEWS
 

I.   Course Rationale:

ANTH 101 is a university Core Curriculum Social and Behavioral Sciences course which focuses on ways of understanding the variety of human behaviors in all times and places. If the future success of our students is shaped by their ability to function in a multicultural globalized environment, it is imperative that students be well versed in the range of human experiences they might encounter.

The course aims directly at the first three goals of the Social and Behavioral Sciences component of the Core Curriculum Program.  At the core of the course is a survey of human behavior in various contexts; geographical, temporal and cultural.   Further, the discipline base provides a means of analyzing social/cultural systems which reduces ethnocentric bias.  The course treats current social, political and economic problems in a cross-cultural perspective.  The student learns how to think about these problems both in a global context and in daily life (e.g. racial and ethnic bias).  Anthropology is a synthetic discipline firmly founded on the holistic principle that understanding another society/culture requires a multivariate, multidiscipline, integrative approach.  Indeed, understanding other viewpoints is its hallmark and utilizing  knowledge and methods from other disciplines is its stock and trade.

Several of the general goals of the Core Curriculum Program are also central to the thrust of this course.  The model of culture that is presented in this course focuses on learned behavior from a perspective of cultural relativism.  In demonstrating the utility of this view for understanding other ways of living, students almost invariable respond with an increased sensitivity to the values of others.  The anthropological perspective is reflexive -- applying the same analytic techniques to our own culture, our discipline and ourselves.  In this way students are challenged to examine their own personal values.

The course also deals centrally with problem solving.  Examining the variety of human experience reveals what the common problems of living are and, in addition, shows how humans have solved them in different times and places with particular attention to cultural heritage.  It also deals directly with problems of the modern world  (e.g. population growth, wealth inequalities, global interconnectedness, rapid change, cultural survival).

For many students, the study of other cultures is rather intriguing.  When they learn that seemingly unusual behavior can make sense if examined in context, they are more prone to critically evaluate information they are exposed to in ordinary life (e.g. the media), to examine the cultural context of the communication and reveal underlying bias.  Such success reinforces critical thinking skills and renders “academic” learning useful, thus contributing to an appreciation or desire for life long learning.

Studying the social nature of human behavior cross-culturally, particularly in the “classic” anthropological studies where interpersonal relations are the basis for survival, provides examples of  working in concert to solve common problems of living.

The variety of human experiences that the students are exposed to in this course should lead them to reflect upon their own interests, talents and goals thus better enabling them to choose appropriate specialized learning environments.

Finally, the department requires that half of the student examination material be written to encourage the ability to communicate at an acceptable level.

Course objectives:To be able to demonstrate in writing the skills and knowledge inherent in the following goals:
To demonstrate an understanding of culture as shared meaning.
To be able to identify key social, behavioral, and artifactual elements of the social milieu that demarcate boundaries between systems of shared meaning.
Within the scope of this class and its 15 units, be able to construct user friendly questions that help identify important differences and similarities in cultural systems.
 

Texts:         "Humanity: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology"  James Peoples and Garrick Bailey,  7th ed.
                   "New Pioneers in the Heartland: Hmong Life in Wisconsin"  Jo Ann Koltyk
                    The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother"    James McBride

Grading and Evaluation: Two reaction papers will be turned in over the course of the semester- one from "The Color of Water", and one from "New Pioneers". The  format for these papers will be discussed in class.                                                                                     100 points
Four in class exams to be given at the end of each 4 week period covering readings and lecture to that point. The first three exams are worth 50 points each, the final exam is worth 100 points.
                                                                                                                250 points
An alternative news source journal: You are required to read one outside news source a week from the links at the end of the syllabus and maintain a journal of your comments and reactions. Your journal for this is due one week before the final and counts 50 points.
                                                                                                                 50 points
Attendance: You have an automatic 75 points for attendance at the first of this semester. You may deduct from these points by skipping class at a rate of 2 points per class meeting. (seating will be assigned)
                                                                                                                 75 points
Twenty five points will be given for in class assignments and riding the Muncie Buses (transfers turned in as proof of ridership)
                                                                                                                  25 points

There are 500 points total so the grading will be 450-500 = A-with a point break at each 50 points. 

Note: No Laptops, cell phones or other internet devices in class.

Schedule of classes and content:

Week of August 20: Welcome to Ball State and to  Anthropology 101!!! This week is an introduction to Anthropology. Read chapter one in Humanity.

Week of September 3:  Monday is a holiday. Chapter 5 of Humanity is your reading for the week. Your film is "Strange Beliefs"  Check out "Evolutionism" and "Structural Functionalism"

Week of September 10:  Anthropological fieldwork and methods. Chapter 6 in Humanity, Listen to this NPR site Anthropologists and War (note you'll need Realplayer or windows media for this site)  and look at Go Noi.

Week of September 17: Your first test is this week !    Adaptation, foraging and domestication. Chapter 6 in Humanity. Please also read Chapters 1 & 2 from "New Pioneers", "Refugee Resttlement and the Hmong", and "The Refugee Experience". 

Week of October 1: This week is about the organization of political life. Please read Chapter12 in Humanity. Eric Schissler's presentation

Third test!!on Monday  .You're in the homestretch!! 

Week of Novermber 5:     Please start reading The Color of Water this week.. We'll finish religion and tart race and ethnicity. Read chapters 13 & 17 in Humanity.

 Week of November 12: Finish Magic and Witchcraft and s  Also please l isten to Ireland, a short NPR selection.
 

Extra notes: Reaction Papers, formats are provided, Two papers are due NLT the deadlines in the syllabus. These are the last dates you can turn them in.