CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY 103-002
T\Th, 8-9:15, Hibbs 403, Fall 2006
Dr. Turner, cturner@vcu.edu, http://www.people.vcu.edu/~cturner/
Office hours: Thurs at 10 or by appointment

DESCRIPTION:

Many of you will only have a vague idea of what anthropology is or only know a few famous names in the field such as Margaret Mead or Louis Leakey. This class is a general introduction to the field that only touches lightly upon the broad array of what anthropology is or can be. It is designed to pique your interest and reveal to you the broad diversity of human behavior and lifestyles across the world and through out time.
Traditionally in the U.S., anthropology includes four major subfields: archaeology, anthropological linguistics, physical or biological anthropology and cultural/social anthropology. There is a relatively new subfield, applied anthropology, that speaks to the modern world. Although we will discuss all the subfields, we will focus primarily on sociocultural anthropology, the study of living peoples and their lifeways.
GOALS: 1. To learn the basic terminology and concepts of all the subfields of anthropology.
2. To examine the lifeways, belief systems and perspectives of those in other cultures across time and space.
3. To recognize the underlying structural similarities of social systems as well as the individual variability of human cultures.
4. To learn, understand and apply the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism to improve your own life and to increase tolerance for alternative lifestyles.
5. To understand that modern Western sociocultural patterns are not the only way of life that can be good and satisfying, nor are they necessarily our future.
6. To gain a broad cross-cultural background against which to view our own culture as well as contemporary social problems and to realize that many social patterns are NOT innate and unchangeable.

TEXTS:

Cultural Anthropology, 11th ed., 2002. Conrad Phillip Kottak. 
On Line Learning Center
http://www.mhhe.com/kottakca11

The Forest People. Colin M. Turnbull.
Fun tutorials- http://anthro.palomar.edu/tutorials/
BLACKBOARD 6:

I will email important class information and assignments to you using the email function of Blackboard.  You will be expected to access Blackboard and make sure that your email address is correct. Your grades will be posted on Blackboard and I will also post additional informations on occasion. If your email information is not correct, then I can not contact you with class information and updates and you will miss assignment information. The dates that you will see indicate when I posted the information and are not important for you. The same is true for the "points" earned. I am not using a point system, but Blackboard automatically posts a value- don't worry about it.
There are various avenues to finding what you need for class. - go to my personal web page: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~cturner, then click on whichever syllabus you need. You can enter into My Blackboard by clicking on the link from my web page, typing in the url for the home page: http://blackboard.vcu.edu, or go there from VCU's home page. You will need a user ID and a password to logon to Blackboard. Your user ID is the first part of your VCU email address (before the @ symbol). Your password is your is the same as your VCU email password.  If you do not know your VCU email password, you can call the University Computer Services (UCS) help desk (828-2227) for help or find it online from the opening Blackboard page., going to the Student Help Screen, and Getting Help With Your Email Account. It is important to check your VCU email as I will be sending some class information and assignment instructions to you through the Blackboard email function. Once you are in the appropriate course area, you can access my web page and your syllabus with a simple click on the syllabus link. In addition, it is in this protected section of the web where your grades are recorded and your student functions (such as drop box and email communication) are found.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:

You should have your reading assignment completed by the day it is listed on the syllabus, if at all possible. The films you will be seeing and class activities are keyed to the chapter readings and will be much more intelligible if the chapter(s) have been read in advance. The same is true for any lectures. This will help you a great deal in class and to pass your exams. You must have "The Forest People" read in its entirety by the day we discuss it in class.
IN-CLASS EXERCISES: There are a number of graded in-class activities. You will need to be in class in order to receive credit for these. There are no specific dates for these exercises.
EXAMS: You are responsible for all readings and any material covered in class whether you were in attendance or not on a given day. The regular exams will be a mix of "true/false" and multiple choice questions. There are NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. You will simply lose the 15% from your final grade.
GRADING:

The four regular exams count for 60% of the final grade (15% each). The final exam is 20% of the final grade. The graded in-class activities constitute 20% of the final grade. You will need to be in class in order to receive credit for these. There are no specific dates for these exercises.

VCU HONOR SYSTEM: You are responsible for knowing the details of the VCU Honor Code, which we go over in class and which is available on the VCU web page and in the VCU "Student Resource Guide." "Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes that honesty, truth, and integrity are values central to its mission as an institution of higher education" (VCU Resource Guide, 1995-96, pg. 51). I also recognize this and will provide an environment that is conducive to academic integrity. During exams, please seat yourselves for maximum spacing, do not wear hats, and do not have any class materials in sight. No one may be excused to use the restrooms during the exam periods. I will charge students for any honor violations.
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE: "It is the policy of VCU to accord students, on an individual basis, the opportunity to observe their traditional religious holidays" (VCU Undergraduate Bulletin, 1994-1996 pg. 52). If you need to be excused for religious reasons, please inform me in a timely manner.
HOW TO FIND THE PROF:

after class or by appointment. School of World Studies, Annex, 310 N. Shafer St., office 201, 827-7869 (please do not leave a message asking me to return your call, an email is better), cturner@vcu.edu.


SCHEDULE:		 PLEASE READ THIS COURSE OUTLINE CAREFULLY AND KEEP IT UPDATED FOR ANY CHANGES IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE.
1-Aug. 24 Introduction to the course
2-Aug. 29 Chapter 1 - What is anthropology
3-Aug. 31 Chapter 2 - Applying Anthropology
4-Sept. 5 Chapter 3 - Ethics and Methods in Cultural Anthropology
5-Sept. 7 Chapter 4 - Culture
6-Sept. 12 Chapter 5 - Ethnicity and Race
7-Sept. 14 Exam 1
8-Sept. 19 Chapter 6 - Language and Communication
9-Sept. 21 Chapter 6 - Language and Communication
10-Sept. 26 Chapter 7 - Making a Living
11-Sept. 28 Chapter 7 - Making a Living
12-Oct. 3 Chapter 8 - Political Systems
13-Oct. 5 Chapter 8 - Political Systems
14-Oct. 10 Exam 2
15-Oct. 12 Chapter 9 - Families, Kinship, and Descent
16-Oct. 17 Chapter 9 - Families, Kinship, and Descent
Oct. 19 Fall Break Reading Day
17-Oct. 24 Chapter 10 - Marriage
18-Oct. 26 Chapter 11 - Gender
19-Oct. 31 Chapter 12 - Religion
20-Nov. 2 Chapter 12 - Religion
21-Nov. 7 Exam 3
22-Nov. 9 Chapter 13 - The Arts
23-Nov. 14 The Forest People
24-Nov. 16 no class
25-Nov. 21 The Forest People
Nov. 23 Holiday
26-Nov. 28 Chapter 14 - The Modern World System
27-Nov. 30 Chapter 15
28-Dec. 5 Chapter 16
29-Dec. 7 Exam 4
Dec. 19-Tues Final Exam 9:30-10:50
The contents and opinions contained herewithin do not reflect any positions or policies of VCU.