Syllabus

ANTH 2351 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Class syllabus INSTRUCTOR: OFFICE: OFFICE HOURS:

Mickie Murin

E-MAIL:

[email protected]

Internet

PHONE:

505-401-6596

Monday-Sunday 9:00am-5:00pm (Arizona time)

Textbook Title : Cultural Anthropology: Appreciating Cultural Diversity, 14th Edition Author : Conrad Phillip Kottak Publisher : McGraw Hill Edition/Year : 2011 ISBN : 978-0-07-811698-8 Instructor: Mickie Murin Phone: 520-761-4645 (h)

email: [email protected] and [email protected] 505-401- 6596 (cell)

Course Goals Course Goals : Anthropology is the study of human beings. Anthropologist Ruth Benedict said, "The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences." The differences (and commonalities) that anthropologists are interested in are both cultural and physical in nature. Anthropology includes the reconstruction of past cultures (archaeology), the study of living cultures (cultural anthropology), and the study of physical adaptations humans have made to various environments (physical anthropology). The major goal of cultural anthropology is to promote understanding among peoples -- an increasingly important endeavor in an increasingly interconnected global community. Understanding human diversity promotes the understanding that diversity does not create "them" and "us," but a more interesting "us." Critical thinking is an important aspect of learning and forming educated personal opinions. To help with this goal, there are 15 “Discussions," one for each chapter. Some of you may strongly disagree with the topic, others will embrace the idea that's presented. The purpose of the discussions is to generate discourse on all views. Course Requirements Introduction: There are 15 chapters in the book. Learning Objectives and keywords definitions are a good starting point when studying for exams. Also, a week or two before each test, a review will be e-mailed to all students. Within most chapters, there are articles (outside of your textbook) for you to read. There's a good chance that information from the articles/web sites will be on the test. Requirements : Grades for the course will be based on 4 requirements:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Four Homework Assignments; Four exams; Class participation; and Class project 1. The exams (25% of total grade) will occur approximately every 4 weeks and may include definitions, short answer questions, and essay questions. You will receive a review of possible test questions a week or two prior to the tests. 2. The homework assignments (25% of total grade) will involve writing a one to three page essay on a particular subject that you may have to research on the Internet. If you've never done research on the Internet, give me a call and I'll walk you through your first assignment. I advise that you submit the assignments on a timely basis; getting behind can cause un-necessary stress. To access assignments, choose "ASSIGNMENTS" under your Course Tools menu. Each assignment has a “due date.” A student can submit an assignment after that date, but please note points will be deducted for late papers. 3. Class participation (25% of total grade) will be noted via your involvement in class “Discussions.” There are 15 discussions and in order to do well students must submit a response to all 15. If you have a topic you’d like to submit for comment, please feel free to do so. Submit your topics via "DISCUSSIONS" under your Course Tool menu. It may not seem so at first, but this section of your grade is as important as the other three; it is ¼ of your total grade! Discussions are due at the end of each week (Sundays) by midnight, and must contain at least 100 words.

4. Class project (25% of total grade) Chapter 3 discusses ethnographic techniques as well as survey research. For your student project, develop and conduct a project according to the guidelines of the first six techniques; instructions and examples are provided under “Student Project.” 400-350 = A 349-300 = B 299-250 = C 240-200 = D