Anthropology 1010-B Course Syllabus - Continuing Education at the ...

Anthropology 1010-B
Course Syllabus
Instructor Information:
Name: Marissa Shaver
Department of Anthropology
Email: shaver.ms@gmail.com
You are highly encouraged to read, reread and understand this entire syllabus prior to beginning the
first lesson. In addition, please explore and become familiar with the entire course site.
Basic Requirements:
Culture and the Human Experience (Anthropology 1010) consists of 16 lessons, each with a self-study
exercise or assignment, and three papers. Lessons 1, 4, 8, 12, and 13 have assignments associated with
them located at the end of each lesson. Do not forget these assignments! Failure to complete them will
lower your grade. You can submit these assignments through the Assignments Tool. This course also
contains two quizzes located under the assessments tool. Also, there is a comprehensive final examination.
The course carries three semester units of credit through Continuing Education at the University of
Utah.
Text and Monographs
Beals, Alan. Gopalpur: A South Indian Village. Holt, Reinhart and Winston.
Liebow, Elliot. Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women. Penguin Books.
Murphy, Yolanda and Robert Murphy. Women of the Forest (2nd or 3rd Edition). Columbia University
Press.
Nanda, Serena and Richard Warms. Cultural Anthropology (9th Edition). Thomson/Wadsworth
Publishing Company. ISBN: 9780534617066
Course Introduction:
Anthropology is the study of human beings, past and present, their behavior, practices, beliefs, art, social
structure, kinship, culture, and all that it is to be human. Anthropology is of relatively recent origin. In
the United States, anthropology developed into a discipline with the effort to salvage evidence and cultural
knowledge of cultures that were quickly disappearing, namely Native American cultures. Franz
Boas, often called the father of American anthropology, was central to this effort in the early twentieth
century. He worked among Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. He argued that all humans have
an equal capacity for culture (equality in ability) and that no culture is more or less civilized than any
other culture. He espoused this at a time when Western cultures were held to be superior and more civilized
than other cultures and when racism was rampant. Today his ideas are still relevant and important.
Anthropology is not limited to the study of the human past, material, or fossilized remains. Anthropologists
have an infinite curiosity about what it means to be human. A list of anthropological areas of inter-
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est ranges from the more familiar topics of “race,” ethnicity, gender and sex roles, kinship, social organization,
subsistence, political organization to urban studies, gangs, terrorism, ethnomusicology, art and
performance, colonialism, immigration, homelessness, labor and class formation, the media, folkhealing
and medical systems or practices, and many more. The range of topics is unlimited.
Anthropology involves more than scholarly pursuits. Its tools, methods, and understandings are used to
improve the world in which we live. Throughout the textbook are boxes titled “Anthropology Makes a
Difference.” Here the authors assert the importance of anthropology in the real world. They discuss applied
anthropology - ways in which anthropology has been used to address modern-day problems and
find solutions.
This course is designed to acquaint you with the variety and complexity of human life worldwide, and
with the tools and methods of cultural anthropology, one of the subdisciplines of anthropology. You are
encouraged to pursue your natural curiosity about cultures and to discover how and why human populations
have come to be what they are.
In this class, all of the learning happens outside the classroom. Staying with the assignments and keeping
me informed of your studies and situations will enhance your learning and our relationship. Good
luck and I hope you enjoy this course!
Grading Policy:
Your course grade will be determined by the following scale:
A = 328 - 350 B+ = 304 - 314 C+ = 269 - 279 D+ = 234 - 244 E < 214
A- = 315 - 327 B = 293 - 303 C = 258 - 268 D = 222 - 233
B- = 208 - 292 C- = 245 - 257 D- = 215 - 221
5 Assignments @ 10 points each
2 Quizzes @ 25 points each
3 Monograph papers @ 50 points each
Final Exam @ 100 points
Total points = 350
Course Format:
This course consists of 16 lessons, each of them vital to your understanding of cultural anthropology.
The self-study and assignments portion of the lessons must be carefully completed in order for you to
perform well on the final examination. You do not need to hand in the self-study material, but you do
need to turn in the assignments from lessons 1, 4, 8, 12, and 13. You need to answer only one of the
questions listed. Assignments should be at least 1/2 page in length and no longer than one page doublespaced.
Submit all assignments via the assignments tool. You also have two quizzes which are located in
the assessments tool.
Most lessons consist of:
1. a short lecture reading
2. a text reading assignment and a monograph reading assignment. Each reading assignment includes a
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list of terms which you need to be able to define accurately and use appropriately in answering the selfstudy
and assignment essay questions, writing the monograph papers, and on the final exam. The definitions
of the terms are in each lesson’s assigned reading in the textbook; and
3. a self-study exercise or assignment covering the information in the lesson. The questions can be answered
in 1/2 to one page, depending on the question, so use your judgment, based on the readings.
The questions should be answered subjectively and on your own. You should be able to use each lesson’s
listed terms appropriately in the self-study exercises or assignments in order to best prepare you to
use them correctly in the three papers and on the final exam. After writing your self-study or assignment
answers out, it is a good idea to discuss them with another person or explain your answer to another
individual. The aim here is to have a working knowledge of these answers and the ability to relate the
information to another person. This will help you when you take the final examination. Remember to
differentiate the self-study questions with the assignmets. The assignments can be found in lessons 1, 4,
8, 12, and 13. Submit them via the assignments tool in WebCT. Do not submit the self-study questions,
only assigment questions in the lessons indicated.
4. There will be two quizzes during the course. One midway through the course and the other at the end.
Monograph Papers:
Three monograph papers are required, each worth 50 points. The papers are graded according to the folowing
scale:
A = 45-50 B = 40-44 C = 35-39 D = 30-34
Scores below 30 require revision and resubmission. The highest possible grade for a resubmission is a C
(39 points).
Each paper is an in-depth essay (3-5 pages) dealing with a specified topic based on a monograph that is
to be read very thoroughly, cover to cover. You should use information and evidence derived from the
course material and text as well as the material from the self-study exercises and assignments. Before
you begin writing, you should outline the essay and make sure you are answering the questions at hand.
Your opinions and subjective impressions are encouraged. Grades will be determined on the basis of accuracy,
completeness, and demonstrated understanding of the questions and reading material. The papers
are to be typed and double-spaced with adequate margins. They must include the title of the monograph
and your name.
Study Suggestions:
I suggest that you read through all of the lessons before you begin in order to get a feel for the course as
a whole. I also suggest that you set a realistic goal for completion of the course. One lesson a week
seems to be a good ‘guideline’ for most students. One monograph paper every three to four weeks is a-
ppropriate. Experience has shown that long interruptions can dampen enthusiasm for finishing courses
so don’t procrastinate!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding the lessons and/or assignments. My
email address is listed at the top of this syllabus.
Internet and Textbook:
This edition of the text has an educational website that I encourage you to explore. The web content
includes photo essays and film clips for most chapters, which visually demonstrate key concepts. The
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text suggests that you access InfoTrac College Edition. Your textbook should come with a password for
a one-month free subscription. The decision to subscribe is yours. I will not include any information
solely found on the Internet on the final exam. You can purchase the text through any online
retailer such as Amazon.com.
To access the web content, please visit http://anthropology.wadsworth.com and click on Cultural Anthropology,
9th edition.
Final Exam:
The final exam is comprehensive and so covers all course material assigned in the text and the course
material. A matching exercise, short answer, and essay questions are included. You may take the final
only after all assignments, quizzes, and both projects have been graded and returned to you. To help you
prepare for the exam, a study guide has been provided in WebCT. Allow two hours to take the exam.
Again, please feel free to email me if you have any questions during this course.
The final examination consists of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. The
most efficient way to study for the exam is to fully complete the self-study exercises and assignments
because most of the exam questions will come from them. You will have two hours to complete the final
exam, which is a closed book, comprehensive test. Information on how to arrange to take the exam is
located in the “Start Here” folder on the course home page (Blackboard). Click on the “Final Exam
Request” link.
NOTE: Independent Study policy requires that you pass the final examination in order to pass the
course. Your grade — whether passing or failing — will be recorded with the University of Utah Registrar.
The graded exam will not be returned to you. You will receive a grade sheet with instructor comments.
If you would like to review your graded exam, please contact the Distance Education office.
Independent Study Academic Honesty Guidelines:
The University of Utah policy on academic honesty applies to Distance Education students. Students
enrolled in University of Utah courses are expected to be aware of the seriousness of academic dishonesty.
Unacceptable behavior includes cheating on tests, plagiarism, and collusion. Plagiarism means the appropriation
of any other person’s work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one’s own
work offered for credit. Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with any other person in preparing
work offered for credit.
Students found engaging in academic dishonesty are subject to a variety of penalties such as resubmission
of assignments, re-examination, and failure in the course (see PPM Chapter X, Section V: STU-
DENT ACADEMIC CONDUCT, Section B-3 for a complete listing).
Plagiarism is taking another person’s ideas or writings and using them as your own. In other words,
you can’t copy something right out of your textbook and stick it in an assignment which makes it appear
as though you had written it. Instructors generally read the text numerous times. Some instructors refer
to the text constantly while grading. That means they are familiar with both the content and with the
style of writing. If an instructor detects plagiarism in an answer, you will be given no credit for that answer.
You may fail that assignment. If you do it again in a future assignment, your standing in the course
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will go on hold, and you will be referred to the director of Distance Education. This may also result in a
failing grade for the course.
Feel free to contact your instructor for clarification on the subject of academic honesty. Also feel free to
ask questions while you’re writing your assignments. If you’re unsure about this issue of academic honesty,
or about issues about textbook content, contact your instructor.
Guidelines for Quoting and Paraphrasing:
You can quote or paraphrase from your textbook:
Quoting -
When you copy any phrase or string of words (four or more words in a row) you must
credit the author.
Example 1: On page 369, a certain text says that insulin is a “short-term hunger trigger.”
To include this phrase in your answer, credit the textbook author:
Insulin is released into the bloodstream at the sight of food and acts as a “short-term hunger
trigger” (Myers, p. 369)
Paraphrasing -
You may reword or paraphrase as long as you do it correctly. You cannot change one or
two words in a sentence and consider that an adequate paraphrase. Paraphrasing means
that you may use the author’s idea, but you must reword the sentence completely.
“When a person sees food, insulin is released into the bloodstream, and the person becomes
hungry.”
You may not use the term “short-term hunger trigger” unless you quote it and reference
the page. It’s a special and unique phrase coined by textbook author Myers.
Crediting the Source - Whether you quote or paraphrase you must credit the source of the information. One way
to credit a source is to include the author’s last name and the page number where the passage
can be found.
Example 2: Quote from Fiske and Taylor’s Social Cognition (p. 213): “One’s poor abilities
tend to be perceived as common, but one’s favored abilities are seen as rare and distinctive.”
(Fiske and Taylor, p. 213)
Another way to credit an author is to add something such as:
According to the authors of the text, . . .
Fiske and Taylor argue that . . .
Darley and Gross (1983, cited in Fiske and Taylor, p. x) support the idea that . . .
You should not copy entire paragraphs even if you do use quotes. Why not? Well, rarely
is one of the assignment questions aimed directly at what the text author was writing
about. You often have to integrate the material, or compare and contrast two concepts or
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terms. In other words you won’t be able to find a whole paragraph that gives exactly the
answer the instructor is looking for.
How to Produce Sterling Written Assignments:
You are about to start a Distance Education Independent Study course. It’s quite a bit different from taking
a traditional, classroom lecture-type course, so you may be wondering what it is you’ll have
to do in order to pass this class. Well, this part of the course manual contains hints that you should
incorporate while preparing assignments. Glance over this material before doing your first assignment.
When completing written assignments:
1. Refer to both the text and to commentary in this course manual. Remember to cite references properly.
Don’t forget while answering questions that there could be relevant material in the course manual
as well as in the textbook.
2. When giving examples, come up with your own examples rather than using the ones from the text.
You’ll learn the material much, much better if you have to think of how to apply what you’ve learned
in a new way.
3. Remember to address each and every part of a question. Many students answer the first part of a twoor
three-part question, forgetting to comment on the rest of what was asked. You can only receive full
credit for answering the whole question.
4. Go into enough depth to carefully answer each and every part of the question being asked. Do not go
overboard. Be concise, but be thorough. Essay answers will necessarily vary in length as a function of
what’s being asked. Your answers should most often be between about one-third and one-half of a
page in length. One short paragraph containing a few sentences will probably never be sufficient,
while answers that exceed one page in length may be too wordy or go into more detail than needed.
5. Organize your answer. An essay with a proper introduction, body and conclusion generally provides
more understanding (hence a better grade) than an essay that is not structured. It’s easier for a reader
to follow your train of thought when your answer is laid out clearly. The brief introduction should let
the reader know the nature of the answer — your thesis and agenda. Within the body of the essay, address
each and every part of the question one at a time, being careful to make the necessary connections
between each point. The conclusion should tie things together and remind the reader of the central
point(s).
You may not think that the way you write should be counted toward your grade. But if your reader can’t understand
what it is you’ve written, then you’ve essentially failed to communicate that you have the right answer.
This may negatively affect your grade. Since Independent Study classes have a tremendous emphasis on written
work, writing style is especially important. Review this section before you hand in an assignment. NOTE:
Spelling, punctuation and sentence structure are all part of writing style.
Final Step: Read It Out Loud.
If you’re not sure that your sentence is grammatically correct, try reading it out loud. If it doesn’t sound right,
then it probably isn’t correct grammatically.
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