Dr. John Ambenge

E-mail: jambenge@mxcc.commnet.edu

 

ANTH 101L/D     Introduction to Anthropology                                                            Fall 2008

CRN 3007                                                                                                                             3.00 CREDITS

 

Text Book: Ember & Ember: 2005: Anthropology, A Brief Introduction, 5th ed. Prentice Hall

                                                                                                                                                                                 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This is a survey course of the major fields of anthropology - physical, cultural, and archaeological, with an emphasis on the distinctive anthropological perspective on human beings. Non-Western cultures will be the focus of the cultural analysis.

 

Why Study Anthropology: Anthropology contributes to understanding others in today’s global world. It helps us avoid misunderstandings between peoples everywhere. Exposure to anthropology might help us to alleviate some of the misunderstandings that rise between people of different cultural groups and as the world becomes increasingly interconnected or globalized, the importance of understanding and trying to respect cultural and physical differences becomes necessary. Furthermore, this course fulfills the general education/liberal arts requirements.

 

”L” (Library) Course and “D” (Diversity) Course Requirements: As an “L” course, students are expected to complete and hand in some form of Library project or research paper in order to receive a grade. The course is meant to foster understanding, open- mindedness and the valuing of others through an appreciation of human differences.  This may include race, ethnicity, culture, religion, physical disability as well as class, age, gender, sexual orientation, or other considerations. This requirement mandates that Middlesex students must have had two “L” courses and one “D” course by the time they have completed 60 credits.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES: It is expected that by end of the semester, the student will be able:

1) Understand why other people are they way they are both culturally and physically.

2) Understand the differences in cultural values around the world.

3) Master the major fields of anthropology, the differences in each and the familiarity and the differences between anthropology and other social sciences

4) Understand the relationship of culture to human evolution and human diversity

5) To think critically about differences and similarities among human groups

6) Understand why there are human variations and the concept of race – biology and social race.

 

Student Outcomes:

Acquire Core Disciplinary Knowledge:

  • Comprehensive and use of core Anthropological concepts and major theoretical perspectives
  • Demonstrate an ability to identify the importance of differences among groups regarding cultural and social variables
  • Conduct research using anthropological methods to study cultural issues, and communicate findings to a wider audience

 

Historical and Comparative Analysis Skills:

  • Achieving awareness of the historical roots of contemporary anthropological practices and human problems
  • Demonstrate an awareness of social cultural and cultural differences among world societies

 

Research Skills:

  • Understand basic ethical and methodological principles underpinning social science
  • Demonstrate basic qualitative research skills or
  • Demonstrate basic quantitative research skills
  • Understand the basic differences between primary and secondary data analysis

 

Communication Skills:

  • Being proficient in the use and evaluation of appropriate social science-related resources, such as library and other technologically driven mediums
  • Obtain the skills in commutation and critical anthropological inquiry
  • Communicate effectively in written and oral forms as part of required coursework
  • Writing cogent anthropological papers with proper grammar, spelling and ASA- style citations and references

 

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

a) Assigned readings must be done thoroughly as they will provide the basis for weekly Discussions.

b) Biweekly tests and a final exam consisting of objective - multiple choice and short answer questions, based on chapter readings from the textbook, class lectures, and handouts. None of the exams will be cumulative.

c) Research paper be completed and submitted on or before by 12/08/08. Late submissions will NOT be graded. 

 

NB. I will be available to respond to your emails or attend to your other concerns on the following days of the week - Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Students should not expect the instructor to be available 24/7.   

 

Methods of Evaluation:

a)       Test (3)                                                  = 15%

b)       Weekly Discussions                           = 15%

c)       Research Paper                                     = 20%

d)       Midterm                                                 = 25%

e)       Final Exam                                             = 25%

 

Grading System:

95 - 100 = A

90 – 94 = A-

87 – 89 = B+

84 – 86 = B

80 – 83 = B-

77 – 79 = C+

74 – 76 = C

70 – 73 = C-

67 – 69 = D+

64 – 66 = D

60 – 63 = D-

Below 60 = F

 

NB: No Make-ups for tests or exams missed except with an excused absence. A failing grade will be assigned for missed tests, assignments or exams.

 

Weekly discussions: Topics are available from Monday 12.00 am to Sunday 6.00 pm. Students are expected to participate in the weekly discussions, while creating a comfortable learning environment regardless of ideological or personal differences of opinion.  Please post your responses on the discussion board so that other students have an opportunity to react to them. DON’T email them to your instructor.

Maximum Points: The maximum points a student can earn on any weekly discussion topic is 5. To earn the maximum points, a student MUST submit no less than 5 responses per topic. For more information on scoring, please read the instructions.  Failure to submit and/or make contributions as expected will affect your final grade negatively.

 

Withdrawal from Courses: A student who wishes to withdraw from the course must obtain a withdrawal form from the Records Office, fill in and sign the form, obtain the signature of the course instructor and return the completed form to the Records Office. Please don't ask me over the phone or via email to withdraw you from my class. It is your responsibility to do so by observing the protocol.

 

Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action. Section 5.2.1 of the Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual states refers. The college and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of resource materials. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students caught cheating will receive an F for that assignment with more severe sanctions as appropriate.

 

Disability: It is the policy of Middlesex Community College that individuals otherwise qualified shall not be excluded, solely by reason of their disability, from participation in any academic program of the college. Further, they shall not be denied the benefits of these programs nor shall they be subjected to discrimination. Students with disabilities must register with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities located in the Counseling Center and then arrange a conference with the instructor in order that accommodations can be made to assure that participation and achievement opportunities are not impaired.

 

Research Paper - Due 12/01/08

Why is it vital for anthropologists to develop good relations with both the “official” powers and the individual members of the community within which they are working? How can these relationships, good or bad, impact fieldwork and methodology?

 

Instructions:

  • Keep your paper between 5-10 pages long.
  • Must have cover page with Title, Student Name, Course Title, CRN #, Instructor’s Name, Semester, Date, and Year
  • Must be typed, double spaced and Font must be set at 12.
  • Provide Bibliography or works cited page.
  • Free of grammatical errors. 
  • THE APA STYLE must be used.

 

NB. The due date is final and there will be no extension please.

 

 TEST DATES                      CHAPTERS          # OF QUESTIONS                TIME ALLOWED

 

09/11 – 09/14                         1 -3                                          75                                 90 MINUTES

 

10/02 – 10/05                         4-6                                           75                                 90 MINUTES

 

10/24 – 10/26                         7-9           (MID-TERM)       90                                 105 MINUTES

 

11/13 – 11/16                         10 -12                                      75                                 90 MINUTES

 

12/13 – 12/16                         13-15                                      100                              120 MINUTES

                                                                Reading Assignments

 

08/25 – 08/31                      Chapter1:  What Is Anthropology?                                                                               

The Scope of Anthropology                                                                             

The Holistic Approach

The Anthropological Curiosity

The Fields of Anthropology

The Relevance of Anthropology

 

09/01 -09/07                        Chapter2:  Methods in Anthropology             

The Evidence of the Past

Finding the Evidence

Analyzing the Evidence

Dating of the Evidence

Explanation

Why Theories Cannot Be Proved

Evidence: Testing Explanation

Studying Cultures in the Recent Past and Present

 

09/08 – 09/14                      Chapter3: Genetics & Evolution:    

The Principles of Natural Selection

Heredity

Sources of variability

The Origin of Species

Natural Selection of Behavioral Traits

 

9/11 – 9/14                                           TEST: 1                 Chapters: 1- 3

 

09/15 – 09/21      Chapter4: Primate Evolution                           

Common Primate Traits

Distinctive Human Traits

The Emergence of Primates

The Emergence of Anthropoids

The Miocene Anthropoids: Monkeys, Apes, and Hominids

The Divergence of Hominids from Other Hominoids

 

09/22 – 09/28      Chapter5: The Hominids

The Evolution of Bipedal Locomotion

Australopithecus: The First Definite Hominid

One Model of Human Evolution

 

09/29 – 10/05      Chapter6: Hominids Culture & The Emergence of Homo         

Early Hominid Tools & Lifestyles

Trends in Hominid Evolution

Early Species of Homo Fossils

Homo erectus

 

10/02 – 10/05                      TEST: 2                 Chapters: 4-6

 

10/06 – 10/12      Chapter7:  The Emergence of Homo sapiens                                              

The Transition from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens

Middle Paleolithic Cultures

The Emergence of Modern Humans

Upper Paleolithic Cultures

The Earliest Humans and Their Cultures in the New World

 

10/13 – 10/19      Chapter8: Food Production                              

Preagricultural Developments

The Domestication of Plants and Animals

Why Did Food Production Develop?

Consequences of the Rise of Food Production

Origins of Cities and States

Archaeological Inferences about Civilization

Cities and States in Southern Iraq

Cities and States in Mesopotamia

The First Cities and States in Other Areas

Theories about the Origin of the State

The Decline and Collapse of States

 

10/20 – 10/26                      Chapter9: Human Variation                            

Processes in Human Variation

Physical Variation in Human Populations

Race and Racism and the Future of Human Variation

Race & Racism

The Future of Human Variation

 

10/24 – 10/26                      MIDTERM                                            Chapter 7-9

 

10/27 – 11/02                      Chapter10: The Concept of Culture

Defining Features of Culture

Attitudes That Hinder the Study of Cultures

Cultural Relativism

Describing a Culture

Some Assumptions about Culture

 

11/03 – 11/09                      Chapter11: Communication                                             

Communication

The Origins of Language

Descriptive Linguistics

Historical Linguistics

The Processes of Linguistic Divergence

Relationships between Language and Culture

The Ethnography of Speaking

 

11/10 – 11/16                      Chapter12: Getting Food                                 

Food Collection

Food Production

Environmental Restraints on Food Getting

The Origin, Sp[read, and Intensification of Food Production

 

11/13 – 11/16                      TEST: 3 Chapters: 10-12

 

 

11/17 – 11/23                      Chapter13: Economics Systems                      

The Allocation of Resources

The Conversion of Resources

The Distribution of Goods and Services

 

12/01 – 12/07                      Chapter14: Social Stratification                     

Variation in Degree of Social Inequality

Racism and Inequality

Ethnicity and Inequality

The Emergence of Stratification

 

12/08 – 12/14                      Chapter 15: Sex, Gender, and Culture           

Physique and Physiology

Gender Roles

Relative Contributions to Subsistence

Political Leadership and Warfare

The Relative Status of Women

Personality Differences

Sexuality

 

12/13 – 12/16                      FINAL EXAM                       Chapters: 13-15

*Students will be duly notified of any changes that might be effected.

                               

The textbook provides areas of interest which I suggest you make use of as you read along.

1.       Glossary Terms

2.       Critical Questions

3.       Internet Exercises.