Download introduction to cultural anthropology

SPRING 2013
OBERLIN COLLEGE
ANTHROPOLOGY 101

 INTRODUCTION
TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY 

“MAN IS AN ANIMAL SUSPENDED IN WEBS OF SIGNIFICANCE HE HIMSELF HAS SPUN.”—
CLIFFORD GEERTZ, THE INTERPRETATION OF CULTURES (1973)
BUILDING KING | ROOM 323 | MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, 3 PM- 415 PM
~
PROFESSOR CRYSTAL BIRUK
KING 320B
[email protected]
OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAYS, 3PM-5PM AND BY APPT.
~
Course Description |
An introduction to cultural anthropology through examination of concepts, methods, and
theories that anthropologists employ to understand the unity and diversity of human
thought, action, and sociality across cultures. Language and culture, kinship and the
family, politics and conflict, religion and belief, and economy and exchange are among
the analytics that guide our thinking. Across a range of ethnographic contexts, we grapple
with how globalization and social change impact not only social processes but also
anthropological theory and method.
This course will introduce you to cultural anthropology. We begin with the historical
foundations of the discipline and then follow a few thematic strands of anthropological
inquiry. In this course, you will have the opportunity to read recent ethnographies and
learn to appreciate the methods and genre of writing that define the discipline. In reading
course texts, we will pay careful attention not only to the stories they tell about diverse
cultural groups, but also the politics and ethics of their production, their knowledge
claims, and their innovations. We will “visit” a wide range of geographic locations across
the globe, and encounter diverse cultural groups including: homeless heroin injectors in
US urban centers, traditional healers in South Africa, and drag performers in historical
and contemporary contexts. Of course, I hope that this course inspires you to major in
anthropology, but, at the very least, I trust it will grant you an enduring anthropological
perspective.
As an introductory course, ANTH101 is lecture-based. Lectures will use the assigned
readings as a platform for presenting core concepts in anthropology. However, the course
will also comprise large group discussions, small group discussions + activities, films,
and debates. Participation does comprise a portion of your grade, so you are encouraged
to be an active member of the class, get to know your classmates and instructor, and to be
excited about anthropology!
Course Goals |
Students will: 1) Understand the core methods and concepts that anthropologists use to
interpret social phenomena; 2) Become familiar with controversies, challenges, and major
issues faced by anthropology today; 3) Apply theoretical and methodological tools
learned in class to real-world issues, current events, and everyday life; 4) Cultivate good
research and writing skills (i.e., an ability to locate and utilize library resources to make a
strong argument); 5) Appreciate the value of a cosmopolitan and open-minded
anthropological worldview; and 6) Have fun!
Books |
*Adam Ashforth. (2000). Madumo: A Man Bewitched.
*Philippe Bourgois. (2009). Righteous Dopefiend.
*All other course readings are available in PDF form on Blackboard under “Library
Readings.”
Course Requirements |
*
Class participation + periodic pop quizzes: 15 %
^Class participation entails active engagement in group activities, sharing
your thoughts during class, and so on.
^Pop quizzes entail brief (10 min) multiple choice or short answer
assessments of your familiarity with the readings and lecture material
*
Fieldnotes at Oberlin: 10 %
*
Anthropology in the real world essays (#1, #2): 20 %
*
Kinship diagram and analysis: 15 %
*
Film response paper: 15 %
*
Topic paragraph and list of 5 academic sources, in-class presentation, and
final research paper: 25 %
Class participation + periodic pop quizzes
| You should come to class having read the readings listed for that class meeting. You
should be actively engaged in class lectures, group activities, and discussions at all times.
Because of the large size of the class, I will take attendance every class meeting. The
instructor reserves the right to administer periodic “pop quizzes” that draw on material
covered in class sessions. These provide you with insight into your grasp of the material
and enable the instructor to gauge student difficulties with material. Students should
attend all class meetings. Three unexcused absences will result in a failing grade.
Students are responsible for all assignments, instructions, lecture notes, and so on they
may miss during an absence. Absences will *only* be excused with a valid doctor’s
note testifying to illness on the day in question or some other appropriate
documentation of legitimate excuse. Students may communicate with the instructor
about missed classes by email or in person.
| Make an effort to attend office hours once within the first month of class. This will help
me get to know you.
Assignments |
* Assignment | Fieldnotes at Oberlin
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Due | Wednesday, February 20
Description | As we have discussed in lecture and noted in the writings of Malinowski
and Bourgois + Schoenberg, fieldnotes and participant observation are cornerstones of
the anthropological method. This is your chance to practice “seeing” like an
anthropologist. For this assignment, you should spend about a half hour to an hour
observing a social scene at Oberlin. Choose a site that plays an important role in social
life (e.g.: Mudd, dining halls or co-ops, a party you attend, a musical or theater
performance, everyday life in your dorm or other housing arrangement, a sports event or
practice, and so on). As an observer of the event, you should take detailed notes (mental
or written) on things you might usually not notice about the scene: you should seek to
make the familiar strange. You should submit a summarial 1-2 page version of your
notes and observations on the scene. Your goal is to capture as much of what you observe
as possible within the page limit and to pay particular attention to aspects of socialization
that may be important for understanding the culture of Oberlin at large (i.e., How do
people dress and what does it say about them? What sorts of topics do people discuss and
what can we infer about culture at Oberlin? How do Obies separate themselves into
groups—what are the criteria of inclusion and exclusion? What sorts of gestures, ways of
interacting, ways of speaking, and so on comprise the knowledge someone needs to be an
“Obie?”) This assignment should not be stressful; rather, it is a fun way for you to
practice your skills as a participant observer and to begin to see dimensions of cultural
life at Oberlin in a new way. My goal is for you to denaturalize things you see every day
and begin to grasp the anthropological importance of seemingly minor social cues and
interactions. Much of the text of this assignment can be your “raw” observations, but the
last few lines or so should reflect on what might be the larger anthropological importance
of what you observed. I will disseminate a sample of my own fieldnotes, and you should
also refer to some of the “raw” fieldnotes in Righteous Dopefiend for inspiration.
* Assignment | Anthropology in the real world essays
Due | March 4 (#1), April 17 (#2)
Description | Part of being a good anthropologist is staying informed about everyday
happenings; these assignments will help cultivate your anthropological “alertness.” In
each of two short papers, you will apply your growing knowledge of anthropological
concepts to the “real world.” Write a 2-3-page paper in which you interpret an “object” of
your choice through the lens of concepts and insights from the readings or class
discussion. Your object can be anything at all: a popular song, a performance you attend,
a film, a news story, an art exhibit, or an advertisement. (Google Alerts might be a useful
tool to “alert” you to relevant items in the news or on the Web). Your objective is to
illustrate to me that you can use core course concepts to interpret social phenomena and
objects. Sample “good” papers will be distributed to provide you guidance in writing
these assignments. The general topic for each paper and due date follows:
1. “The Gift and Gifts,” Due March 4
2.
“Race, class, and social stratification,” Due April 17
* Assignment | Kinship Diagram and Analysis
Due | Kinship Diagram due Wednesday, March 13 in class
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Due | Kinship Diagram + Analysis (3 pages) due Wednesday, March 20 in class
Description | You will generate a kinship diagram of an individual of your choice, then
share your findings with a group of other students in the class. To collect your “data,”
arrange an interview (with a friend, community member, teammate, classmate,
roommate, etc…) in which you collect the information necessary to construct and
describe the diagram. (More details forthcoming). Bring the diagram to class with you
on March 13 to present to your group. You will turn in your kinship diagram along
with a 3-page analysis that discusses your findings, insights, and what you learned about
contemporary kinship practices through the comparison with diagrams constructed by the
other members of your group on March 13.
* Assignment | Film Response to Ru Paul Drag Race
Due | Wednesday, May 1
Description | Write a 2-3 page response to viewing the Ru Paul Drag Race episode in
class. The paper should analyze the episode using concepts discussed in class and
relevant texts (intersectionality, performative theories of gender and sexuality, camp,
How to be Gay, and so on).
* Assignment | Topic Paragraph, List of 5 Academic Sources, Final Research Paper
(10 pages) and In-class Presentation
a) Topic Paragraph + List of 5 Academic Sources
Due | Monday, April 1
Description | Submit a single paragraph that states the group that will be the topic of
your final paper, some preliminary information on the group, and why you are interested
in learning more about this group. In addition, submit a list of 5 academic sources that
you will use in your research on the group. You should also provide 2-3 sentences that
annotate (summarize and discuss why the specific source should be useful to you).
Academic sources can include books available at the library, e-books, and journal articles
available through e-resources via the library webpage. If you are uncertain as to whether
a source is considered “academic,” please inquire with me or with a research librarian
at Mudd. Anthrosource is a particularly relevant e-resource for this assignment. Through
Anthrosource, you can access many anthropological journals such as Cultural
Anthropology, American Anthropologist, Ethnos, Journal of the Royal Anthropological
Institute, Medical Anthropology, and so on.
b) Final Research Paper (10 pages)
Due | May 15 at 5pm via email to instructor ([email protected])
Description | You should choose a cultural group that is of interest to you and that is
represented in the anthropological literature. You may elect to focus on a group of
people anywhere in the world, but you must be able to argue that they comprise a
“cultural group” and find enough ethnographic sources to answer the assigned questions
about the group. Obvious entry points into this assignment are ethnic groups (i.e. the San
of southern Africa, the Maasai of east Africa, the Amish, or the Fore of Papua New
Guinea), but you may also choose to study a sub-cultural group if you prefer (such as
men who have sex with men in South Africa, diasporic communities in New York City,
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extreme body modifiers, graffiti artists, drag queens, or anarchists). In ten pages, you
should address the following questions about your chosen group:
1) Who are they? Where do they live? What narratives do they tell about
themselves? On what bases can they be viewed as a single, cultural group of
people? How do they reproduce their belief systems and worldviews? How has
contact (or conflict) with other groups altered or strengthened the group’s
cohesion? What “norms” characterize this group?
2) What changes has the group undergone amid globalization? What challenges and
prospects do they face as a group? How has the group adapted (or not) to
changing economic, social, technological, environmental, or other conditions?
3) How have anthropologists studied the group? What questions have they asked and
what findings have they circulated? What challenges have anthropologists faced
or will they face in studying the group? How have anthropologists’ approaches to
the group changed over time (if relevant)? What is the nature of the relations
between anthropologists and this group?
4) How has the group been represented in popular media or other sources (e.g. New
Yorker, New York Times, NPR programs, travel sites, Wikipedia, National
Geographic, museums, performance art, activists’ statements or publications)?
What possibilities and constraints do these circulating representations afford the
group? How might they contest or embrace these representations?
5) The paper should in some way incorporate or showcase your knowledge of the
concepts, theories, and methods presented this semester in ANTH101.
c) In-class Presentation (5 minutes)
Due | I will circulate a sign-up sheet for a slot during the last few classes.
Description | You will give a short oral presentation to your classmates. You should
connect some of the major findings from your research to one of the concepts or themes
discussed in class or the readings. As we are a large class, each presenter will be given a
strict time limit (five minutes). You should practice timing your presentation ahead of
time to ensure you meet the time limit. It is expected that you will use a “visual” of some
sort in your presentation (e.g.: video clip, Powerpoint or Prezi slides, images, other).
Policies |
Honor Code |
At the end of each academic exercise students shall write in full the Honor Pledge: "I
affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment." It is assumed that all
students are familiar with the Oberlin College honor code and honor system. Plagiarism
is unacceptable. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism or how to
properly cite sources, refer to a style manual (APA, available online) or seek advice at the
library or writing center. You can review the Honor Code at:
http://new.oberlin.edu/students/policies/11-Policies-Honor.pdf
Office of Disability Services |
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If you have a disability that may influence your performance in the course, please inform
me no later than the second week of class so we can make appropriate
accommodations. For more information, visit the Office of Disability Services, Peters
Hall G27-28 or phone (440) 775-5588 or visit http://new.oberlin.edu/office/disabilityservices/.
Other |
| I will make my best effort to respond to emails within 24 hours. That said, awaiting my
response is never an excuse for not completing assignments described on the syllabus.
| Be sure you are receiving emails; I recommend checking your spam folder frequently.
| All mobile phones, iPods, pagers, and so on should be turned off during class.
| Although laptops can prove to be useful learning tools, I prefer that you not use them
during class. If you plan to use a laptop, please sit where others in the classroom will not
be distracted by your screen. Avoid using Facebook, Twitter, chat functions, and so on
during class. If I notice inappropriate or overuse of technology during class, I reserve the
right to ban laptop use at any point during the semester.
A note on written assignments |
All written assignments should be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font, doublespaced, with standard one-inch margins and in APA style format. Submit assignments in
class upon arrival on the stated due date, with the exception of the final research paper
which must be submitted via email to the instructor. If you are absent from class on the
day that an assignment is due, you must email the instructor the assignment by the start
of class that day (3 pm) to avoid deductions for lateness.
One objective of this course is to cultivate your research, analytic, and writing skills.
Each of the papers you write should make a clear argument and enlist evidence/sources
that are properly cited at the end of the paper in APA format. The assignments you
submit should be polished and articulate. If needed, you should visit the Writing Center
on campus for assistance. Similarly, for help with finding and accessing appropriate
academic/anthropological sources, please make a research appointment with a reference
librarian (http://www.oberlin.edu/library/reference/resappts.html).
Final note |
This course might be seen as a rite of passage or initial socialization into the “tribe” of
anthropologists. As we know, socialization is not always easy or painless.
Anthropologists know very well that their project to “make the strange familiar, and the
familiar strange” may require moving outside one’s comfort zone. As such, you may find
some of the concepts, readings, or lectures difficult or foreign. Do not despair! This is
normal in an introductory course. Feel free to visit office hours at any time.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Monday, February 4 | Introductions
UNIT 1: WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?: CORE CONCEPTS
“A MAN WALKS DOWN THE STREET. IT’S A STREET IN A STRANGE WORLD… MAYBE IT’S HIS
FIRST TIME AROUND. HE DOESN’T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE. HE HOLDS NO CURRENCY. HE IS A
FOREIGN MAN…” –PAUL SIMON, “YOU CAN CALL ME AL” (1986)
Wednesday, February 6 | What is culture? Defining the anthropological project
*Clyde Kluckhohn. (1949). “Queer customs,” in Mirror for Man: The Relation of
Anthropology to Modern Life.
*Horace Miner. (1956). “Body ritual among the Nacirema.” American Anthropologist
58:503-507.
Reading prompt: What is the relationship between biology and culture? Though
Kluckhohn presents us with a myriad of definitions of the word culture, what do you
consider to be his “bottom line” definition of the term? What do you see as the most
extreme cultural practice of the Nacirema? How do these rituals or practices illustrate
the larger ethos of this cultural group? What do you think about Miner’s writing style;
how does it influence the way we understand the cultural group he is discussing?
Monday, February 11 | Anthropological methods: Ethnography, fieldnotes, +
participant observation
*Bronislaw Malinowski. (1922). “Introduction,” in Argonauts of the Western Pacific.
(pp. 1-25).
*Claude Lèvi-Strauss. (1955). Tristes Tropiques. (pp. 37-41).
Reading prompt: What commonalities or differences do we see in how Malinowski and
Levi-Strauss experience fieldwork and new places? What would you say is Malinowski’s
“method” in attempting to provide a true account of the life and times of the Trobriand
Islanders? Think of a time you have felt uncomfortable and out of place—why was this
the case?
Wednesday, February 13 | Anthropological methods, cont’d + research ethics
*Philippe Bourgois + Jeffrey Schoenberg. (2009). “Introduction,” Righteous Dopefiend
(pp.1-24).
Reading prompt: Both Malinowski and Bourgois/Schoenberg (many generations apart)
use the introductions of their books to describe their methodological approach to the
study of a particular cultural group. What major differences in tone, orientation, aims,
and so on do you observe between the two? What ethical issues might these authors have
faced in conducting their fieldwork?
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Monday, February 18 | Biocultural approaches to “Man”
*Clifford Geertz. (1973). “The impact of the concept of culture on the concept of man,”
in The Interpretation of Cultures (pp. 33-54).
Reading prompt: This essay is difficult, so read slowly and for the main points. Geertz is
interested in thinking about the nature of human nature. From your point of view, what is
human nature? Where does this definition come from? Geertz is arguing against certain
assumptions we (and “Enlightenment thinkers”) have about human nature. What are
some of these assumptions? What does Geertz mean by a “stratigraphic” concept of
man—does he agree with this concept? How does Geertz challenge our traditional views
of biology and culture? What is the “information gap” Geertz mentions and how does it
relate to the evolution of man?
UNIT 2: EXCHANGE, RECIPROCITY, AND SOCIAL GLUE
“YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE / IF YOU WANT LOVE / …YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE TO LIVE.”—SAMMY
HAGAR, “GIVE TO LIVE” (1987)
Wednesday, February 20 | The gift as social glue
Assignment Due: Fieldnotes at Oberlin (Bring a hard copy to class)
*Marcel Mauss. (1923). Chapters I, IV ("Gifts and the obligation to return gifts,"
and "Conclusions") of The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic
societies (pp. 8-18, 65-83).
*Lee Cronk. (1989). “Reciprocity and the power of giving.” (pp. 164-169).
*NPR. (2012). “Give and Take: How the Rule of Reciprocation Binds Us.” Transcript
from Morning Edition, Nov. 12, 2012.
Reading prompt: What is a gift, according to Mauss? What is the triple obligation of the
gift? Based on your personal history of giving and receiving gifts, do you find Mauss’
framework for thinking about reciprocity to be accurate? Why might be a gift be
“poisonous?” Why did so many strangers write back to Kunz (NPR)?
Monday, February 25 | Gifts and global society
*Bronislaw Malinowski. (1922). “The essentials of the Kula,” Argonauts of the Western
Pacific (pp. 81-104).
*Karen Tranberg Hansen. (2004). “Helping or hindering?: Controversies around the
international second-hand clothing trade,” Anthropology Today 20(4):3-9.
*Larissa MacFarquhar. 2009. “The kindest cut: Giving a kidney to a stranger,” New
Yorker (pp.38-51).
*Examine Stuff We Don’t Want (SWEDOW) Flow Chart available on BB
Reading prompt: What is the kula ring? What does it mean to say the objects under
discussion by Malinowski (bracelets and necklaces) are “alive”? What are the multiple
functions of the kula ring (outside of giving and receiving the material gifts)? What is
Hansen’s argument about the second hand clothing trade and how does it challenge
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common assumptions about “donating?” Why are we so wedded to the idea of kidneys as
“gifts?” Would you donate your kidney—to whom?
Wednesday, February 27 | Kinship as social glue: Vocabularies of relatedness
*”Incest, exogamy, and alliance,” in Cultural Anthropology: A Contemporary
Perspective.” (pp.228-233).
*David W. McCurdy. 1997. “Family and Kinship in Village India.” In Conformity and
Conflict. (pp. 227-234).
*Nankinti Nofuru. (2012). “Matrilineal Laws Don’t Benefit Women in Cameroon.”
Forbes.
Reading prompt: What is the incest taboo? Why does it exist? What are some of the
social and cultural reasons it may have come about? Is aversion to marrying or having
sex with kin universal? How does kinship organize Bhil society? Why do Bhil parents feel
that marriage is too important a matter to be left up to their children? Many suggest that
our own (US) kinship system is more important than many of us think. In what ways
might this be true? Why might it be inaccurate to consider matrilineality as always
beneficial to women? How can we determine the difference between “good culture” and
“bad culture?”
Monday, March 4 | Kinship: Nature v. culture
*Real World Paper #1 Due (Bring a hard copy to class)
*E. Teman. (2003). “The medicalization of ‘nature’ in the ‘artificial body:’ Surrogate
motherhood in Israel.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly 17(1):78-98.
*Rachel L. Swarns. (2012). “Gay Couples Face Pressure to Fill Cradles.” New York
Times.
*Evan Osnos. (2012). “Letter from China: The Love Business.” New Yorker.
Reading prompt: Today’s readings draw our attention to what might be termed
“alternative” kinds of kinship, based on improvised or culturally adaptive tactics for
building kin relations. How do the kinds of kinship discussed illustrate something about
each of their social contexts (Israel, US, China)? How do they help us rethink the
meanings of “natural” and “cultural” in discussing marriage, reproduction, and
“love?”
UNIT 3: HEALING, RITUAL, AND RELIGION
“THE GODS ARE IN HERE, TOO.”-BRUNO LATOUR, QUOTING HERACLITUS, IN REFERENCE
TO HUMAN MADE MACHINES
Wednesday, March 6 | Magic, religion, and witchcraft
*George Gmelch. (1992). “Baseball Magic,” pp. 1-5.
* Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 1-2, pp. 1-28.
Reading prompt: What is magic? Why are some parts of baseball more likely to prompt
players to engage in magical practices than others? In what other areas of US life is
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magic practiced? Do you belive in “magic?” What is the relationship between Ashforth
and Madumo, and how do you think it might affect the anthropologist’s telling of
Madumo’s story? Why does Madumo consider himself to be cursed? How does Madumo
hope to get himself out of his bad situation and how does Ashforth feel about this?
Monday, March 11 | Library research day (details forthcoming)
Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 3-5, pp. 28-70.
Reading prompt: After reading the account of Madumo’s trials and tribulations in
Chapter 3, what do you attribute his “curse” to? Does Ma Mfete believe in witchcraft?
How can a witch be identified? What are the two main types of healers in Soweto and
where does each get his/her power from? Why is Madumo more impressed with the
inyanga he visited than the prophets? What does Ashforth think about Zondi’s herbs?
What diagnosis does Madumo receive?
Wednesday, March 13 | Illness v. disease, medical pluralism
Kinship Diagram due (Bring hard copy to class)
Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 6-8, pp. 70-108.
Reading prompt: In the stories recounted in Chapter 6, we learn more about why certain
individuals are accused of being witches. Why are certain individuals more likely to be
witches than others? Why is it “dangerous to be a woman” in Soweto? How did Zondi
become a healer? Why is the volume of witchcraft in Soweto increasing? Why does
Madumo trust Zondi “100 percent?”
Monday, March 18 | Social dimensions of the therapeutic encounter
Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 9-13, pp. 108-166
In-class film: Sangoma (2009, Martin Himmel)
Reading prompt: What is Zondi’s primary role in dealing with Madumo’s case? In
reading pp. 109-111, think about how the atmosphere of the therapeutic encounter
between Madumo and Zondi might have a role in the healing process. Does the space of
healing described here share any similarities to healing spaces more familiar to you
(hospital, clinic)? According to Zondi, what are the roots of witchcraft? How has the
discourse of human rights affected witchcraft and community relations in Soweto? What
role does korobela play in male-female relations in Soweto?
Wednesday, March 20 | Managing uncertainty and the quest for therapy
Kinship Diagram + Analysis due (Bring hard copy to class)
Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 14-16, pp. 166-204
Reading prompt: When Ashforth visits the Eastern Cape, how does his physician friend
diagnose Madumo’s illness? What is isidliso? What dilemma does Madumo face in
following the prophet’s instructions for treating isidliso? Why is Madumo ambivalent
about taking the advice of the prophets? As Madumo’s treatment quest unfolds, we
witness Zondi prescribing some dubious and potentially dangerous antidotes to
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Madumo’s illness. If you were Ashforth, would you countenance these treatments? Why is
Soweto plagued by a particularly “virulent” strain of isidliso? What is the final step in
Madumo’s quest to return to “square one? ”What difficulties does he face in completing
his last task?
Monday, March 25 + Wednesday, March 27 | Spring Recess (No Class)
Monday, April 1 | Witchcraft, modernity, globalization
Final research paper topic paragraph + list of five academic sources due (bring hard
copy to class)
Madumo: A Man Bewitched, chapters 17-20, pp. 204-255
Reading prompt: How does Madumo’s family greet him when he arrives? Why does
Madumo’s family harbor negative feelings toward him? Chapter 18, which sees Ashforth
witnessing a scene he is told he cannot understand (“as a white man”), lies bare some of
the anthropologist’s emotions. What do these emotions motivate him to do? How does
this chapter illustrate some of the ethical and other difficulties of fieldwork? Read
Ashforth’s reflections on the intersections of hatred and witchcraft closely (pp. 225-226).
Does Ashforth believe in witchcraft? Do you? What does Madumo mean when he talks
about “westernizing the mind?” How do Ashforth’s reflections on the plane home
(Chapter 20) help articulate the tension between the universal and the particular that has
concerned us thus far this semester? How did Madumo’s story change your assumptions
about witchcraft?
UNIT 4: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
DUKIE: “HOW DO YOU GET FROM HERE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD?...”
CUTTY: “I WISH I KNEW.”—THE WIRE, SEASON 5, EPISODE 5
Wednesday, April 3 | Race + class in Harlem: Intersectionality
*John Jackson. (2001). “Doing Harlem, Touring Harlemworld,” and “Birthdays,
basketball, and breaking bread: Negotiating with class in contemporary black
America,” in Harlemworld: Doing Race and Class in Contemporary Black
America (pp. 1-15, 88-122).
In-class film excerpts: The Wire (2002-2008), Season 1, Episode 5 and Season 4, Episode
9, “Restaurant Scenes”
Pretty Woman (1990), “Dinner Etiquette”
People Like Us (2001), “Balsamic Vinegar Tour,” “Tammy’s
Story,” “Friends in Low Places”
Reading prompt: Why does Jackson refer to Harlem as “Harlemworld?” Why is Harlem
an interesting place to think about social stratification? What does Paul mean when he
says he has “two lives?” What strategies does Paul (and others discussed in the
chapters) use to keep these worlds separate? How does race in Harlem intersect with
other identities?
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Monday, April 8 | Intimate apartheid: Social distinctions and structural violence
Righteous Dopefiend, pp. 25-79.
Reading prompt: What does the word “apartheid” make you think of? What does
intimate apartheid in the Edgewater community entail? How are ethnic hierarchies
among the Edgewater homeless established and maintained? Why is the friendship
between Al and Sonny unique? What is “love?” Do you think Carter and Tina are in
love? Why is Sonny critical of the relationship between Carter and Tina? How do the
authors explain Tina’s sex work? How do you feel about it? Does sex work empower or
disempower Tina?
Wednesday, April 10 | Moral economies
Righteous Dopefiend, pp. 79-117
Reading prompt: What is the nature of the moral economy in Edgewater and how does it
help facilitate (or not) survival and the cohesion of this community? Does race determine
injection practices? What is the authors’ critique of the limitations of public health (and
how is their critique supported by the stories we hear about Hogan and Sonny in Chapter
3)? What is “pathogenic law enforcement?”
Monday, April 15 | Applying anthropology: Ways forward?
Righteous Dopefiend, pp. 271-320
Reading prompt: Is this book an effective form of activism? Each of the characters
interacts with institutions and social structures at some point (hospitals, housing
agencies, detox programs, needle exchanges, and so on). How do each of these
institutions help or harm the individuals in the book? Do the individuals we meet want to
get better? Should the government channel resources in their direction? If you were a
policy advisor, what ways forward would you suggest for dealing with the “drug
problem” in the US?
UNIT 5: GENDER AND SEXUALITY
“BOY, YOU’RE SUCH A PRETTY LADY.”—KE$HA, “PRETTY LADY” (2012)
Wednesday, April 17 | The cultural construction of gender, sex, and sexuality
Anthropology in the real world paper #2 due (bring a hard copy to class)
*Elizabeth Weil. (2006). “What if it’s (Sort of) a Boy and (Sort of) a Girl?” New York
Times Magazine.
*Hanna Rosin. (2008). “A Boy’s Life.” The Atlantic.
Reading prompt: In this unit we will be thinking about how gender, sex, and sexuality
intersect the nature/culture dichotomy. Are we born men and women, or do we become
them? What role does medicine and medical discourse play in sorting individuals into
sexes and genders? How does cultural context influence the way we classify those around
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us into categories such as “male,” “female,” “gay,” “straight,” “feminine,” or
“masculine?”
Monday, April 22 | Gender, sexuality, and performance
*David Halperin. (2012). How to be Gay, pp. 1-32
*IKEA Introduces MÄNLAND, the crèche for retail weary-men.” News.com.au
Reading prompt: Is gayness inherent to an individual or something he/she learns to
“do?” Can non-gay individuals be part of “gay culture?” What are markers of American
masculinity and femininity?
Wednesday, April 24 | Culture + Camp
*David Halperin. (2012). How to be Gay, pp. 129-148, pp. 367-375.
In-class Film: Ru Paul Drag Race, Episode 3 (“Jocks in Frocks”)
Reading prompt: What is Halperin’s definition of culture, and how does it align with or
diverge from our definition here in ANTH101? How does his notion of genre help us to
analyze and talk about gay male culture? What is the role of camp in gay culture? (and
what is camp, exactly?) What makes the gym Halperin discusses on p. 369 a “gay” gym?
Monday, April 29 | Wrap up + final evaluations
Wednesday, May 1 | Student presentations
Film response to Ru Paul Drag Race due (Bring a hard copy to class)
Monday, May 6 | Student presentations
Wednesday, May 8 | Student presentations
Wednesday, May 15 | Final Research Paper Due @ 5pm
Papers must be emailed as a Word document to the instructor ([email protected])
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