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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 101
M, 6:30-9:00
Andrew Flachs
[email protected]
Office hours Friday 10:30-12:30
What makes us similar, and what sets us apart? Cultural anthropology is the study of human
beings from a cross-cultural perspective. As such, it is a very broad field drawing on economics,
natural sciences, history, literature, religion, politics, and gender studies. Anthropology stands
out from these disciplines in trying to present a holistic view of humanity by understanding
culture – the way we understand and navigate the world around us. By looking to other
societies, we can not only understand how people in other parts of the world think and live, but
also begin to question some of the base assumptions of our own society.
This course is designed to introduce you to cultural anthropology. It is divided into four parts
and each week will have a thematic focus. We will begin with the history and foundations of the
discipline, paying special attention to its close relationship with colonialism, and later cultural
relativism and universalism. What significance does that legacy have for modern cross-cultural
study, and what balance should we strike between the extremes of cultural relativism and
universalism? Then we will move to the major theories that have guided our view of human
organization. What role do religion, the environment, technology, language, and history have in
society today? What is culture, and how is that term used and misused? Why does that matter?
The third section of the class will introduce us to anthropological methods. How do
anthropologists collect their information, what is the value of that methodology, and what are the
ethical and professional concerns that we must consider when using those methods? More to the
point, what is the relevance of cultural anthropology in the 21st century? We will conclude by
looking at recent work by anthropologists and discussing the ethical and political ramifications
of their work.
Assignments and Grading: Coursework should be read before class for the week it is assigned.
Grading will be based on a midterm exam (20% of final grade), a final exam (40%), a 500
word essay written in response to the theme and readings of the week (20%), and
participation/attendance in class (20%). This is not a writing intensive class but it is in many
ways a reading intensive class. You are expected to come to class with opinions, doubts,
critiques, and indictments against the readings so that we can work through them as a class.
Tests will be a mixture of true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions, are designed to
last about an hour, and will take an hour and a half of class time so you can check your answers.
The 500 word (450-550 words) essay needs to reference the readings of the week and the first
paragraph should be a summary of the main points made. However, the bulk of the essay is your
reaction to the writing, how it fits with the rest of the class, and your well-reasoned opinion of
the arguments.
Readings: There will be one required textbook to help guide our class discussions, but many of
our readings will be scanned articles available through the course website.
Syllabus
Week 1: Course overview and introduction to the basics of cultural anthropology. What is
anthropology and where does it come from?
Morgan: Ancient Society
Herder: Selections
Kottak: 1-5, 23-36
Boas: Aims of Anthropology
Week 2: The Anthropological Method: What do anthropologists do and what kinds of
questions does anthropology ask?
Kottak: Chapter 3
Fricke: Taking Culture Seriously
Bleek: Lying informants
Malinowski: Introduction to Arogonauts of the Western Pacific
Geertz: Deep Play
Week 3: Anthropology and Colonialism: What are the legacies from European empires and
how do they influence us today?
Kottak: 5-12, 36-45, Chapter 10
Mintz: Time, Sugar, Sweetness
Scott: Crops, Towns, Government
Wolf: Introduction to Europe and the People Without History
Diamond: Introduction to Guns, Germs, and Steel
McIntosh: White Privilege
Week 4: Gender and Kinship
Kottak: Chapter 7,8
Weston: Exiles from Kinship
Zihlman: Gathering Stories for Hunting Human Nature
Bohannan: Shakespeare in the Bush
Week 5: Environments and Material Culture
Murphy: Anthropological Theories of Julian H. Steward
Harris: The Cultural Ecology of India’s Sacred Cattle
Stone: Theory of the Square Chicken
Malthus: Chapter 1, 2
Wilmsen: The Creation of Subsistence Foraging
Week 6: Symbol and Meaning
Wilk: Marginal Foods
Gmelch: Baseball Magic
Bordieu: The Forms of Capital
Brewis and Jack: Consuming Chavs
McCloud: Chapter 2 from Understanding Comics
Midterm
Week 7: Social Institutions
Kottak: Chapter 6, 9
Mauss: Introduction and Chapter 1 of The Gift
Foucault: The Great Confinement
Scott: Introduction to Seeing Like a State
Week 9: Economics
Kottak: 99-107
Marx: The Commodity
Weber: Protestant Sects and the Spirit of Capitalism
Schumacher: Buddhist economics
Sahlins: The Original Affluent Society
Week 10: Medical Anthropology
Kottak: 270-275
Martin: The Egg and the Sperm
Mattingly: Introduction to Paradox of Hope
Biehl: Vita
Farner: Structural Violence
Week 11: Ethics and representation
Kottak: 46-48
Miner: Body Ritual Among the Nacirema
Ortner: Reflections on Studying Up
Laden: Are Anthropologists a Dangerous Tribe?
Oggburg: Meeting the Godfather
Week 12: Public anthropology in the modern world
Kottak: Chapter 12
Wood: Anthropology Inc
Flachs: How and Why Our Clothing Choices Matter
Heller: Six Beds. Sixty Minutes
Weil: New Politics of Coca
Gonzalez: Human Terrain
Gershon: Email Breakup
Week 13: Thinking Like an Anthropologist: Denaturalizing Conflict
Kottak: Chapter 13
Blaikie: Chapter 1 and 2 from Political Economy of Soil Erosion
Bourgois: Chapter 1 from In Search of Respect
Shiva: Chapter 1 from Violence of the Green Revolution
Robbins: The Hatchet and the Seed
Deneven: The Pristine Myth
Week 14: Review and Final