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ANTH 575 Theory of Culture Fall 2012 4 Credit Hours M, W 2:00-3:50p, Waldo 240 Instructor: Dr. Nancy Rosenberger Office: Waldo 210 Office Hours: W 8:30-9:30, Th 4:00-5:00, or by appointment [email protected] Course Description: Despite its central position in the discipline of anthropology, the precise meaning of “culture” is difficult to pin down. Anthropologists themselves offer myriad and sometimes conflicting definitions of the term. What is culture, and how does a person acquire and transmit it? In this seminar, we will consider, through readings, films, lectures and discussions, the various ways in which anthropologists have thought about the central concept of their discipline. In doing so, we will also explore the lives and ideas of some of the central theorists in anthropology in order to understand how their contributions have shaped the field. In this sense, our seminar can be seen as a primer in the history of anthropology and a whirlwind tour of social theory over the past 150 years or so. A second, but equally important, goal of the course is to explore how anthropologists today are shaped by historic and contemporary trends in theory, and how their work in turn reshapes that body of theory. We will accomplish this by undertaking a close reading of several recent ethnographies and examining how theory and ethnographic data are intertwined in the work that anthropologists do. Prerequisites, Co-requisites and Enforced Prerequisites: 9 credits of upper-division social science, including at least one 400-level anthropology course. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completing this course, students will be able to: Define and discuss the central concepts and principles of cultural anthropology; Identify and compare the main theoretical orientations within cultural anthropology in relation to the historical milieu in which they rose; Enumerate the theories and theorists associated with different time periods and schools of thought; Critically evaluate the relationship between theory and data in anthropological research; Assess the utility to their own work of various anthropological theories and methods. 1 Learning Resources: 1- Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Required) 2- Bourgois, Philippe and Jeffrey Schonberg. 2009. Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction and Poverty in Urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Required) 3- Auyero, Javier and Debora Alejandra Swistun 2009 Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown. Oxford University Press. (Required) 4- Additional selected readings posted on Blackboard; they can be found under Course Documents. (Required) Evaluation of Student Performance: Requirements for the course are listed and described in detail below: Item Presentation and Discussion Leadership in Class Percentages 15% 7% Brief Report on ARA, article Comparative Essay on Theoretical Frameworks 30% Two Essays on Theory through Contemporary Ethnography (20% each) 40% Class Participation Total 8% 100% Presentation and Discussion on the Foundations of Anthropological Theory: The first half of this course is a whirl-wind tour of anthropological theory. Each time we meet, we cover a different theoretical paradigm. This is challenging and voluminous material. In order to help us all better understand each paradigm, one or two students will take charge of each class session. When it is your turn, you will give a 15-minute presentation covering the key points of your selected theoretical paradigm and its theorists. If you have a partner, plan together and share the task of preparation and presentation/discussion. The presentation should be well-organized with notecards to keep you on track and can be backed up by a power point. If you use a power point, keep 2 it brief with large print to effectively highlight only the main points; do not fill the screen with print that distracts people from listening to you. Speak clearly and with confidence, taking charge of the class. You are the expert and have to know the answers, but it adds interest to the class to bring out some points by asking the students to provide some facts rather than by simply telling the class everything. Feel free to call on people as they have come with the material read. Providing personal tidbits about the lives of the theorists in question also adds interest. Feel welcome to be creative—role-play the theorist, if you wish, for example. This presentation should address the following questions: What is the background or context that gave rise to this particular theoretical framework and/or its key theorists? Did it directly address, or seek to replace, a previous theory? What are the main points of the theoretical framework and what are variations within the framework among theorists? What advancements did the theoretical framework achieve? That is, how did the particular theory push the envelope of anthropological thought? What are some of the omissions, deficiencies or shortcomings of the theoretical framework? How did anthropologists put this theoretical framework into practice? What questions did it encourage anthropologists to ask about social life or a social group? What kinds of research did it inspire? Following the presentation, you will lead a class discussion for 20-30 minutes. You should come prepared with a set of questions and exercises to guide the discussion. Each discussion should include questions that encourage comparison and contrast with other theories that we have discussed. You might also make questions concerning how these particular theorists would interpret or study certain societal incidents or tendencies occurring now. Give time for students to answer questions, and make sure that various people take part in the discussion. To involve more students more fully in the subject, you can also fashion your questions into debates, small group discussions with follow-up reports, role-plays, or short in-class writings that you then take off from. You can make centers to which students go in small groups to discuss a question and write their comments, switching from center to center. You might show or hand out particular quotations from the theorists that you think might be difficult or provocative for the class or small groups to discuss. The point is to make students use the material in some active way so that learning is not passive. Use your teaching skills! Trust your fellow students to cooperate with and respect you as a teacher. Because students need to develop skills in presentations and discussion leadership, I will give general advice on teaching as I see that it is needed. Constructive discussions on the challenges of presenting material and leading discussions will be helpful. 3 After each discussion, I will clarify, fill in any remaining gaps, answer remaining questions, or provide additional information on the topic. I may also ask you to do inclass writings to tie the various theoretical frameworks together; these are ungraded but I collect them and they become part of your participation grade. On the day when you give the presentation and lead the discussion, you should turn in to me: 1) a detailed outline of your presentation and 2) your discussion questions and other teaching tools. Comparative Essay on Theoretical Frameworks: Everyone will write an essay comparing three of the theoretical frameworks that we have covered in class. You may choose any three that you wish; you are welcome to make one of them be the theoretical framework that you have covered as class discussion leader. This is an essay of 11-14 pages (double-spaced). Give a clear, succinct comparison of the theoretical frameworks, their main points, their contributions to anthropology, and their deficiencies. Discuss how they complement and contradict each other in terms of the way they encourage anthropologists to think about and ask questions of societies and cultures. Propose one topic (the topic that you are interested in doing research on, a contemporary cultural tendency, or societal phenomenon, etc.) and compare/contrast how the theorists of these three theoretical frameworks would variously do research on that topic—how they would approach it, how they would design the research, and what conclusions they might draw. If you wish to present the essay as a discussion/debate among theorists, that is fine. At the end, state your own opinions as to which arguments you find persuasive, relating this to why a certain theoretical framework(s) might work well in researching your graduate research topic. The essay is due on Nov 5. Brief Report on Annual Reviews of Anthropology (ARA) and one article: During the first half of the course (from the beginning up through Oct 31), students should go to Annual Reviews of Anthropology, find a literature review of an area of anthropology in which they are interested, and read it. After reading through it, look up one article or book chapter referred to in the lit review and read it. Hand in a short 3-page paper with the following: (1) a brief synopsis of 2-3 main points of the topical literature review and (2) a quick report of what theorists the article refers to, what theoretical framework it seems as if this anthropologist is using (Note: We may not have come to this theoretical framework yet, or it may be one we don’t cover, but try to characterize it as well as you can), and your assessment of how the theory is used. Consider: Did the author introduce the theory well and follow it up in the conclusion? Do you think that the author used the theory effectively? Did s/he or they push the theory forward, change it, critique it, or simply use it as a framework to clarify and generalize on the data in the article/book chapter? . 4 Note that you do not need to give the content of the article or book chapter; I am interested in this activity so you begin to think about how an article is constructed in relation to theory. This should also help you to begin to think about how you will use theoretical works in your master’s thesis. Two Essays on Theory through Contemporary Ethnography: During the second half of the course, we will be reading two recent ethnographies that are empirical but also solidly grounded in theory. For each ethnography you will write a paper (10 pages, double-spaced). In class we will talk more about the shape of the essay for each book, but as you read, be particularly aware of: What theories/theorists the authors are using, how the theories influence their methods, how they incorporate the theories with the data, and how the theories influence their analysis and conclusions. Usually the theories will be obvious by the theorists that the authors cite, but sometimes authors (unconsciously) use more theoretical frameworks than they acknowledge so pay attention to the way that the authors have done their research, what general questions they are asking, and how they analyze their data, in order to judge what theoretical frameworks they are using. Do the theoretical frameworks they have chosen match with, combine, or perhaps go beyond frameworks that we have studied? Do you think that the theoretical framework they chose is the best one for this study? Would other theoretical frameworks that we have studied also be applicable and if so, how would those frameworks change the way the research is done or how the data is analyzed? The due dates for these essays are Nov 14 and Dec 3. Class Participation: Active participation is expected of everyone in the class. You should plan to attend every class session with the material read so as to engage in an intelligent discussion of the reading material as well as any in-class writings or small group activities that occur. Students with Disabilities: Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 7374098. Expectations for Student Conduct: Students are expected to maintain proper academic conduct in this class. This includes treating peers with respect and meeting the conduct expectations of Oregon State University regarding cheating or other behaviors. To review these expectations, please visit the following Web site: http://oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/offenses-0 5 Course Content: WEEK TOPICS / ACTIVITIES READINGS PART I – FOUNDATIONS OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY Week 1 Sep 24—Course Introduction and Lecture Sep 26—Evolutionary Views of Culture Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Introduction: What’s the Point?) Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 1—Edward Tylor: The Evolution of Culture, Ch. 2—L.H. Morgan: The Evolution of Society) Morgan, L.H. 1877. Ancient Society. (Chapter 1—Ethnical Periods) Week 2 Oct 1—The Structure and Functions of Social Systems Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 4—Emile Durkheim: The Organic Society, Ch. 10—Branislaw Malinowski: The Functions of Culture) Malinowski, Branislaw. 1922. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. New York: E.P. Dutton. (Ch. 3: “The Essentials of the Kula,” pp. 81104. Oct 3—Historical Particularism Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 3—Franz Boas: Culture in Context, Ch. 6—Ruth Benedict: Patterns of Culture) Benedict, Ruth. 1934. Patterns of Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. (Ch. 3: “The Integration of Culture,” pp. 45-56). Week 3 Oct 8--Culture, Personality, Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An 6 and the Individual Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 7—Edward Sapir: Culture, Language, and the Individual, Ch. 8—Margaret Mead: The Individual and Culture) Mead, Margaret. 1928. Coming of Age in Samoa. New York: Morrow Quill. (Ch. 10: “The Experience and Individuality of the Average Girl,” pp. 131-157). Oct 10—Cultural Ecology and Cultural Materialism Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 14—Julian Steward: Cultural Ecology and Multilinear Evolution, Ch. 15—Marvin Harris: Cultural Materialism). Harris, Marvin. 2008 [1966]. “The Cultural Ecology of India’s Sacred Cattle.” In Jon McGee and Richard L. Warns, eds. Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. Boston: McGraw Hill. Week 4 Oct 15—Structuralism and Cognitive Anthropology Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 17—Claude LeviStrauss: Structuralism). Tyler, Stephen A. 2008 [1969]. “Introduction to Cognitive Anthropology,” in McGee and Warms, eds. Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. New York: McGraw Hill. Berlin, Brent. 1992. Ethnobiological Classification: Principles of Classification of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Ch. 1—On the Making of a Comparative Ethnobiology, pp. 3-13). Oct 17—Gender and Feminist Theory Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and 7 Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 16—Eleanor Burke Leacock: Feminism, Marxism, and History, Ch. 22—Sherry Ortner: Symbols, Gender, Practice). Ortner, Sherry. 1974. “Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?” in M.Z. Rosaldo and L. Lamphere, eds. Woman, Culture and Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Pp. 6787. Week 5 Oct 22—Political economy and Culture Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 24—Eric Wolf: Culture, History, Power) Marx, Karl. 1978 [1867]. Capital, V. 1 (Excerpts). Oct 24—Power, Position and Postmodernism Clifford, James. 1986. “Introduction: Partial Truths.” In James Clifford and George E. Marcus, eds., Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press. Abu-Lughod, Lila. 1991. “Writing Against Culture.” In Richard Fox, ed., Recapturing Anthropology: Working in the Present. Santa Fe: School of American Research. Pp. 137162. Week 6 Oct 29—Symbolic and Interpretive Anthropology Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 19—Clifford Geertz: An Interpretive Anthropology, Ch. 20—Mary Douglas: Symbols and Structures, Pollution and Purity) Geertz, Clifford. 1973. “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight.” In The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books. Pp. 412-453. Oct 31—Power and Practice Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory and 8 Theorists. Third Edition. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. (Ch. 23—Pierre Bourdieu: An Anthropology of Practice) Zalta, Edward N., ed. 2008. “Michel Foucault.” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Foucault, Michel. 1980. Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977. Ed. by Colin Gordon. New York: Pantheon Books. (Excerpt). PART II—THEORY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ETHNOGRAPHY Week 7 Week 8 Nov 5—Comparative Essay Due How Theory Informs Ethnographic Research Nov 7—Structure, Agency, and Resistance Bourgois, Philippe and Schonberg, Jeffrey. 2009. Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction and Poverty in Urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Ch. 2, 3, and 4) Nov 12—Inequality and Justice Bourgois, Philippe and Schonberg, Jeffrey. 2009. Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction and Poverty in Urban America. (Ch. 5, 6, and 7) Nov 14—Research and Advocacy in Anthropology Bourgois, Philippe and Schonberg, Jeffrey. 2009. Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction and Poverty in Urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Ch. 8, 9 and Conclusion) DUE: First Essay on Theory through Contemporary Ethnography Week 9 Bourgois, Philippe and Schonberg, Jeffrey. 2009. Righteous Dopefiend: Homelessness, Addiction and Poverty in Urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Introduction and Ch. 1) Nov 19—Anthropology in the Neoliberal Age Harvey, David. 2005. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Ch. 1: “Freedom’s Just Another Word.”) Auyero J and DA Swistun 2009 Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown. Oxford University Press. (Intro, Chapter 1) 9 Nov 21—Globalization and Culture Ong, Aihwa. 2006. Neoliberalism as Exception: Mutations in Citizenship and Sovereignty. Durham: Duke University Press. (Introduction: “Neoliberalism as Exception, Exception to Neoliberalism.”) Auyero J and DA Swistun 2009 Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown. Oxford University Press. (Chapters 2-3) Week 10 Week 11 Nov 26—Labor and Value Auyero J and DA Swistun 2009 Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown. Oxford University Press. (Chapters 4-5) Nov 28—Globalization and Crisis Auyero J and DA Swistun 2009 Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown. Oxford University Press. (Chapters 6-7 and Conclusion) Monday, Dec 3—DUE: Second Essay on Theory through Contemporary Ethnography 10