Download Syllabus - Arlington Public Schools / Overview

IB Social & Cultural Anthropology SL/HL1 2015-16
Ms. Bell
Phone: 703-228-6200, ask for Rm 3010; E-mail: [email protected] Rm 3010
***Our class meets in Mr. Summers’ room 2211, but my desk is in room 3010***
Textbook: Mirror for Humanity, 2012, (8th Ed.) C P Kottak
Ethnographies: In most cases, each of you will be loaned a copy of the following
books. You may purchase them. Otherwise, it is expected that they will be returned
at the end of the year in good condition, i.e., with no markings or damaged pages.
Guests of the Sheik, 1965 (1989 edition), Elizabeth Warnock Fernea
In Search of Respect, 2001, Philip Bourgois
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down, 1997, Anne Fadiman
Materials: One 2 inch binder and a set of dividers/tabs, highlighter, pens
Objectives: Upon completion of the Social & Cultural Anthropology course,
students will be expected to be able to:
 Compare and contrast key characteristics of specific societies and cultures
 Identify and examine principles underlying social and cultural life
 Examine culture as a dynamic process and explore ways in which society and
culture change
 Apply and evaluate anthropological approaches and concepts in relation to
specific social and cultural materials, both local and global
 Examine how cultural and personal preconceptions and assumptions shape
people’s understanding of their own and other societies and cultures
 Demonstrate an understanding of the methodological and ethical issues
involved in field research
 Demonstrate specific knowledge and understanding of a range of
ethnographic accounts, such as ethnographies, case studies and films
 Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which ethnographic accounts
reflect the specific perspective of an observer and are open to interpretation.
IB Internal and External Assessment: All SL students will be required to
complete:
Internal Assessment - field observation and critique between Sept. and March.
In addition, each student will sit for the following External Assessments (written
essay exams):
May 16: Paper one: (One hour) Short answer/essay questions responding to an
anthropological excerpt and
May 17: Paper two: (Two hours) Two essays; each selected from a list of eight
broad questions. (Details to follow in class on both of these requirements.)
Arlington Public Schools (APS) pays for the examination fees for all IB classes. Any
student who registers for an IB class, but chooses not to complete the required internal
assessment and/or sit for the May examination must pay a drop fee. All fees are
established by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Additionally, as outlined
in the APS Program of Studies, students who do not complete the required assessments
will not earn the additional quality points.
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Syllabus Outline
The following is a brief outline highlighting the underlying principles, themes, and
ethnographic accounts, which serve as the foundation and over-all structure of the
course. Extensive commentary about each of the terms and concepts listed is
purposefully omitted. Elaborations will be provided as we move through the
material.
Underlying Principles: The underlying principles focus on the nature, strengths
and problems of social/cultural anthropology as a distinct form of inquiry.
A. Approaches to the analysis of society and culture: agency, comparative,
holistic, emic and etic, cultural relativism, ethnographic, individual and society,
ideas and behavior.
B. Key concepts: society, culture, community, structure, process, institutions,
function, meaning, symbolism, exchange, stratification, power, identity, gender,
reproduction and change.
C. Methods: fieldwork, participant observation, social relations, collection and
selection of data, ethical issues, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, analysis
and interpretations.
D. The construction of anthropological accounts: Our ethnographic reading and
writing will be done with the following in mind:
All groups are internally diverse and their boundaries are permeable.
Anthropologists may see and represent the same group differently.
Actors and observers always operate within a social context
Models and concepts are never neutral.
All anthropological accounts are produced for a particular audience.
E. Relevance of social and cultural anthropology: In exploring social and
cultural anthropology, we will consider:
The relationship between self and society
Current social, political and ethical issues
The role of anthropology in practical contexts
II. Themes: The eight themes below deal with aspects of human experience, which
are of major interest to social and cultural anthropologists. Each theme is divided
into elements, which represent more specific thematic groupings. Note: As we
study different topics, you will see that many of them will cross the boundaries of
these themes and their elements.
A. Theme 2.1: Individuals, groups and society
B. Theme 2.2: Societies and cultures in contact
C. Theme 2.3: Kinship as an organizing principle
D. Theme 2.4: Political Organization
E. Theme 2.5: Economic organization and the environment
F. Theme 2.6: Systems of knowledge
G. Theme 2.7 Belief systems and practices
H. Theme 2.8: Moral Systems
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III.
Ethnographic Accounts:
Ethnographic accounts are the key to an understanding of the social and cultural life
of specific groups or subgroups within a culture. These accounts provide us with
information from which we are able to generalize and apply to other cultural
groups. You will note on page 1 of this syllabus that there are 4 ethnographic texts
listed. In addition to these books, other ethnographic sources will be used in the
class derived from other ethnographies, research articles, documentary films, etc.
IV. Organization of the Class
Lecture/Discussions/Activities: Each new topic or unit typically will be introduced
with a lecture/discussion. These interactive lectures will be followed by a variety of
class activities, to include: field trips, guest speakers, films, simulation and role-play,
projects, small group discussions and presentations, and whole class discussions.
Whole class and small group discussions will frequently take the form of a seminar.
“Mock” Papers: In order to prepare you for the end of course Social/Cultural
Anthropology External Assessment Exam, you will have opportunities during the
year to write papers (essays) that mimic previous external assessment exams, at the
same time using questions that cover content we’ve gone over in class. These inclass papers will be graded as tests and will occur at least once per quarter.
V. Formative and Summative Assessments. Grading Policy: “Student grades
reflect student achievement and not student behavior” (W-L Faculty Handbook,
pg. 31)
1.The following represents the categories and weights of each upon which your
grade will be determined:
Tests, projects and papers (essays):
In-Class work:
Homework:
Participation (TBD):
50%
15%
15%
20%
2.The following percentage scale will be used in determining your grade:
90+ = A
87-89 = B+
80-86 = B
77-79 = C+
70-76 = C
67-69 = D+
60-66 = D
0-59 = E
3. Quarterly grades will be rounded up from .5
4. The W-L Honor pledge for academic integrity will be in effect on every
assignment. Please consult your student handbook for reference (pg. 8).
5. Parents and Students may check their grades online using ParentVUE and
StudentVUE.
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Grading/Attendance/Homework Policy
Your attendance and active participation is a critical component of this class.
The attendance policy for this class will conform to both the Arlington
County Schools and W-L policies. Here are the essentials of these policies as
they directly relate to this class:
 “Students are responsible for the work they missed, even if the
absence is unexcused. As per “APS PIP 25.—1.1 Attendance”, credit
for make-up work is only given when the absence is excused.”
(Faculty Handbook, p.21)
 “Teachers will assign zeroes for work assignments or tests missed
during an unexcused absence, not as punishment, but as an accurate
evaluation of student’s performance on that day.”
(W-L Faculty Handbook, p. 21)
Regarding this specific class in IB Social/Cultural Anthropology:
 Any assignment due or test missed on the date of an excused absence
is expected to be turned in or completed on the day student returns to
class.
 It is the obligation of the student to obtain any notes missed during an
absence (excused or unexcused). See a fellow student first, before
asking your teacher for these notes.
 To make up for any discussion- based activity missed during an
excused absence, the student is expected to turn in a one page word
processed, double-spaced paper (12 pt.) within two days upon
returning to class. This paper should consist of a brief summary,
critique, and or analysis of the material missed on that day. Topics
related to that day’s activity may be substituted with prior approval.
Failure to turn this paper in will result in a ‘zero’ for that day’s work.
Unexcused absences cannot be made up with the above paper, and
students receive a zero for an assignment and/or test missed on that
day. (Courtesy Dr. T. Schelstrate)
CLASS WEBSITE
My class website (http://www.apsva.us/Page/22582) will house all online
resources and materials for this class. This includes, but is not limited to, notes,
homework assignments, additional readings, PowerPoints, study guides, and review
resources. Hard copies of the majority of these materials will also be provided in
class. It is highly recommended that you get into the habit of checking the site often.
Final Note:
This class is an opportunity to learn a great deal about other cultures in the world
as well as sub-cultures within the U.S. To a large extent, the success of our
endeavor will depend upon everyone in the class making a serious and sustained
effort to keep up with the reading assignments along with making significant
contributions in the small and large group discussions that will make up a large
part of the daily class activities. If you ever have any questions about the material
we’re covering or an assignment you’ve been given - and this question cannot be
or is not adequately answered in class, please arrange to meet with me before or
after school, or during lunch – in Room 3010 (NOT OUR CLASSROOM). I’m
looking forward to getting to know all of you and to a great year in IB
Social/Cultural Anthropology!
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One of your first homework assignments is to share this syllabus with your
parents/guardians. Please sign/date it and turn THIS PAGE in on Monday, 9/14.
Keep the actual syllabus in your notebook.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am so excited to meet your student and start a fantastic school year! This is my
third year teaching at Washington-Lee after graduating from the University of Virginia with
a Masters in Social Studies Education. I became a social studies teacher to share the stories
of a variety of types of people, past and present!
I firmly believe that students learn better when they can relate the material learned
in class to their own lives. This course involves a good deal of role playing, simulations, and
interactive activities to make history come alive for students and help them remember
content.
A major part of this course will be the Student Interactive Binder, which will act as
the home for all of the activities and content that we cover in class. Each student must bring
in a 2 inch binder and a set of dividers/tabs (available at Staples, Office Depot, etc.). If you
think you may have trouble providing the notebook, please let me know as soon as possible
so that I can ensure that each student has a notebook.
If you would like to see what your student is doing in our class, I recommended
following my Twitter handle @MsBell_WL for class updates and reminders. You can also
check out our class website via the W-L website. The class site has class PowerPoints,
assignments, unit calendars, review quizzes and videos, etc. and is a great resource for your
student especially when nearing a test or in the case of an absence. See the section of the
syllabus about the website for more details.
By the end of the year I expect my students to develop skills such as reading and
analyzing primary documents, expressing their thoughts eloquently through written and
oral arguments, and making connections between time and place. I also expect my students
to learn about the responsibilities of being good citizens and be able to put these into
practice.
I am looking forward to a fun, fascinating year! In order for us to be able to keep in
touch, please fill out the contact information below and return this sheet with our student
as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks at Back-to-School Night
and in the meantime, I welcome any questions you may have.
Thank you,
Julie Bell
[email protected]
Follow our class on Twitter @MsBell_WL
______________________________________________________________________________
I have read and understand the syllabus for IB Social/Cultural Anthropology SL. If I have
any questions about the syllabus or future matters, I will contact Ms. Bell either in person or
by email.
Student name
Class Period
Student signature
Date
Parent/Guardian signature
Date
Parent/Guardian email address:
Parent/Guardian phone number:
Parents/Guardians: Is there anything you would like for me to know about your student?
Please explain below or on the back of this sheet.
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