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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 2 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 3 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, 4 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 | 5 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. 6 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? 7 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 8 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 9 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 10 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? 11 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 12 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]) 13