Anthropology 340.101: Living in our Globalized World Fall 2011

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A study guide for the final exam is posted
under Handouts

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So why come to class?

Email and submitting assignments

Assignments are submitted as files attached to emails. Contact me and submit assignments by emailing to

bruce.owen@sonoma.edu

I will usually reply within 24 hours, often less. If you don't hear back in 48 hours, assume that I did not get your message or attachment, and try again. If you are not using your own computer, be sure to include your email address in the message so I can reply.

Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates

This schedule will be filled out, added to, and adjusted during the semester, so don't rely on a printed copy. Read the assignments before the class session. Scroll down for more. Most items are PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files and should open in a new window to view, save, or print. Move it aside or close it to see this one again. If the PDF files do not open, install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or a less standard but faster alternative, the free PDF-XChange Viewer.

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The slides are the Powerpoint presentations you see in class. They do not include all the information in the notes or readings. They should open in a new window. Navigate with PageUp/Down, Arrow Left/Right, Space/Backspace, Mouse clicks and scroll wheel, and Home/End to jump to the start or end of the presentation. Esc or close the window to quit. If your browser downloads the file, just double-click the file to open it. If your computer does not have Powerpoint, install the free Powerpoint viewer for Windows or Impress, part of the free OpenOffice for Macintosh.

User ID and Password: Due to copyright restrictions, many items require the class user ID and password. These are different from your Peoplesoft ID and password. If you can't recall them, email me.

Please be patient: Some files are large and may take a while to load.

  1. Monday, Aug. 29:
  1. Monday, Sept. 12:
  2. Monday, Sept. 19:
  3. Monday, Sept. 26:

    • First part: Chavez on historical context, rites of passage, and imagined communities; Steckley on producing truth about the other
      • NotesSlides
      • Chavez Introduction: pp. 1-14 (14 pgs)
      • Chavez Chapter 1, The Setting: pp. 15-24 (10 pgs)
      • Steckley Chapter 1, Imagining the Inuit: pp. 7-30 (24 pgs)

    • Second part: Cultural relativism, cultural determinism, and academic colonialism
      • NotesSlides
      • Steckley Chapter 2, Four major white figures: pp. 31-50 (20 pgs)

    • What we actually covered in this class: Finished diasporas; ideas related to Chavez chapter 1: rites of passage, cultural hegemony, othering.

  4. Monday, Oct. 3:

    • First part: Culturally constructed legitimacy and the push-pull model
    • Second part: Liminality; "people without history"
    • Third part: Case presentations and discussion: Historical context

    • What we actually covered in this class: Practical suggestions about presentations, Steckley's notion of "useful knowledge", aspects of the social production of knowledge, especially of "the other". First two presentations.

  5. Monday, Oct. 10:

    • First part: Linguistic relativity
    • Second part: Barriers to integration
    • Third part: Case presentations and discussion: Historical context

    • What we actually covered in this class: Remaining 3 presentations. Some discussion of cultural hegemony.

  6. Monday, Oct. 17:

    • First part: Differences of perception
    • Second part: Appealing myths
    • Change: no case presentations. Instead, we will catch up on readings, concepts, and discussion.

    • What we actually covered in this class: More discussion of cultural hegemony. Ideas related to Steckley Chapter 2; Ideas related to Chavez Chapter 2; Liminality

  7. Monday, Oct. 24: Midterm exam

    • No additional reading. Bring one or two blue books and something to write with.

  8. Monday, Oct. 31:

    • First part: The power to frame discourse; all's fair in intellectual war; anthropological authority
    • Second part: Networks
    • What we actually covered in this class: Legitimacy; Push-Pull model; Wolf; Linguistic relativity

  9. Monday, Nov. 7:

    • First part: Immigrant ethics; getting personal
    • Second part: Assimilation, illusory membership. and "who is American?"
    • What we actually covered in this class: Barriers to incorporation, geographic patterns, irrelevance of truth of claims, culture as a threat, and more on useful knowledge

  10. Monday, Nov. 14:

    • First part: The Other and cultural appropriation
      • Notes not yet postedSlides: see Slides 18-22 above
      • Steckley Chapter 6, The lies do not stand alone: pp. 131-145 (15 pgs)

    • Second part: Culture, medical and scientific beliefs, and truth
      • NotesSlides 23 shown Dec. 5
      • Fadiman Preface, Note on Hmong orthography, pronunciation, and quotations, and Chapters 1-4: pp. vii-ix, 291-292, 3-37 (40 pgs)

    • Third part: Case presentations and discussion:
      • Team 1: Troy and Robin: Inuit in Nunavut

    • What we actually covered in this class: Framing discourse, muted groups, medicalization; Team 1 presentation on the Inuit in Nunavut

  11. Monday, Nov. 21:

    • First part: Real impacts
    • Second part: More othering the different
    • Third part: Case presentations and discussion:
      • Team 7: Michelle, Kellie, Steve: Inupiat in the Alaskan North Slope/Prudhoe Bay area
      • Team 3: Tyler and Lynda: Michoacanos in Napa and Solano Counties

    • What we actually covered in this class: Mistakes in constructing knowledge; Team 7 presentation on Inupiat on the Alaskan North Slope, Team 3 presentation on Michoacanos in Napa and Solano Counties

  12. Monday, Nov. 28:

    • First part: Melting pot, salad bowl, or fish soup?
    • Second part: The differently ethical
      • NotesNo additional slides
      • Fadiman Chapters 16-19: pp. 225-288 (64 pgs)

    • Third part: Case presentation and discussion:
      • Team 2: Susan and Luke: Aboriginal people in Australia
      • Team 4: Crystal and Sheila: Tibetans in China

    • What we actually covered in this class: Team 2 presentation on Aboriginal people in Australia, Team 4 presentation on Tibetans in China; Anthropological authority, networks

  13. Monday, Dec. 5:

    • First part: Catchup and discussion
    • Second part: Synthesis, discussion, review
      • No aditional notes or slides
      • No additional readings

    • What we actually covered in this class: Sleep paralysis reading, cultural appropriation, production and reproduction, ethnic group boundary maintenence, some images and ideas about the Hmong and their beliefs, "consensual reality", cultural brokers; review.

Final exam week:

Handouts

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Links to sites related to this course

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Living in our Globalized World by Bruce Owen
Anthropology 340.101, Sonoma State University, Fall 2011
Copyright (c) 2011, Bruce Owen. All rights reserved.
Please send comments on content and presentation to bruce.owen@sonoma.edu
URL of this document: http://bruceowen.com/global/a340-11f-101.htm
Revised: 7 December 2011