What's posted here?
Schedule of readings, notes, slides, tests, and due dates: Shows what you should read before the class on each date. Most readings are in the textbook. Others are links to online material. The schedule also shows dates of tests, assignment due dates, and so on. Lecture notes for each class are usually posted in advance, while the Powerpoint slides are usually posted after it. Some people print the the lecture notes and bring them to class to take notes on. The notes and Powerpoint slides are useful for studying and preparing assignments, but they are no substitute for reading the assigned material and attending class.
The schedule will be adjusted during the semester, so check it frequently for current readings and deadlines.Handouts: The syllabus, assignment details, study guides, and so on.
Links: Links to other web pages about subjects we cover. These are optional, but may help you study or pursue questions raised by the course. Many have good photos or maps that add a visual element to the readings.
Everything on this site has been scanned for viruses and is safe to the best of my knowledge.
So why come to lectures?
First, hearing me explain the notes and slides will be far clearer than trying to figure them out without help. Second, numerous studies show that you understand and remember things better if you get the information in various different ways, like reading, hearing, and seeing. Third, you can ask questions, and listen as others ask questions that you might not have thought of. Finally, I fill in details, explain arguments, and highlight the important points, which should make it easier to see the big picture rather than getting lost in the details.
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 change, 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.
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.
- Thursday, Aug. 25: Introduction to the course
- Tuesday, Aug. 30: What is anthropology?
- NotesSlides
- Bonvillain 2006 - Extracts from Ch. 1, "What is Anthropology?" in Cultural Anthropology (17 pgs)
- Fernea Introduction (no page number) and Chapter 1: pp. 3-23 (22 pgs)
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 1: The concept of culture
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 6
- Kluckhohn 1949 - "Queer Customs" in Classic Readings in Cultural Anthropology (7 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 2-3: pp. 24-48 (25 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: we finished the notes and slides for Aug. 30, and just started the ones for Sept. 1, with considerable discussion about the Fernea reading.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 6: Culture shock and culture as meaning
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 8 and 13
- Middleton 2003 - "Culture Shock" in The Challenge of Human Diversity (17 pgs)
- Fernea Chapters 4-5: pp. 49-64 (16 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: essentially all the material for Sept. 1.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 8: Race and ethnicity
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 13, 15, and 20
- Kottak 2005, extracts on race and ethnicity, in Kottak 2005, Mirror for Humanity (13 pgs)
- Fish 1995, "Mixed Blood", in Spradley & McCurdy 2003, Conformity and Conflict (10 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 6: pp. 65-82 (18 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Some discussion of Fernea, the lecture material for Sept. 6 on culture shock, but not on the effects of experience and culture on perception and cognition.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 13: Understanding and judging others
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 20
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on culture, ethnocentrism, and morality, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (14 pgs)
- Kottak 2002 - Extract on "Emic and Etic" in Cultural Anthropology (2 pgs)
- Fernea Chapters 7-8: pp. 83-102 (20 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished culture shock and the profound effect of culture on perception and cognition; discussed ethnicity in preparation for comparing to race (material for Sept. 6 and 8).
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 15: Anthropological methods: Ethnography, part I
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 22, 27
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on fieldwork, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (4 pgs)
- Malinowski 1922 - Extract on fieldwork from Argonauts of the Western Pacific (5 pgs, plus some photos)
- Lee Chapter 1, Introduction to doing fieldwork among the Ju/'hoansi: pp. 1-8 (8 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Race, but did not finish (material for Sept. 8).
- Notes
- Tuesday, Sept. 20: Anthropological methods: Ethnography, part II
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 27, 29
- Monaghan and Just 2000 - "Chapter 1, A Dispute in Donggo: Fieldwork and Ethnography", in Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction (21 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: The last part of the discussion of race, and most of the discussion of judging.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 22: Explaining culture: adaptation, meaning, system, function
- NotesSlides shown Sept. 29, Oct. 4
- Middleton 2003 - Extracts from "Our Lived Difference" in The Challenge of Human Diversity (15 pgs)
- Ferraro and Andreatta 2010 - Extract on functionalism in Cultural Anthropology, An Applied Perspective (1 pg)
- Ember and Ember 2011 - Extract on functionalism in Cultural Anthropology (2 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 2, The People of the Dobe Area: pp. 9-22 (14 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Emic and etic; most of Ethnography, part I.
- Notes
- Monday, Sept. 26: Due date, not a class - Concept paper due via Moodle by 11:55 PM Monday night
- Remember to save your paper in Word .DOC format, with the file named according to the instructions.
- Concept paper #1 instructions and your assigned concept
- Tuesday, Sept. 27: Explaining culture: cultural materialism and culture as text
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 4, 6
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on "reading" features of culture as a text, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (8 pgs)
- Salzman 2001 - Extract on materialism from Understanding Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theory (9 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 3, Environment and Settlement in the Dobe area: pp. 23-36 (14 pgs)
- Remember to bring and turn in a printout of your concept paper, as a backup.
- What we actually covered in this class: Rest of Ethnography, part I; most of Ethnography, part II.
- Notes
- Thursday, Sept. 29: Making a living: foraging
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 6 and 11
- Lee Chapter 4, Foraging for a living: pp. 37-58 (22 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 9: pp. 105-115 (11 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Rest of Ethnography, part II; Explanations of culture as adaptation and as meaning.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 4: Making a living: agriculture and pastoralism
- NotesMore complete version of slides shown Oct. 11 and 13
- Pospisil 1978 - Extract on agricultural subsistence from The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea (11 pgs)
- Fratkin 2004 - Extracts on pastoralism from Ariaal Pastoralists of Kenya (15 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 10, The herding and farming neighbors of the Ju/'hoansi: pp. 141-150 (10 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Explanations of culture as a system; Cultural Materialism, Harris, and the Hindu dietary prohibition against cattle
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 6: Reciprocity and socially embedded economic relations
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 20 and 25
- Cronk 1989 - Strings Attached, in Applying Cultural Anthropology (5 pgs)
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on meanings of exchange, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (12 pgs)
- Harris 1974 - The Potlatch, in Classic Readings in Cultural Anthropology (9 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 10: pp. 116-125 (10 pgs)
- Optional: Malinowski 1932 [1922] - Extract about kula exchange, from Argonauts of the Western Pacific (www.archive.org) This is the classic description of the kula exchange ring that Robbins refers to on page 222, with pictures. (15 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Culture as text and the Balinese cockfight; most of the material on foraging.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 11: Social and economic hierarchies
- NotesSlides shown Oct. 27 and Nov. 1
- Lee Chapter 8, Conflict, Politics, and Exchange: pp. 109-123 (15 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 14: pp. 161-170 (10 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished foraging; agriculture; started pastoralism.
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 13: Catch-up lecture
- Fernea Chapters 11-13: pp. 126-160 (35 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished pastoralism, agriculture, kinds of societies associated with different subsistence systems, and why agropastoralism has replaced foraging.
- Tuesday, Oct. 18: Midterm exam
- No additional reading
- Thursday, Oct. 20: An "exploitative" theory of social inequality: the Marxian model
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 1 and 3
- Robbins 2006 - Extract on integrative theories, exploitative theories, and Marx, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (4 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 15: pp. 173-193 (21 pgs)
- Please review the readings for Oct. 6, especially Cronk, Robbins, and Malinowski (optional, but review if you read it)
- What we actually covered in this class: Exchange embedded in social relations, most of the way through the Trobriand kula exchange ring.
- Notes
- Tuesday, Oct. 25: Naturalizing inequality: social race, gender, and egalitarian societies
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 8 and 10
- McIntosh 1988 - White Privilege, in Applying Cultural Anthropology (4 pgs)
- Friedl 1978 - Society and Sex Roles, in Classic Readings in Cultural Anthropology (7 pgs)
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on an egalitarian society, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (4 pgs)
- Lee Appendix A, Eating Christmas in the Kalahari: pp. 207-216 (6 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished kula exchange; moka; potlatch; US gift giving as embedded in social relations
- Notes
- Thursday, Oct. 27: Constructing identity: self, group, rites of passage
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 15 and 17
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on identity, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (7 pgs)
- Monaghan and Just 2000 - Extract illustrating sociocentric identity, in Social & Cultural Anthropology, a Very Short Introduction (2 pgs)
- Monaghan and Just 2000 - Extract on the self, in Social & Cultural Anthropology, a Very Short Introduction (6 pgs)
- Saitoti 1986 - The Initiation of a Maasai Warrior, in Annual Editions: Anthropology 2004/2005 (5 pgs)
- Simmons 1998 - Where Fat Is a Mark of Beauty, in Annual Editions: Anthropology 2004/2005 (2 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 17: pp. 194-215 (22 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished Carrier's model of gifts as possessions, appropriated commodities, construction of social relationships through exchange; started hierarchy
- Notes
- Tuesday, Nov. 1: Constructing identity: gender
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 17 and 22
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on constructing gender identities, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (6 pgs)
- Kottak 2005 - Extract on gender and sexual orientation from Mirror for Humanity (3 pgs)
- Williams 1986 - The Berdache Tradition, in Annual Editions: Anthropology 2004/2005 (6 pgs)
- Fernea and Fernea 1986 - Symbolizing Roles: Behind the Veil, in Conformity and Conflict (8 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished hierarchy, started Marx
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 3: Family, kinship, and descent
- NotesSlides shown Nov. 29 and Dec. 1
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on kinship and family, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (21 pgs)
- Monaghan and Just 2000 - Extract on Dou Donggo marriage and family, in Social & Cultural Anthropology, a Very Short Introduction (2 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 5, Kinship and social organization: pp. 59-76 (18 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished Marx
- Notes
- Tuesday, Nov. 8: Forms of marriage, residence, and how they make sense
- Notes (posted, but will not be discussed in class)Slides (posted, but will not be shown in class)
- Yuan & Mitchell 2000 - Land of the Walking Marriage, in Talking About People, Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology (3 pgs)
- Goldstein 1987 - When Brothers Share a Wife, in Through the Looking Glass, Readings in General Anthropology (7 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 6, Marriage and sexuality: pp. 77-90 (14 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Started naturalizing inequality; White privilege; marked vs. unmarked categories
- These readings are pretty straightforward, so I will not discuss them in class. However, notes and slides discussing the readings are posted. These may help you prepare for the final exam. There may be one or more questions on the final exam about these readings.
- Notes (posted, but will not be discussed in class)
- Thursday, Nov. 10: Catch-up
- No new notes or slides... by this time we will probably need a class period to make up for falling behind
- Fernea Chapters 18-20: pp. 216-266 (49 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Finished marked vs. unmarked categories, Friedl, Hutterites
- Monday, Nov. 14: Due date, not a class - Concept paper #2 due via Moodle by 11:55 PM Monday night
- Remember to save your paper in Word .DOC format, with the file named according to the instructions.
- Concept paper #2 instructions and your assigned concept
- Tuesday, Nov. 15: Language
- NotesSlides shown Dec. 6
- Kottak 2002 - Extract on animal communication from Cultural Anthropology (4 pgs)
- Kottak 2005 - Extract on language from Mirror for Humanity (7 pgs)
- Fernea Chapters 21-23: pp. 269-293 (25 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Personhood and constructing identity, except for rites of passage
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 17: Language and thought
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Thomson 1975 - The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Worlds Shaped by Words, in Conformity and Conflict (8 pgs)
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on language and metaphor, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (7 pgs)
- Fernea Chapters 24-25: pp. 294-314 (19 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Othering, rites of passage, started sex and gender (Notes 18)
- Notes
- Monday, Nov. 21: Interview with an immigrant optional DRAFT due by email by 11:55 PM
- If you choose to submit a draft of your interview with an immigrant paper, it is due by 11:55 PM, Monday, Nov. 21. I will accept drafts later, but cannot promise to get them back to you soon enough to allow for rewriting.
- Tuesday, Nov. 22: Sociolinguistics
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Kottak 2005 - Extract on sociolinguistics from Mirror for Humanity (8 pgs)
- Rickford 1997 - Suite for Ebony and Phonics, in Applying Cultural Anthropology (5 pgs)
- Tannen 1994 - Conversation Style: Talking on the Job, from Conformity and Conflict (8 pgs)
- Fernea Chapter 26 and Postscript: pp. 315-333 (19 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Mostly finished sex and gender (Notes 18)
- Notes
- Thursday, Nov. 24: No class - Thanksgiving Break
- Consider how fortunate you are to have your family and friends...
- Tuesday, Nov. 29: Religion, witchcraft, and magic
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Kottak 2005 - Extract on religion, in Mirror for Humanity (5 pgs)
- Evans-Pritchard 1937 - The Notion of Witchcraft Explains Unfortunate Events, in Classic Readings in Cultural Anthropology (9 pgs)
- Gmelch 2000 - Baseball Magic, in Conformity and Conflict, Readings in Cultural Anthropology (10 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 9, Religion, world view, and healing: pp. 125-140 (16 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: Part of family, kinship, and descent
- Notes
- Thursday, Dec. 1: Religion, ritual, and creating and maintaining belief
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Robbins 2009 - Extract on ritual, belief, and interpretive drift, in Cultural Anthropology, a Problem-based Approach (14 pgs)
- Nanda and Warms 2011 - Extracts on cargo cults, revitalization, and fundamentalism (6 pgs)
- Kottak 2005 - Extract on religions, revitalization movements, cargo cults, and ritual, in Mirror for Humanity (6 pgs)
- What we actually covered in this class: More about family, kinship, and descent
- Notes
- Monday, Dec. 5: Interview with an immigrant paper DUE via Moodle by 11:55 PM
- The final draft of your interview with an immigrant paper is due via Moodle by 11:55 PM, Monday, Dec. 5.
- Optionally, bring a printed copy to class to turn in on Tuesday as a backup.
- Tuesday, Dec. 6: Globalization
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Bestor 2000 - How Sushi Went Global, in Podolefsky & Brown 2003 Applying Cultural Anthropology (7 pgs)
- Lee Chapter 11, Perceptions and directions of social change: pp. 151-166 (16 pgs)
- Remember to bring and turn in a printed copy of your interview with an immigrant paper.
- What we actually covered in this class: Language
- Notes
- Thursday, Dec. 8: Problems of globalization, catchup, last-minute business
- NotesSlides posted, not yet presented in class
- Lee Chapter 12, The Ju'/hoansi today: pp. 167-192 (26 pgs)
- Review the readings, notes, and slides so far, and bring questions!
- Notes
Final exam week:
- Tuesday, Dec 13: Final Exam
- 5:00-6:50, in our regular classroom, Stevenson 1002
Handouts
Scroll down if you don't see what you need. Click on the Handout that you want. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
- Syllabus: Anthropology 203.1, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Fall 2011
- Map: Location of North Light Books & Cafe relative to SSU
- What plagiarism is and how to avoid it
- Blank world map: The same map that you will mark places on for the midterm and final exams. A useful study tool.
- Simplified SAA style guide: How to handle citations and bibliographies in a form used by several leading archaeology journals, and similar to some major cultural anthropology journals. You may also use any other standard format (MLA, Turabian, etc.) if you prefer.
- Concept Paper #1: Instructions and your assigned concept.
- Interview with an Immigrant instructions: Please wait until at least November 1 to conduct your interview and write your paper. The more of the course material you have mastered, the better your interview and paper will probably be.
- Study guide for the midterm exam.
- Concept Paper #2: Instructions and your assigned concept.
- Study guide for the final exam.
Links to sites related to this course
Interesting, often illustrated, from easy to challenging... check these out. Many of these make excellent study aids for preparing for tests. All are optional. If you have been here before, press your browser's "reload" button to see the latest additions.
...News, discoveries, and controversies
- Anthropology in the News. Links to the latest finds, discoveries, and controversies in cultural anthro, linguistics, biological anthro, and archaeology. Updated frequently.
- Former President "W" Bush's speech on the marriage amendment. Can you spot the example of naive realism?
- American Anthropological Association's statement on the marriage amendment. Short and to the point. Also links to more extensive disussions.
- War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. The author's brief of a recent book on the paradoxical appeal of collective violence. The book starts with a quote from philosopher David Hume, saying the same thing back in 1740.
...Specific subjects covered in class
- Scraper bike: YouTube rap video that played a large role in constructing the concept of the "scraper bike" in American urban youth culture. What meanings are attached to these objects?
- Argonauts of the Western Pacific: Bronislaw Malinowski's classic 1922 ethnography of the Trobriand Islanders, covering his ethnographic methods, kula exchange, and many other themes.
- Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight: Clifford Geertz's classic study of culture as text, actually fun to read, although it gets harder as you go.
...Ethics in anthropology
- American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics.
- Anthro Ethics Cases 1-12 and Anthro Ethics Cases 13-25. Challenging real-life dilemmas from the AAA Handbook on Ethical Issues in Anthropology.
...Useful stuff for assignments
- SAA Style Guide: The full instructions on citation and bibliography formats for authors submitting articles to American Antiquity, Latin American Antiquity, and other journals. Useful for cases not covered in the simplified version under Handouts.
...University policies
- Important Policies and Procedures for Students: SSU policy details on adding and dropping classes, cheating and plagiarism, diversity, and so on.
...Annoyed by lack of classes, fee increases, etc.?
- Contact your Governor or legislators: Names, phone numbers, emails, and addresses. Let'em know how you feel.
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology by Bruce OwenAnthropology 203.1, Sonoma State University, Fall 2011Copyright (c) 2011, Bruce Owen. All rights reserved.Please send comments on content and presentation to bruce.owen@sonoma.eduURL of this document: http://bruceowen.com/introcultural/a203-11f.htmRevised: 7 December 2011