ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

Instructor: Lexine M. Trask, Ph.D. Email: trask.12@osu.edu Phone: 614.247.8634 Office Hours and Location: 12:00 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, Smith Lab 4100 Class Time and Location: 10:30 a.m. 12:18 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday, Caldwell Lab 177

Course Description
This course provides an overview of historical and contemporary theoretical paradigms in socio-cultural anthropology in the United States and Europe from the 19th century to the present. We will read key articles from various theoretical orientations and consider their historical significance and current relevance to the study of human culture and behavior. To do so, we will critically evaluate the general premises, basic concepts, theoretical principles, and methodological assumptions associated with a particular orientation. In addition, we will examine how differential theoretical perspectives guide and structure the research of anthropologists.

Required Texts
Erickson, Paul A. and Liam D. Murphy. 2008. A History of Anthropological Theory. 3rd Edition. Toronto: Higher Education University of Toronto Press. McGee, R. Jon and Richard L. Warms. 2008. Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. 4th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. A number of articles and book chapters are also posted on Carmen and are required reading.

Course Objectives
Students will be able to 1. 2. 3. 4. Identify, describe, and discuss major theoretical paradigms in cultural anthropology. Understand the social and political contexts influencing the development of anthropological theory. Identify concepts, themes, strengths, and weakness associated with different theoretical paradigms. Apply specific theoretical perspectives to specific anthropological issues, questions, and or evidence.

Class Format: Lectures, Class Discussions, and Films Course Requirements

1) Attendance and Participation (80 Points): Attending class, taking detailed notes, participating in discussions, and responding to questions during class are integral to the learning process. Class begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. AS A COURTESY TO THE INSTRUCTOR AND FELLOW STUDENTS, you are expected to BE ON TIME TO CLASS and STAY THE ENTIRE PERIOD. I stress these points for three reasons. First, as a student in this course, you belong to a classroom community. Your behavior influences not only your learning, but also affects the learning environment for other students. I encourage a classroom environment conducive to active learning. Walking in late or leaving early disrupts the learning process, by distracting the students around you as well as the instructor, and is disrespectful. Second, a significant portion of your grade is based on attendance and participation. As a matter of integrity and fairness, I can only give you credit for the classes you actually participate in and attend. Last, this is an issue of mutual respect. Your performance in this course is important to me. As half of this course is designed around discussion, an environment conducive to

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

learning requires all students to be present and engaged. Your participation in class discussions should demonstrate that you have read, understood, and thought about the assigned readings. I will do everything I can to enthusiastically present course material in an interesting, challenging, and relevant fashion. I expect you to demonstrate the same level of commitment, interest, and effort in your own education. You are welcome to bring your laptop to class to aid in note taking. However, I expect you to use this technology appropriately. Students abusing this privilege in any other manner will either be asked to put away their computer or leave the class. Some lecture material will not be in the text, so it is important to attend every class to do well in the course. If you miss a lecture, notes will not be provided. DO NOT ask the instructor for lecture notes or power point presentations. You will be responsible for information from lecture, class discussions, films, and readings. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from your fellow classmates. Remember that the course outline is only a guideline and is subject to change at the instructors convenience. Missing class without a valid doctors note or other official documentation explaining your absence will negatively affect your grade. More than two unexcused absences will result in a LOSS OF 5 POINTS FOR EACH ABSENCE from your total grade. To ensure an environment conducive to learning TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE RINGER BEFORE COMING TO CLASS. I reserve the right to answer all calls on the behalf of students. Students desiring to observe a religious holiday which will result in class absence must notify the instructor in writing no later than the 15th calendar day after the first class. The student is required to take any examinations, within one week of the scheduled assignment, which may have been missed as a result of the absence. 2) Prcis (160 Points): During the quarter, students will turn in four prcis that concisely summarize the readings for a given week; see the course schedule for due dates. A complete assignment includes a summary of each article assigned, conveying the authors main ideas, themes, terms, and concepts. Prcis should be written in your own words without rhetoric or opinion. Each reading summary should be one-page in length doublespaced (250 words or less), with one-inch margins on all sides, and 11 12 font. No late prcis or electronic versions will be accepted. Prcis are graded based on content, clarity, and grammar. For information or assistance writing a prcis the following websites may be of assistance. http://lonestar.texas.net/~mseifert/precis1302.html http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/MCspellman/index.cfm?subpage=109488 http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~pbawa/421/precis%20writing.htm http://www.ccis.edu/faculty/dskarr/X%20H490,%20fa09/HowtoWriteaPrecis.htm 3) Exams (150 Points): There is one exam, a final exam, worth one hundred fifty points. Exams are essay. Exams are based on course lectures, classroom discussion, course readings, and films. Refer to the course schedule for the dates of the exams and material covered. Anyone suspected or caught cheating will be reported to the appropriate university authorities. If you have any conflicts with the exam dates, see the instructor immediately. As exams are take-home, there will be no make-up exams. 4) Term Paper (110 Points): As a quarter allows for the discussion of only so many theorists, theoretical paradigms, and scholarly publications, students are required to read, analyze, and research a scholarly publication significant to cultural anthropology, not covered in class. This assignment is broken into three components: A) For 10 points due January 12, 2012: Ethnography title and 2 references listed in AAA format. The references must be primary sources from peer-reviewed journals. You must also submit a copy of the first page of each reference. NO FINAL PAPER WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL. A list of potential titles may be found on Carmen. To ensure the availability of resources, no more than two students may write on the same publication. Therefore, if you desire a particular book, see the

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

instructor immediately. C) For 100 points due March 1, 2012: Each student will prepare a 10-page term paper. Students will be graded on content, clarity, grammar and adherence to instructions. A handout with additional instructions and guidelines is posted on Carmen. Paper Mechanics Papers must be typed, doublespaced with 1-inch margins, and 12 font with a minimum of 10 references. Papers must also include a cover page with your name, the course number and title, and the date. Page numbers are required. Since this is a research paper, you must have a works cited page with a minimum of 10 cited primary sources for your paper. Internet sources are not acceptable! Term papers are due by March 1, 2012. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED! STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THEIR NEEDS KNOWN TO THE INSTRUCTOR, AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SEEKING AVAILABLE ASSISTANCE, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND CERTAINLY PRIOR TO THE FIRST EXAMINATION. I RELY ON THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES FOR ASSISTANCE IN VERIFYING THE NEED FOR ACCOMMODATIONS AND DEVELOPING ACCOMMODATION STRATEGIES.

Academic Integrity
All students should be familiar with the rules governing alleged academic misconduct. According to the Code of Student Conduct (#3335-23-04 Prohibited Conduct):

Academic misconduct is any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the university, or subvert the educational process. Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to: 1. Violation of course rules as contained in the course syllabus or other information provided to the student; violation of program regulations as established by departmental committees and made available to students; 2. Knowingly providing or receiving information during examinations such as course examinations and candidacy examinations; or the possession and/or use of unauthorized materials during those examinations; 3. Knowingly providing or using assistance in the laboratory, on field work, in scholarship or on a course assignment; 4. Submitting plagiarized work for an academic requirement. Plagiarism is the representation of another's work or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas; 5. Submitting substantially the same work to satisfy requirements for one course or academic requirement that has been submitted in satisfaction of requirements for another course or academic requirement, without permission of the instructor of the course for which the work is being submitted or supervising authority for the academic requirement; 6. Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in creating or reporting laboratory results, research results, and/or any other assignments; 7. Serving as, or enlisting the assistance of a substitute for a student in the taking of examinations;

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

8. Alteration of grades or marks by the student in an effort to change the earned grade or credit; 9. Alteration of academically-related university forms or records, or unauthorized use of those forms or records; and 10. Engaging in activities that unfairly place other students at a disadvantage, such as taking, hiding or altering resource material, or manipulating a grading system.
(Directly from http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/pdfs/csc_12-31-07.pdf ) All students should be familiar with what constitutes academic misconduct, especially as it pertains to plagiarism and test taking. Ignorance of the rules governing academic misconduct or ignorance of what constitutes academic misconduct is not an acceptable defense. Cases of alleged academic misconduct will be referred to the appropriate university committees. Plagiarism: (Directly from the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing handout on plagiarism. http://cstw.osu.edu/writingCenter/handouts/research_plagiarism.cfm) Fundamentally, plagiarism is presenting another persons words or ideas as your own. While the most blatant violation is the unacknowledged use of another individuals work, the most common is the unintentional misuse of your reference sources. Since you will be working with the writings of others, it is important that you learn and adhere to the scholarly conventions of documentation. An obvious form of plagiarism is copying any direct quotation from your source material without providing quotation marks and without crediting the source. A more subtle form, but equally improper, is the paraphrasing of material or use of an original idea that is not properly introduced and documented. Remember that another authors ideas, interpretations, and words are his or her property; they are in fact protected by law and must be acknowledged whenever you borrow them. Consequently, your use of source materials requires you to conform to certain rules: 1. Acknowledge borrowed material within your text by introducing the quotation or paraphrase with the name of the authority from whom it was taken. This practice serves to indicate where the borrowed materials come from. 2. Enclose all quoted materials within quotation marks. 3. Make certain that paraphrased material is rewritten into your own style and language. The simple rearrangement of sentence patterns and / or substitution of a few new words or phrases are unacceptable. 4. Provide specific documentation for each borrowed item. 5. Provide a bibliographic entry for every book, journal, or other source of information that you refer to in your paper. For further tips on how to avoid plagiarism, please see the handout How Not to Plagiarize from the University of Toronto. (http://oaa.osu.edu/coam/hownottoplagiarize.pdf)

Grading
Each students letter grade is based on a standardized scale using the total points earned for all assignments. I do not give grades; students earn their grades. Your final grade is your responsibility. The only legitimate reason to change a grade is if there was a mistake in grading. Any questions about grading must be in writing and given to the instructor within the first week following the exam. The following are not legitimate reasons to request a grade change: 1) you need a higher grade or you will fail to graduate, lose a scholarship, or lose athletic eligibility; or 2) you are only a point shy of a higher grade. Each time that argument is accepted then many others are also only one point shy. Due to university policy, grades cannot be given over the phone,

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

through email, nor may exam scores be posted. Please do not call the department office regarding grades. You must contact your instructor directly. NOTE TO GRADUATE STUDENTS: Coursework submitted by students taking this course for graduate level credit will be evaluated at graduate level standards.
Assignment Attendance / Participation Prcis Exam Research Paper Point Value 80 Points Letter Grade A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D E Approximation of Performance Excellent Points 463 500 448 462 433 447 413 432 398 412 383 397 363 382 348 362 333 347 258 - 332 < 257 Scale 93 - 100 90 92 87 89 83 86 80 82 77 79 73 76 70 72 67 - 69 60 66 < 59

160 Points 150 Points 110 Points

Good

Average

Total Available

500 Points

Barely Passing Unacceptable for Course Credit

Contacting the Instructor and Office Hours

Email is the best way to contact me. When corresponding through email, begin the subject line: Anthropology 525 student: purpose of email. Please remember to identify yourself in the text of your email, so I will know whom I am communicating with. I will respond to your email as soon as I can. Office hours are set-aside for you to address problems, clear up misunderstandings, or to receive extra help with course material. However, office hours are not substitutes for lectures. I will not repeat entire lectures missed by individuals. I strongly urge you to make use of this time. If you cannot come during these hours, I will be happy to make an appointment convenient to both of us. Please do not wait until just before the exam to come in. Alternate office hours will be announced in class should I have to miss my scheduled hours.

Tentative Course Schedule

Listed below is a schedule for the topics covered during the quarter. All readings may be found in your textbooks or on Carmen. Readings for this class are not optional and should be completed before each discussion and exam. Cultural beliefs or practices presented in the readings may be unfamiliar to you, or contradict your own beliefs and practices, so read with an open mind. Assigned films will enhance your comprehension of course material discussed during lecture and in the readings. Remember, readings and films are fair game on the exam, so take notes. Dates for the exams and course assignments are listed below. The schedule of topics below is subject to change at the instructors convenience.
DATE Week 1 1/3/12 1/5/12 Week 2 1/10/12 1/12/12 TOPIC & READINGS Introduction EM: Part 1: The Early History of Anthropological Theory (p. 21 40) 19th Century Evolutionism EM: Part 1: The Early History of Anthropological Theory (p. 48 59, 62 74) MW: Ch. 1: The Social Organism Spencer Ch. 2: The Science of Culture Tylor Ch. 3: Ethnical Periods - Morgan ASSIGNMENT

Paper Topic Due: 1/12/12

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012

Week 3 1/17/12 1/19/12 Foundations of Sociological Thought EM: Part 1: The Early History of Anthropological Theory (p. 43 48, 78 81, 112 - 113) MW: Ch. 4: Feuerbach: Opposition of the Materialist and Idealist Outlook Marx & Engels Ch. 5: What is a Social Fact Durkheim Ch. 7: Excerpts from the Gift Mauss American Anthropology: Historical Particularism EM: Part 2: The Early 20th Century (p. 93 102) MW: Ch. 9: The Methods of Ethnology - Boas Ch. 10: Eighteen Professions - Kroeber C: The Aims of Anthropological Research Boas What is Anthropology About Kroeber British Social Anthropology: Functionalism EM: Part 2: The Early Twentieth Century (p. 123 128) MW: Ch. 13: The Essentials of the Kula Malinowski C: The Group and the Individual in Functional Analysis Malinowski On Social Structure - Radcliffe-Brown Neo-Evolution EM: Part 3: The Later 20th and Early 21st Century (p. 141 146) MW: Ch. 18: Energy and the Evolution of Culture White C: The Concept and Method of Cultural Ecology Steward Neo-Materialism EM: Part 3: The Later 20th and Early 21st Century (p. 147 150) MW: Ch. 21: The Cultural Ecology of Indias Sacred Cow Harris C: Theoretical Principles of Cultural Materialism Harris Introduction to Europe and the People without History Wolf French Structuralism EM: Part 1: EHAT (p. 84 91), Part 2: ET (p. 111 115, 118 123) MW: Ch. 25: Four Winnebago Myths: A Structural Sketch Levi-Strauss C: The Structural Study of Myth Levi-Strauss Symbolic Anthropology EM: Part 3: The Later 20th and Early 21st Century (p. 157 166) MW: Ch. 37: Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight Geertz C: Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture Geertz No Classes Final Exam Period

Prcis (19th CE) Due: 1/19/12 Group A&B Film: Karl Marx and Marxism (OSU library streaming)

Week 4 1/24/12 1/26/12

Prcis (FST) Due: 1/26/12 Group B Films: Shackles of Tradition (OSU library streaming); Franz Boas: 1852 1942 (Course playlist) Prcis (HP) Due: 2/2/12 Group A Film: Off the Verandah (OSU library streaming)

Week 5 1/31/12 2/2/12

Week 6 2/7/12 2/9/12

Precis (Fun) Due: 2/9/12 Group B

Week 7 2/14/12 2/16/12

Prcis (NE) Due: 2/16/12 Group A

Week 8 2/21/12 2/23/12

Prcis (NM) Due: 2/23/12 Group B

Week 9 2/28/12 3/1/12

Prcis (Str) Due: 3/1/12 Group A Research Paper Due: 3/1/12 Distribution of Take Home Final Exam 3/1/12

Week 10 3/6 8 /12 Week 11

Exam Due Tuesday (3/13) at 9:30 a.m.

ANTHROPOLOGY 525 (#24081) History of Anthropological Theory Winter 2012