ANTHROPOLOGY 111
Introduction to Anthropology
COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2006 - M, W, & F 2:20-3:20 - LH 1
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Zapatista Woman   Welcome to Introduction to Anthropology. Anthropology 111 is an introduction to the discipline of anthropology-the study, description and analysis of the human condition across space and through time.  We begin with a close look at the history and organization of the discipline as well as the various methods used by anthropologists to study humankind.  We turn to substantive discussions of genetics and evolution and to the study of fossil remains in order to learn about  human origins. The development of culture is outlined from early hunters and gatherers to agricultural societies and stratified state systems.

    The course seeks to impart a broad understanding of the human condition, along with an appreciation of cultural diversity and difference.  Students will learn about the nature of culture and learned behavior.  We will examine race and criticisms of the race concept as applied in modern societies, about gender and its ramifications, and about other key human institutions.  We learn about the role of anthropology in the construction of socially important knowledge and the application of anthropological knowledge to current world problems. 

   This course is an introductory course,  intended for non-anthropology majors, although anthropology majors may take the course for credit.  The course is also appropriate for non-matriculated students who simply wish to learn something about popular issues in archaeology.   Anthropology  111 counts as a Social Science course (N) in the Undergraduate General Education program at Binghamton University.  It also counts towards the requirements for social science division course work in Harpur College.

PROFESSORS

Randy McGuireRandy McGuire
rmcguire@binghamton.edu
 Sci.1 228, x7-2906,
Office hrs: T 9:30-10:30 am, W 1-2 pm

(PhD University of Arizona 1982), Professor of Anthropology, is an archaeologist whose principal interests lie in the development of power relations in the past. He has carried out most of his field work in the US Southwest, and currently is conducting a long-term field project in northwest Mexico. He has also done historical archaeology and oral history research in the northeastern U.S. He currently has a project investigating the 1913-1914 coal strike in southern Colorado. In addition to historical archaeology, history and ethnology, his interests include quantitative methods, social theory, cultural resource management, and
archaeomagnetic dating.		 Douglas HolmesDoug Holmes
dholmes@binghamton.edu
Sci. 1 221, x7-4550,
Office hrs: Mon. & Wed.  3:30-5:00 pm.

(PhD State University of New York at Stony Brook 1981) Professor of Anthropology, is a cultural anthropologist.  He is currently involved in  three projects: 1) a major study of central banking based on fieldwork in Frankfurt am Main at the Deutsche Bundesbank and the European Central Bank, 2) a collaborative project with George Marcus that seeks to “re-function,” as we term it, ethnographic method, and 3) continuing research on radical political insurgencies spawned by advanced European integration

ORGANIZATION
AustrolapithicusAnthropology is a four field discipline that attempts to understand the whole of the human condition.  It is divided into biological anthropology (or human biology), archaeology (or the study of past cultures), social anthropology (the study of living cultures) and linguistics (the study of language).  This course will give an overview of each of these subdisciplines and discuss common concerns that unite all four.  The major theme of anthropology and of this course is to try and comprehend the incredible diversity of the human condition. Introduction to Anthropology is organized into four sections.  The first section discusses what makes us human and draws primarily on Biological Anthropology.  Here we will dicsuss human evolution, human biological variation, and the relationship of humans to other species.  The second section of the course will address the history of Anthropology and the concept of culture that is the key to our discipline.  The mid-term will follow and include this second section.  We will then turn our attention to archaeology  and consider how the study of the past relates to social and cultural relationships in the present.  Finally, we will address language and culture in the modern world.


REQUIREMENTS
Irish Bankers

   The course will be taught with a combination of lectures and discussion sections.  The lectures will make frequent use of slides and we will see several movies during the semester.  You will attend two, one and a half hour lectures a week in the lecture hall and once a week you will attend a discussion section led by a Teaching Assistant (TA).  If you are not clear on which discussion session you should attend, please talk to the instructor or one of the TAs immediately.  If you need to change discussion sessions, we can handle this internally within the course; talk to the instructor or a TA.  In discussion sessions you will talk about what has Survey Sonorabeen covered in class and new material will be introduced.  Discussion sessions are a mandatory and integral part of the course and it will not be possible to pass the course without attending them.

   The requirements for the course include work both in the lecture and the discussion sessions.  You are expected to regularly attended all lecture and discussion session meetings.  There will be two exams given in the lecture. The first will be a mid-term  The second of these sectional exams will be given in the university scheduled final exam period.  This last exam will not be comprehensive and will only cover the second half of the course.  These exams will consist of two parts.  The first part will be a short take home essay that you will be given in the discussion section meeting before the exam.  On the day of the exam you will turn in the take home essay and you will sit for a substantive exam.  This in class exam will include multiple choice questions, and short answer questions.  In your discussion sections, you will do four short (1 to 2 page) written assignments based on the required readings.  The assignments and your participation in the discussion sections will count 100 points towards your final grade and each of the exams will also count 100 points for a total of 300 points.  Class grades will be based on a curve.

TEXTS
Mark's Text




What It Means to be 98% Chimpanzee
by Jonathan Marks
Basso Text




Portraits of "The Whiteman"
by Keith H. Basso
                                                                    
Spector text




What This Awl Means
by Janet Spector
 Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology




Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology
by Robert H. Lavenda & Emily A. Schultz
 rabinow text




Making PRC
by Paul Rabinow

We will present the course content in lectures and in readings.  We have chosen five short books as the readings for the Introduction to Anthropology.  What It Means to be 98% Chimpanzee by Jonathan Marks raises the key issue of the first section of the course - what does it mean biologically to be human.   What This Awl Means by Janet Spector is an archaeological case study that integrates archaeological method, the study of the past and cultural relationships in the present.   Core Concpts in Cultural Anthropology by Robert H. Lavenda & Emily A. Schultz provides a reference source for many of the key concepts that will run through several sections of the course.   Portraits of "The Whiteman" by Keith H. Basso is a somewhat traditional case study of anthropological lingusitics.  Finally,  Making PRC by Paul Rabinow is a very contemporary case study in cultural anthroopology that looks at the culture of biotechnology.   These readings will be discussed in discussion sections but their content will not be repeated in lectures.

COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS

WARNINGS

Gary Larson Cartoon


In a course this size cheating and plagiarism are often a problem.  Any students caught cheating or plagiarizing the work of others (students and published authors) will be assigned a "F" in the course and turned over to the university's academic honesty committee.  Please do not engage in these activities.  The correct answer on a multiple choice question or a free ride on an assignment is not worth being suspended or expelled from the university.  If you have any doubts on what plagiarism is, talk to your TA or visit the writing center's web site and read their statement on plagiarism. http://writingcenter.binghamton.edu/handout.htm

   A frequent problem in large lecture courses is talking during the lecture.  If we have to interrupt our lecture to tell someone to quiet down, you will be asked to leave the class.  If an individual or group is talking and interfering with your ability to hear or concentrate on the lecture, please tell them to be quiet.  If they do not, bring them to the instructor's attention.
  (Cartoon by Gary Larson)

grand gulch
A FINAL COMMENT

Please feel free to contact either of the instructors or one of the TAs with any questions you might have concerning the class or just to discuss the materials we are studying.  We are all professional anthropologists and like nothing more than to talk about anthropology with someone who is interested.  Also, please feel free to ask questions during the lecture.  Let us know if you are having problems and we will do what ever we can to assist you.
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