Lecture
Small Group Discussion
Large Class Discussion
Case Study Analysis
Films
Response Papers
Research Papers
Holism in anthropology
Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
Historical development of the concept of culture
Ethnographic methods
Ethics in research involving human subjects
the importance of language in human perception and communication
kinship
economy
modes of production
modes of exchange
sex, gender and sexual expression
reproduction
critiques of biological and cultural determinism
ethnicity
nationalism
violence
environment, ecology and culture
additional themes such as language endangerment and revival and race and racism may be undertaken by individual instructors
At the conclusion of the course, successful students will be able to:
1. Outline the major subfields of anthropology and the importance of social and cultural anthropology within the broader perspective on humanity offered by the discipline.
2. Define key terms and concepts in social and cultural anthropology and claim experience in applying them to discussions of historical and contemporary research in the discipline.
3. Discuss the core methods in social and cultural anthropology.
4. Identify and reflect upon the ethical obligations of pursuing research involving human subjects both living and deceased.
5. Develop and deepen an appreciation for human diversity.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with section specific criteria during the first week of classes.
An example of a possible assessment scheme:
Reflection/Response Papers 30% (3x10%)
Research Paper 25%
Midterm 20%
Final 25%
Total 100%
Students may conduct resarch with human participants as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving human subjects.
Texts will be updated periodically. Typical examples are:
Bodley, John H. 2016. Tribes, States and the Global System. Sixth Edition. New York: AltaMira Press.
Eller, Jack David. 2009. Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives. Routledge: New York.
Kenny, Michael G. and Smillie, Kirsten. 2015. Stories of Culture and Place: An Introduction to Anthropology. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Robbins, Richard H., Cummings, Maggie and McGarry, Karen. 2016. Sociocultural Anthropology: A Problem Based Approach. Toronto: Nelson Education.
Stern, Pamela. 2015. Reading Cultural Anthropology: An Ethnographic Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.