Discipline: Anthropology Degree Credit  [X]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Anthropology 2


COURSE DESCRIPTION
2 Cultural Anthropology Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
An introduction to the anthropological concept of culture and to the methods and theories used in the comparative analysis of cultures. Cultural practices and institutions are examined using perspectives that enhance effective participation in a culturally diverse world. 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
An introduction to the anthropological concept of culture and to the methods and theories used in the comparative analysis of cultures.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Distinguish the unique characteristics of the discipline of
anthropology.

Define the anthropological concept of culture, emphasizing the
universal characteristics of culture, the significance of culture as
the human means of adaptation, and the processes of acquiring
and transmitting culture.

Apply the methods of anthropological research and analysis, giving
attention to the strategies of ethnographic fieldwork and to the
significance of the comparative approach for formulating and
testing hypotheses.

Analyze ethnographic data to illustrate and explain cultural
integration and cross-cultural variation.

Discuss the dynamic nature of culture, and identify forces that lead
to culture change.

Discuss the value of anthropological perspectives and methods for
understanding and solving societal and cultural problems.
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 
  1. The Discipline of Anthropology
    1. The holistic perspective: anthropology compared to disciplines in the social and biological sciences and the humanities
    2. The relation of cultural anthropology to the other subfields of anthropology
  2. The Anthropological Concept of Culture
    1. The characteristics of culture
    2. The value of cultural relativism, when compared to ethnocentrism, for examining one’s own and other cultures
    3. Becoming a cultural being: enculturation processes that lead to cultural, social, and gender identities
  3. Language and Other Forms of Communication
    1. Language as the major human symbolic system and means for transmitting culture
    2. Descriptive linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, grammar
    3. Historical linguistics: the development of language and language families
    4. Sociolinguistics and ethnolinguistics: the relationship between culture and language
    5. Nonverbal communication: kinesics and proxemics
  4. Studying Culture in the Field
    1. Ethnographic fieldwork: participant observation and fieldwork techniques
    2. Human subjects and the ethics of anthropological research.   Topics 5, 6, and 7 are not necessarily sequential. They may be considered  synchronously with any topics in the course.
  5. A Survey of Ethnographic Data 
    1. Cultural diversity: a survey of ethnographic data from selected cultures to reveal the variety of institutions and strategies (e.g., subsistance, economic, political, marriage, family, kinship, social groups, religious, artistic) adopted in order to ensure survival, express cultural values, organize society, and solve problems common to all cultural groups
    2. Cultural integration: examining the systemic nature of cultural institutions (e.g., marriage practices in relation to patterns of kinship and descent)
  6. Cross-Cultural Comparison and the Science of Culture
    1. Ethnology: identifying and explaining cultural variation
    2. Gaining insight into one’s own culture
  7. Cultures as Dynamic Systems
    1. Processes of culture change: innovation, diffusion, loss, acculturation, genocide
  8. Anthropological Contributions to Understanding and Solving Societal and Cultural  Problems
    1. Global forces shaping social, political, and economic institutions
    2. Anthropological responses to global problems of inequality, population growth, violence, and resource management
    3. Applied anthropology: the anthropologist as consultant and agent of change
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Class lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in order to explain concepts and allow students the opportunity to respond to them and relate them to their own knowledge and cultural experiences
  • Videos, films, and slides in order to illustrate research methods, to present ethnographic examples of concepts, and to examine cultural behaviors (e.g., kinesics) that may be subtle and difficult for nonmembers of a culture to model
  • Pair, small group, and class exercises, such as simulations that allow students to discover the meaning of concepts (e.g., ethnocentrism and cultural relativism)   and experience them in a controlled environment, or such as interviews that allow students to practice fieldwork techniques
  • Instructor generated handouts that help students acquire and organize information in assigned readings and in classroom presentations (e.g., study guides, outlines, and video guides), that illustrate relationships (e.g., graphic organizers), and that provide students with guidelines and data necessary for cultural and cross-cultural analysis
    5. web-based/web-enhanced/online activities in order to present key concepts and to supplement and enrich those presented during class or in texts
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Quizzes and examinations designed to determine knowledge of anthropological terminology and concepts and demonstrate their application to ethnographic examples
  • Essays, reports, posters, kinship diagrams, and research papers designed to demonstrate knowledge and application of methods of ethnographic research and of cultural and cross-cultural analysis
  • Short assessment tools (e.g., cognitive maps, summary statements, graphic organizers, video questions) that verify and assess individual, pair, and group participation in classroom activities designed to identify ethnographic examples and apply anthropological perspectives
  • A final examination that assesses mastery of basic concepts of the course, the ability to analyze ethnographic data, and the ability to apply anthropological perspectives to existing cultural and societal situations and problems
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Ember, Carol, and Melvin Ember. Cultural Anthropology. 11 ed. any: Pearson/Prentice, 2004.
  • Ferraro, Gary. Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective. 5 ed. any: Wadsworth, 2004.
  • Haviland, William, et. al. . Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. 11 ed. any: Wadsworth, 2005.
  • Kottak, Conrad. Cultural Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity. 10 ed. any: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
  • Nanda, Serena, and Richard Warms. Cultural Anthropology. 9 ed. any: Wadsworth, 2006.
  • In addition to a primary textbook, instructors may choose to use case studies, ethnographies, and anthologies.

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