Untitled

Web Schedules

Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Summer 2024

One Credit Courses

Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Summer 2024

No Cost Textbook/Resources Courses

Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Summer 2024

Low Cost Textbook/Resources Courses

Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Summer 2024

Course Planning by Program

2023-24

Essential Objectives

Course Syllabus


Revision Date: 28-Aug-23
 

Fall 2023 | ANT-1010-VO02 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology


Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Location: Online
Credits: 3 (45 hours)
Day/Times: Meets online
Semester Dates: 09-05-2023 to 12-18-2023
Last day to drop without a grade: 09-25-2023 - Refund Policy
Last day to withdraw (W grade): 11-06-2023 - Refund Policy
This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration

Faculty

MK Dreher
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Gilberto Diaz Santos

General Education Requirements


This section meets the following CCV General Education Requirement(s) for the current catalog year:
VSCS Humanistic Perspectives
    Note
  1. Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.
  2. Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is a survey of basic issues, concepts, theories, and methods of cultural anthropology. Students think critically about the nature of culture and society from the perspective of the past and the present. Topics include social and political organization, gender, myth and religion, language, adaptation, and cultural change.


Essential Objectives

1. Describe the origin and development of anthropology as a social science and as a humanities field, the subject matter it includes, and how it relates to other disciplines.
2. Explain and apply key anthropological concepts, including culture, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, adaptive strategies, agency, social stratification, magic, ritual, cultural change, and world-view.
3. Discuss the application of quantitative and qualitative anthropological methods to the study of human culture and examine the relationship between method and theory.
4. Describe the development of anthropological theories such as cultural evolution, structural functionalism, cultural ecology, and symbolic interactionism and understand how current theoretical approaches are used to explain cultural phenomena.
5. Examine the role and importance of fieldwork in cultural anthropology and discuss ethical conduct within the discipline, including bias in research design and practice.
6. Discuss the diversity of humans past and present by identifying differences, similarities, and interrelationships among individuals, cultures, and societies.
7. Apply basic anthropological concepts to better understand and respect the characteristics of unfamiliar cultures and critically examine aspects of familiar cultures, cultural conflict, and systemic racism.
8. Describe the various roles that cultural anthropologists play in today's world and give examples of current research questions and applied cultural anthropology in business, medicine, education, development, and advocacy.


Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.


Required Textbooks and Resources

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.


Methods

  • Instructor lectures and weekly discussions
  • Discussion board responses and writing assignments
  • Interactive exercises
  • OER resources provided

Evaluation Criteria

  • Class Participation 40% of Grade
  • 5 Reflective Summary Papers 30% of Grade
  • Midterm Project 30% of Grade
  • Final Project 30% of Grade






Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

 HighLow
A+10098
A Less than 9893
A-Less than 9390
B+Less than 9088
B Less than 8883
B-Less than 8380
C+Less than 8078
C Less than 7873
C-Less than 7370
D+Less than 7068
D Less than 6863
D-Less than 6360
FLess than 60 
P10060
NPLess than 600


Weekly Schedule


Week/ModuleTopic  Readings  Assignments
 

1

Introductions and Course Overview

Overview of Four Fields of Anthropology

Linguistics Core Concepts

Case Study

  

What is Anthropology?

Case Study: Eating Christmas in the Kalahari by Richard Borshay Lee

  

Discussion Forums

 

2

Characteristics of Culture

Case Study

  

OER Resources and Case Study

Shakespeare in the Bush by Laura Bohannan

  

Discussion Forums

Reflective Summary #1

 

3

Ethnography

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

4

Origin and Diversity of Species/Biological

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

Reflective Summary #2

 

5

Language and Communication/Linguistics

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

6

Midterm Project

  

OER Resources and Individual Research

  

No Discussion Forum

Complete Midterm Project

 

7

Social Identity, Personality and Gender

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

8

Patterns of Subsistence and Economic Patterns

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

Reflective Summary #3

 

9

Sex, Marriage and Family

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

10

Kinship and Descent

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

Reflective Paper #4

 

11

Politics and Power

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

12

Spirituality, Religion, and Shamanism

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

Reflective Summary #5

 

13

The Arts

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forums

 

14

Cultural Change and Global Challenges

  

OER Resources and Case Study

  

Discussion Forum

 

15

Final Project

Conclusions and Farewells

Farewells

  

OER Resources and Individual Research

  

Discussion Forums

Submission of Final Project

 

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

  • In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
  • Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
  • Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.


Participation Expectations

To earn full participation points for the week, students should:

  • Read the assigned material and demonstrate an understanding of those resources in your assignments and posts. Readings and resources should be cited using APA format.
  • Post an original response to the weekly prompt(s) before Friday at midnight (11:59 PM) and a minimum of two responses to peers before Monday at midnight (11:59 PM). You are welcome to post early and/or more frequently, as your schedule allows, but you will not receive full credit if you do not meet these minimum requirements and/or deadlines.
  • Posts should be substantive and demonstrate college-level writing. A substantive post is well-developed, a minimum 150 words, and references the reading or another appropriate source. A substantive post is NOT one or two sentences of general statements or unsupported opinion.

Basic Class Expectations Also Require That You:

  • Attend class regularly, on-time and for the full session
  • Listen to others attentively and with an open mind
  • Positively contribute to class discussions and activities
  • Ask questions and seek help when you need it
  • Challenge yourself to do your best work


Missing & Late Work Policy

  • Late assignments can be submitted up to one week past the deadline. After a week, it will no longer be accepted for credit. Please be sure to communicate with me on any late work.
  • Late work is not accepted in the discussion forum. Interacting with classmates is an essential part of online discussions and cannot be made up after the fact.
  • Extensions will be granted in extenuating circumstances. If a lengthy medical problem or other emergent personal issue will result in missing weekly discussions and/or assignments, please contact your instructor as soon as possible.
  • Students who know that they will not have course access for any given week should make arrangements me to complete assignments and participation requirements prior to the absence.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:


CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please
  1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
  2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
  3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.


Academic Integrity


CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.