Anthropology 415:A1 Term I 2006
History
of Anthropological Theory
Jean DeBernardi Office
Hours:
HM Tory 14-18 Wednesday 11-12; Friday 9-9:45
492-0131 and by appointment
jean.debernardi@ualberta.ca
website:
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~jdeberna
The
Course
History of Anthropological Theory investigates major theoretical trends
in social and cultural anthropology in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. Topics covered include: nineteenth century evolutionism, the Durkheimian
school, the Boasian school and American cultural anthropology,
structural-functionalism and English social anthropology, ecological
anthropology and neo-evolutionism, structuralism, symbolic and cognitive
anthropology, the anthropology of gender, postmodern anthropology and other
contemporary approaches to anthropological theory.
Requirements include a midterm examination on October 18th
(30%), a final examination at 9 am on December 19th (30%), and two
5-8 page papers on topics keyed to the weekly readings, which together with
class participation will count as 40% of the grade. Students must write their first paper based
on one of the weekly topics assigned in the first part of the term (before the
midterm examination), and their second paper based on one of the weekly topics
assigned in the second part of the term.
Papers usually are due one week after we have discussed the topic in
class. At the beginning of term,
students will sign up to discuss their research on one of these topics
in a short in-class presentation.
Please note: I do not consider a
paper to be <late' until I have graded and
returned the papers on that topic, but papers turned in after that time will
receive a grade penalty.
Books
The
following books are required, and have been ordered at the bookstore:
R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms (2000
[1996]) Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History (Third
Edition). Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing House.
Alan Barnard (2000) History and Theory in
Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
The two readings for week 13 can be accessed via the library’s on-line reserve list.
Week
1 Introduction
September 6 - 8
Alan Barnard, Chapter 1 AVisions of
Anthropology@; Chapter 2 APrecursors of the
Anthropological Tradition@; Chapter 3 AChanging
Perspectives on Evolution,@ in History and
Theory in Anthropology (henceforth HTA).
Jon McGee and Richard Warms,
"Nineteenth Century Evolutionism," in Anthropological Theory (henceforth
AT), [I strongly recommend that you read the editors' section introductions
for this book topic by topic.]
Week 2 Evolutionism and
Neo-evolutionism
September
11 - 15
2. Herbert Spencer (1860),
"The Social Organism" in AT
3. Edward Tylor (1871) "The Science of
Culture" in AT
4. Lewis Henry Morgan (1877) "Ethnical
Periods" in AT
20. Leslie White (1943) "Energy and the Evolution of Culture,"
in AT.
19. Julian Stewart (1955)
"The Patrilineal Band," in AT.
Friday, September 15th: Discussion of evolutionist and
neo-evolutionist thinkers and nineteenth century travel writers.
Week 3 Durkheim,
Mauss, and Weber
September
18 - 22
6. Emile Durkheim (1895)
"What is a Social Fact?" in AT
7. Emile Durkheim (1912) "The Cosmological
System of Totemism and the Idea of Class" in AT
8. Marcel Mauss (1924) Excerpts
from The Gift, in AT
9. Max Weber (1922) "Class,
Status, Party," in AT
Friday, September 22: Discussion of
the works of Durkheim and his students. [Week 2 papers are due.]
Week 4 Boas and the Culture
Concept
September
25 – 29
Barnard, Chapter 4 ADiffusionism and
Culture-area Theories@ in HTA.
10. Franz Boas (1920) "The
Methods of Ethnology" in AT
11. A. L. Kroeber (1953) AEighteen
Professions@ in AT
Friday, September 29: Discussion of the Boasian approach to the
study of society. [Week 3 papers are
due.]
Week 5 Foundations of
Functionalism
October 2 -
6
Chapter 5 AFunctionalism and Structural-functionalism,@ in HTA
13. Bronislaw Malinowski (1922)
"The Essentials of the Kula," in AT
14. A. R. Radcliffe-Brown (1924)
"The Mother's Brother in South Africa," in AT
15. E. E. Evans-Pritchard (1940)
"The Nuer of the Southern Sudan," in AT
Friday, October 6th: Discussion of the British anthropological
tradition. [Week 4 papers are due.]
Week 6 Ideology
and Practice
October 9 - 13
October 9 Thanksgiving Day (no class)
Barnard, Chapter 6 AAction-centred,
Processual, and Marxist Perspectives@
5. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1845-46)
"Feuerbach: Opposition of the
Materialist and Idealist Outlook," in AT.
16. Max
Gluckman (1956) “The License in Ritual,” in AT
23. Marvin Harris (1966) "The
Cultural Ecology of India's Sacred Cattle," in AT
24. Roy A. Rappaport (1967) ‘Ritual Regulation of
Environmental Relations Among a New Guinea People,” in AT
Friday, October 13: Discussion of British social anthropology and Marxist/materialist
anthropology [week 5 papers are
due]
Week 7 Midterm
October 16 –
20
October 16 In-class review
October 18 Midterm Examination
October 20 Film [week 6 papers are due.]
Week 8 Culture
and Personality School and Cognitive Anthropology
October 23 - 27
Barnard, Chapter 7 AFrom Relativism to
Cognitive Science,@ in HTA
17. Ruth Fulton Benedict (1930)
"Psychological Types in the Cultures of the Southwest," in AT
18. Margaret Mead (1935)
Introduction to Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, in AT
30. Stephen Tyler (1969)
"Introduction," in AT.
Friday, October 27th: Presentations on the culture and personality
school and cognitive anthropology
Week 9 Structuralism
October
30 – November 3
Barnard, Chapter 7, AFrom Relativism to
Cognitive Science,@ pp. 112-119; Chapter 8 AStructuralism, From
Linguistics to Anthropology,@ in HTA.
Pierre Bourdieu (1990)
"The Kabyle House or the World Reversed," in The Logic of Practice,
pp. 271-283. Stanford: Stanford University Press. [handout]
26. Claude Levi-Strauss (1963) "Structural
Analysis in Linguistics and in Anthropology" and 27 “Four Winnebago Myths”
in AT.
28. Sherry B. Ortner (1974)
"Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?" in AT.
Friday, November 3rd: Discussion of
structuralist anthropology [week 8 papers
are due]
Week 10 Symbolic
Anthropology
November 6 - 10
Barnard, Chapter 10 AInterpretive and
Postmodern Approaches,@ pp. 158-164 in HTA.
38. Mary Douglas (1966)
"External Boundaries," in AT
39. Victor Turner (1967)
"Symbols in Ndembu Ritual, in AT
40. Clifford Geertz (1973)
"Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese
Cockfight," in AT
Friday, November 10th: Discussion of symbolic anthropology. [week 9
papers are due]
Week 11 Anthropology, Gender, and History
November
13 – 17
November 13th Remembrance Day: No Class
Barnard, Chapter 9 APoststructuralists,
Feminists, and (other) Mavericks@ in HTA.
35. Sally Slocum (1975)
"Woman the Gatherer: Male Bias in
Anthropology," in AT, pp. 419-428.
36. Eleanor Leacock (1983) "Interpreting the
Origins of Gender Inequality: Conceptual
and Historical Problems," in AT, pp. 429-444.
37. Ann L. Stoler (1989) "Making Empire
Respectable: The Politics of Race and
Sexual Morality in Twentieth-century Colonial Cultures," in AT
Friday, November 17th: Discussion of the anthropology of gender
[Week 10 papers are due]
Week 12 Postmodernism and its Critics
November 20 – 24
Barnard, Chapter 10 AInterpretive and
Postmodernist Approaches,@ pp. 164-177 in HTA.
41. Renato Rosaldo (1989)
"Grief and a Headhunter's Rage," in AT.
42. Vincent Crapanzano (1986) "Hermes'
Dilemma: The Masking of Subversion in
Ethnographic Description," in AT.
43. Roy D'Andrade (1995)
"Moral Models in Anthropology," in AT.
Friday, November 24th: Discussion of contemporary approaches to
anthropological theory
[Week 11 papers are due.]
Week 13 Recent Issues in Anthropological
Theory
November 27 – December 1
Marshall Sahlins, “What is
Anthropological Enlightenment? Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century.” Annual Review of Anthropology, 28:
i-xxiii, 1999. [library on-line reserve list]
Deborah Poole, “An Excess of
Description: Ethnography, Race, and
Visual Technologies,” in Annual Review of
Anthropology 2005, 34: 59-79. [library on-line reserve list]
Friday December 1st: Discussion of contemporary approaches to
anthropological theory [Week 12
papers are due Friday December 1st].
Week 14 Wrapup and Review
December 4 - 6
Wednesday, December 6th: Review for final examination [Week 13
papers are due on the final day of class, December 6th]
Final examination: Tuesday
December 19th at 9 a.m.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Additional Information
Students who require accommodations due to a disability
affecting mobility, vision, hearing, learning, or mental or physical health are
advised to discuss their needs with Specialized Support and Disability
Services, 2-800 SUB, 492-3381 (phone) or 492-7269 (TTY).
"Policy
about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University
Calendar." (GFC 29 SEP 2003)
Grading System
According to University policy (GFC policy 61.6)
grades reflect instructors’ judgments of student achievement that are based on
a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in a class. According to the university's
grading system, the instructor is entitled to make a subjective assessment of
the student’s performance that rises above mathematics.
Undergraduate Student Grading Scale
|
Descriptor |
Letter
Grade |
|
|
Excellent
|
A+ |
Based on cumulative marks as per the syllabus |
|
Good
|
B+
|
|
|
Satisfactory
|
C+
|
|
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Poor
|
D+ |
|
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Minimal
Pass |
D |
|
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Failure |
F |
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I will give
detailed guidelines for the citation of sources for the two papers. For information
on the Code of Student Behaviour, please see the Student Appeals website,
including especially the ‘Don’t Cheat Sheet’ at:
http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/secretariat/studentappeals.cfm
30.3.2(1) Plagiarism No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another
person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project,
assignment, presentation or poster in a course or progr