Syllabus for Cultural Anthropology (ANTH001-01/UC1-24F)

Course Overview

Who are we? Where did we come from? What does it mean to be human and alive? What is culture and how is it related to humanity and globalization? What are the similarities and differences among societies and cultures around the world? What is (cultural) anthropology? What do anthropologists do and how do they do it? In this course, using global and Community of Inquiry (COI) frameworks, we will examine:

•    these fundamental and other related questions; and introduce students to methods, key concepts, and debates in cultural anthropology.

•     how life is lived, why individuals behave the way they do; and how people are both products and creators of their cultures.

•     structures of power and wealth, paying attention to patterns of (global) inequalities (by race, gender, class,  disability, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, nation, and region) as manifested currently in the inflations, food and housing insecurities, and wars.

The course and learning activities are designed to enhance your academic success through inclusive, independent, and collaborative learning. You will read a textbook that presents diverse ethnographies from different regions of the world, covers various topics in cultural anthropology, and spans the globe. This will be supplemented by:

a) a fieldwork journal that helps students apply their newly gained insights and skills to new situations and self- understanding;

b) other Norton digital products including comprehension quizzes embedded in each chapter, practicing ethnography and short video clips that will help you understand concepts covered in the chapters and classes;

c) additional relevant articles/chapters (posted on the lecture (main) course Canvas website);

d) a wide range of ethnographic videos; e) Hallway Conversations and Discussion forums;

f) online anthropological resources.

Lecture topics, course content, and other course activities for each week are indicated in the course syllabus and respective modules. Lectures will be delivered synchronously, which will be reinforced through polleverywhere comprehension quizzes and mid-lecture discussions based on students’ questions. To access my PollEverywhere presentations, you should register only with your UCR credentials viaPollEv.com/wnida. Recorded lecture videos, and slides will be posted under “Lecture Videos and Slides”, on the course Canvas website under weekly modules (1 through 10) organized by topics but note that this will not substitute active learning (attending live zoom lectures, using Students’  Visiting Hours to discuss the course materials, reading/taking notes, participating in various section-specific activities, Hallway Conversations, and Discussion Board forums). You should expect to be recorded during synchronous zoom lectures, Students’ Visiting Hours, and Discussion section meetings. I reserve the right to disable your audio and video. Please expect to spend 12 hours per week on course activities. The instructor has the right to add or modify any aspects of the course including the syllabus, class schedule, course materials, and grading.

Required Course Materials and How to Access Them

Required Reading (Copies on Reserve at UCR Library).

Required Reading (Copies on Reserve at UCR Library).

Guest, Kenneth J. 2023. Essentials of Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age. Fourth Edition. New York: W.W.

Norton and Company. [The textbook comes in both eBook and paperback with formative inquisitive, an interactive learning tool, embedded comprehension quizzes, and practicing ethnography.]

Guest, Kenneth J. 2023. Cultural Anthropology: FIELDWORK JOURNAL. Fourth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. [A companion to the textbook, the Journal comes in both eBook and paperback and contains exercises that help you to apply anthropological tools to and reflect on your own cultures, identities, and lived experiences.]

If you prefer the physical copies of the textbook and the Journal, please feel free to purchase them but they will cost you about $81 for the textbook and $22 for the Journal, a total of $103 as opposed to $35 for a digital bundle of all required   materials.

Please note that I negotiated with Norton, the Publisher, a digital bundle that includes all 3 required items (the eBook for the textbook, the eBook for the Fieldwork, and the Inquizitive) for $35 , which you can buy directly and instantly from

Norton with the links that are provided in the lecture (main) course Canvas website under “Course Orientation” module,

“Course Materials” tab. You can purchase access for $35 either through the eBook link in Canvas or the InQuizitive link in

Canvas (they are different links, but the purchasing capability is the same) by using the following step-by-step instructions below.

Accessing and Registering for your Cultural Anthropology Course Materials:

1.   Sign into Canvas athttps://elearn.ucr.edu/courses/155059and click into your Cultural Anthropology course (ANTH 001-UC1).

2.    In your course shell, locate theEssentials of Cultural Anthropology eBooklink under “Course Orientation” module. Once located, click on the link and the page should automatically load in a new tab.

3.   You will be prompted to create an account/sign in.

4.   Select “No, I need to register, purchase, or sign up for trial access.” Click the green button to continue.

5.   Fill out the form. with your full name, your school email address, and your password.

6.   Purchase access for $35 to the bundle: eBook text, InQuizitive, & eBook field journal, directly from the Norton site, select “I want to purchase access.” Then, click the “Show Purchasing Options” button and choose the $35 option.  Follow the prompts to complete the purchase with credit card.

7.   Follow the prompts for agreeing to the terms of service.

8.   Access your eBook, InQuizitive assignments, eBook field journal, and other digital products, all in one location, under “Course Orientation” module.

Instructions for How to Use and Access the Inquizitive Assignments:

In the lecture (main) course Canvas website, click on “Course Orientation Module”: 1) watch the short video on “How to register for digital resources (Inquizitive and eBook” under “Course Orientation” module, 2) then click on “InQuizitive Assignments”, under “Course Orientation” module, which will bring you to the page with a list of chapter-specific inquizitive assignments; from which you can click on chapter-specific inquizitives and complete the assignment. Please note that you should NOT access inquizitive assignments by going through Google - ONLY access the eBook text, eBook field journal, and InQuizitive assignments through the Lecture Section Canvas. Your grades will NOT be integrated into the gradebook if you access and complete inquizitive assignments outside of the Canvas course website.

Student Help/Support for the Inquizitive and eBooks:

If you have any problems with Norton digital products (the inquizitive or the eBooks), please visit Norton’s Help Desk here

to submit a support request:https://support.wwnorton.com/request . For any InQuizitive functionality questions, please consult this guide first:https://wwnorton.knowledgeowl.com/help/inquizitive-students. This page contains a list of frequently asked questions about InQuizitive.

Accessibility information: Here is a link with information on how access to Norton’s eBooks are compatible with screen readers and text-to-speech browsers, specifically in the section called "Does the eBook support audio narration?"

https://wwnorton.knowledgeowl.com/help/ebook-instructors-shared-functionality#does-the-ebook-support-audio-narration-

Additional Required Reading: Articles/Chapters:

These are posted in the course’s Canvas website under the course “Course Orientation” module, “Course Materials,” as “Additional Required Readings.”

•     Miner, Horace, “Body Rituals among the Nacirema,” Pp. 503-507.

•     Nida, Worku. 2007. “African Religious Beliefs and Practices in Diaspora: An Ethnographic Observation of

Activities at an Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Los Angeles.” In African Immigrant Religions in America, Jacob Olupona and Regina Gemignani, eds., Pp. 207-226. New York: New York University Press.

•     Nida, W. 2024. “‘Wealth in people’: Equbs as forms of investment among Ethiopian immigrants

in the US.” In Gluck Kim and Sophia Thubauville (eds.), Saving and being safe away from home. Savings and

insurance associations in Ethiopia and its diaspora, Bielefeld, Transcript, https://www.transcript- publishing.com/.

•     Stowe, Stacey (February 18, 2019). “New York City to Ban Discrimination Based on Hair,” (The New York Times)

•     How Climate Migration Will Reshape America, (The New York Times)

•     Black Americans Face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infection in Some States (The New York Times)

•    Why Women May Face Greater Risk of Catching Coronavirus (The New York Times)

•     The Striking Racial Divide in How Covid-19 Has Hit Nursing Homes (link to the

article:https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-nursing-homes-racial- disparity.html?searchResultPosition=27  (The New York Times)

•     Inequality Has Been Laid Bare by the Outbreak (The New York Times)

Suggested Readings:

Copies on Reserve at UCR Library.

•     Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men (1935).

•     Ruth Gomberg-Munoz. 2011.  Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network. New York: Oxford University Press.

•     Michelle Alexander. 2012. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press.

•     Gonzalez, Juan. 2011. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. New York: The Penguin Group. Revised Edition.

•     Explore the American Anthropological Association Race

website:https://www.americananthro.org/LearnAndTeach/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=2062

Course Prerequisites:

There are no course prerequisites for this course.

Technical Requirements:

You must have the following to take this class:

●     A computer with reliable internet access that you can use approximately 3-6 hours remotely per week (additional offline computer time estimated: 1-3 hours).

●     Google Docs and Slides: You will need to have access to a word processor (Word), and presentation software (PowerPoint).

●      Internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge).

●     PollEverywhere, Google Docs, Discord, Slack.

VPN Global Protect and AVON (Academic Video Online) Connection: You have access through UCR. Here are the instructions to use VPN Global Protect when connecting from off-campus:

https://library.ucr.edu/using-the-library/technology-equipment/connect-from-off-campus

Further, you need to create your free Zoom account using at:https://ucr.zoom.us. We will use Zoom for synchronous lectures, Discussion Section meetings, Students’ Visiting Hours, and video conferencing. You will need a computer with a camera and microphone. You must also read further details on technical requirements here.

Help/Support for Technical Difficulties:

In the event of any unexpected technical difficulties such as server outage or lack of internet access, which prevents students from completing a time-sensitive activity, the instructor will provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately report any problems to the instructor and also contact the Help Desk at

BearHelp@ucr.eduor 951-827-4848. If/when you encounter enrollment discrepancies, you can submit support requests fromServiceNow, and it would be “Request Services & Software” ---> “Student Information System (SIS) Service

Request” --> Category: “Other Not Listed” .

If you have any issues with Norton digital products, submit a Help Desk ticket at

https://support.wwnorton.com/request

Netiquette & Discussion Expectations

NETIQUETTE (rules of engagement) for online students as follows:

●     BE SCHOLARLY:

o  Use proper language, grammar, and spelling.

o  Be explanatory.

o  Justify your opinions.

o  Credit ideas of others; cite and link to scholarly resources.

o  Avoid: Misinforming others when you may not know the answer. If you are guessing about something, clearly state that you do not have all of the information.

●     BE POLITE:

o  Address others by name or appropriate title and be mindful of your tone.

o  Avoid: Using sarcasm, being rude, or writing in all capital letters (shouting). Written words can be easily misinterpreted, as they lack facial expression, body language, and tone of voice.

●     BE PROFESSIONAL:

o  Represent yourself well at all times.

o  Be truthful, accurate, and run a final spell check.

o  Write in a legible, black font, and limit the use of emoticons.

o  Avoid: Using profanity or participating in hostile interactions (flaming).

●     BE RESPECTFUL:

o  Respect privacy.

o  Respect diversity and opinions that differ from your own.

o  Communicate tactfully, and base disagreements on scholarly ideas or research evidence.

o  Avoid: Sharing another person’s professional or personal information.

●     If/when students engage in disruptive and unacceptable behaviors in live lectures, section meetings, and course- related postings, they will be removed from the Zoom lectures and section meetings and referred to the student    conduct office for disciplinary actions.

Course Goals and Assignments

Course Goals

This course introduces students to methods, key concepts, and debates in cultural anthropology. It explores how life is lived, why individuals behave the way they do, and how people are both products and creators of their cultures. Further, the course examines structures of power and wealth, paying attention to patterns of (global) inequalities (by race, gender, class, disability, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, nation, and region).

Course Learning Objectives (LOs) Students will:

LO1. Explain anthropology as a holistic discipline. [CTA1&2, Inquizitives, CAFJs]

LO2. Assess information about world cultures in juxtaposition with their own cultures. [CTA1&2, Inquizitives, CAFJs] LO3. Analyze why people behave, think, and feel the way they do. [Self-introductions, CTA1&2, Inquizitives,

CAFJs]

LO4. Express new self-understanding through synthesis of anthropological perspectives and skills. [CTA1&2, Inquizitives, CAFJs]

LO5. Appraise and communicate across human differences. [Self-introductions, CTA1&2, Inquizitives, CAFJs] LO6. Apply anthropological knowledge and skills to solve social problems. [CTA1&2, CAFJs]

You will achieve these high-quality LOs (LO1-LO6) by performing hands-on assignments (listed below) that are designed  to enhance your critical thinking and writing skills through independent and collaborative learning as well as implementing the three principles of the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework:

1.   SP-Social Presence: the ability to assert one’s beliefs, feelings, and personality to establish relationships, trust, open communication, and a sense of belonging (student-to-student interactions).

2.   CP-Cognitive Presence: the ability to construct meaning through a combination of individual experience and  reflection, social negotiation, individual and collaborative learning (student interactions with course materials, critical thinking).

3.   TP-Teaching Presence: the ability to design, facilitate, and direct the social and cognitive presence to achieve

high-quality learning outcomes for the students (instructor-to-student interactions, student-to-student interactions)

Major Assignments

1.   Academic Integrity Policy Agreement:

You must complete the academic agreement policy to gain access to the course content under “Course Orientation.”

2.   Syllabus Quiz (5 points):

You will familiarize yourself with the course expectations and deadlines by taking a syllabus quiz in Canvas under “Module 1” during the first week of the quarter. [TP]

3.   Self-Introduction Posts under Discussions (10 points): [SP, CP, TP, LO1, LO5]

In Canvas under “Module 1”: Discussion forums AND Hallway Conversations are designed to create a community of  learners, foster student-to-student interactions, and provide students with opportunities to get to know and learn from one another.

4.   InQuizitive- Weekly Inquizitive Assignment Completion (105 points): [SP, CP, TP, LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5]

You should take online quizzes over each chapter worth 7 points each, meaning you need to answer questions over

15 chapters for the full credit (The ‘how-to-use this’ module is also highly recommended). The InQuizitive chapters

correspond to the chapters we cover in class that week; you are encouraged to do the quizzes as you read to prepare for lecture. Each chapter quiz is due by Sunday at 11:59PM immediately after the week we cover the material. Due

dates are listed in the course schedule in the course syllabus. No extension of due dates and make up for the

InQuizitive. Within the due dates, you can keep working on the quizzes until you receive 100% by completing a

minimum of 13 questions, so this is a great way to boost your grade. Access each chapter ONLY through the Lecture Canvas website under the “InQuizitive Assignments” link, under “Course Orientation” and/or “This Week’s Inquizitive   Assignments” link, under each Module, which will take you to a list of inquizitives assignments, with “How to Use

Inquizitive” quiz at the top of the list. Using any other way (e.g., saved link, or Google, Discussion Section website) means your grade will not show up in the Lecture Section Canvas gradebook and you will receive a zero for that

chapter, so please make sure that you use the link from the class Canvas website. For any InQuizitive-related

questions you might have, please goto the Help Desk Link: https://support.wwnorton.com/request . Please note that end of chapters comprehension quizzes are strongly recommended, but they are not required and graded.

5.   Two Critical Thinking Assignments (CTA): CTA 1 and 2 (130 points): [SP, CP, TP, LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6]

Using your newly gained anthropological knowledge, you will write a 3 pages-long paper reflecting on your culture for CTA 1 (75 points), and a 5 pages-long paper on your identity markers and experience of the inflation for CTA 2 (105  points). You will be involved in monitoring your own progress through self and peer evaluations of your first drafts of   CTA 1 and CTA 2, which you will submit according to the instructions in the prompts. Your CTA 2 serves as your final exam. To help you succeed in the assignments (and the course broadly), rubrics are included in the prompts for CTA  1 and CTA 2. Make sure to take advantage of the rubrics, which show you exactly how your submissions will be graded.

6.   Discussion Section Specific Assignments (120 points): [SP, CP, TP, LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6]

Your success in this course depends on your attending, participating in and performing discussion section-specific

activities. Starting from the first week of the quarter, each discussion section meeting is worth 4 points (2 points for

attendance and 2 points for participation; 40 points total) . You will perform. oneself-evaluation each of your First Draft CTA1 and First Draft CTA 2 AND one peer-evaluation each of a random classmate’s First Draft CTA1 and First Draft  CTA 2, (50 points total for self and peer evaluations). For detailed instructions and due dates, please use the CTA 1

and CTA 2 prompts and your respective section syllabi. The TAs will create columns in their respective Section websites, where you should submit your self and peer evaluations of the first drafts of CTA 1 and CTA 2.

Further, you will complete three required CAFJ assignments (which are worth 10 points each) on:

a)    Initiating a Classroom Conversation about Race. Please read the prompt for “Initiating a Classroom Conversation   about Race” and, following “Your Turn” instructions, type in your thoughtful responses to questions Pp.1-6. Please submit your CAFJ assignment in PDF on the Section website under “CAFJ on Race” by 11:59pm Sunday,

October 20.

b)     “A Day Without Plastics.” Please read the prompt for “A Day Without Plastics” and, following “Your Turn”

instructions, type in your thoughtful responses to questions Pp. 48-51. Please submit your CAFJ assignment in PDF on the Section website under “CAFJ on A Day Without Plastics” by11:59pm Sunday, November 17.

c)    “Making the State Real.” Please read the prompt for “Making the State Real” and, following “Your Turn”

instructions, type in your thoughtful responses to questions on Food, People, Transportation, School,

Infrastructure, Public Agencies, Social Life, and Media. Please submit your CAFJ assignment in PDF on the Section website under “CAFJ on the State” by11:59pm Sunday, December 1.

The TAs will create columns in their respective Section websites, where you should submit your 3 required CAFJ assignments. Check thisRubricfor grading the CAFJ assignments.

Please note: Students are required to submit only the above three CAFJs in discussion sections’ Canvas dashboards. As with all other listed CAFJ assignments, we will use them to help you think like an anthropologist in two ways: 1) as part of  the class discussion in the lectures where the instructor will guide you to complete the assignments , and 2) in discussion   section classes where TAs will require students to perform. the CAFJs as part of class participation in section meetings,

where students will: a) fill out the worksheets by answering the questions; b) share their answers with their TAs and

classmates when TAs cover/talk about specific CAFJs in their respective discussion section meetings. The CAFJs are

relevant because they help students think like an anthropologist and apply what students learn from topical chapters that are organized under each Module.

The TAs are in charge of section-specific activities/assignments, grades, and attendance; and grading all other student   papers and exams. At their discretion, the TAs may use CAFJs, have in-virtual class activities and quizzes that may not  be made up. If you miss a virtual section meeting, or any discussion section-specific activity, or a deadline … . You are at the mercy of your TA.

Discussion Section Clause: If you have a zero score for your section (attendance, participation, and section-specific

activities) grade, your final grade will be demoted a FULL LETTER GRADE. For example, you might have a final score  within the “B-” range, even with a zero score from your recitation section. However, your final letter grade will be a “C-.” No exception.

Assessment and Grading Standards:

There are 370 possible points total for the course, distributed as follows:

1.   Syllabus Quiz: 5 points (1.4%)

2.   Discussion: Introduction; initial post (4) + responses (6) = 10 points (2.7%)

3.   Weekly InQuizitive completion: 105 points (28.4%)

4.   Final Drafts of Critical Thinking Assignments #1 (50 points) and #2 (80 points)-130 points (35.1%)

5.   Section Grades - 120 points (32.4%)

Attendance/participation/activities: 40 points; three CAFJ assignments:30 points; self and peer assessment of first drafts of CTA 1 and CTA 2: 50 points (25 points each)

Grading Standards : 96-100% = A+; 93-95% =A; 90-92% =A-; 87-89% =B+; 83-86% =B; 80-82% =B-; 77-79% =C+; 73 - 76% =C; 70-72% =C-; 67-69%=D+; 63 –66% =D; 60-62%=D-; below 60% = F

Grades will NOT be curved. Grades will not be provided through email.