ANTH 1100
Culture and Society
Brooklyn College, FALL 2023
Professor: Meghan Ference, PhD Meeting Time: T/Th 2:15-3:30pm
Office: 3301 James Hall, Suite K
Office Hours: T/Th 5-6pm or by appointment
Overview and Objectives
This course provides students with an introduction to the basic concepts, theories, and methods
of Cultural Anthropology – an academic discipline that studies human societies in all their
diversity. Anthropologists have traditionally focused their research on remote locales and
stressed the importance of learning the languages and lifestyles of the people they work with.
Today’s anthropology is not about studying or exotifying ‘others’ -- it’s about understanding the
increasingly global nature of our own society. Culture and Society is a portal into more advanced
anthropology courses and can count as a requirement for Anthropology majors and minors. The
overall purpose of this course is to provide students with a broad perspective on the types of
research that anthropologists undertake, and to engage in a critical dialogue on how the work of
anthropologists contributes to the understanding of the human condition. Anthropological
research is more than a theoretical endeavor; it is used to shape solutions to real world social,
political, economic, and environmental problems. Themes covered in the class are
communication, racism, gender, sexuality, power, political economy, and ritual. Students who
take this class will obtain a broad overview of Cultural Anthropology and a better appreciation
for the cultural diversity that they encounter in everyday life.
Assessment and Grades
Attendance and Participation (20%)
Attendance is mandatory. You are expected to come to class having read the assignment and
prepared to engage in thoughtful discussion. Excessive absences and/or lateness will damage
your grade. We will have weekly in-class participation exercises including pop-quizzes, movie
viewing handouts and other small assignments, which will count toward your participation grade.
Ethnographic Exercises (20%)(2x50 points)
Students will produce two ethnographic papers based on an observational exercise. They are to
be three pages in length, double spaced, typed papers describing and attempting to analyzing an
event through an ethnographic lens. The observational event can be nearly anything from a party
to a parade, a worship service or a political rally. If you are not sure if the event you have chosen
is acceptable for this assignment, please check with the professor.
Exams (60%)(3x100 points)
There will be three in-class examinations, each worth 100 points. They will be mixed format
exams, question types will include, but are not limited to, multiple choice, true/false, short and
long essays. All examinations are closed book exams given in class, unless academic
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accommodations are required and have been made in advance. Review materials and sessions
will be provided.
GRADING POSSIBLE POINTS
Attendance and Participation 100 points
Ethnographic Exercises (2x50 points each) 100 points
Examinations (3x100 points each) 300 points
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 500 points
Grading Scale:
94 and above A 77 – 74 C
93 – 90 A- 73 – 70 C-
89 – 88 B+ 69 – 68 D+
87 – 84 B 67 – 64 D
83 – 80 B- 63 – 60 D
79 – 78 C+ 59 and below F
Important Dates
Friday, August 25: First day of Fall 2023 classes
Thursday, August 31: Last day to add a course
Monday, September 4: College Closed – No classes scheduled
Friday, September 15: through No classes scheduled
Sunday, September 17- Monday, September 25: No classes scheduled
Monday, October 9: College Closed – No classes scheduled
Tuesday, October 10: Conversion Day – Classes follow a Monday schedule
Wednesday, November 22: No classes scheduled
Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24: College Closed – No classes scheduled
Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26: College OPEN – No classes scheduled
Monday, December 11: Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” grade
Tuesday, December 12 and Wednesday, December 13: Reading Days
Thursday, December 14: Final Exams Begin
Wednesday, December 20: Final Exams End / End of Fall Semester
Class Requirements and Policies
1.DONT CHEAT OR PLAGIARIZE!
University's policy on Academic Integrity: The e faculty and administration of Brooklyn
College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible
for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete
text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for policy
implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member
suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if
the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation.
Plagiarism reminder: Any attempt to present someone else’s work as your own, on papers,
exams, transcripts, etc. constitutes plagiarism, an act closely analogous to the theft of money or
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goods or to any form of swindling or fraud, and in the academic world, just as deplorable. If I
find that you have plagiarized in any way, I will fail you for the assignment.
There are various forms of plagiarism, including:
(1) Word-for-word plagiarism. This includes (a) the submission of another student’s work as
your own; (b) the submission of work from any source whatever (book, magazine, newspaper
article, unpublished paper, thesis, or internet) without proper acknowledgement by footnote or
reference within the text of the paper; (c) the submission of any part of another’s work without
proper use of quotation marks.
(2) Patchwork plagiarism. This consists of piecing together of unacknowledged phrases and
sentences quoted verbatim (or nearly verbatim) from a variety of sources. The mere reshuffling
of other people’s words does not constitute “original” work.
(3) Unacknowledged paraphrase. It is perfectly legitimate to include another author’s facts or
ideas in one’s own words, but you must acknowledge the source in a footnote or reference within
the text of the paper. Any of these forms of plagiarism warrant automatic failure for the
assignment, and possible disciplinary action at the University level.
If you have trouble understanding what “counts” as plagiarism, I strongly suggest you explore
the online tutorial: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/.
2. PRACTICE SELF-CARE!
Center for Student Disability Services: In order to receive disability-related academic
accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services.
Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to
set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms.
Valerie Stewart-Lovell at (718) 951-5538. If you have already registered with the Center for
Student Disability Services, please provide your professor with the course accommodation form
and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her.
The Magner Career Center provides students the knowledge, skills, values and opportunities that
are essential to fulfilling their career aspirations.
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/magner.php
Mental Health Services 0203 James Hall
The Personal Counseling Program provides free, confidential consultation, referral and short-
term services for students at the college. These are extraordinarily stressful times. It is important
to reach out for support that all students deserve.
https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/offices/studentaffairs/health-wellness/counseling/
services.php
Health Clinic 114 Roosevelt Hall 718.951.5580
Please email [email protected] or leave a message at 718 951-5580 with your full
name and phone number. You may also schedule to see us via BC WebCentral e-services SAHT,
though we will need to speak with you before the appointment.
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3. LET ME HELP YOU!
Student Bereavement Policy: Students who experience the death of a loved one must contact
the Division of Student Affairs, 2113 Boylan Hall, if they wish to implement either the Standard
Bereavement Procedure or the Leave of Absence Bereavement Procedure (see below). The
Division of Student Affairs has the right to request a document that verifies the death (e.g., a
funeral program or death notice).
Student-Instructor Interactions/Drop-in Hours:
I strongly recommend that all my students come talk to me during drop-in office hours at least
once during the semester. It’s very helpful for me to get a sense of how the course is going for
you and how it fits into your busy, complicated lives.
Brooklyn College provides me with a class roster with your legal name. I will gladly honor your
request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this
preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
As an educator, I fully support the rights of undocumented students to an education and to live
free from the fear of deportation. If you have any concerns in that regard, feel free to discuss
them with me, and I will respect your wishes concerning confidentiality.
Optional Text:
Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology (15th Edition) (McCurdy, Shandy
and Spradley)
CLASS MEETINGS AND READING SCHEDULE
Week Date Topic Reading and Assignments Assignment
Week Tue Introduction Syllabus and Introductions
1 8/29
Thu Anthropological Horace Miner, Body Ritual among the Quiz One
8/31 Perspective Nacirema (1956)
Week Tue Culture and James Spradley, Culture and Ethnography
2 9/5 Ethnography
Thu Richard B. Lee, Eating Christmas in the
9/7 Kalahari (1969)
Week Tue Language and Mcurdy and Spradley, Language and
3 9/12 Communication Communication
Guy Deutscher, You are what you Speak
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magaz
ine/29language-t.html
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Thu Keith Basso, ‘To Give up on Words’: Silence
9/14 among the Western Apache (1970)
John Baugh, Linguistic Profiling (2000)
Week Tue Race and Nina Jablonski, Skin Deep (2002)
4 9/19 Racism
Thu Jeffrey Fish, Mixed Blood (1995)
9/21
Week Tue Race and Leith Mullings, Sojourner Syndrome (2002)
5 9/26 Racism PODCAST: Code Switch – This Racism is
Killing Me (2018)
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
Thu Mcurdy and Spradley, Identity, Roles, and Movie Guide
9/28 Groups
IN-CLASS FILM: Race: The power of Illusion
(2004)
Week Tue Exam One EXAM ONE REVIEW
6 10/3
Thu EXAM ONE
10/5
Week Tue Gender and NO CLASS
7 10/10 Sexuality
Thu Don Kulick, The gender of the Brazilian
10/12 Travesti (1997)
Week Tue Gender and Judith Lorber, Night to his Day: Social
8 10/17 Sexuality Constructions of Gender (1994)
Thu IN CLASS FILM: Paris is Burning (dir. Jennie Movie Guide
10/19 Livingston) (1990)
Week Tue Marriage and Mcurdy and Spradley, Kinship and Family Observation
9 10/24 Kinship Melvyn Goldstein, When Brother’s Share a Wife Assignment
(1987) One
Thu Lu Yuan and Sam Mitchell, Land of the Walking Kinship
10/26 Marriage (2000) Exercise
Week Tue Culture and Mcurdy and Spradley, Ecology and Subsistence Movie Guide
10 10/31 Environment IN-CLASS FILM: Misreading the African
Landscape (dir. Melissa Fairhead and James
Leach) (1996)
Thu EXAM TWO REVIEW
11/2
5
Week Tue Class and EXAM TWO
11 11/7 Economic
Anthropology
Thu IN CLASS VIDEOS: People Like Us: Social Movie Guide
11/9 Class in America (PBS: 2001)
Week Tue Anthropology of Phillipe Bourgois, Office Work and the Crack
12 11/14 Development Alternative (2018)
Thu IN-CLASS FILM: Life and Debt (dir. Stephanie Movie Guide
11/16 Black) (2001)
Week Tue Political Lila Abu-Lughod, Do Muslim Women Really
13 11/21 Anthropology Need Saving? (2002)
IN CLASS VIDEO: On Orientalism
Thu NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Holiday
11/23
Week Tue Religion and George Gmelch, Baseball Magic (1994) Observation
14 11/28 Ritual Assignment
Two
Thu REMOTE FILM : Witchcraft Among the Movie Guide
11/30 Azande (1981) (upload to
BB)
Week Tue Applied Hoyt Alverson, Advice for Developers (2012)
15 12/5 Anthropology
Thu EXAM THREE REVIEW AND CLASS WRAP-UP Exam
12/7 Review
ALL WORK
DUE
Week Final Exam EXAM THREE
16 TBD
