ANT 202: Cultural Anthropology

Email: babe@sccd.ctc.edu

Course Description:

This course examines human’s diverse cultural and social groups. The course looks at humans as animals. However, as animals humans have been able to interact with their environments. How this level of interaction has been achieved will be examined in the course of these lectures. To be able to accomplish these cultural feats, every society is based on an integrated culture that satisfies the needs   of members of its society.

There are several cultures around the world. However, demonstrating these cultural  achievements, are some selected cultural groups such as the Nuer, Trobriand Islanders, Netsilik , the Yanomamo, Boran, !Kung, the Bakhtiari, the Basseri the Yucatec, Mundurucu,  and MANY MORE. There are also faces from Western industrial cultures and their subcultures. These distinct cultures and more should make for great cross-cultural comparisons in writing your papers. You must therefore deliberately infuse these or some of these cultural groups in your essays. The more the cultural comparisons the greater the satisfaction and comprehension and the better the grades you will get.

Objectives and Goals:

The objective for this course is for the individual student to develop:

-a good perspective of  the field of Cultural Anthropology;

-understanding of the nature of culture, ethnology and ethnography, language, social systems such as marriage, the family, kinship and descent, political organization, religion  and magic, culture change, culture and personality, the arts, and patterns of subsistence.

In reading the text, viewing the video series of The Faces of Cultures, completing all  assignments and attending the class sessions as scheduled, the student should have developed:

a) A good understanding of culture and the culture concept and how through culture, humans  are able to adapt to varied environments; 
b ) A realization of the similarities and variability of human cultures;
c) A realization that there are various ways of cultural survival and successful existence of humans in a varied setting;
d) Understanding of the relationship of culture to the individual) Understanding of how culture change comes about;
e) Understanding of how culture change comes about
f) As an individual living in a multicultural society, some sensibilities and appreciation of other cultures and their idiosyncrasies the student should be able to apply these knowledge to own life and work;
g) An enhanced critical thinking and ability to view other cultures with appreciation and respect.
h) In the course of the quarter a sense of cultural understanding of the diversity and interdependence of cultures.
i) The ability to discuss relevant cultural issues and ideas with other students. The "chat room" is a great forum for this.

Textbook*: 
Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. 2005, (11th Edition) By Haviland, Prins,Walrath and McBride
PublisherThomson/Wadsworth

Faces of Culture 2004 (9th Edition) same by Richard T Searles and Valerie Lynch Lee
Publisher: Thomson/Wadsworth

*Please confirm all required textbooks with your instructor or the NSCC bookstore.