Course Description and Policies
What is anthropology? What does it mean to 'think anthropologically?'
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Anthropology is the study of human beings in all times and in all places. Anthropologists study all aspects of human being in the broadest possible sense. The goal of this course is to help you develop a demonstrated capacity to 'think anthropologically.' When you understand what this means, you will be half way there. To wit, thinking anthropologically entails developing a capacity to see culture at work in a way that helps you develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be human and how humans experience the world. Culture is at work everywhere. Culture runs deep. Culture involves things that are so fundamental to your way of seeing the world that you don't even notice it is there--you just experience it as reality. Thinking anthropologically entails learning to see culture at work in order to understand human 'being' at a deeper level.
American anthropology has included the comparative study of human variation across contemporary societies and historical eras, as well as biological variation between humans and non-human primates in order to understand evolutionary origins of humanity. Through the course of the 20th century, American anthropology has taken the form of a 'four field approach' to the study of mankind. These fields include archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology (in the British system it is termed "social anthropology"). While the distinctions between these fields are certainly blurred, this framework has provided at least a partial division of labor for the discipline in the United States. This course will largely focus on social/cultural anthropology, while also situating it in relation to the other subfields.
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We will cover some of the central debates in the field with regards to the concept of culture, competing theoretical perspectives (e.g. functionalism, structuralism, and post-structuralism, etc.), and methodological perspectives on which anthropologists base their assertions. Subsequently, we will discuss some of the important phenomena with which anthropologists have engaged in cross-cultural research. We will read and discuss cross-cultural (ethnographic) data on these phenomena and seek to understand competing theoretical frameworks through which anthropologists have sought to explain human cultural systems. We will round out the course with some readings and discussions in a few subfields of sociocultural anthropology, and consider why anthropological perspectives are valuable to your own field or major, outside of an anthropological specialization itself. This will include an understanding of how anthropology is being increasingly applied to a variety of fields, including business, international and community development, education, etc. I hope that you come away from this course with a genuine understanding of how 'thinking anthropologically' can benefit your own course of study, no matter what that may be.
In this course we will take a topical approach to the study of sociocultural anthropology. As opposed to using a textbook that would offer explanations of various concepts in the field, we will be engaging with anthropologists' first-hand accounts, writings, and arguments with respect to various topics. The goal of this approach is to gain a greater depth of understanding to various topics of interest to anthropologists. Lectures will seek to more broadly cover essential concepts and historical developments in the field, but daily readings will be more focused. Class periods will consist of both lecture elements as well as discussions of the focused readings. Thus, it is essential for students to read each article or passages from the required texts thoroughly before coming to class.
This course is certified to fulfill two General Education (GE) requirements: 1. Global and Cultural Awareness; and 2. Social Science. Information on the Learning Outcomes for these GE categories can be found on Learning Suite.
Course and University Policies
Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.
Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor or contact one of the following: the Title IX Coordinator at 801-422-2130; the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847; the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895; or Ethics Point at http://www.ethicspoint.com, or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours).
Student Disability
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.
Academic Honesty
The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p.6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.
Plagiarism
Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied by an instructor. Inadvertent plagiarism, which may not be a violation of the Honor Code, is nevertheless a form of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is completely contrary to the established practices of higher education where all members of the university are expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in their own work. In some cases, plagiarism may also involve violations of copyright law. Intentional Plagiarism-Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Inadvertent Plagiarism-Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another's words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting sources or from simply not being sufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance. Examples of plagiarism include: Direct Plagiarism-The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source. Paraphrased Plagiarism-The paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for the author's own. Plagiarism Mosaic-The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source. Insufficient Acknowledgement-The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source. Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student's work and submitting it as one's own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism.
Use of Generative AI in this course
Generative artificial intelligence platforms are useful for many problem solving and general data analysis and management tasks. However, anywhere where the production of original prose is required, students are not, per this course policy, allowed to use generative AI to produce prose that will be turned in for credit, including papers, miscellaneous assignments, and the ethnographic project. Doing so will constitute a violation of this course policy and credit for written assignments based on generative AI - produced prose will not be given credit, and serious cases will be reported to the Honor Code Office.
Please also consult the University statement about generative AI and academic integrity.