COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND SOCIAL WORK

ANT 201-6850: Cultural Anthropology

Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30PM-4:25PM (Classroom 4S 217)

Professor: Ismael García Colón

Office Hours: Mondays 6:30PM-8PM and Wednesdays 1PM-2:30PM or by appointment
Office: 4S Room 237
Phone #: (718) 982-3766 Email: ismael.garcia@csi.cuny.edu

Course Description: Case studies of specific societies (tribal, peasant, and urban) to illustrate the
variety of anthropological approaches to understanding social relations. Discussion of contemporary
social issues in comparative perspective.

This course has three main objectives: (1) to provide an overview of key topics in cultural
anthropology; (2) to encourage critical thinking about key anthropological and social scientific
debates, past and present; and (3) to analyze explanations for, and causes of cross-cultural
similarities and differences. We will attempt to understand both the universal process through which
human beings constitute themselves through culture, and the great diversity of cultural forms that
result. In the past, anthropologists usually studied distant places and “foreign” peoples, the more
different from “us” the better. We will look at this “we/they” dichotomy in the context of today’s
increasingly interconnected world and explore what happens when anthropological tools are used
not only to look at the “other,” but in the analysis of our own complex and diverse society.

Learning Goals:
By the end of this course, students should be able:
 To identify the subject matter of cultural anthropology and its development as an academic
discipline and practice over time.
 To demonstrate an understanding of the research methods used by cultural anthropology.
 To demonstrate a critical understanding of the concept of culture as used in anthropology.

Course Requirements:
Blackboard Access: Students are required to have access to Blackboard and be able to receive
emails through it. Please update your email on Blackboard. The syllabus, guides, readings, and
other materials are posted there. This class makes extensive use of Blackboard for announcements
and assignments. “Not knowing” about a particular announcement because a student did not check
Blackboard will not be accepted as an excuse with regards to any assignment, assessment, or other
class-related activity. Blackboard will be the main interface for class announcements. Be sure to
check it often. For problems accessing Blackboard please contact CSI’s Help Desk at 718-982-3695
or helpdesk@mail.csi.cuny.edu. HelpDesk hours are Mondays through Thursdays 8am-7pm,
Fridays 8am-5pm, and Saturdays 9am-5pm.

Quizzes: Each student will be expected to take three quizzes (3 quizzes at 10% each= 30%). If a
student fails to take a quiz (for emergency reasons only), then she/he will meet with the instructor to
discuss an alternative (usually a 4 page paper). See calendar for upcoming quizzes: March 2nd, March
30th, and May 4th.
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Fieldwork Journal: Students will be expected to complete at least 10 fieldwork journal exercises.
There are twelve exercises found in the book Cultural Anthropology: Fieldwork Journal by Kenneth
J. Guest (see Blackboard/Assignments for a free copy). In addition, the instructor will provide specific
guidelines for one exercise on your personal life history due on May 6th (10 exercises at 6%
each=60%). The instructor will describe the specifics of the exercises. The three additional exercises
scheduled will serve as opportunities to make up any exercise missed. Fieldwork Journal exercises
are due at noon (12:00PM) on Wednesdays (See calendar). Students are required to post their journal
writings on Blackboard/Fieldwork Journal. When posting on Blackboard please use same format as
Cultural Anthropology: Fieldwork Journal by Guest. PLEASE KEEP COPIES OF ALL YOUR
WRITTEN WORK. No excuses about deleted or lost journal entries will be accepted.

Participation: Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate actively in class
discussions (10%). Students will be expected to have done the reading assigned for each class prior
to that class. This is a writing intense course, hence, group activities during class, assignments and
quizzes will also factor into your final participation grade.

To avoid anonymity and to make learning an effective, active process of dialogue, you must feel
free to challenge the views of the instructor or other students. In order to do so effectively, please
follow three basic rules:

 Be courteous. Do not interrupt, but wait until the speaker has finished making his/her point.
Make a note of what you want to say, so that you don’t forget it.
 Be logical when you argue. Base what you have to say on evidence from the readings, lectures
or your own knowledge.
 Be tolerant of how others express themselves. Your fellow students may speak English
differently than you or have opinions that you don’t share. You may still learn a lot from them.
By creating a comfortable space for them to share their ideas, you also make it easier for you to
express yourself.

Grades: Quizzes (30%), Fieldwork Exercises (60%) and Participation (10%).

Films: Part of the requirements for this course is to watch films in class. The instructor expects you
to pay attention and take notes during film presentations. Some of the films shown may contain scenes
of violence, sex, and harsh language and may be considered, by some, to be objectionable.

Attendance Policy: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. More than four (4) absences
will result in an automatic “WU” in the course. I do not need to see any notes or excuses. If you arrive
to class after I have taken roll or leave class more than 20 minutes early, it will count as ½ an absence.

Behavior in Class: Students are expected to show up on time and to attend all classes. Talking or other
disruptive behavior in class will not be tolerated and disruptive students will be asked to leave the
class and to visit the Dean of Students. If you are talking or otherwise disrupting the class, I may ask
you to leave and mark you absent. If this happens repeatedly, it will affect your participation grade
and final grade in the course.
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Students are not allowed to eat in class and head-or ear-phones are not to be worn, regardless of
whether the players are running. Turn off and put away your cellular phone before class starts.
No text messaging is allowed during class. Tape recorders, tablets, ipads or laptops will not be
allowed in the classroom.

Only students registered in the course will attend classes. Students cannot bring friends or
acquaintances to the classroom.

You can only be exempted from these rules by a doctor’s note or in exceptional cases by speaking to
me beforehand.

Disabilities: Students with disabilities are encouraged to document their needs with the Office of
Disability Services, and to inform the instructor during the first two weeks of the semester (unless
you are diagnosed afterwards). Please read the course requirements and make sure that you can
fulfill them. Otherwise, the instructor will expect you to complete with and perform all
requirements.

CSI’s policy on plagiarism and cheating: “Integrity is fundamental to the academic enterprise. It is
violated by such acts as borrowing or purchasing assignments (including but not limited to term
papers, essays, and reports) and other written assignments, using concealed notes or crib sheets during
examinations, copying the work of others and submitting it as one’s own; and misappropriating the
knowledge of others. The sources from which one derives one’s ideas, statement terms, and data,
including Internet sources, must be fully and specifically acknowledge in the appropriate form, failure
to do so constitutes plagiarism. Violations of academic integrity may result in failure in a course and
disciplinary actions with penalties such as suspension or dismissal from the College” (see Online
Undergraduate Catalog).

TEXT:

Guest, Kenneth J. 2014. Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company. Plus Cultural Anthropology: Fieldwork Journal by Kenneth Guest.
ISBN: 978-0-393-25312-2

See also readings posted on Blackboard. You are required to bring a hard copy to class.

Additional readings may be added during the course of the semester.

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Calendar

Week I: Introduction
January 28: No readings

Week II: The Scope of Cultural Anthropology

February 2: Guest, Chapter 1
February 4: Exercise: Fieldwork Journal (FJ)- Anthropology in a Global Age: Making a Can of
Coke Unfamiliar, p. 1

Week III: Debates about Culture and Cultural Relativism

February 9: Guest, Chapter 2
February 11: Abu-Lughod, Lila. 1991. “Writing Against Culture.” Reprinted in Taking Sides,
Endicott and Welsch (eds.), pp. 49-57.Posted on Blackboard FJ-Creating Culture:
College Students and the Culture of Consumerism, p. 5

Week IV-V Ethnography, Ethics, Interpretation, and Objectivity

February 18: Guest, Chapter 3
February 23: Willis, Learning to Labor, pp. 1-7, 171-193. Posted on Blackboard
February 25: FJ-Fieldwork: Mapping a Block, p. 9

Week VI: Race and Racism

March 2: Guest, Chapter 6
March 4: FJ-Initiating a Classroom Conversation about Race, p. 21

First Quiz on March 2nd (2:30PM-3PM).

Week VII: Ethnicity and Nationalism

March 9: Guest, Chapter 7
March 11: FJ-Tracing the Development of a Nation-State, p. 25

Week VIII: Gender and Sexuality

March 16: Guest, Chapters 8-9
March 18: FJ-Cartoon Commercials and the Construction of Gender, p. 29 and/or Creating a Code
of Sexual Conduct, p. 33

Week IX: Families, Kinship, and Marriage

March 23: Guest, Chapter 10
March 25: FJ-Mapping Kinship Relationships: Tracing Your Family Tree, p. 37

Week X: Class and Inequality

March 30: Guest, Chapter 11
April 1: FJ-Ten Chairs of Inequality, p. 43

Second Quiz: March 30 (2:30PM-3pm)

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Spring Recess April 3-11

Week XI: Globalization, Colonialism, and Development
April 13: Guest, Chapter 12
April 15: FJ- The Gobal Economy: Tracking the Travels of a Chocolate Bar, p. 47

Week XII: Migration and Transnationalism

April 20: Guest, Chapter 13
April 22: Lopez, The Farmworkers’ Journey, pp. 1-10 (“Chapter One: The Farmworkers’
Journey”). Posted on Blackboard; FJ-An Immigrant Interview, p. 51

Week XIII: Politics and Power

April 27: Guest, Chapter 14
April 29: Turner, Terence. 1993. “The Kayapo Resistance.” Reprinted in Conformity and Conflict:
Readings in Cultural Anthropology, James Spradley and David W. McCurdy (eds.), pp. 391-409.
Posted on Blackboard; FJ-Exploring the Balance of Power in Human Relationships, p. 57

Week XIV: History and Anthropology

May 4: Thomas, Skull Wars, pp. 91-101 (“Is Real History Embedded in Oral History?”). Posted on
Blackboard
May 6: Siskind, Janet. 1992. “The Invention of Thanksgiving.” Critique of Anthropology 12: 167-
191. Posted on Balckboard; Exercise: Write your life history. The instruction will provide
instructions for this exercise.

Third Quiz: May 4 (2:30PM-3PM)

Week XV: Anthropology and Popular Culture; Concluding Thoughts.

May 11: Revisiting Paul Willis, Learning to Labor from February 23.
May 13: No readings

(This calendar is subject to change)