Summer 2016 - SA 201W D100
Anthropology and Contemporary Life (A) (4)
Class Number: 3686
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 9 – Aug 8, 2016: Wed, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Pamela Stern
pstern@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to the anthropological perspective as applied to the organization of everyday life in contemporary settings. Introduces positivist, interpretive, and critical interpretive approaches to the analysis of social actions, identities, and values as enacted in space and time. Students with credit for SA 291 may not take SA 201W for further credit. Recommended: SA 101. Writing. Equivalent Courses: SA201 SA291 Writing.
COURSE DETAILS:
Anthropology provides theoretical and methodological tools to analyse and interpret many of the taken-for-granted assumptions and institutions of contemporary life. Indeed, many of the discipline’s founders were concerned with understanding the lives of Others in order to better understand and critique their own societies. This undergraduate seminar will apply an anthropological perspective to unravelling some of the complexity of the organization of everyday life in contemporary settings in Canada and elsewhere. We will employ contemporary and classic anthropological theories in our efforts to understand current issues. We will also examine some of the ways that anthropology can contribute to policymaking on current issues such as citizenship, work, globalization, economic crisis, migration, and consumption. Active student participation is critical. Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, group work, exercises and films. The course satisfies requirements for a Writing Intensive course.
Grading
- Short essay responses (5) to assigned reading (5% ea) 25%
- Composition of a commentary or op-ed 30%
- Take home final analytical essay 30%
- Quizzes 5%
- Attendance and constructive participation 10%
REQUIREMENTS:
Where a final exam is scheduled and you do not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, you will be assigned an N grade. Unless otherwise specified on the course outline, all other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. In class quizzes are not included in the graded assignment required to receive a final grade.
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐ S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Stern, P., ed., Reading Cultural Anthropology, Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2015
Lucht, Hans, Darkness before Daybreak, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014
There will be a small number of additional newspaper and journal articles available through CANVAS.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site contains information on what is meant by academic dishonesty and where you can find resources to help with your studies. There is also a section on tutoring.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS