Fall 2024 - SA 365 D100
Selected Regional Areas (A) (4)
Class Number: 5494
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 4 – Oct 11, 2024: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
BurnabyOct 16 – Dec 3, 2024: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Elliot Montpellier
emontpel@sfu.ca
Office Hours: Thursday 12-1pm
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Prerequisites:
SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An examination of selected aspects of the social structure, culture and the processes of social change in varying regional areas. The focus will vary from semester to semester.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course will explore classic and contemporary literature on South Asia from diverse anthropological perspectives. We will address issues ranging from economic liberalization shaped by shifting majoritarian politics and forms of patronage, to difference and distinction shaped by class, caste, gender, religion, and region, to the everyday textures of work, religious life, and leisure. Students will read ethnographies that examine rural and urban life, exploring the contours of socio-political movements, postcolonial states, and communities’ relationships with their local environments. The course covers South Asia in a broad sense, including the contemporary nations that make up the region – moving beyond scholarship solely focused on India – as well as considering diasporas and connections in the Indian Ocean world and beyond. Engaging the complexities of these geographies and histories, students will examine representations of the region within the region and outside it, in light of colonial, neoliberal, and developmentalist discourses. Through several hands-on projects students in this course will investigate how contemporary South Asia emerges at the intersections of local and global perspectives, for example, by engaging how popular culture is mobilized in transnational media or how the Global War on Terror marginalizes certain bodies and activates local politics.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
- Engage anthropological scholarship on South Asia across different scales of analysis;
- Identify and utilize different theoretical approaches to key concepts and issues in the study of South Asia integrating ethnographic and historiographical methods;
- Analyze debates about the representation of the region as part of different internal and external discourses;
- Understand the lasting impacts of colonial and postcolonial experiences on life across different South Asian nations and regions;
- Draw together reading skills and conventions for producing original research;
- Assess and use information effectively and appropriately in written work and oral discussions.
Grading
- Class attendance and active participation 10%
- Weekly Reflections/Discussion 20%
- Short papers (2) 20%
- Fieldnote observations and in-class writing assignments 20%
- Final research paper 30%
NOTES:
Details regarding weekly assignments will be outlined in the first week of class.
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). 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.
Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved! Follow them on Instagram!
REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance and participation in all assignments is required. Please complete all readings prior to coming to lectures, participating in exercises, and submitting assignments.
Please submit assignments on time or write to me to request an extension in the case of illness or emergency. Late assignments for which no extension was granted will be accepted up to five calendar days past the due date with a penalty of 5% per day.
Please come to class prepared to engage in critical thinking, to consider where scholars are coming from in their writing, and to respect differences in intellectual opinions among your peers.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
A dedicated notebook for notes, fieldnotes, and writing exercises.
REQUIRED READING:
Readings will be available through the SFU Libraries and/or in open access publications. All materials will be posted or linked to on the class Canvas page.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.