Summer 2023 - SA 101 D100

Introduction to Anthropology (A) (4)

Class Number: 2316

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2023: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Natasha Ferenczi
    nferencz@sfu.ca
    Office: AQ 5069
    Office Hours: Monday 11:00-12:15PM

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Anthropology asks fundamental questions about how people live and interact in different contexts. Engages with contemporary social life around the world, including the relations among people, ideas, and things. Provides analytical tools to help understand the role of culture and society in our lives. Breadth-Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Anthropology is a field of study focused on the human experience, both past and present, addressing an incredible diversity of dimensions of human life, including worldviews, ways of communicating, food production, healing practices, economic practices, social inequalities, human and nonhuman relationships, and political and ideological relationships. Contemporary works in anthropology also focus on cultural practices as they interact with global processes and power relations, including perceptions and experiences of climate change, globalization, neoliberalism, and citizenship rights. Taking a class in anthropology will not require you to memorize facts, but rather generate analytical and critical thinking skills, strong writing skills and sharpened self-awareness, as you examine and reflect upon the role of culture in life, cultural practices in the world, cross-cultural communication issues, and knowledge politics. As a student, you will learn a variety of observational, reflexive, and analytic approaches to apply in understanding the roles of culture and society, both in your own life, and as we learn about groups of people and sociocultural phenomena around the world. Our main text focuses on applied anthropology, providing a thorough overview of the discipline, while also featuring a wide variety of examples of the way anthropological knowledge can be applied in different work and volunteer settings, as well as the kind of social change that can be generated by applying anthropological approaches. We will also read two ethnographies, one situated in Nepal and Tibet that explores Tibetan medicine and perceptions of medicine and efficacy, the other, focusing on globalization, deforestation, and forced displacement of communities dwelling in the rain forests of Indonesia. As a class, we will discuss the role of anthropology in contemporary life and debate the ways in which anthropological knowledge can be used to support social justice issues, as well as the ethical considerations needed for such an agenda.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • See the way personal experience relates to larger society across time and space via the introduction of key concepts in anthropology.
  • Acquire familiarity with social theory and how it is applied.
  • Identify what constitutes ethnographic data and how it is generated, collected, and analyzed.
  • Read and grapple with challenging scholarly texts and express ideas clearly in written and oral forms. Disciplined reading, writing, research.
  • Civic engagement and social responsibility: practice anthropological awareness through ethical engagement with different cultures, considering ethical questions of research and citizenship within a global economy.

Grading

  • Participation 15%
  • Ethnographic Exercises 30%
  • Midterm Take-Home Exam 25%
  • Final Take-Home Exam 30%

NOTES:

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 Facebook and Instagram pages!

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Craig, S. R. (2012) Healing Elements: Efficacy and the social ecologies of Tibetan Medicine. University of California Press. (Available via the SFU library)

Ferraro, G., Andreatta, S. & Holdsworth, C. (2018). Cultural Anthropology: An applied perspective. Canadian ed. Nelson Education Ltd.

Tsing, A. (2005). Friction: An ethnography of global connection. Princeton University Press. (Available via the SFU library)


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 semester 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.