Anthropology 130: Introduction to Cultural

Anthropology
Spring 2015 Syllabus
Discussion Section: 005 F 11:10-12:25 ; ESH 130
Instructor:
Professor Eliza Guyol-Meinrath
Contact Information: eguyolme@vols.utk.edu; 865-974-3977
Office Hours: ESH 211 Fridays 12:15 1:15 pm, or by appointment
Course Requirements and Grading (*Note: 137 Honors, your
grading criteria is on Honors Syllabus)
20% Exam 1
Monday, February 2
15% Essay
DUE Monday, February 23
25% Exam 2
Monday, March 30
25% Exam 3 (Final)
Wednesday, April 29
5% Quizzes (6, drop lowest)
During discussion sections
5% Attendance
5% Discussion Section Activities
Attendance: Please note that attendance does not mean body in a
chair. If you are texting, playing on the computer, sleeping, etc. you
will be counted as absent.
Discussion Section Activities: Calculated as 50% Participation (this
should be the same as your attendance grade, as I expect you to be
alert and engaged during class) and 50% Discussion Board Average.
Discussion Board Posts: Questions are designed to help facilitate
discussion and get you thinking about potential test essay questions.
Posts are due weekly at midnight on Thursdays. If you have an
internet meltdown or Blackboard is being fussy and you cannot submit
your post, email it to me as soon as you can.
Tips for doing well in this class:
- Keep up with the reading, films, etc. Test questions are heavily based
on these materials.
- Come to class. The readings and lecture material can be
overwhelming, so we will sort through it together in discussion. We will
also cover topics more in depth than in lecture, and introduce some
new ones as well.
- Make up missed work in a timely fashion. If you are sick or have to
miss class for any (legitimate) reason, please let me know so we can
schedule any makeup work as soon as possible.
- Be respectful and keep an open mind! Some of the topics we will
discuss are personal and may be controversial. If you are disrespectful

of your classmates or disruptive, I will ask you to leave and count you
as absent for the day.
Note: This syllabus is meant as a supplement. Please refer to the
Anthropology 130 syllabus for full course information, expectations,
and university regulations

Discussion Section Calendar

Section 1
January 16

Doing Research and Culture

What is cultural anthropology? Ethics and research

design

January 23

Materials: Kottak chapters 1, 3, 12

Small chapters Preface 10
Tonga film clips from 01/14 lecture
Research, Tonga, and Migration
Discussion of Small ethnography; dream research

projects
January 30

min.)
Section 2
February 6

Materials: Small chapters 11-15

Tonga film clips from 01/21 lecture
Religion; Exam 1 Review
Culture, religion, and exam review
Materials: Kottak chapters 2, 9
Bali film clip from 01/26 lecture
Mayordomia film clip from 01/28 lecture
Saints and Spirits film (online)
They Call Me Muslim film (online, first 15
Social and Cultural Capital; Essays
Cultural/social capital exercise; introduce essay

assignment
February 13

lecture
February 20
February 27

Materials: None
Race and Ethnicity
Race/ethnicity exercise and discussion
Materials: Kottak chapter 11
McIntosh White Privilege article
Johnson Privilege article
Diamond In Black and White article
In Whose Honor? film clip from 02/11
Gender and Sexuality; Essays
Gender/sexuality discussion; essay group work
Materials: Kottak chapter 8
Economic Exchange based on Reciprocity

March 6

Penny game and reciprocity discussion

Materials: Kottak chapter 5
Asante film from 02/25 lecture
Political Systems; Politics in Guatemala
Focus on Guatemala: class concepts as applied to

real fieldwork
Materials: Kottak chapter 6
Forging Peace in Guatemala film from
03/04 lecture
March 13

Families, Kinship, and Marriage

Families, kinship, and marriage discussion; in-class

debate

March 20
March 27
Review

Materials: Kottak chapter 7

Small Happiness film from 03/11 lecture
The Graduates film (online, first 20 min.)
NO CLASS SPRING BREAK
Huaorani: Economics Politics, Kinship; Exam 2
Discussion of Huaorani readings and exam review
Materials: Kane chapter 11
Rival chapters Preface, 4-7

Section 3
Friday April 3 NO CLASS SPRING RECESS
Friday April 10 Modern World System, Colonialism, and
Development
Responsible shopper exercise and class discussion
Materials: Kottak chapters 10, 12
Kottak Java article
Life and Debt film from 04/08 lecture
Black Gold film (online)
Friday April 17 Maquiladoras and Industrial Production
Discussion of Prieto ethnography
Materials: Prieto chapters Forward Conclusion
(entire book)
The Global Assembly Line film from 04/13
lecture
Friday April 24 Migration and Cultural Survival; Exam 3 Review
Tying the semesters concepts all together and exam
review
Materials: Kottak chapter 13
Welcome to Shelbyville film (online)