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ANTH-18210 (10359/004)
INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Spring 2019
TR 12:30 pm-1:45 pm, Lowry 143
Dr. Evgenia Fotiou
Office: 221 Lowry
Office Hours: TR 8:30-11 am
E-mail: efotiou@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-6862
Teaching Assistant: Augie Mastroine
Office: Lowry 215
Office hours: T 10:30 - 11:30am and 1:00 - 4:00pm, R 4:15 - 5:15pm
Email: amastro2@kent.edu
"...my Aunt Rebeca asks, 'Rutie, pero dime, what is anthropology?' While I hesitate, she confidently exclaims,
'The study of people? And their customs, right?' Right. People and their customs. Exactly. Así de fácil. Can't
refute that. Somehow, out of that legacy, born of the European colonial impulse to know others in order to
lambast them, better manage them, or exalt them, anthropologists have made a vast intellectual cornucopia. At
the anthropological table, to which another leaf is always being added, there is room for studies of Greek death
laments, the fate of socialist ideals in Hungary and Nicaragua, Haitian voodoo in Brooklyn, the market for
Balinese art, the abortion debate among women in West Fargo, North Dakota, the reading groups of Mayan
intellectuals, the proverbs of a Hindi guru, the Bedouin sense of honor, the jokes Native Americans tell about the
white man, the plight of Chicana cannery workers, the utopia of Walt Disney, and even, I hope, the story of my
family's car accident on the Belt Parkway shortly after our arrival in the United States from Cuba...
Anthropology, to give my Aunt Rebeca a grandiose reply, is the most fascinating, bizarre, disturbing, and
necessary form of witnessing left to us at the end of the twentieth century..."
-Ruth Behar, 1996. The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart (pg. 4-5)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What does it mean to be human? Many disciplines try to answer this question, but how is anthropology
different? We will discover this over the course of the semester and in the process we will learn to see the
world through a variety of perspectives on pretty much every aspect of “being human.”
Reflecting the fact that humans can be studied from a variety of viewpoints, anthropology in North
America has traditionally been a four-field discipline.
Biological anthropology considers humans from a biological point of view – asking questions about the
range of diversity that exists among human groups, how this diversity came about, and what the
relationship is between our species and certain other species of animals that resemble us in a number of
ways.
Archaeology investigates the evidence that tells us what humans did in the past.
Anthropological linguistics considers the diversity and the commonalities in the most important tool
which humans have used to develop our cultures: language.
Cultural anthropology considers the achievements of the human mind, asks about the relationships
between the needs of our physical bodies and the manners in which cultures choose to fulfill these needs,

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and examines the methods which humans have utilized to explain and control the environment, including
such seemingly unrelated phenomena as religion, kinship, and economics.
In this course, we will be examining humans as cultural beings, as organisms whose primary means for
adapting to a changing world lies in altering their models of the world and therewith their behavior. In
pursuing the goals and objectives of the course, we will first examine key concepts in understanding
human behavior: human adaptation, culture, and ethnocentrism. Then we will review the content of
culture, such as the economics, kinship, status, social control, gender and religious beliefs and practices
involved in the behavior of different groups around the world. We will also examine cultural change,
and consider the impact that the process of globalization is having on the traditional cultures of the world.
We will finish by contemplating the role of Anthropology in an increasingly globalizing world. Along our
entire path, we will consider and possibly deconstruct our own cultural assumptions and contemplate
what we can learn from other societies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
In this course, you’ll become acquainted with (and gain an appreciation of) the anthropological
perspective, and in so doing:
• understand and utilize concepts central to the field of Anthropology;
• be able to discuss ways in which human beings are simultaneously social, cultural and
biological creatures;
• become familiar with the range of ways human societies can be structured and organized;
• have an increased appreciation and respect for the values of cultural diversity;
• change your perspective of cultures different from your own as well as alter your perspective of
your own culture;
• comprehend your own culture and society, and apply these perspectives in understanding
personal, societal, and global events;
• identify how socially constructed categories such as gender, race, class and sexual identity shape
people’s lives and reproduce social inequalities.
In addition, class assignments are meant to help you:
• extend and refine your capacity to read critically;
• think “anthropologically” and “holistically”
• extend your abilities to communicate these critical skills effectively (orally and in writing);
• become more open to and respect others' views and experiences, and develop consciousness
of ethics in personal, societal, and global affairs.
UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS: This course may be used to satisfy either the Kent Core or the
Diversity Requirement. The Kent Core is intended to broaden intellectual perspectives, foster ethical
and humanitarian values, and prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive careers.
Diversity courses provide opportunities for students to learn about such matters as the history, culture,
values and notable achievements of people whose national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation,
age, gender, physical and mental ability, and social class are different from their own. Diversity
courses also provide opportunities to examine problems and issues that may arise from differences and
opportunities to learn how to deal constructively with them.

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REQUIRED TEXTS:
Brown, Nina, Laura Tubelle de González, and Thomas McIlwraith (editors). 2017. Perspectives: An
Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association.
This is a basic introductory anthropology text and it is Open Source and available at
http://perspectivesanthro.org/. It will offer you a general overview of anthropological concepts. Not
all textbook material will be covered in lectures. You will be expected to review the material on your
own (before each class) and be able to apply the concepts you learn in class discussion.
Janet Siskind. 1975. To Hunt in the Morning. Oxford University Press.
This is a classic ethnography on the Sharanahua in the Peruvian Amazon. It will provide insight on
several aspects of a culture radically different from yours as well as the challenges of doing
fieldwork in such a setting. In addition, it sheds light on the relations between humans and the
environment and the effects of social change on the lives of indigenous peoples.
Holmes, Seth. 2013. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States.
University of California Press.
This ethnography is on a topic closer to home as it applies anthropological methods to
contemporary American problems and it is a harder book to read. The book’s focus on the
normalization of inequality and structural and symbolic violence makes apparent that we are all
connected in often unsettling ways. The issues tackled in the book fit well with the final themes of the
semester.
RECOMMENDED BOOK:
Lavenda, Robert H., and Emily Ann Schultz. 2017. Core concepts in cultural anthropology. Oxford
University Press.
ALL BOOKS ARE ON RESERVE AT THE LIBRARY.
RESOURCES: Throughout the semester, I will use BLACKBOARD to post important information
(handouts, additional readings to supplement the required materials, links to useful research and writing
resources, a glossary of terms etc.). The information posted online will NOT be distributed in class. It is
your responsibility to familiarize yourself with these resources and check the site for updates. I
welcome suggestions for resources that you may know and think that are worth sharing with your
classmates.
CLASS NOTES: Students are responsible for all materials covered in lectures and discussions. I will
be posting PowerPoint slides online after lectures but they will not necessarily include everything
covered in class. They are meant more as visual aids than comprehensive notes. You will need a
notebook to take notes for this class. Studies have shown that this is a better way to retain information
than taking notes on a computer. If you miss a lecture, you are responsible for getting notes from a
classmate or the graduate assistant. Please be generous with your notes if a classmate requests them –
whether you know them or not (it may be you who misses a lecture next time around).

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REQUIREMENTS:
1. Regular attendance and discussion participation:
Attendance matters. Exams are based on lectures as well as readings. Lectures will not just repeat or
summarize the readings and they will often discuss material not included in class readings. Lectures
will also make more sense if you have done the readings assigned for the day. Therefore, attendance in
lecture is important if you want to succeed in this class.
Some class time will be devoted to discussion, either with the entire class or in small groups. Keeping
current with the reading assignments is crucial for meaningful participation. Meaningful participation
includes: attendance, preparation, thoughtful in-class writing assignments, and participation in group
and class discussions and projects.
Being prepared does not merely mean that you have done the readings but that you come to your
classes with your own personal reactions to and questions about readings. In addition, you should
always bring the book/reading we are discussing to class.
Timeliness is also important. Most announcements related to the course will be at the beginning of the
class period and you won’t hear them if you are late.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: To minimize distractions and maximize focus on class while in class,
no use of phones, or of any communication device, is allowed. Remember to turn all your
phone/electronic device ringers off before class. Also, no reading of non-class material or doing
homework for other classes is permitted once class has begun. Violation of these rules will be
counted against your class participation grade. Please respect your classmates and your instructor and
avoid embarrassment by adhering to these standards of classroom etiquette without having to be
reminded in class.
2. Quizzes (25% of final grade): there is going to be 10 quizzes during the semester. These quizzes are
meant to test your reading comprehension and motivate you to keep up with the readings and will draw
on material from the respective day’s readings. Quizzes will go live exactly one week before they are
due and will be due on BLACKBOARD on the dates indicated on the course schedule BEFORE class
(no exceptions) and they will be timed (which means you must have done the readings beforehand to do
well on them). The lowest 2 grades of the 10 will be dropped.
3. Exams (20% each midterm and 25% for the final exam, for a total of 65% of final grade):
There are three exams in this class. There will be review sessions before each exam and study guides
will be provided. The format will be a combination of objective questions (multiple choice, matching,
true/false) and short answer questions, with material coming from assigned readings, movies shown in
class, class discussion and class lectures. The final will be comprehensive, but will stress materials
from the last third of the course.
The goal is to show what you have learned in class; NOT regurgitate information you know from other
sources. You need to show that you are able to use important anthropological terms and concepts
covered in class, and think about them within various contexts and practical applications. When
answering a question, be clear where the information comes from. You might respond, “As discussed
by author X... As shown in film X…” You will be expected to construct your own arguments rather
than regurgitate information.
4. Art Project (10%): The final project for this class should be submitted to BLACKBOARD before
the day of the final exam.

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Go through all materials for this class and choose a concept or idea that you find compelling (it could
be an ethnographic example, a concept such as culture or a larger theme such as inequality). Make a
collage or other work of art about this concept or theme. Collage is an easy way to express yourself
creatively if you are not feeling artistically inclined. However, you can use any medium you like
(including digital and video). You will take a photo or scan your work and upload it to
BLACKBOARD before the final exam. Please make sure you upload your art project in a format that
can be opened by readily available windows applications (.jpg, .wmv, .gif etc.).
The point of this exercise is to look at what you learned in this class holistically and integrate the
information in a fun and creative way. I will not be grading your artistic abilities. In order for me to get
an idea of the process you went through in creating your piece, you need to turn in a one-page
(maximum) “artist statement” (in it you will explain your process, message and what inspired you).
LATE, MISSED, OR INCOMPLETE WORK: If you know you will be out of class on the day of an
exam, you must let the instructor know in advance and in writing (e-mail is fine). A makeup exam can
then be scheduled prior to the one you will miss. There will be no makeup tests given after the regular
testing date. In case of illness or emergency, the student may make other arrangements with the
instructor at the instructor’s discretion. Please call my office or send me an e-mail as soon as any
unscheduled conflict arises on deadline dates. No makeup final exams will be given; no exceptions. Be
certain that you are available.
No make-up work is allowed for attendance, participation or the quizzes so that all students receive
equal opportunity and conditions for their successful work.
My experience with previous classes over the years shows that to succeed in this course, both in terms
of developing your learning abilities that will help you in your life and career goals and of earning
higher grade is mainly a matter of doing the work on time. You should expect to spend at least twice
the number of hours outside of class as you spend in-class. Thus, for this class you are expected to
spend 2.5 hours per week in-class and at least 5 hours per week doing homework.
GRADING SCALE:
A 93-100 A- 90-92 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79
C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 60-66 F 0-59
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: According to university policy,
cheating is a serious offense. Students guilty of cheating on exams or other assignments may face
disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the university. Referring to notes or books,
looking at another student's paper, or talking during an exam will be construed as evidence of cheating.
University policy 3342-3-01.8 deals with the problem of academic dishonesty, cheating, and
plagiarism. If you have any questions, please read the policy at
http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap3/3-01-8.cfm and/or ask.
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: University policy 3342-3-18
requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal
access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please
contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom
adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability
Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration
procedures).

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MY EXPECTATIONS (AND SOME TIPS ON DOING WELL IN THE CLASS)
This course is designed to be a fun challenge. It will be a challenge in the sense that it will suggest to
you alternative ways of being and knowing, all of which make sense within the context of a particular
society’s history. I will try and offer you the opportunity to explore what we and other people think is
normal (as well as abnormal). Engaging with the ideas of others present challenges that at times will be
intriguing, unsettling and eye opening. That process should be enjoyable (even though I know it won't
always be!) even if what you are learning sounds completely bizarre. I expect you to learn to be critical.
That does not mean critical in the negative sense, but rather, I expect that by the end of the semester
you are able to look for and uncover the assumptions in any argument and can evaluate data from other
contexts in culturally relative terms. All knowledge is equally truthful – an often difficult perspective.
(Bear in mind that truth, like incest, is relative. Or as the 19th century explorer Richard Burton put
it: All faith is false; all faith is true. Truth is the shattered mirror strewn in myriad bits; while each
believes his little bit the whole to own.)
During the semester, we will have several opportunities to observe how we tend to naturalize things in
every culture and how truths really vary worldwide. I welcome your own perspectives in various
formats. Other things I expect and you are required to do:
• Attend class (I take it as a contractual agreement that you will be here when you signed up for
it).
• Attend prepared. I will often refer to readings during lectures, but will not summarize them for
you. I will often ask questions based on the readings, thus reading these beforehand will make
lectures more understandable. I may occasionally invite comments from you during lecture.
• Read each assigned reading, listen to each lecture and view each film with an open mind.
• Actively participate in class. Active, respectful discussion is a skill. You will develop this skill
in this course. To do well, bring your readings and notes, and be ready to engage with the
readings and your classmates. Be an active listener and contributor to the discussion. Be
respectful of the differing viewpoints of your student colleagues and your instructor.
• Feel free to voice your insights and simultaneously respect the freedoms of others to voice
theirs!
• Feel free to come and see me if you are having any difficulties or just want to talk more about
the class, anthropology or whatever else you need.
In a class such as this, students frequently discover that not everyone shares their personal beliefs,
experiences, and convictions. Respect for many points of view is required in this class. Disagreements
are healthy and help us to learn, but students must maintain a respectful attitude and courteous
conversation at all times. My goal as an instructor is not to convince you to hold a particular opinion on
controversial issues, but to encourage you to think critically and with an open mind about the facts,
evidence, ideas and theories presented in class.
I encourage you to ask questions during class, or email me questions (if something occurs to you after
class) which I will address at the next scheduled class time. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
The only thing that is stupid is NOT TO ASK a question when you have one.

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COURSE SCHEDULE:
You should have completed the assigned readings by the day listed on this schedule. You may notice
that some weeks have more reading than others; it is up to you to manage your workloads in order to
keep up (reading ahead on the lighter weeks). The readings from the books are denoted by the last name
of the author.
Week 1 Introducing Anthropology: The Ethnographic Looking-Glass
1/15
1/17
Introductions and course overview
Textbook chapters: “Development of Anthropological Ideas” & “Seeing like an
Anthropologist”; Siskind, ch 1
Week 2 Culture
1/22
1/24
FILM: “Franz Boas: The Shackles of Tradition”
Textbook chapter: “Culture Concept”; Siskind, ch 2
Week 3 Research Methods and Ethical Considerations
1/29
1/31
Textbook chapter: “Fieldwork”; Holmes, ch 1-2; QUIZ #1
FILM: “Margaret Mead and Samoa”
Week 4 Language and Culture
2/5
2/7
Textbook chapter: “Language”; Siskind, ch 3; QUIZ #2
FILM: “American Tongues”
Week 5 Families and Kinship
2/12
2/14
Textbook chapter: “Family and Marriage”; Siskind, ch 4; QUIZ #3
REVIEW FOR EXAM #1
Week 6 Political Systems and Social Control
2/19
2/21
EXAM #1
Textbook chapter: “Political Anthropology”; FILM: “The Feast”
Week 7 Subsistence and Economic Systems
2/26
2/28
Textbook chapters: “Subsistence” & “Economics”; Siskind, ch 5; QUIZ #4
FILM: “Nomads of the Rainforest”
Week 8 Gender and Sexuality Across Cultures
3/5
3/7
Textbook ch: “Gender and Sexuality”; Siskind, ch 6; QUIZ #5
FILM: “Tough Guise”

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Week 9 Religion, magic and ritual
3/12
3/14
Textbook ch: “Religion”; Siskind, ch 7-8; QUIZ #6
FILM: “Legacy of the Spirits”
Week 10 Globalization and the Culture of Capitalism
3/19
3/21
Textbook chapter: “Globalization”; Siskind, ch 9; QUIZ #7
FILM: “Bushman’s Secret”
Week 11
4/2
4/4
REVIEW FOR EXAM #2
EXAM #2
Week 12 Ethnicity and Race
4/9
4/11
Textbook chapter: “Race and Ethnicity”; Holmes, ch 3; Browse “Understanding Race”
website; QUIZ #8
FILM: “American Denial”
Week 13 Inequality and Privilege
4/16
4/18
Holmes, ch 4; McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (pdf
on BLACKBOARD)
FILM: “Mirrors of Privilege”
Week 14 Medical Anthropology
4/23
4/25
Holmes, ch 5; FILM: “In the Shadows”
Textbook chapter: “Health and Medicine”; Holmes, ch 6; QUIZ #9
Week 15 Public Anthropology
4/30
5/2
Textbook chapter: “Public Anthropology”; Holmes, ch 7; QUIZ #10
REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM
FINAL EXAM: 12:45 pm-3:00 pm Friday, May 10
REGISTRATION: Every class has its own schedule of deadlines and considerations. To view the
add/drop schedule and other important dates for this class, go to the Student Tools & Courses tab
in FlashLine and choose either View or Print Student Schedule. To see the deadlines for this course,
click on the CRN or choose the Drop or Add a Course link and click on the green clock next to the
course under Registration Deadlines.