Course Syllabus

COURSE: ANTH 003 CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

LANEY COLLEGE, OAKLAND CA

SECTION 41880

8 WEEK ONLINE

Instructor: Dr. Donald Saotome Moore

Contacting me Message me on canvas or email me at the above email address. My office is located at Laney College, Rm. Tower 607. Contact me if you want to meet in person. I regularly send out messages and emails to students on a weekly basis.

The canvas portal for students is: http://web.peralta.edu/portal/welcome-to-the-peralta-portal/canvas/

Course Description and Goals

This course explores culture as the primary method of human adaptation. Cultural anthropology examines social patterns and practices across cultures, with a special interest in how people live in particular places and how they organize, govern, and create meaning. A hallmark of cultural anthropology is its concern with similarities and differences, both within and among societies, and its attention to race, sexuality, class, gender, and nationality (cite AAA statement). The goal of this course is to equip students with the knowledge, tools, and texts that allow them to better understand culture as an on-going dynamic phenomenon that directly affects all humans.

Required Textbook - Zero Cost

https://perspectives.americananthro.org/index.htmL

Required Text:

MOORE’S CANVAS PAGE: The canvas page is for course section 41880. It can be found at the Peralta Home Page for the Canvas Portal (which is the software). In order to navigate to my canvas page, you need to sign in to the Peralta portal.

http://web.peralta.edu/portal/welcome-to-the-peralta-portal/canvas/

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Describe the diversity of cultures in the world;
Apply holistic analysis to social phenomena;
Use a holistic perspective to teach others about a culture other than their own;
Analyze the relationship between the individual and the social group;
Display appreciation for the value of different cultures and awareness of what we learn from them;
Discuss the dynamic nature of culture and processes of cultural change.

Course Requirements and Grading

All assignments are connected and structured to help you succeed in the course.

A = 90%-100%(170-153) B= 80-89% (152-136) C=70-79% (151-119)

D=60-70% (118-102) F=below 60% 101-)

Participation (I see that you are on the canvas page actively submitting documents, engaging with others)

10 points

Forums 10 x 10 points 100 points

Quizzes (6 x 10 points) 60 points

170 total points possible

Extra Credit opportunities will be made available during the semester.

Library Resources: http://lclibrary.coffeecup.com/forms/LCL%20e-Ref%20Form/

Counseling Center: 3^rd Floor Tower

Mental Health/Health Center: 4^th Floor Student Center

Course Requirements

Communication is key. If you have questions, comments about course materials, assignments, or anything else that will ensure your success. Email me or message me in Canvas, or at donaldmoore@peralta.edu. I will respond within 24-48 hours. I can also meet with you on Laney Campus.

Forums

During the semester, we will have 10 forums, almost every week there are two forums on the readings or on videos I have for you. You must write a detailed post of 300 words at a minimum in each forum (roughly 10 forums) to the prompt I provide and respond to other student’s posts (100 words minimum to get points) to get the maximum number of points for each of your forum. You are required to respond to another student’s post, you need to reply to their post with 100 words or more to also get the full points. Each substantive and complete post is important. If you do not use the readings or the videos in your posts or responses, you will not get all your points.

As the instructor, I will facilitate student discussions but I will not address every single post. In most cases, I might share a related idea, intervene when the discussion goes off-track, or tie student comments together to help deepen student learning. Consequently, I will not directly answer questions in the discussion area unless they are addressed to me. I will check the forum discussions during when the post is up.

Some characteristics I consider to be part of excellent discussion contributions are outlined below. I will consider these characteristics when assessing the quality and level of student participation.

The total number of forums will be 10. Each would have maximum points of 10. The forums will be roughly every week, on Tuesday and Friday. The forums will only be up for two days. The first day (Tuesday) you post your comments in response to the forum prompt. On the 2^nd day of that forum, (Wednesday) you post replies to other student’s posts for that forum. It will close on Friday at 11:59p.m. The 2^nd forum will open Friday and close Sunday. Occasionally, I will extend the forums to allow more time, only at special times.
Submit initial post(s) on the first day of that forum (Tuesday), and any subsequent responses (Thursday) to the posts of other learners. The goal is to have a dynamic discussion around the topic that lasts throughout the entire session. The same goes for the weekend forum as well.
Posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support statements with examples, experiences, or references particularly from readings or videos. Be brief — keep each post and response to one or two paragraphs. Keep in mind that fellow learners will be reading and responding to you, too.
Make certain that all posts and responses address the question, problem, or situation as presented for discussion. This does not mean you should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
Discussions occur when there is dialogue; therefore, you need to build upon the posts and responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure to revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other learners have posted to your initial responses.
When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work experiences, references, web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when appropriate).
Contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
When the particular forum ends at the end of the two days for that forum, you will no longer be able to comment or post.

Ø Length of post (quantity)

You are required to post one original message for each topic (i.e. “replies” to other students do not count in this regard).
In addition to your original post, you must reply to at least one other classmates for each topic.
Original posts should consist of at least 300 words or more unless otherwise specified
Replies to other students should consist of at least 100 words or more per reply.
Any post that is too short/doesn’t meet the required posting length will receive an automatic zero.

Ø Quality of posts

Responses/Posts should be well written and free of grammatical errors. Do NOT use abbreviations or texting language. (i.e. something along of the lines of “IDK…what r u going 2do?” is not acceptable)
Each of your posts (original posts & replies) must demonstrate your understanding of the topic.
Connections between content from readings and assignments should be exhibited.
Relate new information with material covered in the class as well as with personal experience.
Discuss at a critical level – don’t just recite facts from your reading, discussion, or lecture.
Critical discussion includes your opinion of items mentioned, but also includes the reasons you hold that opinion, and why it may be inconsistent or consistent with what you’ve learned. Justify your reasoning with facts. How does what you’re presenting affect present and future situations?
Make sure your postings are RELEVANT to the topic at hand.
If you follow these requirements—particularly the requirement that specifies that you share personal thoughts/opinions/experiences, posts should widely vary—but know that if you post is too similar another student’s post, it will result in a zero grade.
This means that not all postings get automatic 10 points for writing 300 words or replying to others with 100 words.

Ø Timeliness

Please be sure to post EARLY so that there something for you and your classmates to discuss.
Because forum discussion postings are supposed to mimic conversation, forum discussion postings must be made on time. Anything posted after the specified due date will not be graded/is not eligible for points.
Forum discussion postings cannot be made-up.

Exams and Assignments

The due dates for all the reading, assignments, and exams listed below are noted in bold on your schedule:

Quizzes are 10 and 20 points each with a total of 4-6 quizzes.

Make sure you check your grades on canvas, I sometimes miss giving points in a forum or miss grading someone on a quiz. Contact me if you think I am in error. I can quickly fix any potential problem.

Information for success

All coursework must be uploaded by the date and time specified. If you are unable to upload then I will accept it by email. However, make sure that I confirm your work was received in the email. Claiming you sent it is not acceptable. I must confirm that I have your work by email. Make up quizzes and forums will be docked a grade.

A note about Plagiarism and Cheating

You will note that we encourage the development of study groups and study buddy relationships. These groups are good for clearing up any confusion about and for review notes of your readings, discussion about any written materials and videos, and for moral support. However, every iota of work that you hand-in or complete in class must be 100% yours, from the note-taking stage, through multiple drafts, to the final copy that you submit for a grade. This means you can’t borrow or closely copy from the authors of your text or from each other without a citation in all of your college classes. We will discuss the citation process in class for it takes a while to learn how the properly cite your sources. We’ll begin to practice that in class and I welcome questions about plagiarism or citation at any time.

If I discover plagiarized or copied material from another student, the Internet, or from a published author in your work I may call you for a student conference and give you a zero for the assignment. If there are repeated infractions in my class you may be referred to the Vice-President of Student Services for disciplinary action. You must understand that many academic institutions expel students over this issue so it is vital for you to develop an understanding of plagiarism as soon as possible!

Required daily readings are listed under the week that it is due on the schedule, so you should look ahead to complete your readings for that week and at the end of the week begin the following week. This course is only 8 week and so it is intense with 2 chapters a week.

Completing the reading daily and participating in the forums will greatly assist your online experience. Students should actively read the text, take notes or complete any study guides, note any questions about the material, and take careful notes when reading the material.

Reviewing your notes as soon as you have read the readings. This will greatly increase your success in the class. Please let me know of any questions for clarification during my coffee cafés in the chat room, or you can contact me via email or Canvas Message. I can set up a zoom meeting or meet with me in my office.

You are responsible for downloading readings for the class. Their titles will be listed on the course schedule and on the weekly canvas site.

In advance of a quiz, review your study guide. Questions will come directly from the study guide. To do well, study your study guides well in advance. Figure out how your readings and handouts relate to each of the topics the quiz will be covering. If you have any notes from films, or YouTube, or classroom exercises, review them as well; integrating them into the material presented in your study guide. When preparing for quiz, orally review the study guide with your study group or study buddies until you feel confident that you understand and can meet the Student Learning Objectives listed on this syllabus and each of the chapters or topic areas listed below in your syllabus’ schedule.

What makes me frustrated and irritated?

Because I believe that forewarned is forearmed, I’ve included a list of the kinds of things that make me frustrated and irritated. Hopefully you can avoid these pitfalls.

Suffering silently. If you have complaints or confusion about the class in general or specific assignments, talk to me. I am committed to seeing the class go well and have lots of ideas that can help you study and succeed. Arrange time with me after class, make a telephone date, e-mail me, or schedule some time during office hours.
Rudeness, or any form of threatening behavior with others. Complaining about class policies. I am sorry if you are inconvenienced or feel you don’t really need a certain policy, but I can promise you that someone needed the policy or it wouldn’t have been invented.
Complaining about your grades. I am happy to make grade changes when my records have been in error (so hold on to your papers), and believe in being fair. I always welcome discussing assignments or answering questions before exams.. However, it’s the work you’ve handed in that earns the grades in this class, not any amount of good intentions or complaining.
Continually handing in late work or expecting special arrangements to be made to grade your materials.

COURSE SCHEDULE-FALL 2024

Week 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to Anthropology

Chapter 2 Culture Concept

1# FORUM FRIDAY TO SUNDAY

Week 2 Identity and Race

Article: “The Enduring Inequalities of Race”, Race, by Roger Sanjek. Steven Gregory and Roger Sanjek, Editors, 1996, page 1-17

Article: The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics by George Lipsitz

Article: “How Did Jews Become White Folks?” by Karen Brodkin Sacks, in Race, Steven Gregory and Roger Sanjek, Editors, 1996.

Article: “Night to his Day: The Social Construction of Gender”, by Judith Lorber, in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, edited by Paula Rothenberg, 2004.

FRIDAY - SUNDAY QUIZ #1

TUESDAY – FRIDAY Forum #2

THURSDAY-SUNDAY Forum #3

Week 3 Chapter 3: Doing Fieldwork Methods in Cultural Anthro

Chapter 4: Language

TUESDAY - FRIDAY FORUM # 4

THURSDAY - SUNDAY FORUM # 5

Week 4 Chapter 5 Subsistence

Chapter 6 Economics

TUESDAY - FRIDAY FORUM #6

THURSDAY - SUNDAY FORUM #7

FRIDAY- SUNDAY QUIZ #2

Week 5 Chapter 7 Political Anthro: Cross Cultural

Chapter 8 Family and Marriage

TUESDAY – FRIDAY FORUM #8

THURSDAY – SUNDAY FORUM #9

Week 6 Chapter Religion

Chapter Globalization

TUESDAY – FRIDAY FORUM #10

THURSDAY – SUNDAY Forum #11

FRIDAY – SUNDAY QUIZ #3

Week 7 Chapter History of Anthropological Ideas

Chapter Culture and Sustainability: Environmental Anthropology in the Anthropocene

TUESDAY – FRIDAY Forum #12

THURSDAY – SUNDAY Forum #13

Week 8 Chapter Performance

Chapter Media Anthro: Meaning, Embodiment, Infrastructure, and Activism

TUESDAY – FRIDAY Forum # 14

THURSDAY – SUNDAY Forum #15

FRIDAY – SUNDAY Last Quiz #4