Montclair State University

Department of Anthropology

ANTH 510: Ethnology

 

Thursday 5:30–8:00                                                                                             Fall 2004

DI–436                                                                                          Dr. Richard W. Franke

 

Assigned Readings:

 

 

Harris, Marvin, 1997. Culture, People, Nature: An Introduction to General Anthropology. New York: Longman. Seventh Edition.

 

Turnbull, Colin. 1962. The Forest People: A Study of the Pygmies of the Congo. New York: Simon and Schuster.

 

Thomas Isaac, T. M., Richard W. Franke, and Pyaralal Raghavan. 1998. Democracy at Work in an Indian Industrial Cooperative: The Story of Kerala Dinesh Beedi. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.

 

All assigned readings are available at the bookstore.

 

Course Requirements:

 

       Complete the readings before class during the week they are assigned. This will allow class discussions to review, criticize, and go beyond the readings. Class participation will count for 20 percent of your final grade. There will be two take-home essay exams: a midterm due in class on October 21 and a final due in class on December 16. Each will count for 40 percent of the final grade. No exams by fax or e-mail, please.

 

Office Hours:

 

       Come and discuss issues that arise in the course or any problems that you are having understanding the materials. My office is DI-409, ext. 4133. Hours when you can reach me:

 

               Wednesday           1:00 – 2:00 pm

               Thursday        4:30 – 5:30 pm and after class at 8:00 pm as needed

               Friday                   1:00 – 2:00 pm

              

Or other times at your request

 

               My e-mail address is: franker@mail.montclair.edu      


Topics to be Discussed

Week              Topic                                                                           Readings

I. HOW CAN WE STUDY OURSELVES?

 

Sept      2          Anthropology, Science, and the Concept of Primitive       Harris: 1, 7

 

Sept      9          The Theory of Evolution                                                Harris: 2

 

II. WHAT IS HUMAN NATURE?

 

Sept     16          Where Do Sex Differences Come From?                       Harris: 3, 14, 22–23

 

Sept     23          Are We Naturally Aggressive?                                      Harris: 4–5

 

Sept     30          How Important Are Race Differences?                          Harris: 6, 21

 

III. WHERE DID WE COME FROM AND HOW?

 

Oct       7          The Origins of Language and Writing                             Harris: 8

 

Oct      14          The Origins of Human Society                                       Harris: 13, 16–17

 

Oct      21          The Origins of the Economy                                           Harris: 12, 15

                                                                                                            The Forest People               

OCTOBER 21:  MIDTERM EXAM WILL BE DUE                      (entire)

 

Oct      28          The Origins of Technology                                             Harris: 9–11

 

Nov       4          The Origins of Religion                                                  Harris: 24

 

Nov     11          The Origins of Inequality                                                Harris: 19–20

 

Nov     18          The Origins of Violence                                                 Harris: 18

 

Nov     25          Thanksgiving Holiday: No Class

 

IV.  ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE MODERN WORLD

 

Dec       2          Applied Anthropology: Help or Hindrance to

                        A Better World?                                                           Harris: 26; Democracy at Work, pp. ix–85

 

Dec       9          Globalization from Above or                                           Democracy at Work.

                        Empowerment from Below?                                          pp. 86–223

 

Dec    16          FINAL EXAMS DUE IN CLASS: No exams by fax or e-mail please