Montclair State UniversityPRIVAT

Montclair State University

Department of Anthropology

ANTH 140: Nonwestern Contributions to the Western World Fall 2006

Richard W. Franke Professor of Anthropology

Thursday 5:30–8:00 pm Mallory 155

This course was developed as the 1995–96 University Distinguished Professor Course

The course syllabus is on line on Blackboard. Most or all readings, links, assignments and many of the overheads will also be made available on Blackboard.

Suggested supplementary readings – all are optional – for this course are listed on line at:

http://chss.montclair.edu/anthro/ANTH140supplementaryreadings.htm

Suggested website links relevant to most topics in the course are available on line at:

http://chss.montclair.edu/anthro/ANTH140links.htm

This course fulfills both the Nonwestern Cultural Perspectives Requirement and

Multicultural Awareness Requirement

Why This Course?

I have been thinking about this subject for many years. As an undergraduate, I was struck by the essay by anthropologist Ralph Linton, “One Hundred Percent American,” in which he surveys the daily routine of a middle class American who uses products invented from around the world without ever recognizing whence they came. Over the years, I have gradually accumulated a longer list of the non-US and Nonwestern elements in our lives and culture. I would like to introduce students to these many contributions. Today, a sufficient literature exists to survey the field.

The Concept of “Nonwestern”

In anthropology, nonwestern cultures have traditionally been defined as belonging to people who speak a language outside the Indo-European family. For this course, I propose to expand the definition to the common folk-belief in US culture that it refers to cultures outside the main Judeo-Christian-Greek-European historical sequence. Thus, for purposes of this course, Arabic and Islamic cultures will be considered nonwestern along with those so defined by anthropology.

Assigned Readings—all should be purchased unless otherwise noted

Linton, Ralph. 1936. One hundred percent American. Appears in several readers. On e-reserve at Sprague Library. On Blackboard as a pdf file.

Franke, Richard W. 1987. Power, class and traditional knowledge in Sahel food production. In I. L. Markovitz, ed. Studies in Power and Class in Africa. New York: Oxford University Press. Pages 257–285. On e-reserve at Sprague Library. On Blackboard as a pdf file.

The Temple, Weatherford, and Zaslavsky books must be purchased.

Temple, Robert. 2002. The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery and Invention. London: Prion.

Weatherford, Jack. 1988. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. New York: Fawcett Columbine.

Zaslavsky, Claudia. 1990. Africa Counts: Number and Pattern in African Culture. Brooklyn, New York: Lawrence Hill Books.

Course Requirements and Grading Policy

Grades will be based on 3 exams, class attendance, and participation.

Attendance and participation 20 points

Midterm 1 October 5 25

Midterm 2 November 9 25

Final Exam (Thursday Dec 21) 30

Total 100

Course points total and letter grades are shown in the column to the right →
94–100 A

90–93 A-

87–89 B+

83–86 B

80–82 B-

77–79 C+

73–76 C

70–72 C-

67–69 D+

64–66 D

60–63 D-

59 and below F

A list of optional readings for all topics in this course is available on line at:

Sept 14 Indian Silver and Gold on the World Market: How Native Americans Fueled the Modern Economy

Oct 26 Scientific and Architectural, and Mathematical Achievements of Ancient Egypt

Nov 16 Serer Ecology—How to Preserve the Environment; Fulani Medicine and the Origins of Vaccination; Scientific knowledge and political organization in the West African empires of Ghana, Songhay, and Mali.

READING: Franke, Richard W. 1987. Power, class and traditional knowledge. In Sahel food production. In I. L. Markovitz, ed. Studies in Power and Class in Africa. New York: Oxford University Press. Pages 257–85. On e-reserve. On Blackboard.

Powerpoint Presentation: Black Rice – How Africans Taught European Settlers in North America to grow the first plantation crop.

Classroom Courtesy

Professor Richard W. Franke

By observing the following rules you will help me—the instructor—to provide a better and more interesting course. You will also help yourself and your fellow students to achieve better concentration and therefore to get better grades. I do not curve, so the more you concentrate, the more you learn, and the better your grade, no matter how other students do. So, please—

1. Be in your seat with your notebook open and your pen or pencil ready when the class starts.

2. Do not start packing your materials until class is actually over.

3. Do not eat or drink during class.

4. Turn off all cell phones and pagers.

5. Do not leave the room during class unless you plan to stay out for the period. Use the toilet and the drinking fountain before or after class.

6. Do not whisper, rattle papers, or otherwise distract your fellow students during class, especially during videos or films. If you have seen the film previously and are bored, either try to see something new in it, or leave.

7. Do not ask to discuss your grade or other matters at the beginning of class unless you feel your concerns are relevant to the entire class. In that case, please tell me you feel a public discussion is needed. Otherwise, use my office hours or make an appointment to see me privately.

8. Let me know if special circumstances make it hard for you to follow any of these rules.

If you wish to read my advice about how to study more effectively, or wish to see examples of the kinds of questions typically found on exams for this course, take a look at: