INSTRUCTOR DESCRIPTION TEXT EVALUATION GOALS SCHEDULE

ANTH 370D WOMEN IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE Winter 2010 MW 1000-1150 HSS 110B

This course is concerned with women's lives: how they are different and how they are similar in diverse cultures around the world. The perspective is anthropological, the scope is global and the emphasis is contemporary, although some evolutionary and historical precedents will be explored. A basic familiarity with anthropology is assumed, along with the knowledge and skills to write a documented research paper and a commitment to contribute regularly in class discussions. ANTH 216 is a prerequisite and upper division standing is recommended.

If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place. Margaret Mead Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies 1935

Course readings will be available at WOU online. One additional book, which you may borrow from Summit or purchase, will be selected for a researched review.

Please visit our WOU online page and under Participants,post a recent photo of yourself and a brief profile to help us get to know you.

I long to speak out the intense inspiration that comes to me from the lives of strong women. Ruth Benedict, quoted in An Anthropologist at Work by Margaret Mead 1951.

1. PARTICIPATION: 20%
Based on a combination of attendance, in-class writing, presentations, and spontaneous contributions. You can't participate if you're not in class and you can't contribute if you're not prepared.  Always bring written notes and questions on assigned readings to class with you, whether or not you are submitting a review.

Films focusing on women in a variety of cultures will be screened during class. The point is to provide images and examples to juxtapose or complement readings, thereby stimulating discussion. Watch intently and take brief notes during films. Many of these films do not belong to WOU; film screenings and discussion can't be "made up."

2. ARTICLE REVIEWS: 40%
Shared in class, in person, on the day for which the article is assigned. Thirteen reviews (out of 17 articles) are required; each is worth up to 3 points for a total of 39 (+1 free = 40). Follow guidelines below in preparing your review.  Make a point of sharing ideas from your review during class. Do not turn in reviews from previous classes or classes you have not attended.

3. RESEARCH PAPER: 20%
The research paper (10-12 pages) is a critical* review of a recent ethnography that highlights the lives of women in a contemporary culture that is different from your own and located outside the U.S. The book is selected in consultation with your professor; the paper must reflect research conducted over the term and issues discussed in class. Several progress report deadlines must be met to be eligible for full credit on this assignment; more detailed instructions are provided seperately. Due in final form Wednesday of Week 10.

[*critical means thoughtful, analytical, applying anthropological perspectives, etc. It does not mean negative, nasty, mean, picky, opinionated, etc.]

4. PROGRESS REPORTS: 10%
To keep things moving along, progress reports on your research are required and rewarded if submitted on time. These are an opportunities for me to give you feedback as your paper develops. Take advantage of them.

4. FINAL EXAM: 10%
A 10-20 minute presentation of your research during week 10 or the final exam period (depending on how many students complete the course). You will have previously submitted your citation and abstract, which will be distributed to the class. You must be present for the presentations of your peers to receive credit for your own presentation.

Fourty percent of your grade in this course is based on timely sharing and submission of a series of article reviews (complete citation, précis, and critique) for the assigned readings.

A précis is a concise summary of essential points, statements, or facts. One uses the author's name and summarizes her ideas, her evidence, her analysis, and her conclusions.  The goal is fair and accurate representation of a piece of scholarship.  A critique is an assessment of significance or an evaluation. (It does not necessarily imply negative comments.) You should use this space to make connections between points in the current article and issues raised earlier in class or ideas introduced in lecture, films, discussion.  Test your understanding of these ideas by applying them to new material.

Both précis and critique should be presented in standard prose (not outline or list format), although enumeration is encouraged so that important points are not overlooked. Your précis should be half or less of the paper, no more than a page, followed by 1-2 pages of critique.  Type up and edit your work.  Staple your pages together.

Please note:
It's not enough to simply say you "liked" an article or found it "interesting." Say WHAT you liked, or WHY it was interesting! I assume you enjoy this type of material or you wouldn't be in the course.  You may asssume that your professor, the editors of the journals we sample, and a significant number of professional anthropologists found the article valuable, well-researched, and relevant, or it wouldn't have been published.

Similarly, it's not helpful to say you "didn't understand" an article or found it "too complex." That usually reveals a lack of effort or perseverence. If you don't have to work, strive, and struggle to understand, you won't grow any stronger or more broad-minded!  But if you feel lost, be assured it is valuable to ask questions in class--to say "I was puzzled by..." or "I could use more information on..." or "Help me understand what she means by..."  Read and take notes on each assignment; write down your questions! But don't hide these questions in your précis & critique. SHARE IN CLASS! I won't see your review until class is over; by then it's too late!

Give yourself time to reflect on an article before writing it up. Then prepare a review including the following:

1. Complete citation (see below).

2. A précis followed by a critique.

3. 2-3 pages total, typed (double-spaced) and edited.

Reviews are due at the beginning of class of the day for which the article is assigned; late submissions are not accepted. Since the major purpose of the review is to enhance discussion, you must be present in class and share your work to submit a review.

Here is a link to the American Anthropologist style guide, with example of how to cite articles, books, and chapters in anthologies. Please use this style for your work in this course.  

I hope the work we do in this class will help us each:

• To better understand our own cultures by looking at other ways of constructing reality. In the words of Eleanor Leacock: "one aims as best one can to understand the constraints within which one lives, and to define realistically the actual alternatives one has to choose among."
• To build a sense of connection with people in other cultures by seeking out human universals and observing the range of creative responses to life in a variety of cultures.
• To understand how features of women's and men's lives are the product of sex, gender, or individual desire, or the complex interworking of these forces.
• To get to know one culture in detail through a close reading of an ethnography.
• To strengthen critical reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills.
• To practice respectful discussion of cultural differences, especially when the subject is a difficult or disturbing aspect of human behavior.
• To enjoy the incredible creativity of human beings in their cultural responses to Mother Nature's richest gift and best joke: sex.