AN204: Anthropology of the Modern World

MWF 9 - 10

Robert Canfield

McMillan 340

Phones: 935-5282[o], 721-1279 [h]

rlcanfie@artsci.wustl.edu

General intent and focus of the course

This course could cover almost anything, since anthropology is a produce of the modern world and cultural anthropology essentially has been a study of human beings in all parts of the modern world. Cultural anthropology is essentially comparative: anthropologists have been interested in explaining the human ability to develop diverse cultural forms. My own interests in the modern world have been the numerous localized factions and conflicts that have been active in much of the non-western world and the rapid changes in global society that have been occurring in recent years. Our readings will focus on a number of hot spot around the world -- Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Haiti -- and because events continue to challenge our ability to keep abreast of affairs I will be handing out additional readings on current events. Because of the handouts in the course, to avoid a financial burden on the department, I will ask you to contribute a small sum to pay for these hand-outs. I will ask for $3 from each of you in the second week of classes, after the drop-add flurry is over.

General Requirements

Reading: Specific assignments will usually be given weekly, sometimes daily, in preparation for discussion in class. Some of the assignments will come from the textbooks but others will come from handouts. Books to be purchased are the following, in the order of assigned reading:

F. Gauhari: Searching for Saleem

D. Edwards: Heroes of the Age

B. Kapferer: Legends of People, Myths of State

P. Farmer: AIDS and Accusation

In addition to these books you will be assigned several articles [or chapters of books] to read. Copies of these will be available for you to copy soon after the first few week of classes. They will be placed in the Anthropology office and can be checked out from the secretary.

A tentative schedule of readings is as follows:

8/28/99 - 9/8/99 Gauhari

9/8/99 - 9/24/99 Edwards

9/27/99 - 10/22/99 [a list of articles, to be copied from a set in the office]

10/25/99 - 11/13/99 Kapferer

11/15/99 - 12/6/99 Farmer

Attendance and class participation: You will be expected to attend every class and to participate in discussions of the required readings. There will be a number of lectures but the success of the course will depend heavily on your participation. Class attendance and participation will definitely help in the writing assignments and examinations; there is virtually no chance of surviving without consistent exposure to what happens in class. For that reason a record of attendance will be kept. If you expect to miss a class, please notify me first, or as soon afterwards a s possible. A student that misses more than 3 classes [unexcused] should not expect to earn an A or A-; a student who misses more than 6 hours should see me about the terms of continuing in the course.

Mondays for special activities: I plan to use Mondays for special activities. Examinations will be on Mondays [see below], and when I show a film it will be on a Monday; if we don't finish a film we will continue it on the following Monday. Be sure to be present when film is shown. I will eventually ask you to write some short comments on the films late in the course and your responses will have an influence on your final grade, although considerably less than the results of your examinations.

Examinations and papers: There will be one or two short papers and two essay examinations during the semester plus a final paper. The final paper will not be cumulative; it will not count more than the other examinations. The schedule of examinations or papers [in some cases I'm not sure which] is the following:

> 9/27/99: Gauhari and Edwards: probably two short essay papers, due that day.

> 10/25/99: Exam on a set of articles [on Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Tutsi-Hutu, Ireland, the Hindian movement]

> 11/22/99: Exam on Kapferer

> Exam period after 12/6/99: Final essay paper on Farmer.

The in-class examinations will be open-book. Bring all your crib notes to class for the exams. In preparation for the examinations I will give you a list of possible questions to prepare for, from which I will choose one. You should come to the exam prepared to answer any of those. All the exams will be essay. This is because social science is the study of issues: Come prepared to explain the issues, the processes involved in the specific social developments we examine in the course.

For what it's worth, I do not grade on a curve. Grades will be based on how well you demonstrate control of the assigned readings.

Organization of the course and specific activities

Class meetings will be of two kinds. One kind of activity will be our discussions about assigned readings. I will assume you are following the reading schedule and my lectures will be aimed at making the readings intelligible to you. there may also be some additional reading assignments on short notice. Stay on schedule. Come to class prepared to discuss the readings. A second kind of activity will be the lectures. You will be expected to keep notes; material from the lectures will directly bear upon the examination questions. Because I am best informed in Asia, my lectures may be biased to that part of the world but the relevance of the principles discussed to other parts of the world will, I hope, be evident. A third activity will be films. These will be shown on Mondays; attendance will be taken and you will at some point be asked to describe the main features of the films.