General Anthropology
Anthro 1000
Fall 2021

 

Professor: Todd L. VanPool
Office: 221 Swallow Hall
Email: vanpoolt@missouri.edu
Office Hours: Office hours will be held in person and online simultaneously. Monday 9:00–11:00 AM (Zoom link: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/99878998840),  Wednesday 2:00 to 3:00 PM (Zoom link:https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/91257962034).

 

Teaching Assistant: Jeremy Morin
Office: Swallow 237
email: jmm86p@missouri.edu
Office Hours: MWF 12:00 to 1:00

 

General Course Goals:

Anthropology 1000 will introduce students to the general methods and contributions of anthropology. It emphasizes the underlying concepts and principles using case studies from around the world and through time. After completing the entire course, you will be able to:

• Define anthropology as a discipline and differentiate it from other social sciences;
• Explain the importance of culture to human behavior and describe how aspects of the environment and social interaction affect human behavior;
• Outline and explain a general sequence of somatic development from the earliest known human ancestors to anatomically modern humans;
• Outline and explain a general sequence of cultural development from the earliest known stone tools to modern industrialized societies;
• Be able to identify the four subfields of anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology, cultural anthropology, and anthropological linguistics) and compare the insights each can provide;
• Summarize general methods useful for each subfield (e.g., participant observation, radiocarbon dating, osteological analysis) and compare their ability to provide various types of information;
• Identify central features of human culture (e.g., gender, kinship, religion), describe cross-cultural variation in each of them, and explain the significance of this variation on individual identity and cultural structures;
• Outline examples of specific case studies derived from each subfield.

 

Prerequisites

Aside from an open mind and civil disposition, there are no prerequisites for Anthropology 1000.

 

Office hours and email 

Both Jeremy and I will hold office hours in our offices. I am also available during my office hours via Zoom at the same time. You can download Zoom at https://umsystem.zoom.us. It is free for MU students. You can also learn more at https://doit.missouri.edu/services/communications-collaboration/audio-web-conferencing/.

You may also contact us via email. Please allow a minimum of 24 hours for a response. 

 

Technology Used in the Course

Canvas

Readings and other course materials are delivered through Canvas, the Learning Management System (LMS) at the University of Missouri System. If you are new to Canvas, you may find the Canvas Quick Start for Students orientation course helpful. You are automatically enrolled in this course and can find it on your Canvas dashboard or by clicking Courses in the Canvas Global Navigation and then selecting All Courses. In addition, the Canvas Student Guide. (Links to an external site.) provides overviews on each Canvas tool and tutorials on how to use them.

Panopto

MU utilizes the Panopto Lecture Capture System. The system allows us to record and distribute lectures and other audio and video recordings to you in a secure environment through Canvas. No material should be shared with individuals outside of your class, or faculty and staff who require access for support or specific academic purposes without permission.

You may watch recordings online, or download them for off-line viewing on your computer, smartphone, or media player. The Curators of the University of Missouri and your instructor jointly copyright these recordings. Posting them to another website, including YouTube, Facebook, BlipTV, or any other site without express, written permission may result in disciplinary action and possible civil prosecution.

Panopto has a mobile app that you can use to view videos.  You can find information on the Panopto mobile app here:

https://etopics.missouri.edu/support/solutions/articles/11000050979-panopto-mobile-app-

Zoom

Zoom is a University-supported video conferencing software. Office hours are offered via Zoom and some course materials may be available through Zoom. 

How to Join a Meeting
Click the Zoom UM System link in the course navigation menu (to the left). If you have never used Zoom before, you can refer to the Getting Started in Zoom (Links to an external site.) guide. For tips on using Zoom, refer to the Participating in Zoom meetings guide

Library Resources

Access to the library will be critical to your academic success. You may access the University of Missouri Library Distance Education Support Service page at: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/distance/. 

 

Technical Support

MU Division of Information Technology (DoIT)

If you are having any technical difficulties (e.g., logging in, accessing the discussion board) please email helpdesk@missouri.edu or contact the DoIT Help Desk at (573)882-5000. Out-of-area MizzouOnline students can call toll-free at (866)241-5619.

Canvas also provides phone and chat support for students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You can find contact information in the course site under the Help link in the Canvas global navigation (the menu on the far-left side of the course). For your convenience I have also listed it below:

 

• Call Canvas Support (Students)

Call (855) 981-6196. Available 24/7

 

• Link to chat with Canvas support

https://cases.canvaslms.com/liveagentchat?chattype=student

 

Student & Instructor Expectations

As a student in our course, Jeremy and I expect you to:

• Do the required readings and assignments to the best of your abilities.

• Ask questions and seek clarification, direction and guidance to any class assignments, course content, university or course policies or procedures which may be unclear.

• Come to class. We cannot teach you if you are not there. Also, read the assigned readings and watch the assigned films. We may create Zoom recordings of class, but it does not replace actual class attendance. Some classes will not be recorded using Zoom for various reasons (e.g., copy right issues, personal discussions as part of class discussion). 

• We also encourage you to:

• • Familiarize yourself with and utilize the student and academic support resources MU has to offer.  You can access these vital resources by clicking on the Support & Policies link in our Canvas course site located in the main course navigation and referencing the Learning Resources and Other Student Resources tabs.

• • Familiarize yourself with the University's Academic Policies and Expectations, which you will also find located in the Support and Policies section of the course. Click on the Support & Policies link in the left-hand course navigation menu.  Just a few of the MU Policies and Expectations you will find there include:
    • Academic Integrity
    • Acceptable Use
    • Students with Disabilities
    • Statement of nondiscrimination
    • FERPA

As your instructor and TA, you can expect us to:

• Help build and facilitate our learning community.

• Be concerned for the learning experience of each student in the class, be respectful of individual differences, and be encouraging of creativity and individuality.

• You can expect us to respond to your emails within 48 hours.

• Provide grades and feedback on written assignments within 7 days after the submission due date (e.g., if your paper is due by 11:59 pm on Friday, you will receive your grade and my feedback by 11:59 pm on the following Thursday).

• Post final grades within 6 days after the course ends.

 

Class Structure:

The course is organized thematically with a different topic being discussed each week. The readings will include general discussion and specific case studies illustrating important points. Each week, we will discuss the week’s readings in order to critically exploring the general topic. The lectures are not complete summaries of the readings but instead focus on providing additional information that will give you more insight into the week's topic. It is essential that you read the required readings and  complete other class activities. 

Open-ended questions and debates are encouraged.  Civility is expected at all times.  You do not have to, and in fact will not, agree with all of the ideas discussed in class, but you must have the patience and fortitude to understand the reasoning underlying them, even if you disagree with the conclusions.  Please note the statement on intellectual diversity below.

 

Assigned Texts:

There is no required text. The assigned reading are listed below and are available via Canvas.

Course Requirements:

            Class Participation: You are expected to attend class and participate in all online discussions. All interactions should be respectful and polite. Contributing to the discussion will require you to have thoroughly read and thought about the required readings.

            Exams: All three exams will be worth 100 points. They will consist of short answer questions. The final exam only covers material presented since the second exam, although it may reference material covered earlier in the class.

            Pop quizzes: Additional “pop quiz” questions will be asked roughly once a week that deal specifically with the readings for the class. These cannot be made-up, unless you have a University approved absence (such as a sudden death in the family, jury duty, illness with a doctor’s letter, etc.).

            Article Summaries: You will prepare two 3- to 5-page article summaries dealing with an anthropologically relevant topic. The article summaries are not necessarily critical evaluations of someone’s work, although you can include that if you want. Instead, I want you to read papers about something that interests you and then tell me about what you read. The topics are completely up to you, but it must be anthropologically relevant. This is your chance to explore any topic you find interesting using a cross-cultural perspective. Your papers must come from legitimate, scholarly sources (e.g., National Geographic, Archaeology). Blogs, Wikipedia, webpages, and other internet sources are not acceptable. (You can access the article online, but it needs to be a real article, not a webpage.) The article summaries should be double-spaced using 12-point font, and be grammatically sound. The topic is wide open, but a non-exhaustive list of possible topics includes: medicine, games of chance, puberty ceremonies, sports, birth practices, child rearing and education, gender distinctions, diet and cuisine, the importance of dogs, mortuary practices, religion, clothing, body modification such as tattoos, art, calendars, slavery, hunting practices, and violence and warfare. Use your imagination to find something that interests you! Ask me if you have questions about whether an article is appropriate.

 

 Grading:

Your grade will be based on the tests (60% of your grade), the pop quizzes (15% of your grade), the article summaries (15% of your grade), and participation in class discussion boards (10% of your grade).

             

Academic and Classroom Policies:

This course follows the general guidelines and standards of conduct listed in the University Catalog.  Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are of course proscribed, and will result in the assignment of an F for the course, as well as the other sanctions specified by MU. Please contact me if you have any questions concerning proper academic conduct.  Also, I expect your behavior in class to be courteous and respectful to your fellow students. Please turn off cell phones before class.  If you come in late or need to leave early, please do so quietly. 

 

Statement Regarding Intellectual Pluralism:

Mizzou welcomes intellectual diversity and respects students’ inalienable rights to freedom of thought, religion, association, and expression. This course focuses on a human behavior. Humans sometimes behave in ways that we personally wish they wouldn’t (e.g., honor killings, warfare, slavery, homicide). The course will not glamorize these topics or wallow in detailed descriptions of cruelty, but one cannot arrive at a useful or complete understanding of the topic without considering them.

The course has no political or polemical goal beyond introducing you to anthropology and how we can use it to understand human behavior. We will discuss the assigned topics from various views, and I guarantee that you will be exposed to ideas with which you will disagree. Heck, you may even find some of the ideas disturbing, simpleminded, immoral, and/or offensive. That is okay. I am not asking you to agree with everything that is discussed in class, especially since I am trying to expose you to the range of thoughts and data that are currently being used. Instead of trying to provide you with the “right” answer, I am going to provide you with a broad range of thought that you can consider and use to help build and strengthen your own thoughts on various topics. I do guarantee that we will not spend extensive time on ideas that have been proven useless, except as these might pertain to the history of development of ideas that are the focus of the class.

Disagreements might arise on occasion. My goal is for everyone to feel comfortable disagreeing with statements made by myself and all of your fellow students, because polite and respectful disagreement is an effective way for us all to learn from each other. Such disagreement, however, must focus on the topics at hand, and should not consist of ad hominem attacks on individuals. Please exhibit common courtesy to everyone in the class throughout the course. If you have questions concerning the quality of instruction in this class, please contact either the Departmental Chair (Sattenspiell@missouri.edu) or the Director of the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities (http://osrr.missouri.edu/). All students will have the opportunity to submit an anonymous evaluation of the instructor at the end of the course.

 

Statement Regarding ADA:

If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class, or at my office.

To request academic accommodations (for example, a notetaker), students must also register with the Office of Disability Services, (http://disabilityservices.missouri.edu), S5 Memorial Union, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on "Disability Resources" on the MU homepage.

 

Sample Statement for Executive Order #38, Academic Inquiry, Course Discussion and Privacy:

University of Missouri System Executive Order No. 38 lays out principles regarding the sanctity of classroom discussions at the university. The policy is described fully in section 200.015 of the Collected Rules and Regulations. In this class, students may make audio or video recordings of course activity. Those students who do record are not permitted to redistribute audio or video recordings of statements or comments from the course to individuals who are not students in the course without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded. Students found to have violated this policy are subject to discipline in accordance with provisions of section 200.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the University of Missouri pertaining to student conduct matters.

 

 

Weekly Topics

 

Week	Topic	Assigned Readings
1 (Aug. 23–27)	What are Anthropology and Culture?	Kotak--What is Anthropology?
2 (Aug. 30– Sept. 3)	Applying Anthropology to Help Humans	Kedia and Bennett--Applied Anthropology
3 (Sept. 8-10)	Evolution and Anthropology of the Body	Evolution 101 website
4 (Sept. 13–17)	Evolution and the Anthropology of the Body II	Feder and Park--The Primates
5 (Sept. 20–24))	The Origin of Culture and Human Behavior	Paleolithic Readings: compiled from History of our Tribe: Hominini by Barbara Welker, Images of the Past by Feinman and Price, and The Atlas of Archaeology by Aston and Taylor
6 (Sept. 27–Oct. 1)	Humans Conquer the World!	Upper Paleolithic Readings 1 & 2
Oct. 4	Test 1
7 (Oct. 6–8)	The Origins of Agriculture	Waguespack--Paleoindians Price and Feinman--Lake Mungo
8 (Oct. 13–15)	Domestication and the Mesolithic	Central Questions in the Domestication of Plants and Animals
9 (Oct. 18–22)	The Development of Political Complexity First Article Summary due Oct. 22	Beyond the Blue Horizon
10 (Oct. 25–29)	The Structure of Cultural Anthropology	Studying Culture
11 (Nov. 1-5)	Gender and Political Relationships
Nov. 8	Test 2
12 (Nov. 10–12)	Making a Living
13 (Nov. 15–19)	Making a Family Second Article Summary due Nov. 17
14 (Nov. 29–Dec. 3)	The Anthropology of War
15 (Dec. 6–10)	Anthropology and Religion
Friday, Dec. 17, 7:30 AM	Final Exam