Fall 2005   

Course description and grading information

(See links for 102A and 102C for syllabus)

Instructor: Dr. Amy Mountcastle, Redcay 119, mountca@plattsburgh.edu           518 564 4009  

Class Hours: 102A Meets M/W 3-4:15 in Redcay 135        102C Meets T/Th 1:15-2:30 in Redcay 135

Office Hours: Mondays, 2:00-2:45 and  Tuesdays, 2:30-3:30.. Also, by appointment. Please feel free to make an appointment if you are unable to meet with me during my regular office hours.

Course description   This course will provide you with an overview of what the field of cultural anthropology encompasses and how the anthropological viewpoint contributes to our understanding of people and society. In anthropology, we explore the relationships of people, their social institutions, ideology, religion, economy, politics—in short, virtually any aspect of social life and human interaction is within the purview of the anthropologist. By using an anthropological perspective and by learning about the ways of life of others, this course will challenge you to question your assumptions and conventional understandings of the world and your place in it. By the end of the course, I hope that you will be able to see how the anthropological perspective may be used to analyze and find solutions for many human problems.

Required texts (available at the College Store and elsewhere):

Cultural Anthropology: Adaptations, Structures, Meanings. By David Haines. Prentice Hall 2005.

The Dobe Ju/'hoansi. By Richard B. Lee. Harcourt, Brace College Publishers 1993.

From the Ganges to the Hudson: Indian Immigrants in New York City. By Johanna Lessinger. Allyn and Bacon 1995.

Course Requirements/professor’s expectations:

• Complete assigned reading prior to the class meeting

• Attend classes and contribute to class discussions and work

• Complete in-class assignments

• Take all quizzes and tests

• Turn in required work

Evaluation and Grading: 

Students MUST complete the following course work:                                                                                            

4 quizzes of 15 points each                60 points (There will be no make-up quizzes given without a valid reason)

2exams

   Exam I                                 30 points (Make-up exams given only for validated absence)

   Exam II                                  60 points

Contribution to the class      20 points

Total points                        170 points

Grades will be assigned according to the following percentages, which will be determined by the ratio of the number of points you earn and the total number of points possible. Thus, if you earn 130 out of a total possible 170 points, your grade would be a C because 130/170=76 percent.

A = 92%+            B-=80               D+=68%        

A-=90-91%            C+=79%         D=62-67%

B+= 89%             C=70-78%     E= under 62%

B= 81-88%            C-=69%    

This page was last updated 25 August 2005
This site managed by Amy Mountcastle