Ryan Schram
ANTH 1001: Introduction to anthropology
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 (Week 1)
Available at http://anthro.rschram.org/1001/2020/1.1.2
Thomas Hylland Eriksen “Anthropology: Comparison and Context,” in Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (London: Pluto Press, 2015), 1–11.
Thomas Hylland Eriksen “A Brief History of Anthropology,” in Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (London: Pluto Press, 2015), 12–31.
Google “define holistic” and you get
holistic /həʊˈlɪstɪk,hɒˈlɪstɪk/ adjective
The opposite of a holistic explanation is a reductionist explanation, which would describe something in terms of a single, ultimate origin.
For instance, I argue that everything about human beings can be located somewhere in a space with two dimensions, like a Cartesian plane.
The horizontal dimension is better labeled as “particular” on the right (+) and “universal” on the left (-).
The vertical axis is better labeled as “acquired” on the top (+) and “innate” on the bottom (-).
<HTML
>
<
table> <colgroup><col style=“width:50%”/><col style=“width:50%”/></colgroup> <tr> <td> </HTML
>
Q
uadrant II (top left) contains all the traits that are <html><strong></html>universal<html></strong></html> and <html><strong></html>acquired<html></strong></html> [-,+]. <HTML
>
<
/td> <td> </HTML
>
Q
uadrant I (top right) contains all the traits that are <html><strong></html>particular<html></strong></html> to groups of people and also <html><strong></html>acquired<html></strong></html> by them [+,+]. <HTML
>
<
/td> </tr> <tr> <td> </HTML
>
Q
uadrant III (bottom left) contains all the traits that <html><strong></html>universal<html></strong></html> and <html><strong></html>innate<html></strong></html> [-,-]. <HTML
>
<
/td> <td> </HTML
>
Q
uadrant IV (bottom right) contains all the traits that are <html><strong></html>particular<html></strong></html> and <html><strong></html>innate<html></strong></html> [+,-]. <HTML
>
<
/td> </tr> </table> </HTML
>
Y
ou can see a version of this table on page 54 of (Eriksen 2015c).
Let’s take a survey in the Canvas section for quizzes.
Go on the class Canvas site now. Go to Quizzes and take the in-lecture survey for today, February 26. (Scroll down for the “Surveys” section on the Quizzes page.)
This question does not have a right answer. We are using the question as a survey to see what you all think.
Many, many things people do are acquired patterns, and are particular to their environment. They are cultural, not natural.
Examples:
Culture is often an overused word. For anthropologists who are interested in the acquired and the particular, it is often a misused word. This class is about taking back the word culture.
Eriksen, Thomas Hylland. 2015a. “A Brief History of Anthropology.” In Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, 12–31. London: Pluto Press.
———. 2015b. “Anthropology: Comparison and Context.” In Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, 1–11. London: Pluto Press.
———. 2015c. Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology. London: Pluto Press.
Rosaldo, Michelle Z. 1984. “Toward an Anthropology of Self and Feeling.” In Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion, edited by Richard A. Shweder and Robert A. LeVine, 137–57. Cambridge University Press.
Rosaldo, Renato. (1989) 2009. “Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage.” In Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross-Cultural Reader, edited by Antonius C. G. M. Robben, 167–78. Malden, Mass.: John Wiley & Sons.
ANTH 1001: Introduction to anthropology—A guide to the unit
General info: The goal of this class | What we will do in this class | Readings, other class requirements, and online resources | A note about attendance | The keys to success in this class | A guide to effective email | The ANTH 1001 class Canvas site (requires USYD login)
Lecture outlines and guides:
Module 1: What makes us human? | Weeks 1–3 |
---|---|
1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.3.1, 1.3.2 | Ryan Schram |
Module 2: Can an anthropologist really leave her culture? | Weeks 4–6 |
2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2.0, 2.3.0 | Ryan Schram |
Module 3: Is family universal? | Weeks 7–9 |
3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.3.1, 3.3.2 | Jadran Mimica |
Module 4: Where is the mind? | Weeks 10–12 |
4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.3.1, 4.3.2 | Jadran Mimica |
Review | Week 13 |
5.1.1, 5.1.2 | Ryan Schram |
Assignments: Online discussion posts and responses | Weekly reflections | Module 1 concept quiz | Tell me a story...: An analysis of qualitative data | Proposal for a Grade 12 lesson on kinship | Comprehensive (open-book, take-home) essay response assignment
/
#