Indicative Content and Learning Activities
On Being HumanWhat is anthropology?
What is anthropology? Learning points: Understanding the module content and assessment Introductory understandings of anthropology Readings: A note in anthropology and Chapter 1. Reflections in Waterston, Alisse. Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning. Illustrated by Charlotte Corden. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
Fieldwork and ethnography
Fieldwork and ethnography Learning points: Understanding anthropology’s key research methods Readings: Chapter 2. On being introspective and Chapter 3. On thinking in dark times in Reflections in Waterston, Alisse. Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning. Illustrated by Charlotte Corden. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
Storytelling
Storytelling Readings: Chapter 1: A Possible Anthropology, Anand Pandian, 2019 (see link on canvas) Introduction: Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’ Zora Neale Hurston, 2018 (see link on canvas) Learning points: Understand the role stories play in everyday life Understand how stories are used in anthropology
The body
The body Learning points: Understanding what is cultural about our bodies? How are bodies marked by race, class, gender? Readings: Preface, Introduction and Chapter 1: Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’ Zora Neale Hurston, 2018 [193
Evolution: What It Is and Why It Matters
Evolution: What It Is and Why It Matters What does it mean to say that humans have evolved? This lecture will demonstrate both the frequency and dangers of popular misunderstandings of what evolution entails. It will then outline the current scientific understanding of evolution and the benefits of the theory not only for practical issues in medical science, but for helping us better understand what it is to be human. Readings . Carneiro, R. (2003). “The Early History of Evolutionism.” Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology: A Critical History. Westview Press. . Freeman, S., Hamilton, H., Hoot, S., Podgorski, G., Ryan, J. M., Smith, S. S. & Weigle, D. S. (2016). “Evolution by Natural Selection.” Chapter 22 of Biological science. 6th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:: Prentice Hall. Additional Readings & Resources: . http://www.onezoom.org/ Online, zoom-able, phylogenetic tree of life . Boyd, R., & Silk, J. B. (2012). How Humans Evolved. WW Norton & Company. (Chapters 1-3) . Coyne, J. A. (2010). Why evolution is true. Oxford University Press. Chapter 3 ‘Remnants: Vestiges, Embryos, and Bad Design.’ . Dennett, D. (1995). Darwin’s dangerous idea. Evolution and the meanings of life. New York: Simon & Schuster. . Jablonski, N. G. (2012). Human skin pigmentation as an example of adaptive evolution. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 156(1), 45-57. . Jablonski, N.G. (2009) ‘Skin Color is an Illusion’ TED talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/nina_jablonski_breaks_the_illusion_of_skin_color.
The Importance of Culture in Human Evolution
The Importance of Culture in Human Evolution Are evolution and culture opposing explanations for human life (e.g. the nature vs. nurture debate)? How has our status as a cultural species shaped our brains, bodies, and environments? This lecture will examine how evolution and culture relate to one another. It will explore the evidence suggesting that culture, rather than intelligence, is what has driven the success of our species and that being a cultural species has resulted in various biological changes, from new ligaments to facial shape to the ability to drink milk as adults. It will discuss why the idea of opposing evolution and culture doesn’t make a lot of sense and will explore the question of whether culture, itself, evolves. Readings . Henrich, J. (2016.) The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Evolution, Domesticating our Species, and Making Us Smarter. Princeton University Press. Chapters 1-7. Additional Readings . Kuper, A. (1999). Culture: The Anthropologists' Account. Harvard University Press. . Kuper, A. (1996). The Chosen Primate: Human Nature and Cultural Diversity. Harvard University Press . Richerson, P. J., & Boyd, R. (2005). Not by Genes Alone: How Culture Transformed Human Evolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
History
History Learning points: The role of history and memory in anthropology Readings Chapter 4: On Truth, Lies, and the Danger of the Trivial in Waterston, Alisse. Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning. Illustrated by Charlotte Corden. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2020. Chapter 2: Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’ Zora Neale Hurston, 2018 [193
Power
Power Learning points: Reflecting on how power shapes the world we live in? The relationship between power and inequality Readings Chapter 6 : A Lament in Waterston, Alisse. Light in Dark Times: The Human Search for Meaning. Illustrated by Charlotte Corden. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2020. Chapter 3: Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’ Zora Neale Hursto |
