Culture & Society (211-0-1)
Instructors
Syd Gonzalez
Meeting Info
Online: Mon, Wed 10:00AM - 12:30PM
Overview of class
Often, anthropology is talked about as the study of human culture, where it originates, how it is transmitted, how it changes. But what is "culture"? Rather than a universal, one-size-fits-all answer, anthropologists today seek to understand how ideas and actions interact within specific social contexts. Through a focus on ethnography, a fundamental method of our field, students will learn how to conduct research into the processes that shape the social world, emphasizing human agency in relation to sociohistorical, economic, political, and environmental forces. Students will learn about the history of the field of anthropology and scholarly approaches across the discipline today. A key feature will be to denaturalize social assumptions, reinterpreting what we might know from our own contexts as a starting point to understand others. Students will have the opportunity to practice anthropological research through ethnographic projects.
Learning Objectives
"- Learn about anthropological approaches to research and knowledge
- Understand the key methodologies of sociocultural anthropology
- Learn about the history of the field of anthropology
- Gain familiarity with key discussions and debates in anthropology
- Improve critical reading skills
- Be able to explain why "culture" is a complex and debated construct
- Practice conducting ethnographic research"
Evaluation Method
Attendance and Participation in discussion section, essays, ethnography project
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Synchronous:Class meets remotely at scheduled time