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Courses DescriptionsSpring 2007Click HERE for the downloadable pdf version. (Rev. 11/13/06)
This course fulfills the Global and Multicultural Perspectives requirement of the General Education Core. Anthropology provides a uniquely long-term perspective on the emergence and global development of humanity over the last 5 million years. This course introduces students to the fossil record of human biological evolution and the archaeology of culture in the world prior to ca. AD 1500. Topics we examine include (but are not limited to): the development of technology, language, and sociopolitical institutions. We will also consider the origins of plant and animal domestication, the genesis of cities and urbanism, and the political and ecological consequences of human impact on the natural environment. Anthropology offers cross-cultural perspectives on human behavior, and is exceptionally valuable to students in a variety of majors. 152 - Culture and Humanity This course provides a general overview of cultural anthropology for students who are likely to pursue careers in other fields. Cultural anthropology is the study of the diversity of contemporary human societies. Anthropologists examine how human beings learn to belong to different social groups and how they deal with symbolic and material worlds in culturally meaningful ways. In this class, the fundamental concepts and methods of anthropology are shown to be relevant for understanding and working in a rapidly changing world. Students are encouraged to critically examine their own taken-for-granted cultural backgrounds while exploring some of the variation of human behavior in other societies. Issues that concern all human beings, including identity, relationship, and physical and economic survival, are addressed by examining a variety of cross-cultural responses and strategies. Ethnographic films and readings provide comparative glimpses of a variety of traditional and contemporary societies primarily in Asia and the Pacific and the United States. Objectives of this introductory course include: 152(3) - Culture and Humanity This course fulfills the Global and Multicultural Perspectives requirement of the General Education Core. Cultural anthropology deals with the nature of human life in the social and material world. It examines the great variety of ways in which human groups have come to terms with, modified, and even created their physical and social, natural and supernatural environments, and the ways in which people endow their lives and their world with meaning and order. If the object of a liberal arts education is to open the mind to new ways of seeing and thinking, there is no more central course in the liberal arts curriculum than cultural anthropology. On every subject and issue, it enables one to consider the possibility of other perspectives and frees one from cultural constraints on thought and valuation. The basic objectives of the introductory course are: 1. Convey the major interests, issues, methods, theories, and findings of the field of cultural anthropology, i.e., introduce students to the discipline. 2. Develop the student's capacity to understand and appreciate other ways of living and thinking. In this, cultural anthropology is analogous to music or art appreciation. It teaches appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of human cultures, for their complexity, capacity to generate meaning for members, and ability to organize human life in specific environments. 3. Demonstrate how to use anthropology to think about topics and issues. This is arguably the most important function of the course. 4. Convey something of the anthropological experience. At the core of professional anthropological training is the transforming experience of fieldwork in another culture. Anthropology is a lived discipline, and in conveying a sense of the experience of fieldwork a unique dimension of meaning is added to the intellectual endeavor. Texts for the course will consist of two ethnographies (an ethnography
is a description of a culture)–The Trobrianders of Papua New
Guinea by A. Weiner and The Balinese by S. Lansing; a collection
of anthropologist-in-the-field stories–Stumbling Toward Truth edited by P. DeVita; and selected articles on various topics of interest. 152(4) - Culture and Humanity Description will be posted when it becomes available. 152 - Culture and Humanity Anthropology is the study of the human experience and all of the historical, biological and cultural diversity that this encompasses. As a holistic discipline, or science, anthropology covers all aspects of humanity—from birth to death, economic systems, politics, religion, language, gender, and everything else that is part of the human experience. Cultural anthropology is more narrowly focused upon the varying behaviors of living peoples and how we give meaning to our actions and the world around us. We will study not only a diversity of places and cultures, but also the diverse ways in which anthropologists have tried to analyze and interpret both cultural difference and sameness across the world. These subjects are explored within the context of meaningful questions, such as: How can people begin to understand beliefs and behaviors that are different from their own?, How do societies give meaning to and justify collective violence? Why are some societies more industrially advanced than others? What can anthropology tell us about attempts to link intelligence and class? and more. Cultural anthropology requires that we put aside our preconceived notions of ourselves and other people. In this class, you will not only be exposed to a variety of new cultures and ways of thinking, but will also gain valuable insight into your own way of seeing the world and acting in it; your culture(s). Goals of this course - To provide an analysis of the range of variation and degree of uniformity in human behavior as revealed through comparative ethnographic study. Required Text: Robbins, Richard H. 2006. Cultural Anthropology - A Problem-Based Approach, 4th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. ISBN 0534640745 - This text provides a fresh look at cultural anthropology using active learning and critical thinking. Students are taught to recognize their own cultures as a basis for understanding the cultures of others. 152 - Culture and Humanity The Study of cultural aspects of human existence, including differences and commonalities the world over, is relevant to all students. This course introduces Cultural Anthropology to non-specialists and potential specialists alike. In contemporary life as populations expand, resources shrink, and technologies develop, all humans must adjust socially and individually, in order to continue to survive and lead satisfying lives. Students will explore a number of ways in which people in different parts of the world, including the students’ own, conceptualize, organize, participate in, and change their life worlds. The course will also cover theories and methods used by anthropologists to document contemporary human life ways (ethnography) while living among and participating with people of various groups or societies (participant-observation fieldwork). A published ethnography, The Balinese, by J. Stephen Lansing, will provide both an example of ethnographic encounter as well as a fascinating glimpse into a remarkable people whose lifestyles include a profusion of expressive arts and performances. The book highlights the responses of Balinese people throughout history to outside influences that have both stimulated their imaginations and caused devastating changes in the landscape and society. Basic concepts and ethnographic coverage of other societies will be provided by the textbook, Seeing Anthropology: Cultural Anthropology through Film, by Karl Heider, an innovative presentation including individually accessible film clips. Either the entire films or a short clip may be viewed in class, depending on time constraints. Grading consists of 15% attendance and participation in group exercises; 15% book report; 10% written responses to video clips; and 60% exams. 165 - Heritage Sites in Archaeology The purpose of this course is to introduce, expose, and engage you in the disciplines of archaeology, Hawaiian and Pacific Islands studies, historic preservation, and heritage management. Training will be provided in traditional classroom settings, in the laboratory, in document repositories (libraries, archives, etc.), in fieldwork contexts, and at various locations on and off the UH Manoa campus. The goal here is to illustrate how the discovery and investigation of Hawaiian history through both archaeological and historical means can be related to and integrated with the history of related Pacific Islands, as well as preservation and management issues that span both the Pacific and the U.S. Additionally, we hope to demonstrate how interest in historic properties extends beyond their information potential for the profession to include aspects of stewardship, local/indigenous knowledge, and preservation and planning. The course will address the following areas: 1. Principles and History of Archaeology Grading
Required Textbooks: 210 - Archaeology Anthropology 210 is an introductory course in the principles of archaeology. It provides students with a broad introduction to the methods and theory that underlie what comtemporary archaeologists do. The course covers: 1) the origin, recent history, and goals of the discipline of archaeology; Our continuing archaeological research on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) provides multiple illustrations of how archaeologists discover and evaluate the evidence of the past. 215 - Physical Anthropology Physical anthropology is a biological science which focuses on adaptations, variability, and the evolution of humans and their nearest relatives, living and fossil. Because human biology is studied in the context of human culture and behavior, physical anthropology is also a social science. This course serves as an introduction to the field. The areas to be covered include the principles of evolution, biological basis of life, Mendelian and population genetics, human diversity, human (climatic) adaptability, growth and nutrition, biological classification, the biology and behavior of non-human primates (primatology), and the study of primate and human fossils (paleoanthropology). Required text: R. Jurmain, L. Kilgore and W. Trevathan (2005). Introduction to Physical Anthropology. 10th ed. Thomson/Wadsworth Publ. Co. Study Guide for Jurmain, Kilgore and Trevathan (2005). Introduction to Physical Anthropology. 10th ed. Thomson/Wadsworth Publ. Co. Optional text: P.F. Whitehead, W. S. Sacco, & S. B. Hochgraf (2005) A Photographic Atlas for Physical Anthropology. Morton Publishing Company, Englewood, CO.
Extra Credit: The option of earning 5 extra points (to be added to final grade) is made available through approved projects. Please read handout and/or see course instructor. Visit our Web Site: http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/courses/anth215/index.htm 215L Physical Anthropology Lab This lab course accompanies Anth 215. Concurrent enrollment in both courses is required. This course will meet once a week for 3 hrs. Students should sign up for one of the two sections offered. Attendance in lab is mandatory. This course serves as the laboratory study of human and population genetics, human variability, primatology, human osteology, and human and primate paleontology. There will be assigned reading and assignments from the required textbook for this course. Eleven laboratory assignments (see accompanying outline for a detailed list of assignments) are to be completed and submitted for a grade. The laboratory assignments will augment the material covered in the lecture portion of this course and provide ample opportunity for understanding the subject matter, concepts, and principles through observation, demonstration, and problem solving. In addition to completing lab assignments, students are required to take two lab practical exams. Lab Reports: All lab assignments are to be typed neatly. Grading: 11 Graded lab assignments (60% of final grade) and two lab practical exams (@ 20 pts.). Required Text: D. L. France 2007. Lab Manual and Workbook for Physical Anthropology. Sixth Edition. West/Wadsworth. Optional Text: P.F. Whitehead, W. S. Sacco, & S. B. Hochgraf (2005) A Photographic Atlas for Physical Anthropology. Morton Publishing Company, Englewood, CO. Web Site at: http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/courses/anth215/index.htm 300 - Study of Contemporary Problems (Theory) This course will take some of the contemporary issues of our time that are of personal and political interests to students and examine them from an anthropological point of view. Topics to be discussed will be Hawai'ian Creole English (pidgin) and the politics of language, the debate between creationists and evolutionists, the politics of genetic research, race and ethnic identity, evolutionary psychology, and video games. Throughout the course students will learn to analyze both sides of these debates fairly and understand the way that their positions are influenced by their culture. 305 - History of Anthropology (Theory)
This is a historical survey of watershed ideas and intellectual genealogies that form the modern discipline of anthropology. This includes an understanding of the historical contexts and conditions for the advent and spread of these theories and the personalities whose published writings received the most notoriety. Although our emphasis is on the modern discourses (e.g., theories of social evolution, structural functionalism, structuralism, and semiotics, linguistic and cognitive, cultural materialism–ecological, functionalist, and Marxist and practice theories), we also take up the postmodern challenges and intellectual currents interpretive ethnography, feminist and other critical theories that have redefined the calling of anthropology. Classes are mostly lectures (based on Powerpoint presentations). Some time is allotted to question-and-answer discussions of assigned readings. For undergraduates, three quizzes (multiple-choice questions plus essays) and class participation determine the course grade. Graduate students are held to a different standard. 313 - Visual Anthropology (Method) This course is about culture, visual communication, and anthropology. The term visual anthropology can be read in at least two senses: anthropology as visual communication and the anthropology of visual communication. In this course we will be concerned with the visual dimensions of anthropology as a scholarly activity—the uses made of films, photographs, drawings, and museum displays to convey anthropological knowledge—and we will also explore the concept of visual culture as an object of anthropological study. The uses of visual media in anthropological research, publication, and teaching have a rich and complex history and an even richer and more complex present and future. The ongoing explosion of technology in the area of visual representation –including digital cameras, highly portable videocams, digital editing programs for computers, cable television, and the Internet—holds exciting potential for ethnography. At the same time, contemporary concerns about truth and ethics in anthropology make the uses of the new technologies a subject of intense debate. This course will critically examine both the history of anthropological films, in the larger context of the documentary film as a genre, and also the contemporary debates about the representation of non-Western cultures in visual modes. The broader question of the nature of visual culture and the relation between audio and visual modes of communication forms the background of the central problems of anthropology: how does one gain an understanding of one’s own and other cultures, and how can one convey that understanding to others. 315 - Sex and Gender
(Theory) We will examine biological, evolutionary, social , economic , legal , and ideological aspects of women's position in selected developing and industrial societies. We will also explore the impact of sex and gender in anthropological research, and feminist issues in anthropology. TEXTS: Brewis, Alexandra, 1996, Lives on the Line: Women and Ecology on a Pacific Atoll. Harcourt Brace & Co. ISBN 0-15-501969-4 Davies, Sharyn Graham, 2007, Challenging Gender Norms: Five Genders among the Bugis of Indonesia. Thompson Wadsworth. ISBN 0-495-09280-0 Paul, Richard and Linda Elder, 2003, The Miniature Guide to Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. [no ISBN #] Sanday, Peggy, 1981, Female Power and Male Dominance: On the origins of sexual inequality. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0-521-28075-3. Plus articles handed out in class on specific topics. COURSE OBJECTIVES: (performance, criteria, conditions) 1. Vocabulary. A list of anthropological and feminist professional vocabulary will be supplies. There will be three vocabulary exams, with recognition questions. A grade of 90% or better on an exam exempts the student from subsequent exams' (20 points) CLASS POLICIES: Cross-listed as WS 315. 370 - Ethnographic Field Techniques (Method) Course website: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~hyleslie/hyl370.htm 413 Language and Gender (Theory)
This main purpose of this course is to encourage you to think analytically about gender, about language, and about the relation between language and social practice. The goals are inseparably intellectual and political: responsible scholarship and citizenship require the ability and eagerness to go beyond stereotype, common belief, and the popular press, to evaluate claims for oneself in a knowledgeable way. This course will provide facts, theory, and analytic tools with which to consider issues related to gender, and its relation to language. Through the gathering and analysis of data, you will be asked to look for questions that might be answered, problems that might be solved, and issues that might be explored. 419 Indigenous Anthropology (Method or Theory)
What happens when the distinction between the “native” and the “anthropologist” is blurred, when the “home” becomes the “field”? What do indigenous perspectives and politics bring to anthropological practice, and what can anthropology offer indigenous peoples? How does one study culture in a world where the “exotic” is now “familiar,” and the “familiar” is found in “exotic” places? How do people maintain a sense of indigeneity in such a world? We will attempt to answer these questions by first examining various models for doing anthropological research and reviewing the historical relationship between anthropology and indigenous peoples. We will focus on the challenges that indigenous anthropologists face when doing “homework” instead of “fieldwork.” We will think about ways that an articulated indigenous
423 - Social And Cultural Change Initially this seminar surveys the phenomena and processes of change in cultural evolution and history. First the instructor critically analyzes Jared Diamond’s books: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (1997), and his Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005). This follows the video based on the first book. In this initial section of the course the primary question is: How do environmental changes influence social and cultural changes, and vice versa? We will also review historically and critique anthropological theories used in the study of social and cultural change as well as their complicity in maintaining power relationships of inequality, oppression, and exploitation including ecocide, ethnocide and genocide. One of the main examples will be revelations in Patrick Tierney’s Darkness in El Dorado: How Anthropologists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon (2001) concerning some of the researchers who worked with the Yanomami during the Cold War era and beyond. Another example will be Colin Turnbull’s The Mountain People (1973) about the forced relocation and consequent disintegration of Ik society generated by a Ugandan state initiative to develop ecotourism. For the bulk of this semester the seminar will focus on cross-cultural and cross-national comparisons from a selected sample of a variety of environmentalisms from the local, national, and global levels and from the19th century to the present. Their influence on social and cultural change including revitalization movements will be analyzed. The primary question to be addressed is: How has environmentalism influenced social and cultural change, and vice versa? A secondary question is: What changes in society and culture would be needed to develop and maintain a genuinely sustainable, green, just, nonviolent, and peaceful society? We will consider environmental thought as well as actions and reactions, ultimately as background to global warming. The venue for this seminar is an extended critical analysis, discussion and debate based on these four textbooks together with a set of case studies presented by students. 427 - Food, Health, and Society (Method and Theory) "Nutritional Anthropology" — the study of food, health, and society — examines the cultural constructions and physiologic implications of food across time, space, society, and culture. An integrated biocultural perspective comprehends that foods have both substantive and nontangible realities and a particular diet/cuisine is best understood in the specific cultural/environmental/political matrix in which it has developed. In human societies, foods may be wild or domesticated, abundant or scarce; they speak to both tradition/continuity and modernity/change; and foster identities at the same time that they create boundaries — among ethnic groups, genders, ages, nationalities, and historical eras. The holistic study of food and nutrition draws attention to the identification of "edibles" and their organization into cuisines; political ecology and resource allocation; subsistence and food production systems; individual and population differences in food metabolism; how demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, age) influence access to, selection, and experience with foods; medicinal foods and the implications of diet for health. A specific objective of this course is to foster the comprehension of the complex interrelations among these variables. 446 - Southeast Asian
Cultures (Area) Prerequisite: Students should have had an introductory course in cultural anthropology such as ANTH 152, ANTH 200, or equivalent. 458 - Forensic Anthropology (Method) Forensic anthropology is a specialized field of physical anthropology concerned with the application of the techniques of physical anthropology (and human osteology) to matters dealing with the law and the medico-legal professions. This course will provide an introduction to the method and theory of forensic anthropology. Some of the methods and topics to be discussed include the retrieval of burials and crime scene techniques, determination of the time interval since death, age-at-death, sex, ancestry, stature, traits of individuation, the cause and manner of death, facial reconstruction, testifying as an expert witness, legal responsibilities, ethical issues, case report writing, etc. The assigned reading will come from the required course textbooks and supplementary reading taken from the literature. Organization of the course will include classroom discussions, lectures, laboratory assignments, and a field trip. A list of the topics to be discussed will be distributed at the first class meeting along with the assigned readings for the course. Instruction will largely follow an interactive format. Students are expected to have completed all the required assigned reading prior to each class meeting and each is expected to participate in the general discussion. Students will be assigned (at least one class meeting in advance) individual readings from the assigned reading list and each is expected to lead the discussion of these readings/topics when the class meets. Students are urged to prepare a short written abstract of the reading(s) they are assigned each week which will serve to initiate discussion. The frequency of these assignments will be determined by the number of readings assigned that week and class size. Lectures, which will be given sparingly, will serve primarily as an introduction to the week=s topic. The instructor will assess the work load periodically throughout the semester and make whatever adjustments might be necessary to adjust the quantity/quality of the assigned reading and laboratory assignments. Assigned Reading: Required Texts: Lab assignments: Field trip: Grade Evaluation: Pre-requisites: Students should have successfully completed a course in human osteology or skeletal biology (Anth 384) before taking this course. Exceptions to this rule can be made through the consent of the instructor. No auditors please. Course web pages: http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/courses/anth458/index.htm 462 - East Asian Archaeology (Area) The world’s largest populations today are found in Asia, and East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) has a long and rich human history. This course examines key cultural developments in East Asia in the last 2 million years, with particular emphasis on developments during the last 10,000 years. Early states rose and fell in some areas of Asia, while small-scale foragers persisted in others. The intensity of archaeological research has also varied considerably from region to region across Asia. Accordingly, this course showcases regions where the most extensive archaeological work has been done. Among the issues we explore are: the Asian Paleolithic (or “Stone Age”), the origins of settled life and the adoption of agriculture, and the development and organization of complex societies. Attention is paid to archaeological evidence for several ancient civilizations in East Asia, including China’s early dynasties (Shang, Zhou, Han), Japan’s earliest states (Yamato state), and those of Korea (Koguryo, Paekche, Silla). We also explore inter-polity relationships, the rise of pastoral nomad societies, and the impact of Buddhism on early East Asia. Students with interests in either archaeology or Asian history are encouraged to enroll in this course. Previous classes in archaeology are an asset, but not a requirement. Please consult with the instructor if you lack archaeological background and are interested in joining the course. 464 - Hawaiian Archaeology (Area)
This course is an in-depth and critical introduction to the archaeology and pre-contact history of the Hawaiian Islands. The course will be regional, topical, and problem-oriented. We will first examine notions of prehistory in light of the goals archaeologists working in Hawai`i and the Pacific over the past several decades. We will go on to consider the Oceanic context of Hawaiian culture and pre-contact history, considering multiple lines of evidence we use to study the past. We will interweave substantive details of the archaeological record of Hawai`i, emphasizing special topics, and unresolved problems for research throughout lectures and class discussions. 475 Faunal Analysis in Archaeology
(Method) This "archaeozoology" course teaches students to identify, analyze, and interpret bone and shell remains discovered in archaeological excavations. The course includes hands-on lab work, as well as reading and discussion of synthetic papers and case studies. Students will plan, research, and write a short research paper exploring one specific topic. There is no pre-requisite for this course but it is designed to build upon the skills learned in ANTH 380 (Archaeological Lab Techniques) and ANTH 215 (Physical Anthropology). Graduate students are encouraged to enroll. 601
- Ethnology (Theory) Weekly course work includes readings (many from original sources), written précis, student presentations and discussions on the theories, backgrounds, historical contexts, subsequent influences and critiques. Grades are assigned according to the following format: 10 points for facilitating each of two seminar sessions and 40 points for each of two exams (a midterm and final). Many of the readings are original texts, and many of these have been excerpted or reprinted in compilation readers. There are three that are widely available. You can order them from Amazon.com if you want your own copies. They are expensive, so you may find it cheaper to xerox the needed materials, for which I make copies of the books available. I have also begun placing many of these readings on the Electronic Reserve at Sinclair Library that is accessible on your computer. -McGee, R. Jon and Richard L. Warms 2000 Anthropological Theory:
An Introductory History, 2nd edition, Mountain View, California:
Mayfield Publishing Company. This volume includes the editors' footnotes
to each article that are generally helpful to the reader with minimal
background in the field. For more advanced readers the notes provide focal
points for discussion and debate. There are also a bunch of new texts on the history of anthropology from the perspective of current developments: -Knauft, Bruce 1996 Genealogies for the Present in Cultural Anthropology.
New York and London: Routledge. The best introduction to the three heavyweights of modern social theory is by another heavyweight. I think the book by Giddens is well worth owning: Giddens, Anthony 1971 Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber. Cambridge University Press. 605 - Discursive Practices (Theory) The discursive practice approach is grounded in four insights concerning discourse. One is the affirmation that social realities are linguistically/discursively constructed. The second is the appreciation of the context-bound nature of discourse. The third is the idea of discourse as social action. The fourth is the understanding that meaning is negotiated in interaction, rather than being present once-and-for-all in our utterances. The course will be primarily an expansion of these points. Its aim is to provide a broad theoretical basis for analytic endeavors dealing with discourse in all its forms. We will consider the “discursive turn”—away from positivism and psychological explanation toward language and discourse. The influence of Wittgenstein, Austin, Ryle, Garfinkel, Sacks, and Foucault, among others, will be discussed. Readings will include Hughes and Sharrock, The Philosophy of Social Research, Edwards, Discourse and Cognition, and Bilmes, Discourse and Behavior, as well as a variety of articles and book chapters. Grades will be based classroom work and a final paper. 607 - Media and Discursive Practic (Theory) This course will explore the contributions that anthropology can make to a critical understanding of the mass media in cultural context. In the course, the mass media will not be viewed primarily as technologies but rather as specific conjunctions of technology, audience, and meaning in which each of these three factors interacts with the others, creating unique limitations and potentials for meaningful exchanges. The central questions posed by the course will include the specific ways that participants create meaning in mass mediated communication, the roles of the mass media in the formation and interactive use of personal and group identity, and the relationship of the media to ritual and conflict processes in society. The goal of the course is to provide students with an anthropological perspective on the mass media. Specifically, critical discourse analysis as well as ethnography will be explored in approaching the problems of meaning production in mass communication and the political/social implications of the media. Theoretical and methodological discussions will be framed in the context of specific case studies. A general goal of the course will be the advancement of each student’s particular research interests in relation to the media. 620E - Theory in Social & Cultural Anth.: Political Institutions
(Theory) When anthropologists study the interaction of 'local' groups ('indigenous' or 'grassroots' people) and 'the state' they often focus on the way in which local identities are elicited, misrecognized, constructed, made, or viewed by the state. These analyses are often not symmetrical, however, in the sense that they do not examine the way 'the state' is itself a macro-sociological entity whose taken-for-granted status must be achieved. How do people come to believe that there is such an entity as 'the state'? How to do they come to believe that kings, policemen, and legislators speak and act in its name? What sort of models of selfhood must people possess in order to consider themselves capable of being governed? We will answer these questions by focusing on the concept of 'Leviathan' and following it from its origin in Middle Eastern myths of cosmogonic combat through Hobbes's image of the sovereign and ending in Latour and Sahlins's use of the concept in more recent work. 620H - Theory in Social & Cultural Anth.: Ecology
(Theory) Ecological anthropology is a mature topical specialization that crosscuts the five subfields of contemporary anthropology and has its own separate unit within the American Anthropological Association (Anthropology and Environment Section), journals (Human Ecology, Journal of Ecological Anthropology, Ecological and Environmental Anthropology), textbooks, listserv, and so on. The main approaches within ecological anthropology are cultural ecology, historical ecology, political ecology, and spiritual ecology. The graduate core course for the Ecological Anthropology Program is 620H Human Ecology. This semester the seminar pursues a systematic and penetrating critical analysis of theory and method in ecological anthropology in historical perspective from its early 20th century roots to the present. Several PowerPoint lectures by the instructor will provide background. The class as a whole will discuss background material in these two required textbooks: Crumley, Carole L., ed., 2001, New Directions in Anthropology and Environment: Intersections. Then each student will use a PowerPoint presentation to summarize for the seminar a research paper on a pioneer in the history of ecological anthropology. Next each student will use a PowerPoint presentation to summarize for the seminar a paper on a contemporary leader in ecological anthropology. The research for these two papers should be based on reading as much as possible published by and about each of the two scholars investigated. For the contemporary scholar the student should also conduct an email interview. Finally, building on relevant aspects of the two previous exercises, each student will use a PowerPoint presentation to summarize a research proposal or report for the seminar. (Each of the three papers should be about 15 pages double-spaced including references cited). Several telephone interviews will also be conducted with selected ecological anthropologists on the mainland depending on their availability. Students will comment on and anonymously grade each other’s presentations using a standard evaluation form. The course grade will be based on class participation at 10% and on the three presentations (historical scholar, contemporary scholar, and research proposal or report) at 30% each. The prerequisite for 620H is 415 Ecological Anthropology. Those who have not taken 415 may request the instructor’s consent. Auditors are not allowed. 645 Historic Preservation (Method)
Historic and cultural resources are now covered by a raft of federal, state, and local historic preservation laws. The intent of these laws is to protect and to encourage the wise management and preservation of these significant resources. In the first part of the seminar, the major historic preservation laws and associated regulations together with their combined effect on historic properties will be presented and discussed. In the second half of the course, we will analyze and assess historic preservation law in the larger contexts of environmental law and policy, and societal norms and expectations. Students are expected to actively participate in each class meeting. There is a midterm exam following the first part of the course; students undertake a written research project pertaining to historic preservation during the latter half of the class. Each student will present the results of the individual research project to the class. 667 - Biomedicine and Culture 694 - Anthropology Colloquium
Pro-Seminar This course is required for entering students in the Anthropology graduate program who will attend and participate in weekly colloquia which encompasses sub-disciplines and specializations represented in Anthropology at UH. Presentations include faculty and other professionals. A graduate student colloquium series will be developed.
695 - Professional skills Development in Anthropology (Method) This course is designed to help students become professional and ethical researchers who will produce the highest quality scholarship. More specifically, this course seeks to identify the different components of professional development and to provide guidelines and strategies for graduate students hoping to make the transition to full professional status. Students completing this course will gain practical experience in: 1. Creating a professional C.V. that can be updated as students near completion of the graduate degree; There is no assigned textbook for this course. 750B - Research Seminar: Archaelogy (Theory) This inter-disciplinary (Botany and Anthropology) seminar will focus on historical and contemporary ecological issues of invasive rats in island environments. The seminar coincides with an international conference on the subject planned for 27-31 March at Manoa. The conference will bring together diverse researchers and build the foundations for an integrated synthesis of the ecology of invasive rodents, informed by disparate lines of research. Understanding the rat’s role in environmental transformations will highlight critical historical, ecological, and management implications. Students in the seminar will consider diverse issues critical to the conference theme and have the opportunity to participate in the sessions. Background The human colonization of islands dramatically transformed island environments, initiating extinctions, extirpations, and a complex array of ecosystem changes. Researchers in historical ecology describe these human-induced transformations as a consequence of forest clearing, use of fire, and the establishment of a portmanteau biota. Rats, perhaps more than any other animal, have been ubiquitous players in these impacts, from the colonization of the Pacific islands to the global expansion of Europeans. Rats may be the original invasive “species.” Ecological, paleoecological, and archaeological research has shown the direct and indirect impacts of rats on native flora and fauna, and implicated them in transforming some island environments; yet their impacts on others remain uncertain. For example, what role do rats play in deforestation or plant and animal extinction? How do rats’ effects vary with island ecological diversity, biogeography, and history? Today, it is increasingly important to understand ecological histories and the effects of invasive rats, both because invasions and threats of extinction continue, and because ecological restoration of islands frequently depends on understanding rat ecology as well as predicting the consequences of rat eradication. Now is an ideal time to determine in what areas contemporary ecology, paleoecology, and archaeology can inform each other and in what areas they cannot. Addressing these issues will allow development of fine-grained models to better integrate contemporary ecological studies with multiple lines of historical evidence from paleoecology and archaeology.
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