SOCI 1120
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:
This course introduces the study of human culture.  It focuses on human adaptation and diversity; the development and variety of economic, political, religious, family and expressive institutions

Course Objectives:
In this course we will explore the diversity of human culture and organization.  We will use a basic text to investigate various aspects of human society.  While we will encounter the "exotic" and different, I hope we will also uncover some of the universals and common threads of human existence by looking at our own culture in new ways.
Prerequisites and Co requisites:
All developmental courses in reading and writing/composition must be completed. 
Course Topics:
Topics in this course:

     The Human Perspective: Chapters 1 - 3 present the issues of humanistic anthropology as well as the parameters and historic issues in the development of the field. 

     The Organization of Human Groups: Chapters 4 - 6 present theories and cross cultural examples of the major cultural institutions of polity, economy and family.

     The Questions of Meaning:  Chapters 7 -10 continue the examination of human cultural life in its nonmaterial aspects: language, human personality, religion and art. 

     Human Ways of Life:  Chapters 11 - 14 report on the 4 socio-cultural forms of human organization developed by anthropologists.  Each chapter presents 3 specific case studies.
Specific Course Requirements:
In this course the student must be able to use WebCT, email and have access to MSWord for transmitting written assignments to the instructor on WebCT email.
Essays may also be submitted through the Essay assignment page on the Course Menu.
 
Timing for due dates is Central Time.  Students in other time zones must allow for the difference in order to meet deadlines.   
 
Tests are timed for one hour . Students should keep in mind that while some servers are slower than others there is no extra time allowed for taking the test. 
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain current textbook information for this course:  http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
Recommended: James G. Duvall III. Study Guide for Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 2nd edition 2001. ISBN: 0-13-090302-7 

The Womack Companion Website at Prentice Hall contains practice tests: www.prenhall.com/womack.  It is a free service to students. It is recommended that students check the resources available at this site.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. There are no other specific hardware requirements for this course.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific software requirements for this course include MSWord for word processing.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
There are two Tests in this course.  The tests will be taken online and will be accessible at announced times. The times will be limited and only one access can be made. If the server or internet connection being used is slow the student must plan for that delay in completing the test. 
Discussion Assignments:

       Each chapter outline contains study questions, vocabulary (powerwords) and a discussion question.  There are 10 chapters and 10 discussion questions.

 Students must contribute and respond to the postings of other students for four discussions during the semester: Two choices to be made from Chapters 1 - 5 and two from Chapters 6 - 10.  For example, after posting a well thought out contribution to the question for Chapter 1, a student will continue to follow what others have to say and respond within the same discussion by expanding and adding to what has been posted.

 Please read the grading criteria for web discussions for further details.   

   

Grading Procedure:
Letter grades are based on accumulated points.  
 
In this course there are 2 Tests graded for 100 points each (200 points) 
 
Four out of 10 Chapter Discussions which will be graded for 50 points each.
Each student must contribute to 4 of the Chapter Discussions.  Please review the Grading Criteria for Web Discussions on the Course Homepage. (200 points).
 
There is one Comparative Cultures essay that will be graded for 200 points. Please review the Essay Assignment on the Course Outline: Unit 13
 
The total number of points for the semester letter grade will be 600 points.
Grading Scale:
600 - 540 points...A
539 - 480 points...B
479 - 420 points...C
419 - 360 points...D
359 or fewer points ...F 
Assignments and Participation
Schedule and Assignments:  Please refer to the Course Homepage for the specific dates for the semester. 
 
 

Week Number

  

 Due Dates of Course Work

1

Begin Course

Reading - Unit 1

E-mail and Discussion postings

 
2 Reading - Unit 2 

Discussion 1:
3 Reading -  Unit 3 Discussion 2:
4 Reading - Unit 4 Discussion 3:
5 Reading - Unit 5

Discussion 4:
6 Reading - Units 7 and 8

Test - Unit 6

 Discussion 5:

Test 1:

7 Reading - Unit 9 Discussion 6:

Discussion 7:

8 Reading - Unit 10

Discussion 8:
9 Reading - Unit 11

Paper - Unit 13 Part I

 Discussion 9:

Paper Part I:

10 Paper - Unit 13 Part II

Test - Unit 12

 Discussion 10:

Paper Part II:

Test 2:

Class Participation:
Students in the course are expected to be in contact with the course on a weekly basis.  This may take the form of responses to the discussion questions. Even if one is not participating in the current discussion a weekly review of what others are doing is expected. Additionally, students should post questions about the material on the public Discussion board or contact the instructor through private email.  Since we are not in a traditional classroom setting where verbal exchanges help to clarify the material of the course, students must indicate where additional help is needed.

Chat rooms are available for students.  Please contact the instructor to set one up.
Punctuality:
Late assignments will not be graded or credited as contributions. The schedule of assignments on the course homepage indicates the dates when discussions are to be posted, when essays are due and when tests are to be taken.  Due dates will also be entered on the Calendar.

It is extremely important that students keep the due dates of all the requirements in mind. Work, travel or even computer failure are not acceptable excuses for not submitting work for this course.
Course Ground Rules
  • Familiarity with WebCt, email and MSWord prior to beginning the course is necessary.
  • Assignments and tests must be completed on time to receive credit.
  • Continued weekly contact between the instructor and student is required.
  • Student to student contact for discussions and group work is required.
  • Emails should be sent through the course addresses.
  • Standard written English and college phrasing are required in all written communication and assignments.
  • Technical difficulties should be reported immediately to the Eduprise Help Desk or to the Help Desk of the college offering the course. At Nashville State Technical Institute the address is Helpdesk@nscc.edu

 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line identifying the project or essay and your name. 
  • Writing must be reviewed for grammar and college level expression.   
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. The instructor has the right to delete inappropriate comments.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant. 
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks. Previous work may be complied and printed for review before new work is posted. 
  • Use the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic. This keeps the ideas within a common frame. When a posting has been made out of the correct thread, the instructor will notify and ask that it be reposted.  Usually this can be done by copy and paste.  The instructor will delete work that does not comply with instructions. 
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas. The subject matter of this course may challenge some  existing ideas so thoughts and feelings should be processed privately before they are posted.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner. 
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
Chat:
  • Chat rooms will be set up upon request
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements. 
  • Remember that voice intonation and gestures are absent in a virtual classroom so clarity of verbal expression is important.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
  • Participation in chat rooms is voluntary and cannot be a requirement for any assignment.
Web Resources:

Library
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes
The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.