I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Cultural Anthropology

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ANTH 1457

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

Cultural Anthropology is the comparative study of contemporary human cultures, and includes analysis of various aspects of culture, such as language, food-getting, family and kinship, economics, politics, religion, identity, and change. The purpose of this course is to teach the basic skills used by cultural anthropologists and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity. The course will begin with a study of the methods that cultural anthropologists use. Later, we will transition into examples of how different aspects of human culture have been studied by anthropologists. Lastly, we will spend a week looking at applied anthropology and the future of the discipline. MnTC Goals 5 and 8

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 8 – Global Perspective

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Compare viewpoints of cultures engaging with challenges in our modern world.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Work collaboratively on projects to explore views on cultural diversity.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Identify important types of cultural practices and their significance to understanding human culture across different regions of the globe.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Engaging with others: Students learn how ethnography helps anthropologists understand other cultures
2. Value of words and Language in Western Culture: Students learn how the use of language shapes how cultures place value and meaning on the world around them.
3. Living in changing environments: Students explore issues of cultural ecology and how compromises can be made between different cultures seeking to use the same environment for their benefit.
4. Local and global economy and Economy of addiction: Students investigate how non-monetary local economies can operate in context with a global economy of production, trade, and consumption. Next students will look at the cultural impacts of the illegal drug economy on populations of people in the nations that produce and the nations that consume illegal drugs.
5. Family Matters and Marriage: Students learn about various rules and taboos within kinship systems and the marriage ties that bind families together.
6. Identity and work and Ethnic identity and values: Students will explore how aspects of class, status, and social networks influence the opportunities and responsibilities of people in other cultures. Next, students will explore how ethnic identites shape the roles of expectations of people in Middle Eastern and American cultures.
7. Everyday magic and ritual: Students will learn about common rituals, superstitions and beliefs in other cultures as well as in modern competitive sports.
8. Global cultures: Students will explore how cultural practices are shared, adopted, and adapted over wide distances. Examples will include global food culture and international tourism.
9. Applied Anthropology: Students will learn about more recent developments in anthropology involving work to advocate for cultures to a wider audience on issues of disease, poverty, and inequality.