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Anthropology 128A
Bruce Winterhalder Anthropology & Graduate Group in Ecology 218 Young Hall [bwinterhalder@ucdavis.edu; phone 754-4770] This course takes up one of the major organizing features of human
social life: kinship. Among the topics encompassed within this term
are sexual relationships, incest, marriage, family, inheritance, and
of course, the complex web of expectations and responsibilities we
maintain with that more-or-less extended group we recognize as kin.
We will consider these features of social life in relation to the
broader issue of evolution among the various types of social systems
that anthropologists have identified (bands, tribes, chiefdoms and
states, in one popular categorization). Three conceptual themes will guide our study. They
are: (i) diversity; (ii) evolutionary analysis, and (iii) contemporary
relevance. The empirical or descriptive materials in the course, generally
case studies, will document some of the great variety of ways in which
humans have organized their social life. Our diversity is remarkable
and fascinating. The interpretive materials will examine several, sometimes
incompatible, types of evolutionary theory that have been used to try
to understand this diversity, especially its origins and its persistence.
These materials entail the claim that an evolutionary approach is necessary
(this is not to say, sufficient) for understanding human variability.
Finally, throughout the course we will take note of the relevance of
the ethnographic record and its evolutionary explanation for our own
lives and ways of doing things. We will be trying to place ourselves,
our beliefs and behaviors within the broader range of the human condition.
By the end of the course you will understand how anthropologists
attempt to understand societies of non-industrial and, for the
most part, non-European peoples through the application of evolutionary
methods in ethnographic study. You will come to know a variety
of ethnographically studied societies. The San foragers of the
deserts of southern Africa, the Inka of highland Peru, the Taitou
peasant agriculturalists of China, and the Tsembaga Maring horticulturalists
of New Guinea are among them. You will be prepared, critically
and empirically, to scrutinize some received wisdom of western
culture on matters personal and societal. You will be able to:
One additional book is recommended to graduate students
in the class:
Trigger's book can be obtained from your local
bookstore (most likely by special order), or on-line [e.g., Bookfinder;
Abebooks].
This class is a student-based learning experience. Discussion of readings and course themes, and student presentations, make up most of the sessions. I will keep roll. You will be graded on your informed participation and that requires careful, timely preparation and regular attendance. Readings should be completed by the class period which follows the
date of their assignment. The class requires an average amount
of reading (30-40 pages per session). It requires greater than
usual care in reading. And it requires greater than usual participation. The thirty class sessions include the following
kinds of activities:
Note that discussion or team presentations predominate,
and that these components of the course require your informed, verbal
participation.
There are four kinds of written assignments:
Team Research Presentations back to top During the second or third class (when enrollment has stabilized), I will divide you into teams of approximately 3 individuals. Each team will be responsible for one or two, 40-minute, in-class presentation, based on original scholarship drawn from the research literature. There will be 10 minutes for questions. See "Team Projects" for a more detailed description of this assignment. The UC-Davis honor code is to be observed in this
class. Except for the team research project, you are solely responsible
for your work. I grade on a ‘fudged’ curve. The curve is
necessary to accurately reflect differing degrees of effort and comprehension.
It will be fudged, that is adjusted upward or downward, depending on
overall class performance. For instance, if everyone does very well,
the curve will be moved upward to reflect that.
Grading of these assignments will be weighted as follows: Content & Skills back
to top The organization of this class is meant to give
balanced pedagogical attention to mastery of content and development
of skills. By content I refer to the subject matter in both its
empirical and analytical aspects. What have you learned about
kinship and social structure, and their analysis? By skills I
mean your ability to research a topic as a small team, distil
out its most salient elements, and then to effectively present
that information in written, verbal and visual formats to the
class. An effective presentation is both informative and memorable.
Content in this sense largely is specific to anthropology and
this subject matter (although relevant well beyond these contexts).
Skills are not specific in this way, but likely will be basic
to the work that you do throughout your career, whatever the
subject matter. Course Schedule back
to top
Evolution & neo-evolutionism (3)
Kinship: structural principles & concepts
(3)
Social Structure and Behavior: Sex (3)
Social Structure and Behavior: Marriage (4)
Social Structure and Behavior: Family (4)
Social Evolution (9)
Conclusion
(1)
Discussion
Sections:back
to top
Web-based Resources and Extra Credit back to top I encourage you to explore web-based resources related to the materials being covered in this class. For instance, the following is a web-based tutorial on the basic terms and concepts used in kinship studies: A more advanced, challenging (and, if you get into the subject, useful) web-based resource is: I also hope you will watch for media examples of
the ways in which kinship and social structure are important in the
contemporary world. I will give a small number of 'extra-credit' points
(cumulatively, up to 5% of your grade) for especially interesting examples.
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