Lahore University of Management Sciences

ANTH 100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Fall 2021

Instructor Dr. Sadaf Ahmad

Room No. 213 New Social Sciences Wing, Main Academic Block
Office Hours TBA
Email sadafah@lums.edu.pk
TA TBA

Course Teaching Methodology

Teaching Methodology
A blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning

Lecture details
Pre-recorded lectures will be uploaded on LMS. Students will be required to see the
designated lecture and do the designated readings before coming to class. Classes will be
held via Zoom and be used for discussions and group activity.

Course Basics
Credit Hours 4

Course Distribution
Core Core Course for Anthropology Sociology Majors

First year MGSHSS students can use this course to fulfill their Social & Behavioral Sciences School Core
requirement

Open for Student First Years and Sophomores

Category
Close for Student Juniors and Seniors
Category

Course Description
This course introduces students to the discipline of Anthropology. Its primary emphasis is on cultural anthropology—the arm of the
discipline that explores the social and cultural diversity of human experience, practice, and knowledge. Students taking this course
will be exposed to the key schools of thought, concepts and domains covered within cultural anthropology as well as the methods
through which cultural anthropologists ‘produce’ knowledge. Furthermore, by presenting a variety of case studies from different
parts of the world, this course will also shed light onto the diversity of cultural systems prevalent in the world, enabling students to
understand the behavior and cultures of peoples unlike themselves, as well as gain insights into their own behavior and society.
These case studies will also help facilitate a nuanced understanding of the concept of culture and cultural change. This means
paying particular attention to the way encounters between different peoples and cultures—for instance, through the media,
migration, and globalization—are constantly shaping culture, and recognizing that people also actively shape the cultural world
they inhabit through their everyday decisions.

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Course Objectives
● To understand different cultural systems and their internal logic
● To be able to identify the familiar in the unfamiliar
● To gain a better understanding of ourselves through the comparative study of other cultures
● To gain an enhanced conceptual understanding of culture and the power of socialization
● To develop a variety of skills, such as those of reading, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and writing

Grading break-up:
Class Participation: 10%
Group work: 10%
Quizzes: 45% (n-1 policy)
Kinship Assignment: 15%
Scrapbook: 20%

There will be relative grading in this course.

Student Responsibilities & Class Policies

1. Attend classes.

2. Come to class having done all the tasks that you are required to do before class, i.e. do the designated readings with the
aid of the study questions, see the designated lecture, and watch any documentary assigned for that day (do these tasks in
this order).

3. Take responsibility for your learning. This means a number of things. For instance, it means:
- Doing the tasks mentioned in Point 2 above.
- Communication. It is the students’ responsibility to get in touch with the instructor if they find they are having any
problems in the course or if they are working under any special conditions—which may be technological, physical,
academic (e.g. probation), etc.—which may require special or extra assistance. Providing suitable assistance will not
be a problem. But please remember that problems are best resolved when they are shared in a timely manner (and
that means not towards the end of the semester, and certainly not once the grades are in).

4. Check your email at least twice a day. Email will be the key means through which your TAs and I will be sharing course
related information with you (outside of class).

5. Scores and final grades are never changed (barring a miscalculation). Each and every assignment and quiz shall be carefully
read and graded on the basis of a particular pre-set criterion. While students are welcome to discuss their work with the
instructor to find out how they can improve, requests to alter the final score or to “contest” the score/grade shall not be
addressed, no matter what the reason (please see point 3 in this context).

6. Students are expected to display certain norms of behaviour in the ‘classroom’. Using phones, tablets or laptops to do
anything that is not course related is a violation of these norms. As is signing in and then ‘disappearing’ while the camera is
off.

7. There is a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, cheating, or any other inappropriate conduct/acts of dishonesty in this
course. Students caught engaging in these behaviours will be immediately sent to the Disciplinary Committee.

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8. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the course outline or class policies if she deems it appropriate for a
smoother or more productive running of this course.

9. LUMS (and that includes our class) is a harassment free zone. There is absolutely zero tolerance for any behaviour
that is intended or has the expected result of making anyone uncomfortable and negatively impacts the class environment,
or any individual’s ability to work to the best of their potential.

If you think that you may be a victim of harassment, or if you have observed any harassment occurring in the purview of
this class, please reach out and speak to me. If you are a victim, I strongly encourage you to reach out to the Office of
Accessibility and Inclusion at oai@lums.edu.pk or the sexual harassment inquiry committee at harassment@lums.edu.pk
for any queries, clarifications, or advice.

Details of Grading Instruments

Class Participation (CP)
Sharing ideas and perspectives, asking questions, and giving answers to questions you are asked, are all key sources of learning.
Your class participation can therefore make discussions rich, varied and productive, and become an opportunity for your own and
your peers’ learning in this course. I therefore encourage active class participation (CP). Your CP can take place through two ways:

a. By participating in classroom discussions “in class”. As a rule, comments that illustrate your familiarity with your readings,
demonstrate your ability to link what you are learning to the world around you, reveal a certain level of reflection, etc., will earn
you high points in comparison to comments that merely repeat things that others have already said (which will not earn you any
points).

b. By participating in the private Facebook (FB) group that will be made for this course. Discussion folders will be made for each
theme for each module in the course. Comments related to the relevant theme can be posted in the relevant folder after that day’s
class and up to an additional 46 hours (i.e. until 12pm noon Thursday for Tuesday’s class, and until 12pm noon Saturday for
Thursday’s class). Your FB engagement can take a variety of forms: You can: a. post a comment that you did not get an opportunity
to share in class IF it is a new point that has not already been mentioned. b. respond to one of your peer’s comments in a way that
sheds additional light on the issue. Or c. post a link/information (from the world around us—e.g. a newspaper/magazine article, an
ad you may have seen, a video you may have come across). Post the link/share the information, and then write a few lines
discussing it in the light of our course content/class discussion. But remember to read your peers comments before posting. A
repetition of the same point (that has already been made on FB or that has already been made in class) will not earn you any
points.

NOTE: While there are no points allocated for attending class, less than 85% attendance will result in your CP score being reduced
at the end of the course. Discussions are a key source of learning and clarifying one’s concepts. Attendance (coming on time/being
present in the entire class) is therefore important. However, you have been given a 15% leeway to cater to unforeseeable
circumstances (e.g. related to technology, health, unavoidable appointments or circumstances).

Group Work
Students will engage in group work in class throughout the semester. Some of this work will be graded (the dates are marked in the
Class Schedule below). All groups will be given a particular task/a question and they will use the class time to discuss it with each
other and formulate a collective response via Google Docs. This response will be submitted at the end of class.

The success of each assignment will be dependent upon students’ familiarity with their course content and their working together
as a group. Each student will be expected to fill out a peer evaluation form at the end of class and submit it along with their
assigned work.

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Quizzes
The quizzes will assess your familiarity with and your comprehension of the course material. They will also test your ability to
engage with, discuss and apply key anthropological concepts, theories, and terms. Each quiz will cover specific course content and

Quizzes will include questions requiring short and longer answers. They will be open book/open notes but will be timed. That
means that while you will be able to consult your course content, only those students who are already familiar with the relevant
course content will be able to utilize this opportunity for the maximum benefit.

The days on which the quizzes will take place have been marked in the class schedule below. There is an n -1 policy which means
your three best scores will be chosen at the end. Details of how the quizzes will take place will be shared once the course
commences.

Kinship Assignment
This individual assignment will require students to make their family tree and then analyze it by relying upon relevant course
content. I will upload detailed instructions on LMS once the semester commences. The due date is marked in the class schedule
below.

Scrapbook
Due at the end of the course, this individual assignment requires students to make a ‘scrapbook’ in order to make connections
between what we study and the world around us. Students will choose “items” to include in their scrapbook. These include but are
not limited to newspaper and/or magazine items, advertisements (print and/or electronic media), pictures of what you see in
market places or other venues, billboards, a scene in a television drama, something you observe at home, a conversation you
overhear etc. Each item will have to be briefly analyzed by relying upon relevant course content.

I will upload detailed instructions on LMS once the semester commences. The due date is marked in the class schedule below.

NOTE: No missed graded work can be re-taken unless permission is sought from and given by the OSA.

Active Reading
It is extremely important that you read your course material in an “active” manner. Study questions for most of the readings will be
available on LMS. Keep these questions in front of you as you read in order to ensure that you engage with the reading in a
meaningful way and extract important information.

Also keep the questions below in mind as you read. Learning how to read is an important skill and the questions below can help you
acquire this skill.

✔ What key arguments or points is the author making in the reading? If an author is giving us examples, what point does he
wish to make through them?
✔ What new concepts and terms am I learning?
✔ What ideas and terms are unclear to me?
✔ What questions have the readings raised for me?
✔ Is the content I am learning changing the way I see the world in any way? If so, how?
✔ How am I reacting to what I am reading? How are my own assumptions shaping my reactions?
✔ How can I connect what I am learning to the world around me?

Remember that while active reading may prolong the actual reading, doing so will make you engage with it in a meaningful manner,
increase your learning and make you better prepared for each of your grading assessment tools.

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CLASS SCHEDULE

Date Module To Do Before Class Class1

(classes will take place unless
otherwise marked)
Session 1 Introduction to the Course
Q&A

Overview of tools utilized in the

course

MODULE 1: FOUNDATION

Session 2 1.1 What is READ:

anthropology?
1.Gary Ferraro’s “What is Anthropology,” 2-14
2. Joy Hendry’s “Introduction” 1-7 (excerpt)

SEE LECTURE

Session 3 1.2 What is Cultural READ:

Anthropology?
Gary Ferraro’s “The Growth of Anthropological
Theory,” 56-82

SEE LECTURE

Session 4 1.3 What is Cultural READ:

Anthropology?
Jack David Eller’s “The Anthropological
Perspective” 12-19 (excerpt)

SEE LECTURE

Session 5 1.4 Where does READ: NO CLASS

Cultural
Anthropological Murray Wax’s “Tenting with Malinowski” 1-12
Knowledge come
from? WATCH: Tales from the Jungle: Malinowski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f22VsAlOwbc
&list=PLD00AA5F940FCCA89

SEE LECTURE

1 While students will have recordings of pre-recorded lectures, recordings of class sessions will not be made available to students due
to issues of privacy, etc.
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Session 6 1.5 Where does READ:
Cultural
Anthropological Alma Gottlieb’s and Philip Graham’s “Choosing a
Knowledge come Host” 24-57
from?

Session 7 1.6 Where does READ:

Cultural
Anthropological Sadaf Ahmad’s “’How do I like being a
Knowledge come policewoman? I’m very happy!’
from? Pakistani Policewomen and the Challenge of
Presentational Data,” 1-23.

WATCH:
Tales from the Jungle: Margaret Mead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOa3ftAKnzo
&list=PL4FA5BDF8F7FAE747

Session 8 QUIZ 1

Session 9 1.7 What do Cultural READ:

Anthropologists’
Study? 1. James Spradley’s “Culture and Ethnography” 13-
17
2. Jack David Eller’s “Understanding and Studying
Culture” 24-35 (excerpt)
3. Definitions of culture (1 page)

SEE LECTURE

Session 10 1.8 Denaturalizing SEE LECTURE GRADED GROUP WORK

Space

MODULE 2: TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

Session 11 2.1 Social READ:

Organization
1.“The Kung San,” 264-265
2. Serena Nanda and Richard Warms’ “Making a
Living” 99-121

SEE LECTURE

Session 12 2.2 Economic READ: NO CLASS

Systems Thomas Hylland Eriksen’s “Exchange” 176-192

WATCH: Nanook of the North

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Session 13 2.3 Economic READ::
Systems “Economic Systems” & Lee Cronk’s “Reciprocity
and the Power of Giving” 157-67

SEE LECTURE

Session 14 2.4 Kinship and SEE LECTURE NO CLASS

Marriage

Session 15 2.5 Kinship and READ:

Marriage
Jack McGiver Weatherford’s “Kinship and Power on
Capitol Hill” 308-317

SEE LECTURE

Session 16 2.6 Political Systems READ:

Jack David Eller’s “Politics: Social Order and Social

Control” 207-222

SEE LECTURE

Session 17 2.7 Art READ: QUIZ 2

Robert Myers’ “What Scars Say About Sex
and Stereotypes”
https://www.sapiens.org/culture/scarification/

SEE LECTURE

Session 18 2.8 Worldviews READ: NO CLASS

1.David Eller’s “Religion: Interacting with the Non-

human World” (excerpt) 236-241

2. Evans-Pritchard’s “The Notion of Witchcraft

explains Unfortunate Events” 18-32

3. Joy Hendry’s “Cosmology II: Witchcraft,

Shamanism and Syncretism, (excerpt) 132- 137

SEE LECTURE

Session 19 2.9 Worldviews READ:

“Religion, Magic & Worldview” and George

Gmelch’s “Ritual and Magic in American Baseball”
319-321 & 351-361

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Kinship Assignment Due

MODULE 3: CONSTRUCTING PEOPLE, CONSTRUCTING HIERARCHIES

Session 20 3.1 Gender READ:

1.Frances Mascia-Lees and Nancy Black’s “The

History of the Study of Gender in Anthropology,” 1-
12

2. Soutik Biswas’ “How Britian tried to ‘erase’

India’s third gender. BBC News, 31 May 2019, 1-6

3. Erin Alexnder’s “Native Americans’ views on

gender vs. those of the US Today, 1-4.

4. Annemieke Milk’s “Women at the Hearth and on

the Hunt”
https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/female-
hunters/

SEE LECTURE

Session 21 3.2 Gender READ:

Excerpts from Kamran Ahmad’s “Between Saints

and Sinners: Understanding Men”.

Session 22 3.3 Race and SEE LECTURE NO CLASS

Ethnicity
WATCH: Planet of the Apes (1968)

Session 23 3.4 Intersecting SEE LECTURE

Inequalities
READ: GRADED GROUP WORK

Paul Farmer’s “On suffering and structural

Violence: A View from Below,” 261-280

Session 24 QUIZ 3

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MODULE 4: CULTURAL CONNECTIONS AND CHANGE

Session 25 4.1 Cultural Change Read:

1.Jack David Eller’s “Cultural Dynamics: Continuity

and Change” 267-288

2. John Bodely’s “Progress and Tribal Peoples,”

(excerpts) 398-401, 402-404.

Suggested Readings:
Thomas Rhys Williams “Three Case Studies of
Cultural Change” 344-347

Malvika Gupta and Felix Padel’s “The Travesties of

India’s Tribal Boarding Schools”.
https://www.sapiens.org/culture/kalinga-institute-
of-social-sciences/

Session 26 4.2 Cultural Change Read:

GRADED GROUP WORK
Nancy Scheper Hughes’ “Parts unknown:
Undercover ethnography of the organs- trafficking
underworld,” (Excerpts) 29-37, end of 46-58

WATCH: China Blue

Session 27 4.3 What do Cultural Read:

Anthropologists Do? In-Class Lecture
Gary Ferraro’s “Applied Anthropology,” “The Wrap up
Future of Anthropology” & “Anthropology and
Jobs” 38-54, 350-353 & 355-357

Session 28 QUIZ 4

Scrapbook Submission Deadline: TBA (a few days after our last class)