Course Syllabus
Athabasca University
Anthropology (ANTH) 275
Faces of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Revision 9)
Revision 9 closed February 8, 2008, replaced by current version.
View previous version.
Delivery mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Video component.*
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.
Credits: 3 - Social Science.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: ANTH 207. (ANTH 275 may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for ANTH 207.)
Centre: Centre for Work and Community Studies
ANTH 275 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Course website
Overview
ANTH 275 focuses on the cross-cultural study of human diversity. Study topics include patterns of social organization, the family, economics, politics, religion, the arts, and language.
Outline
The course consists of the following eight units.
Unit 1: Anthropology and the Study of Culture
Unit 2: The Study of Human Ecology
Unit 3: Economics and Economic Development
Unit 4: Domestic Groups and the Individual
Unit 5: Social Groups: Kin and Non-kin
Unit 6: Politics: Social Order and Social Change
Unit 7: Worldview: Religion and Art
Unit 8: Language, Communication, and the Human Body
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, you must achieve a minimum grade of “D” (50 per cent) on both the mid-term and final examinations, and an overall grade of “D” (50 per cent) for the entire course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Quiz 1 | 5% |
|---|---|
| Quiz 2 | 5% |
| Assignment 1-Essays | 15% |
| Mid-term Exam | 15% |
| Assignment 2-Journal | 20% |
| Quiz 3 | 5% |
| Assignment 3-Biblio. | 20% |
| Final Exam | 15% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Miller, Barbara D., Penny Van Esterik, and John Van Esterik. Cultural Anthropology. 2nd Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, Inc. 2004.
Spradley, James, and David W. McCurdy. 2003. Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 11th edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Other Materials
The course materials also include a study guide, course manual, and forms.
Special Course Features
Ten videos in the series Millenium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World are required viewing for ANTH 275. Videos are available from Athabasca University Library. An alternative assignment is available for students who cannot access video equipment.