Anthropology 4034 Dr. Maxine L. Margolis

Fall, 2003 309 Grinter 392-2253, ext.301

Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30-12:30 and by appt.

THE HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY

REQUIRED READINGS:

Harris, Marvin, The Rise of Anthropological Theory. Updated Edition, Altamira Press, 2001.

Bohannan, Paul, & Mark Glazer, Highpoints in Anthropology. Knopf, 2nd paperback edition, 1988.

Murphy, Martin F. & Maxine L. Margolis, Science, Materialism and the Study of Culture, University Press of Florida, 1995, paperback edition.

COURSE OUTLINE, READING ASSIGNMENTS & COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Week I Introduction to the History of Anthropological Theory

Harris, Introduction (Margolis) and Chapter 1

Bohannan and Glazer, Introduction and Chapter 24

Murphy and Margolis, Chapter 1 (Johnson)

Week 2 The 18th Century and the Enlightenment

Harris, Chapter 2

Week 3 The Early 19th Century

Harris, Chapter 3

Week 4 Spencer and Scientific Racism

Harris, Chapters 4-5

Week 5 Evolutionary Theory

Harris, Chapters 6-7

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 1-3

Week 6 Marx and Historical Materialism

Harris, Chapter 8

Week 7 Boas and Historical Particularism

Harris, Chapters 9-11

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 4 & 5

Week 8 Other Boasians

Harris, Chapters 12-13

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 6 & 7

Week 9 Culture and Personality: Early Works

Harris, Chapter 15

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapter 10

Week 10 Culture and Personality: Freud

Harris, Chapter 16

Week 11 Culture and Personality: Recent Trends

Harris, Chapter 17

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapter 13

Week 12 French Structuralism

Harris, Chapter 18

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 14, 15, 16 & 26

Week 13 British Structural Functionalism

Harris, Chapter 19

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 17, 18, 19 & 25

Week 14 Modern Evolutionary Theory

Harris, Chapter 22

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapters 21, 22 & 23

Week 15 Anthropological Ecology

Harris, Chapter 23

Bohannan and Glazer, Chapter 20

Murphy and Margolis, Chapter 5 (Good)

Week 16 Recent Developments

Murphy and Margolis, Chapters 4 & 9 (Harris & Murray)

A Word to the Wise:: Attendance in class is required and attendance may be taken periodically.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WELL IN THIS COURSE WITHOUT REGULAR ATTENDANCE IN CLASS. Much of the material in the lectures will not be covered in the readings but will be on the first and second exams. Should you miss a class, be sure to get the notes from another student who attended. Also students should do all the required readings in the sequence suggested and it is strongly advised that you keep up with the reading assignments.

No incompletes will be given except for reasons of illness (with a doctor's note) or serious personal crisis.

FIRST EXAM: Tuesday October 14, in class

SECOND EXAM: Tuesday, December 9, in class

In addition to the two exams, this course requires a research proposal of approximately 8 to 10 pages typed (see attached assignment). PAPER DUE: Tuesday, November 11.

NOTE: There will be no class on Thursday, Nov. 20.

Research Proposal Assignment

1) Choose a major figure in the history of anthropological theory. If it is someone not mentioned in the assigned readings or in class, check with me to see if the person has been a major contributor to anthropological theory.

2) Read a representative sample of the person's work. If you do not know how to narrow down what to read, consult with me. You will find that some major figures have written a great deal and may have made contributions in more than one area.

3) After you are familiar with the individual's theories and methods, you are going to write a research proposal that he or she might have written. The proposal is to be based on your understanding of the person's theoretical orientation, on what he or she might have studied or on what he or she might have been interested in proving or disproving about a particular aspect of culture or issue in cultural anthropology.

The proposal should be clearly labeled and divided into four parts:

a) Description of the Research Project

b) Theoretical Significance of the Project

c) Methodology

d) References Cited

You can think of the first three parts of the paper as the "what," "why" and "how" of the research proposal. Since this is a course in anthropological theory, I am primarily interested in how you handle the significance of the project. As such, it does not matter what time period or geographical setting you choose for your research. What does matter is that you follow your chosen anthropologist's theoretical perspective.

The methodology used should also be appropriate to the individual selected. For example, don't have Lewis Henry Morgan doing computer analysis or Franz Boas using random sampling to decide which Kwakiutl to interview.

The references should include all sources you used to write the proposal.

I have placed two copies on reserve of an actual research proposal that I submitted to the National Science Foundation. While I was not pretending to be anyone other than myself in writing the proposal, it may be helpful to see how grant writers distinguish between the description of their research (the "what") and its theoretical significance (the "why").