Sessions

 

Session 1: What Is Anthropology?

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

What is anthropology? What is the history of anthropology and what are anthropologist doing today? What are the four fields of anthropological research? Introduction of final project - Choose a cultural group and apply the lesson you have learned in this course to create a poster about that culture. Where did they come from? What language do they speak? Where do they live now? What is their belief system.... etc.

HOMEWORK: 

Choose a culture you would like to do your final project on. Be ready to tell the class what your final project is. 

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Session 2: Cultural Anthropology - Culture

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will learn the characteristics of culture. We'll examine the controversy between nature vs nurture and how the new science of epigenetics has solved the argument. Students will explore the four different responses cultures make when they come into contact with other cultures. We'll learn how globalization is changing cultures around the world. 

HOMEWORK: 

Research the how the culture you have chosen interacts with other cultures. 

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Session 3: Cultural Anthropology - Kinship

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will learn what a kinship chart is and why kinship is important to a culture groups. We will explore compare and contrast the different types of descent, unilineal and bilineal including patrilineal and matrilineal, and how descent affects any given culture. Students will also learn what residency rules (patrilocality, matrilocality and neolocality) are and how they are influenced through bilineal descent. We'll also take a look at how marriage, inheritance, gender roles and terms of relations is influenced by kinship rules. 

HOMEWORK: 

Create your kinship chart and be prepared to present it in class next session.

Culture Slide(s) - Create the slide for your culture's kinship grouping on topics we covered in class. 

 

Session 4: Cultural Anthropology - Economic Systems

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will present their kinship charts to the class. They will learn the different modes of production in the world (foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, agriculture, industrialism and the information age. They will also learn about the modes of consumption and exchange. We'll discover how globalization has influenced and changed world culture. Students will explore how trade is vital to all economical systems and the effect it has on all societies.

HOMEWORK: 

Culture Slide(s) - What mode(s) of production does your culture have? Who do they trade with? What do they consume the most of? 

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Session 5: Cultural Anthropology - Political and Social Order

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will compare and contract the different political organizations (band, tribe, chiefdom, confederacy and state). We'll examine the difference between social norms and laws. The class will discuss social norms and laws in their own community.

HOMEWORK: 

Culture Slide(s) - What types of leadership is in your culture? What are the social norms? Identify the different social levels in your cultural group. 

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Session 6: Cultural Anthropology - Religion

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will learn how religion plays an important role in any culture. We'll define the terms religion and ritual. Students will identify the different rituals associated with religion (sacrifice, inversion, pilgrimage and a life-cycle ritual). They will understand the different types of religious specialist (shamans, priests, diviners, prophets and witches). The class will compare and contrast different world religions.

HOMEWORK: 

Culture Slide(s) - What is the religious belief of the culture you have chosen? Identify any rituals they practice. Who are the religious specialist in that culture?

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Session 7: What Is Archaeology?

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

What is archaeology? What are the subdivisions of archaeology? Students will learn how stratification helps archaeologists to place their cultural findings within a specific time period. They will create a stratification of their own lives. We will also explore how archaeology is related to geology, math, chemistry and history. Students will learn how archaeological research is completed and how that research has helped the world.

HOMEWORK: 

Read and complete the sunken-village.pdf. Be prepared to discuss the site in the next session.

Archaeology Slide(s) - Identify all archaeological discoveries that have been found on your culture. When did the digs happen? 

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Session 8: Archaeological Discoveries

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

The class will discuss the Sunken Village site. Students will learn more about the specialized fields in archaeology. They will explore the Terracotta Warriors and how archaeological research has helped us to learn more about the culture of Ancient China. 

HOMEWORK: 

Archaeology Slide(s) - Identify all archaeological discoveries that have been found on your culture. When did the digs happen? 

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Session 9: What Is Linguistic Anthropology?

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

What is linguistic anthropology? What are the subdivisions of linguistic anthropology? Students will explore the history of languages and the different language families of the world. They will learn the development of the written language and how it relates to certain major human developments throughout history. We'll explore how language is closely related to society. Students will learn about the preservation, adaptation and extinction of languages around the world such as the current threat of Native American languages disappearing from our world.

HOMEWORK:

Complete the evolving-english.doc and be prepared to discuss it in the next session.

Linguistic Slide(s) - What language or languages do people in your chosen culture speak? Where do they learn it? 

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Session 10: Linguistic Anthropology - Languages Evolve

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

The class will discuss their Evolving-English homework. We'll explore how language is closely related to society. Students will learn about the preservation, adaptation and extinction of languages around the world such as the current threat of Native American languages disappearing from our world.

HOMEWORK:

Linguistic Slide(s) - What language or languages do people in your chosen culture speak? Where do they learn it? 

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Session 11: What Is Physical Anthropology?

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

What is physical anthropology? What are the subdivisions of physical anthropology? Students will explore the different fields of physical anthropology.

HOMEWORK:

Physical Slide(s) - What do members of your chosen culture look like? Color of skin? Hair? Height? What else can you tell me about them?

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Session 12: Physical Anthropology - Human Evolution

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will explore human development from the beginning of time to now. They will learn how humans have and continued to adapt to this world.We will discuss their final presentations. 

HOMEWORK:

Get ready to deliver your final presentation to the class in the next session. 

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Session 13: Final Presentations

MATERIALS:

Your presentations

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will present their final projects and discuss. We will talk about the current state of anthropology and where does the science go from here?

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