Anthropology is the most liberating of all the sciences. Not only has it exposed the fallacies of racial and cultural superiority, but its devotion to the study of all peoples, regardless of where and when they lived, has cast more light on human nature than all the reflections of sages or the studies of laboratory scientists. Life and Death in West Africa. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Please avoid using Webster's, Britannica, and other generic reference works.
Attendance is required.
My lectures provide a framework for understanding the anthropological vision in the monographs you read during the term. We view and discuss a number of films and videos that I'm sure you will find fascinating. Read the assignments and take notes. Expect to participate by briefly reporting on contents of assigned readings, by informal writing, and by sharing your questions, reactions, and insights. Three essays are required.