COURSE SYLLABUS
ANTH 200I: ANTHROPOLOGY (Independent Study)
Spring 2012
Dates and times to be arranged, see class schedule below
James C. Woods Office: Aspen 128b
Office hours: posted online
Office phone: 208-736-6862
1. Course Description:
ANTH 200 is an independent study course intended to provide students with an opportunity to design and complete their own project related to cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, or archaeology.
2. Pre-requisites:
ANTH 101, 102, and 238 or permission of the instructor.
3. Required Textbooks and Supplies:
None, supplementary readings will be assigned as needed.
4. Course Objectives:
This course is intended to provide students with real-life research experience with occasional assistance from the instructor. This course is for anthropology majors who have already completed all or most of the available CSI anthropology classes. It is up to the student to generate the project design and obtain instructor approval prior to enrolling in this course.
CSI General Education Goals
a) Help you develop as a discerning individual.
b) Teach you to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
c) Increase your awareness of the balance between individual needs and demands of our society.
d) Encourage you to be a life-long learner.
e) Encourage your creativity.
CSI Social Science Department Goals
a) Learn important facts, concepts, and theories of Social Science.
b) Acquire new techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge.
c) Learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
d) Use evaluation, analysis, and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
e) Use social sciences to make better-informed decisions.
CSI Anthropology Program Goals
a) Provide you with a survey of the history of anthropology and its major contributors.
b) Provide you with an overview of the sub-disciplines of anthropology, its current trends, and
specialized terminology used by anthropologists.
c) Instill in you an awareness of worldwide cultural diversity to help you appreciate the
commonality of mankind.
d) Introduce you to the methodology used by anthropologists.
e) Reinforce your reading, writing, and speaking skills to help prepare you for transfer to a four-
year college.
Specific Goals for ANTH 102
a) Provide you with a basic understanding of the historical development of the science of
anthropology, and familiarize you with some of the disciplines major contributors.
b) Help you distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations of human behavior.
c) Help you learn contemporary theories used in cultural anthropology.
d) Familiarize you with the terminology used in this discipline.
e) Show you the fascinating diversity of human culture and help you see how your cultural
practices relate to others worldwide.
f) (for anthropology majors especially) Help prepare you to transfer to an upper division program
elsewhere.
5. Outcomes Assessment:
Individualized projects are highly variable in nature. However, a portion of the grade will depend on the student making the appropriate time commitment to the project. CSI grants credit for college work based on the national standard of the Carnegie Unit. For unsupervised work, students are required to spend 15 hours of class time for each credit, or a total of 45 hours for this 3 credit course. Students are also required to keep in contact with the instructor regarding project progress as outlined on the class schedule below. Finally, the final grade will depend on the project results as demonstrated in the final report.
6. Policies and Procedures:
a. Attendance policy: This is an independent study course thus attendance is not required.
However, there are some policies that apply to all classes. It is imperative that you contact
the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for your project:
1-If you fail to show up the first week of school, you will be dropped by the instructor. You may qualify for a refund and you will not receive a “W” on your transcript.
2-You can still withdraw the second week of school, but you will get a “W” on your transcript. You will not be eligible for a refund, and you cannot be reinstated. Faculty can drop students this week for “no show”.
3-During the third week, you can withdraw from class but will receive a “W” on your transcript. After the second week, faculty cannot drop students, only issue letter grades.
NOTE: It is the student responsibility to drop the course. A student may drop a course or all courses prior to the end of late registration (first Friday of term) w/o it being recorded on the student’s official transcript. A student initiated drop after the late registration period is considered a withdrawal, and results in the grade of W. (Students may drop courses online until the end of the late registration period. In order to withdraw from one or more courses following late registration, a completed registration form is required. Instructions on the form indicate when a signature of instructor and/or Financial Aid advisor is required. The completed form may be submitted to Admissions & Records or any off-campus center.) Students may withdraw from courses until 75% of the course meetings have elapsed. No course may be withdrawn from after 75% of the course has elapsed.
b. Plagiarism: Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are violations of the honesty policy found in the CSI General Catalog. Violators will receive a zero for the work in question.
c. LAB use: Students will be given access to the Social Science Lab, Aspen 182, and some storage space if required for their particular project. If the project is experimental in nature, and use of tools is required, lab time must be scheduled when there is faculty or staff supervision available. Students will be required to communicate with the instructor regarding ALL lab sessions.
7. CSI E-mail
Since email is the primary source of written communication with students, all registered CSI students get a college email account. Student e-mail addresses have the following format: <address>@eaglemail.csi.edu where <address> is a name selected by the student as a part of activating his/her account. Students activate their accounts and check their CSI e-mail online at http://eaglemail.csi.edu. Instructors and various offices send messages to these student accounts.Students must check their CSI e-mail accounts regularly to avoid missing important messages and deadlines. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions are offered to students who need help in using their accounts.
8. On-line course evaluation:
To help instructors continually improve courses, students are strongly encouraged to go online to http://evaluation.csi.edu and complete anonymous evaluations which open two weeks before the end of the course and close the last day of class. When students enter the site, they find evaluations for their enrolled courses. Thank you for this valuable input!
9. Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for reasonable accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact Student Disability Services at their first opportunity after registration for a class(es). Student Disability Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus. 208.732.6260 or e-mail Scott Scholes, .
10. Mission Statements:
a) CSI Mission Statement: The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides educational, social and cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central Idaho. In this rapidly changing world, CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives.
b) CSI Social Science Department Mission Statement: The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.
c) CSI Anthropology Program Mission Statement : The Anthropology Program will provide students with a basic introduction to the sub-disciplines of anthropology, familiarize students with major theories and contributors, and prepare students for transfer elsewhere to upper division studies.
11. Course timetable:
Jan 16 / Martin Luther King Day (campus closed)Jan 20 / Project outline due. The outline will be attached to the class syllabus and will serve as a contract between the student and instructor. This must include a 1-2 paragraph outline of the project activities and a proposed timetable for project activities.
Feb 3 / Check-in in person or by email
Feb 17 / Check-in in person or by email
Mar 2 / Check-in in person or by email
Mar 16 / Mid-term progress check-in, 30-60 min meeting with instructor
Mar 26-30 / Spring Break (campus closed)
Apr 13 / Check-in in person or by email
Apr 27 / Check-in in person or by email
May 4 / End-of-semester check-in, 30-60 min meeting with instructor
May 10, Thur / Last day to submit project for grading,
This course, regardless of the project type or subject matter, requires a final report. The suggested format is that used by the Society for American Archaeology (see instructor for guidelines or obtain a copy at the SAA website: http://saa.org/AbouttheSociety/Publications/StyleGuide/tabid/984/Default.aspx).
If the project is not finished, but a substantial portion of the project is completed by this date, the instructor can give an Incomplete “I” with the understanding the project will be completed soon. If a substantial portion has not been completed, the instructor will give an “F” for this course.
May 16 / Grades available online at MyCSI
12. Possible project ideas:
If multiple students are enrolled in the same course, it is recommended they pool their resources and time to travel to obtain materials, work together in work sessions, share ideas, etc. However, students can select a project and work independent of others if they so choose. An independent or group project can cover nearly any anthropological topic, but must be approved by the instructor first. Below are some ideas that can be used; or they can serve as examples of how you might structure your individualized project. Note that all projects below require some replication component, as well as library research and a final report. Some projects may not involve making any replicas, but all will require library research and a final report. The instructor will be happy to help in any way possible to make individual or group projects successful.
Example 1: Fishing equipment Students will make a replica of a Shoshoni-style harpoon and gorget hook with weight. They will make one field trip to attempt to spear a carp. They will also be required to conduct some library research at the Herrett Center investigating aspects of prehistoric fishing in our area. A final written report is required.
Example 2: Atlatl and darts Students will each make a replica of a Great Basin style atlatl and one or more darts. They will then conduct experiments to test the efficiency of this weapon. They will be required to do some library research at the Herrett Center investigating various aspects of the atlatl. A final written report is required.
Example 3: Shoshoni cooking pots Students will make at least one replica of a Shoshone-style cooking pot. It will be fired using sagebrush for fuel. The pot will be used to boil water using heated stones. A record will be kept of the time needed to make and fire the vessel, as well as bring a volume of water to a boil. Students will research what is known about pottery in our area. A final written report is required.
Example 4: Ancient survival kit Students will make a leather pouch using traditional techniques. The pouch will contain a hafted knife, expedient knives, a perforator, scraper, fire-starting kit, supply of cordage, and a small, basic flintknapping kit. A final written report is required.
Example 5: Paiute Wikiup Students will build a full-size replica of a traditional Paiute wikiup. The entire process will be documented with photos. Students will also research the various forms of prehistoric housing used in the Great Basin area and submit a final written report. (This is definitely a group project, minimum of 4 students)
Example 6: Clay figurines (Fremont, Hohokam, Shoshoni) Students will build and fire replicas of three different styles of ancient clay figurines. They will also research and write a written report describing ancient figurines and include an analysis of what is known about the function of these objects.
Example 7: Teaching videos (various topics to be determined) Students will assist the instructor in the filming and editing a number of short instructional video clips showing how to do various activities such as flintknapping, making split-twig figures, ceramics, etc. These would be of suitable quality to be put on a department website.