Course Outline
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria
Tentative Schedule
Policies: Attendance, Make-up Exams, Others

Course Description, ANTH 2351, CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Survey of human cultures around the world using case studies of customs and cultural organizations. Case studies will exemplify contrasting types of cultures and societies. Three class hours per week. Credit: Three semester hours.

Core Curriculum Course: This a Core Course in the 42-Hour Core of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in the appropriate Intellectual Competencies, Exemplary Educational Objectives, and Perspectives. More information is available online at http://www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum/42hourcore.htm.

Student Learning Outcomes: After successfully completing ANTH 2351 students should have a working knowledge of the following:

• Interpret the holistic perspectives of anthropological study
• Examine relationship between individuals, culture, and society from the humanistic perspective
• Analyze the components of economic exchange and exemplify specific relationships between cultural and ecological systems
• Formulate explanations for the importance of language in culture
• Assess ethnography as a means of conducting cultural research
• Suggest humankind’s future in light of biological and cultural forces

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Textbook: Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge, 13th edition, by William A. Haviland, et. al.

Required Equipment: You will need access to a computer. Computers are available for you in the computer labs, Learning Centers, and libraries. Turn off any and all pop-up blocking software! If you need assistance with the eCampus courseware or are having problems logging on to the server contact the Distance Learning Office (979-209-7298, http://www.blinn.edu/disted, click on "Help Request").

Login: To get started go to https://ecampus.blinn.edu/default.asp and follow the instructions under "Logging into eCampus."

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Course Outline:

Unit 1 – Introduction, language, and psychological anthropology. Text chapters 1, 2, 3, 5

Unit 2 – Economics, marriage, and families. Text chapters 6-9

Unit 3 – Kinship, groups, and political anthropology. Text chapters 10-12

Unit 4 – Religion, arts, and culture change. Text chapters 13-15

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Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:

Letter Grade Assignment: Final grades will be based on the final scale: 900+ = A, 800-899 = B, 700-799 = C, 600-699 = D, Less than 600 = F

At any time you can determine your average by dividing the number of points you’ve earned by the total number of points awarded up to that point. For example if you have earned 400 points out of 500 points possible: 400 divided by 500=.80 or 80%. This is fourth grade arithmetic. Please don’t ask me to do it for you.

Four times during the semester I will send you to a web site to read an article. You'll then take a brief quiz over the content and issues presented in the assignment.

Every assignment includes posting required comments in various topics of the Discussion Board. These will be your own observations and optional responses to the comments of your classmates. This is another easy way to boost your grade. These topics will be locked after the due date.

Three Major Exams

These are timed, open-book tests consisting of fifty randomly chosen multiple choice questions worth 3.5 points each.

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Online Testing: All testing is done online from anywhere you have an internet connection (preferably high speed). All of the quizzes and exams are posted and available for you to take any time before the due date. Availability for all quizzes and exams ends at 11:55 PM on the day of the deadline. This is according to the eCampus server's clock, not yours. These are timed tests. Be sure your computer and internet access are up to the task. If this is an issue with you go on campus and use Blinn's equipment to take the test or make other arrangements. Also note that waiting until the evening of the last day is a bad plan. Many of you will do this and it slows down the server considerably causing delays. Take your exam early in the testing period! You signed up for an online class and YOU are responsible for accessing it. Problems with your computer and/or poor internet connections are no excuse for missing all or part of an exam!

Testing Period Schedule:

Tentative Instructional Outline

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Civility Statement: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others.

Civility Notification Statement: If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor; it is the student's responsibility to arrange for this conference.

Failure to login to the course for a week without making prior arrangements with me will be considered one week's worth of unexcused absences. We have a virtual classroom and I expect you to login several times a week. You will have to in order to keep up with the work. The quizzes and exams all have strictly enforced due dates. If you don't take them by that date you get a zero for the assignment and there is no make-up work. Also, part of your grade is based on your participation. There will be no lurkers in my class! The Discussion Board discussion topics will be locked after the due date and you may not make up the assignment. You do have the option of working ahead. All of the assignments are posted with the due dates. This allows you to work ahead but prevents you from falling behind. If you choose to drop the course, it is your responsibility to do so at the Office of Admissions and Records. The last day to drop with a "Q" grade (no penalty) is January 6.

There are four forms of excused absences recognized by the institution:

1. Observance of religious holy days. The student should notify his/her instructor(s) not later than the 15th day of the semester concerning the specific date(s) that the student will be absent for any religious holy day(s).

2. Representing Blinn College at an official institutional function.

3. A high school student representing the independent school district at an official institutional function.

4. Military Service - Education Code 51.9111(d); 19 TAC 4.9. If a student can prove he/she is serving on active duty to which he/she is called with the armed forces of the United States, the student shall be excused from attending classes and allowed to complete an assignment or take an examination from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence.

Other absences may be considered excused at the discretion of the faculty member with appropriate documentation. A student enrolled in a developmental course is subject to College District-mandated attendance policies. Failure to attend developmental classes shall result in removal from the course as defined by the College District.

It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop a class he or she is no longer attending. To officially drop a class the student must obtain the class withdrawal form from Enrollment Services, complete the class withdrawal form, secure the required signatures, and return the completed form to Enrollment Services.

Failure to login to the course and complete at least part of a graded assignment without making prior arrangements with me will be considered one week's worth of unexcused absences. We have a virtual classroom and I expect you to login several times a week. You will have to in order to keep up with the work. The quizzes and exams all have strictly enforced due dates. If you don't take them by that date you get a zero for the assignment and there is no make-up work. Also, part of your grade is based on your participation in the discussion forums. There will be no lurkers in my class! The Discussion Board discussion topics will be locked after the due date and you may not make up the assignment. You do have the option of working ahead. All of the assignments are posted with the due dates. This allows you to work ahead but prevents you from falling behind. If you choose to drop the course, it is your responsibility to do so at Enrollment Services.

Scholastic Integrity: Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or any other act of dishonesty with regard to the course in which you are enrolled. The following text defines the faculty member’s responsibility with regard to the scholastic integrity expectation for this and all courses at Blinn College. It is the responsibility of faculty members to maintain scholastic integrity at the College District by refusing to tolerate any form of scholastic dishonesty. Adequate control of test materials, strict supervision during testing, and other preventive measures should be utilized, as necessary, to prevent cheating or plagiarism. If there is compelling evidence that a student is involved in cheating or plagiarism, the faculty member should assume responsibility and address the infraction. Likewise, any student accused of scholastic dishonesty is entitled to due process as outlined in Blinn College Board Policy FLB (Local). The Scholastic Integrity Policy is located in the Blinn College Student Handbook. In a case of scholastic dishonesty, it is critical that written documentation be maintained at each level throughout the process.

Students with Disabilities: Blinn College is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning environment for all students. Support services for students with documented disabilities are provided on an individual basis, upon request. Requests for services should be made directly to the Office of Disability Services serving the campus of your choice. For the Bryan campus, the Office of Disability Services (Administration Building) can be reached at (979)209-7251. The Brenham, Sealy and Schulenburg campuses are served by the Office of Disability Services on the Brenham campus (New Administration Building Room 104) and can be reached at (979)830-4157. Additional information can be found at http://www.blinn.edu/disability.

Final Grade Appeals Policy: If a student wishes to appeal a final grade in a course, Blinn College Board Policy FLDB (Local), Course Grade Complaints, outlines the timeline for the appeal and the four steps in the appeal. This policy is located in the Blinn College Student Handbook.

Make-up Exam Policy: There are NO make-up exams unless your absence falls into one of the four categories above AND you present the proper documentation to verify this. If any of these circumstances apply you must make-up the test within three days of the original exam date. In all other cases the final exam score will replace the missed exam grade.
Please note! Since the tests are available all semester there is really no excuse not to take the exam by the due date.

Extra Credit Policy: I do not offer any extra credit so please do not ask.

Student Email Accounts: Effective Spring 2008 all students have an email account provided by Blinn College. Both the faculty and administration will use this to relay important (and maybe not so important) information to you. Check it out and check it often! Better yet, set it to forward your messages to an account you check regularly. For more information visit http://www.blinn.edu/acadtech/studentemail/