Cultural Anthropology: People and Culture

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Renée Baptiste (Associate Professor of Sociology)
• Email: rbaptiste@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Lovell Hall 132
• Office Hours:
  • Monday & Thursday: 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (In person, Lovell Hall 132)
  • Friday: 4:00–5:00 p.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Comparative study of human societies and cultural systems, examining kinship, language, economic subsistence, ritual, power dynamics, and social change across non-Western and global cultures. ANTH 105 introduces students to the holistic and comparative study of human cultures, societies, and lived experiences across the globe. Grounded in the foundational concepts of cultural relativism and ethnography, the course examines how human groups organize kinship, language, economic subsistence, religious ritual, and political authority. Students investigate the social construction of race, gender, and identity, while exploring the impacts of colonialism, globalization, and transnational migration on localized communities. Through a guided empirical ethnographic fieldwork project, students practice participant observation, reflexive fieldnote recording, and qualitative cultural interpretation.

Prerequisites

None.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of ANTH 105, students will be able to:

1. Examine Cultural Diversity and Relativism: Analyze diverse cultural practices, value systems, and worldviews using anthropological cultural relativism while critically interrogating ethnocentric assumptions.
2. Conduct Qualitative Ethnographic Fieldwork: Design and execute a small-scale qualitative ethnographic project employing participant observation, ethical fieldnote recording, and reflexive cultural analysis.
3. Evaluate Kinship, Gender, and Social Organization: Compare cross-cultural variations in kinship systems, descent groups, marriage practices, and the cultural construction of gender and sexuality.
4. Analyze Economic and Political Systems: Differentiate modes of subsistence, systems of exchange (reciprocity, redistribution, market), and structures of political power and social control across societies.
5. Critique Colonialism and Globalization: Assess the historical and contemporary impacts of European colonialism, transnational migration, cultural imperialism, and global capitalism on localized communities.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Kenneth J. Guest. Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age. 4th ed., W. W. Norton & Co., 2023. Approx. $48 digital rental, $75 print purchase.
2. James Spradley and David W. McCurdy, eds. Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 15th ed., Pearson, 2016. Approx. $35 used or digital rental.
3. Total estimated cost: Approx. $83 to $110.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 1: AI Not Permitted for Graded Work)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), ANTH 105 operates under AI Level 1.

• What is permitted: You may use generative AI tools for preliminary bibliographic queries, clarifying definitions of technical anthropological terms, or checking spelling and grammar on preliminary essay outlines.
• What is prohibited: You may not use generative AI to generate ethnographic fieldnotes, synthesize participant-observation reflections, write analytical essays, or complete examination responses.
• Disclosure: Every submitted paper and ethnographic fieldwork project must include a signed authenticity statement certifying that all fieldnotes, cultural analyses, and written prose are your own original work.

Grading Components and Weights

• Ethnographic Fieldwork Proposal & Site Selection: 10% (Due Thursday, September 24 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Midterm Examination: 20% (In class, Thursday, October 15)
• Ethnographic Fieldwork Project & Analysis: 25% (Due Thursday, November 19 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Reading Reflections & Case Responses: 15% (Weekly short reading reflections and chapter comprehension responses submitted in Canvas on Tuesdays at 11:59 p.m.; lowest dropped)
• Seminar Discussion & Fieldwork Workshops: 10% (Active engagement in seminar deliberations, ethnographic interviewing workshops, and peer fieldwork debriefs)
• Final Comprehensive Examination: 20% (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No individual extra credit assignments are offered in ANTH 105. Your final grade reflects performance across scheduled fieldwork reports, examinations, and weekly seminar tasks.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Cultural anthropology relies upon collaborative seminar discussions, respectful cross-cultural debates, and ethnographic fieldwork exercises. Regular and prompt attendance is required at all class meetings. You are allowed two unexcused absences without penalty; each additional absence lowers your final course grade by one third of a letter grade. Accumulating more than five unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Written fieldwork proposals, project papers, and reflections lose 10% per calendar day late and cannot be submitted more than three days past the deadline. In-class examinations and group workshops cannot be made up without advance written documentation of an excused absence.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).