Fall Term 2001

Professor Lambros Comitas

Office Hours:

216 Main Hall, Tel. 678-4040 Thursday, 3:00-4:00 pm

Preceptor Mr. Renzo Taddei Tuesday, 3:00-5:00 pm

Course Organization

This course deals with anthropological concepts that illuminate the sociocultural context of education as well as the role of educational institutions in community, national, and regional development. Class lectures, discussions and a film series are integral components of the course and have been designed to complement each other and to add depth and dimension to the semester's activities. Students are urged to take advantage of the opportunities offered.

Lectures. Each class meeting will deal with a specific topic (see attached schedule). The themes of the required readings roughly parallel those of the lectures. Weekly reading assignments should be completed before each lecture.

Discussion Group. Participation in a weekly discussion group is required of all students taking the course for four (4) points and recommended but not required for those taking the course for three (3) points. The discussion group will be led by Mr. Taddei and its schedule of meetings will be arranged during the first class meeting.

Film Series. Films will supplement and complement course lectures and topics. Consult the film schedule for further information

Course Requirements

The 3-point option. Mid-term examination and final term paper of from 10 to 15 pages required - attendance at film series, and participation in discussion group optional but very strongly encouraged.

The 4-point option. Mid-term examination, final term paper of from 10 to 15 pages, attendance at film series, and participation in discussion group required.

Midterm Examination: October 30, 2001

Term Paper Deadline: December 12, 2001

All required course readings, including the M.G.Smith monograph, , The Study of Social Structure, are available for purchase in 216 Main Hall and are also available on reserve at the Teachers College Library.

Tax, S., "The Anthropological Tradition, in Horizons of Anthropology, Sol Tax and L.G. Freeman (eds.), Aldine, 1977, pp. 1-20.

Comitas, L., & J. Dolgin, "On Anthropology and Education: Retrospect and Prospect," Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 1978, Vol 9(3), pp. 165-180.

Kroeber, A.L., "Cultural Processes" in Culture Patterns and Processes, A.L.Kroeber, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963, pp. 152-193.

Handler,R. & J. Linnekin, "Tradition, Genuine or Spurious." Journal of American Folklore, 1984, Vol. 97 (385), pp. 273-290.

Bohannan, L., "Shakespeare in the Bush" in Anthropology For The Nineties, J.B.Cole (ed.), The Free Press, 1988, pp. 86-95.

Davis, H. "American Magic in a Moroccan Town." Middle East Report, 1989, July/August, pp. 12-17.

Sahlins, M., "The Original Affluent Society" in J.B. Cole (ed.), op.cit., pp. 253-274.

Taussig, M. "The Genesis of Capitalism Among a South American Peasantry." Comparative Studies in Society and History, 1979, Vol. 19., pp. 130- 155.

Smith, M.G., The Study of Social Structure, Research Institute for the Study of Man, 1998, Chapters 1 & 2.

Smith, M.G.., op.cit., Chapters 3 & 4.

Burch, E.S., "Marriage and Divorce Among the North Alaskan Eskimos" in J.B.Cole (ed.) op.cit., pp. 155-181.

Fox, R., "The Incest Problem" Chapter 2 in R. Fox, Kinship and Marriage, Penguin Books, 1967. pp. 54-76.

Soto, I.M., "West Indian Child Fostering: Its Role in Migrant Exchanges," in C.R.Sutton & E.M.Chaney (eds.), Caribbean Life in New York City: Sociocultural Dimensions, Center for Migration Studies of New York, Inc., 1987, pp.131-149.

Sassen-Koob, S., "Formal and Informal Associations: Dominicans and Colombians in New York" in C.R. Sutton & E.M. Chaney (eds.) op.cit., pp. 278-296.

Price, S., "Sexism and the Construction of Reality: An Afro- American Example" in J.B.Cole (ed.) op.cit., pp. 126-148.

Mair, L., op.cit., Chapters 9, 13, 14.

Dominguez, V., "The Politics of Heritage in Contemporary Israel" in R.G.Fox (ed.), Nationalist Ideologies and the Production of National Cultures, American Ethnological Society Monograph Series No.2, pp. 130-147.

Arensberg, C., "American Communities," Chapter 5 in C.M. Arensberg & S.T. Kimball, Culture and Community, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1965, pp.97-116.

Glick-Schiller, N. & et.al., "All in the Same Boat? Unity and Diversity in Haitian Organizing in New York" in C.R. Sutton & E.M.Chaney (eds.) op.cit., pp. 182-201.

Lowenthal, D. & L. Comitas, "Emigration and Depopulation: Some Neglected Aspects of Population Geography," The Geographical Review, Vol. LII, No. 2, 1962, pp. 195-210.

Wolf, E., Europe and the People Without History, University of California Press, 1982. "Introduction," pp. 3-23

Richards, J.B., "Learning Spanish and Classroom Dynamics: School Failure in a Guatemalan Maya Community " in H.Trueba (ed.), Success or Failure: Learning and the Language Minority Child, Newbury House Publishers, 1987, pp. 85-108.

Roberts, P.A. "Whose School? Conflicts over School Management in Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana." Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 1982, Vol.13(3), pp. 268-278.

Shimahara, N., "Polarized Socialization in an Urban High School," Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 1983, Vol.14(2), pp. 109- 130.

Lacey. C., "Some Sociological Concomitants of Academic Streaming in a Grammar School," in Cultural Relavance and Educational Issues, in F.A.J. Ianni and E. Storey (eds). Little, Brown & Co., 1973, pp. 230-249.

Mead, M., "Our Educational Emphasis in Primitive Perspective" in Education and Culture: Anthropological Approaches, G. Spindler ed.), Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1963, pp. 309-320.

Wallace, Anthony F.C., "Schools in Revolutionary and Conservative Societies, " in Cultural Relavance and Educational Issues, F.A.J. Ianni and E. Storey (eds). Little, Brown & Co., 1973, pp. 230- 249.

Comitas, L., "Education and Social Stratification in Bolivia," Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, Series II, 1967, Vol.29, No.7, pp. 935-948.

Safa, H., "Education, Modernization and the Process of National Integration"\ in M.L.Wax et al., (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives on Education, Basic Books, 1971, pp.208-229.

Bond, G., "Social Economic Status and Educational Achievement: A Review Article," Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 1981, Vol.12(4), pp. 227-257.

Murray, G.F., "The Domestication of Wood in Haiti: A Case Study in Applied Evolution" in A.Podolefsky & P.J. Brown (eds.), Applying Anthropology: An Introductory Reader, Mayfield, 1989, pp. 148-156.

Comitas, L., "Cannabis and Work in Jamaica: A Refutation of the Amotivational Syndrome," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1976, Vol.282, pp. 24-32.