ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE:

We begin with an orientation to the issues involved, then take up religion through reading Anthony F.C. Wallace’s study of the Handsome Lake Religion.

 Anthony F.C. Wallace, Death and Rebirth of the Seneca, Random House, 1972 (Vintage).

We then move to issues of national or ethnic identity, beginning with a philosophical article on the nature of national identity, “Culture, National Identity, and Admission to Citizenship” by Shelley Wilcox. The class will divide into two parts, with each reading one of two books:

Karen Isaksen Leonard, Making Ethnic Choices: California’s Punjabi Mexican Americans. Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 1994.

Celeste Ray, Highland Heritage: Scottish Americans in the American South.  Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000.

The third unit, on race, ties directly into my current research. We will view and discuss the video I produced with D. Gorton. The class will again divide into two parts, with each reading one of two books:  

John Jackson,  Harlemworld: Doing Race and Class in Contemporary Black America .  Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Carol Stack, Call to Home: African Americans Reclaim the Rural South. Basic Books, 1996.

The fourth unit deals with class, one of the most theoretically problematic categories in the contemporary period. We will address it in the context of race, with the entire class reading an article about working class whites in the Mississippi Delta by myself and D. Gorton, “Confederate Lane,” and one of two books,

John Hartigan, Jr., Racial Situations: Class Predicaments of Whiteness in Detroit . Princeton University Press, 1999.  

Kirby Moss, The Color of Class: Poor Whites and the Paradox of Privilege. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.


Two recent ethnographies are assigned for three of the units. In these units, the following procedure will occur:

1. You will be assigned one of the two ethnographies. If you would rather read the other one, you are responsible for trading assignments with one of your classmates.
   
   
2. Locate all the reviews possible of the book you are assigned in scholarly journals (check Ebsco, JSTOR, AnthroSource, and google.com). Print out these reviews.
   
   
3. The first and second weeks of the unit, you will meet with your classmates who are reading the same ethnography. These groups will function as a seminar discussing the book. You will be given a set of discussion questions to discuss in your group. I will meet with each group to help clarify and contextualize information in your book.
   
   
4. The third week each group will report on their book to their classmates. Suggested format, with each topic given by different members of the group: a) General description of the book; b) Overview of the reviews; c) Theoretical issues; d) Methodology used; e) other as relevant. Turn in notes used for oral presentation.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Attendance: The content of this course is based on student participation. Attendance is therefore critical. Students are required to attend all classes. You are allowed three (3) absences without penalty. YOU WILL LOSE 1/3 (ONE-THIRD) LETTER GRADE FOR EACH CLASS YOU MISS IN EXCESS OF THREE ABSENCES.

2. Reading: You will read four ethnographies and associated articles.

3. Short summaries. You will write a short (1 page, 250 words) response piece to each reading, as assigned. These response pieces will be due in class the on the day assigned.

4. Reports. You will be responsible for reporting on the books you are assigned, as part of your group.

5. Term paper. You will write a term paper on a topic relevant to the theme of the course. Under-graduate papers will be 12-15 pages (3,000 to 4,000 words), graduate papers 20-25 pages (5,000 to 7,000 words). Select your topic by the 3rd week, hand in a preliminary bibliography week 8, consult with Dr. Adams, week 9, paper due week 14. You may, in close consultation with Dr. Adams, do a piece of creative work – creative writing, web site, video, or other work.

Style for your paper:

     Basic bibliographic style

     American Anthropologist style guide (Style for all contingencies)

6. Exams. There will be a midterm and a final take home exam.

7. Grading:

The Student Conduct Code identifies the following as acts of academic dishonesty: Plagiarism, representing the work of another as ones own work; preparing work for another that is to be used as that persons own work; cheating by any method or means; &soliciting, aiding, abetting, concealing, or attempting conduct in violation of this code (p. 18).

Whether quoting or paraphrasing (or even summarizing) someone else’s work, you should cite your sources. Failure to do so constitutes an act of plagiarism. This policy applies to papers and speeches. Buying a paper online, copying text from several web sites, and turning in someone else’s paper (even with a few words changed) are all examples of plagiarism when you claim such work as your own.

Note: As services selling such papers have increased in number, so have services that track plagiarism using sources from the internet.

Suspected cases of plagiarism will be investigated following Article V of the Student Conduct Code. If plagiarism is substantiated, the perpetrator may face failing the assignment, failing the course, disciplinary censure, and/or suspension from the university, depending on the details of the case (see Article III of the Student Conduct Code).

Rule of thumb: when in doubt, cite where the information is coming from. If you are uncertain whether you are citing sources sufficiently and appropriately enough to avoid plagiarism, please consult your instructor or a tutor at the Writing Center.