Outline of the Theorists Karl Marx: Turned Hegel on his head by arguing that the foundation of all societies, human lifeways, and historical change was based in material concerns, our real life issues. A functionalist. Change occurs when the current mode of production and relations of production break down. Ideas don’t matter. Society is composed of: Base & Superstructure The Base is composed of Mode of Production and Relations of Production: The Mode of Production (Foraging, Horticulturalism, Pastoralism, Agriculturalism, Industrial Agriculturalism [Capitalism]) is the foundation of society. It is the system by which you produce all the necessary material needs of life. It gives rise to: The Relations of Production: The set of social relationships that attain within a given Mode of Production (in Capitalism—>owners and wage-workers; in Agriculturalism—>Nobles and Peasants/Serfs). Provides the social/labor fabric through which the material needs are produced, distributed, and consumed. The Superstructure is composed of art, philosophy, politics, religion, the cultural ethos, and other ideologies. These social ideas exist to hide or naturalize the real inequalities that are inherent in a given Mode of Production and the resultant Relations of Production. Two classic examples: The Divine Right of Kings and Preachers using the bible to naturalize slavery in the American South. Max Weber: Argues with Marx. Ideas may have a powerful effect on the current Mode of Production and Relations of Production. These ideas move, in modern society, toward the greater and greater rational organization and bureaucratization of daily life. The classic example: Luther—>Calvin—>Predestination—>The Calling—>altered productive and social relationships—>Capitalism. For Weber, society exists, and changes occur, in the following manner: There is a synthesis between new ideas<—>current Mode of Production and Relations of Production. For Weber, ideas and material both matter, but new ideas may be the driving seat. Emile Durkheim: The most complex & wide-ranging of the early sociologists. I will only give a brief overview of a few pieces. A functionalist. The basis of society is embedded in value systems. Society types: Mechanical Solidarity (Society) & Organic Solidarity (Society). Mechanical Solidarity is found in simple societies. Simple division of labor, common ethos, common language, common knowledge, common religion, common morality, and common ethics. Organic societies are held together by the far weaker bonds of Interdependence. They share little else and feature many of the tensions we associate with our society when we try to figure out who belongs. Social Facts: Things in the mind that are real because they have an effect on not just one mind but many. Not caused by genetic inheritance, so they are cultural and learned. Durkheim demonstrates the power of social facts by studying suicide and proving that rates of suicide.

1. Outline of the Theorists
Karl Marx: Turned Hegel on his head by arguing that the
foundation of all societies, human lifeways, and
historical change was based in material concerns, our real life
issues. A functionalist. Change occurs when the
current mode of production and relations of production break
down. Ideas don’t matter.
Society is composed of: Base & Superstructure
The Base is composed of Mode of Production and Relations of
Production:
The Mode of Production (Foraging, Horticulturalism,
Pastoralism, Agriculturalism, Industrial Agriculturalism
[Capitalism]) is the foundation of society. It is the system by
which you produce all the necessary material
needs of life. It gives rise to:
The Relations of Production: The set of social relationships that
attain within a given Mode of Production (in
Capitalism—>owners and wage-workers; in Agriculturalism—
>Nobles and Peasants/Serfs). Provides the
social/labor fabric through which the material needs are
produced, distributed, and consumed.
The Superstructure is composed of art, philosophy, politics,
religion, the cultural ethos, and other ideologies.
These social ideas exist to hide or naturalize the real
inequalities that are inherent in a given Mode of
Production and the resultant Relations of Production. Two
classic examples: The Divine Right of Kings and
Preachers using the bible to naturalize slavery in the American

2. South.
Max Weber: Argues with Marx. Ideas may have a powerful
effect on the current Mode of Production and
Relations of Production. These ideas move, in modern society,
toward the greater and greater rational
organization and bureaucratization of daily life. The classic
example: Luther—>Calvin—>Predestination—>The
Calling—>altered productive and social relationships—
>Capitalism.
For Weber, society exists, and changes occur, in the following
manner:
There is a synthesis between new ideas<—>current Mode of
Production and Relations of Production.
For Weber, ideas and material both matter, but new ideas may
be the driving seat.
Emile Durkheim: The most complex & wide-ranging of the early
sociologists. I will only give a brief
overview of a few pieces. A functionalist. The basis of society
is embedded in value systems.
Society types: Mechanical Solidarity (Society) & Organic
Solidarity (Society). Mechanical Solidarity is
found in simple societies. Simple division of labor, common
ethos, common language, common knowledge,
common religion, common morality, and common ethics.
Organic societies are held together by the far weaker
bonds of Interdependence. They share little else and feature
many of the tensions we associate with our
society when we try to figure out who belongs.
Social Facts: Things in the mind that are real because they have
an effect on not just one mind but many. Not

3. caused by genetic inheritance, so they are cultural and learned.
Durkheim demonstrates the power of social
facts by studying suicide and proving that rates of suicide are
related to the presence of social facts.
Definition of Religion: A unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things, that is to say, things
set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite in
one simple moral community called church, all
those who adhere to it. Based in the dichotomy of Sacred &
Profane.
The Four Functions of Religion: It is Disciplinary, creates
Cohesion, is Euphoric, and Vitalizes. In the last
of these Durkheim proposes that these powerful value systems
also provide a foundation for the social system
and individual consciousness. Durkheim thus believes that
societies and humans are driven by non-rational
thinking and forces.
Bronislaw Malinowski: He was the first participant-observer.
Spent four years among the Trobriand
Islanders. Opposes Durkheim’s theory of group function and
argues for society as functional for individual
needs. A functionalist.
He believed that the basis for all society and religion was the
need of individuals to feel security. This is
sometimes called Psychological Functionalism. His proof of this
also shows how people living in small scale
societies are just as rational as we are. Studies the use of magic
in fishing and gardening. Individuals are
filled with anxiety and the need to control the unsure elements
of life.

4. Evans-Pritchard: He was the transitional figure between
functionalist analyses and the modern focus on
meaning and Agency. He argued that anthropology wasn’t a
science and calls for a return to the
consideration of history and locality. He rejects functional
analysis as being narrow and overly reductive.
Instead, he believed that we should approach the study of
religion as a moral and symbolic system in which
each of the constituent parts gains its meanings from its relation
to other parts and to the interpretations of the
natives. (Geertz and Bourdieu both adopt this as central to their
thinking). He argued that we should be more
concerned with the human interests, meanings, and values of the
participants.
Leads to the belief that emic analysis is more important that etic
analysis. The group and people get to speak
and be taken seriously.
Victor Turner: One of the Symbolic Anthropologists. Not
really interested in what symbols and rituals
meant to people. Instead, he was interested in the work that
symbols and rituals performed in the making and
maintaining of society and individual identity/consciousness.
How are boys made into men? Citizens into
Soldiers? Outsiders into Members? Fallen into Risen? Sick into
Healed? How does a normal man become a
president? How is a criminal rehabilitated (and which ones can
be rehabilitated)? How do societies transition?
Rituals and symbols do the work in these processes. They move
people and groups from one category or
state to another.

5. Clifford Geertz: Another famous Symbolic Anthropologist.
Geertz was interested in what symbols meant
to people. In addition, he was interested in the manner in which
meaning and a meaningful life were gained
through socialization and motivation in a complex
interconnection of the symbols and rituals of everyday life.
These symbols and rituals gain their meaning from their place
in the larger system (web), not from any
particular and necessary meaning of their own. The only way to
get at meaning was through Thick
Description.
Because meaning is gained in and through a particular social
system, there is no point in comparing individual
symbols from one society to another. The point of ethnography
is to translate, as much as is possible, a
unique, whole culture in such a manner that we could
understand and sympathize with its denizens.
Claude Levi-Strauss: Levi-Strauss inaugurates the theoretical
orientation of Structuralism. A small part
of this set of analytical tools is focused on how the human mind
structures the environment. The world, which
is grey, is divided into Binary Oppositions, in which key
elements are divided irrevocably from each other:
White/Black, Good/Evil, Safety/Danger, Male/Female,
Intellectual/Emotional, Dry/Moist, Clean/Impure.
Amibiguity is avoided because ambiguity is dangerous. We
then see the world in these categories and
subsequently act on the world, making the world in their image.
We also tend to conflate and confuse the
categories, leading to complex combinations of the above.
This division and patterning of the world is necessary if we are
to live and act individually and socially. This was
brilliantly demonstrated by Mary Douglas in her book Purity

6. and Danger (a portion of which you have in her
article).
Anthropology 2 Spring 2020: M/W: 7-8:25 a.m. (Revised
Online) Mr. Coltman
Course Syllabus: Cultural Anthropology
Course Description:
Through the comparative study of different cultures,
anthropology explores fundamental questions
about what it means to be human. It seeks to understand how
culture shapes societies and
individuals, from the smallest island in the South Pacific to the
largest global metropolis, and affects
the way institutions work, from scientific laboratories to
Christian mega-churches. This course will
provide a framework for analyzing diverse facets of human
experience such as gender, ethnicity,
language, politics, economics, and art.
Course Requirements (Revised for Online):
Lecture: You are encouraged to attend and participate in online
classroom sessions, as this is a lecture and discussion
course. This means that you should do the reading in advance
and be prepared to be engaged in the course, even
though we are now online. If you are unable to attend the online
lecture it will be recorded and will be available at your
convenience. You will be sent a link to the recorded lecture
through Canvas Announcements.
Exams: There will be two exams, including the final, each

7. worth 1/3 of your grade. Exam 1 and the Final will consist of
50 multiple-choice questions (25 from lecture and 25 from the
text) and will be taken on Canvas. The final will be
cumulative in course materials, concepts, theorists, and
theories.
The textbook and lectures: You are expected to read the
textbook, which covers material related to the lecture. The
exams will require information that you will find in both the
text and lecture, so you will also have to take careful notes.
The Essay: 1/3 of your grade will be earned from a critical-
thinking essay. The requirements for the essay will be provided
to you. This paper will approximately 3-5 pages in length. The
paper is due (approximately!) Wednesday, May 6th.
Attendance: If you stop attending a class, it is your
responsibility to officially drop the class and you must do so
prior to
deadlines that can be found online. If you fail to drop the
course through the proper channels you will end up with an “F”
in the course.
How it all turns into an “A” or what you will:
Course totals: Multiple choices exams will be curved and
assigned a letter grade. The term paper will receive a letter
grade. No grades will be dropped but I will do my best to
overlook total disaster, as long as your other grades argue on
your behalf and as long as you do the extra credit assignment.
Extra Credit: There will be one extra credit opportunity, similar
in topic and scope to the term paper. You will be given a
handout on this opportunity after the midterm. It will require

8. that you pick some aspect of cultural belief or behavior that
interests you, research it, analyze it, and produce a critical
analysis for my review. A hard copy will be due the day of the
final exam. There will be no exceptions as regards due date.
Expected Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Analyze cultural traditions using a relativist framework.
2. Compare, contrast, and explain ethnological diversity among
humans.
3. Identify and illustrate patterns both within and across human
societies and cultures.
Textbook: Kottak: Cultural Anthropology (17th ed.); available
for purchase, rental, and e-book
Office and office hours (revised for Online):
Hours: M-Th: 8:30-9, M/W: 11:15-12 Office Location: Online
through Canvas Email: [email protected]
Course Outline (Revised for Online):
Lectures & Exams:
Topic 1: Introduction to the Course: Anthropology and Defining
“Culture.” Film: Witchcraft Among the
Azande
Topic 2: Anthropology’s Paradigms and Theory in
Anthropology. Film: N!ai: The Story of a !Kung Woman,
Topic 3: Language and Evolution
Topic 4: The organization of society (Hammond’s Rule)
Topic 5: Making a Living: The Economy. Films: Yanomamo of
the Orinoco & Warriors of the Amazon
Midterm 1 (online): Proposed Date, April 29-May 1

9. Topic 6: Organizing & Maintaining Order Within & Between
Groups: The Political System.
Films: From Machetes to Cell Phones and Dead Birds
Topic 7: Organizing Social Relations: Roles & Work. Film:
Masai Women
Topic 8: Marriage, Reproduction, Sex, and the Body. Film:
Paris is Burning
Topic 9: Beyond the Known: Religion & Healing. Film: Shadow
& Illuminations
Topic 10: The World System & Pragmatics. Film: The Act of
Killing
Cumulative Final (online): Thursday 6/10-Saturday 6/13