ANTHROPOLOGY 471
ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 471. Economic & Environmental Anthropology
Three hours lecture (3).
Prerequisite: ANTH 121.
Examination of anthropological theories on economic organization and behavior, and related environmental issues, for societies around the world.. Cross-cultural study of economic diversity using cases from the anthropological and archaeological literature.
I. Review of anthropological concepts to set the stage for studying economic anthropology
A. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
B. Cultural diversity and "rational" behavior
C. Culture systems perspective
D. Goals of scientific explanation
II. "Making a living": building a comparative framework for studying world economies
A. Theoretical issues
1. Sociocultural evolution
2. Ecosystems; ecological anthropology; environmental anthropologya. Adaptation
b. Carrying capacity3. Formalist versus substantivist debate
B. Overview of production, distribution and consumption issues
C. Comparison of subsistence economies, command economies, and market economies
III. Comparative study of economic production
A. Subsistence/procurement strategies and related environmental issues
1. Hunting and gathering
2. Pastoralism
3. Horticulture
4. Intensive agriculture
5. IndustrialismB. Land tenure
C. Resource control and management
D. Behavior of producing units1. Risk, uncertainty, and decision-making
2. Generalized versus specialized subsistence strategies
IV. Comparative study of economic distribution
A. Modes of exchange
1. Reciprocity
2. Redistribution
3. Market exchange; trade and marketplacesB. Functions of storage
V. Comparative study of consumption patterns
A. Social stratification and economics
B. Leveling mechanisms
C. Conspicuous consumption
D. Sumptuary rules
VI. The "modern world economic system"
A. Historical development; colonialism
B. Its impact on non-Western societies and their responses1. Analysis of encounters between societies with differing economic/environmental orientations
VII. Selected case studies in economic and environmental anthropology
VIII. Economic development of non-Western people in the present & future
A. Perspectives from economic anthropology
1. Questioning the assumptions of economic development: for whom; why; under what conditions; how?
2. Pros and cons of economic development: case studies
3. Applied anthropology and economic development
A combination of lecture and informal discussion is used in this course. Both focus upon assigned readings, audio-visual presentations, and applicable materials drawn from media discussions of current events.
Students will be able:
1. to develop an appreciation for the great diversity in the ways people "make their living" around the world by examining case studies from archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnography;
2. to engage in critical thinking by seeking answers as to why and how these diverse economic/ecological systems developed and operate;
3. to become knowledgeable of the theoretical approaches in economic and environmental anthropology;
4. to apply their study of human economic diversity toward better understanding, assessing and predicting economic and environmental issues/problems facing small-scale societies in the present and the future.
Students may be graded on the basis of in-class or take-home essay examinations, oral presentations, term papers or projects, journals, class attendance and participation.
Students may be asked to keep abreast of current world events and to conduct library research in addition to reading assigned text materials. Informal, in-class writing may be used to stimulate discussion. Students taking the course for graduate credit are also required to write an additional research paper on a topic tailored to their special interests in the class.
DATE ACTION REVIEWED
March 2006, Sociology & Anthropology Department Curriculum Committee