Defense Spending and the Military-Industrial Complex Levin-Waldman (2012, pp. 186-89) analyzes how “iron triangles” link Congress, the bureaucracy, and interest groups in self-serving relationships that influence policy in ways that are contrary to the public interest. In 1961, at the end of President Eisenhower’s second term, he gave a farewell address to the nation in […]
oting and Turnout The U.S. has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among modern democratic political systems. One study ranks the U.S. 120th on a list of 169 nations compared on voter turnout (Pintor, Gratschew, & Sullivan, 2002). While during the last decade many initiatives have been undertaken to increase voter participation, concerns about […]
ivil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror The final assignment for this course is a Final Paper. The purpose of the Final Paper is to give you an opportunity to apply much of what you have learned about American national government to an examination of civil liberties in the context of the war […]
Can We Understand a Foreign Culture? The main question in Chapter 1 – [Culture and Meaning] of your textbook (2016) is: How can we understand other cultures? This question goes back to the foundation of cultural anthropology, its methods and its assumptions. The three concepts discussed in your textbook reading this week are crucial for […]
Language and Culture Language is a symbolic mode of communication that pervades human culture and human thought. From the Saphir-Whorp hypothesis that language influences how we perceive and experience the world, to contemporary theories of metaphors underlying our thinking about different domains of life, language is central to understanding human culture. Prior to beginning this […]
Peer Collaboration This week you will discuss the symbolic elements of your two chosen cultures, focusing on language, religion, and then the family structure. The list of cultures, including resources, can be accessed through the Library Resource Guide. First, describe the language and religious beliefs in the cultures. Then, discuss the family structure: What does […]
The Manufacture of Inequality Chapter 7 of your textbook discusses how societies rank people based on distinctions such as race, gender, economic status, and other factors, sometimes based upon a misuse of biased science. These themes tie back to previously discussed topics of the construction of identity and economic structure. On page 304, Exercise 7.5, […]
War and Peace The origin and source of human violence is a central topic for anthropologists. Cross-cultural studies show evidence of both peaceful and violent societies. In this discussion, choose to answer one of the prompts below. Choose only one: Some argue that gender roles play a part in the extent of violence in a […]
Cultural Comparison Project In this Final Project, you will present the information you have gathered on your two chosen cultures throughout the class and discussed in your peer collaboration groups. In week one, you chose two cultures from the list provided through the Library Resource Guide. You may search for other sources: for Anthropology journal […]
efining Religion Reflecting on “Studying Religion Anthropologically” by Eller, consider the different definitions of religion that have been proposed by anthropologists. Which one do you most agree with? In your own words, how would you define religion? Reflecting on “Religion: Bound to believe?” by Boyer, do you agree that belief is likely to remain more […]
