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I believe that to be a good teacher one has to want to be a good teacher. It is not something that I take lightly. I like to present information in an organized fashion and also make it interesting. As an anthropologist, I am aware that students have not been exposed to some of the ideas and concepts I put forth. I always encourage them to ask questions and if necessary I do not move forward in the lecture until questions are asked. Also, while lecturing is one aspect of teaching, creating an environment for discussion is equally, or more important. Discussion allows student to not only raise issues but present alternative perspectives. In this sense, teaching and learning takes place for everyone. The depth of the courses varies by level. For example, at the introductory level there are certain topics that should be covered anywhere in America. Upper level courses examine basic concepts introduced at the introductory level in more depth and also focus on geographical areas and specific subpopulations. At the graduate level topics are much more specific while there is greater synthesis of material within the sub-disciplines (archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistic, biological anthropology, and applied anthropology). Anthropology is divided into sub-disciplines and I develop courses that examine the biological and general anthropological components. My courses on Race and Anthropology, Human Variation and Medical Anthropology are essential to the biological component. My courses on the Anthropology of HIV and Health, Culture, and Poverty provide case studies and a more in depth study of health and culture within the biological component of anthropology. I am developing a hybrid course for Introduction to Physical Anthropology. The hybrid version of this course will require one class meeting per week - the balance of instruction to be provided online and electronically. The electronic course material will include problems such as computing gene frequencies and the mode of inheritance. The purpose of this is to give students time to think about what they are learning instead of memorizing for a test and then moving on. I plan to include text, photographs, and video to enhance the examples. Other web sites will also be used as part of the presentation and for the students to access. I will introduce PowerPoint presentations into the lecture to highlight various concepts and principles derived from theories. It will also be used to show illustrations, pictures, video clips, tables, and graphs. Overall, it will enhance the learning experience by bringing more into the classroom than can be done with a blackboard. Students will be able to discuss these topics through a bulletin board and will take quizzes online prior to class. In this way, it is more likely that these junior level people will be prepared for classroom presentation and discussion. DESCRIPTION OF COURSES Introduction to Anthropology:
This course will introduce you to the wide subject matter of the holistic discipline of anthropology: the study of the human phenomenon. It covers cultural, physical, archaeology and linguistic anthropology. A major focus of the course is culture and cultural diversity from a global perspective. Class lectures, movies, and reading assignments will all be important in helping you to learn about anthropology.
Introduction to Physical Anthropology:
The main objective of the course is to understand contemporary biological variation within our species from an evolutionary perspective. To accomplish this goal, mechanisms of biological evolutionary change and adaptation to the environment will be reviewed to examine factors that can alter biology over time and to understand how biological change comes about. Then we will examine the fossil evidence for human evolution. Finally, we will focus on contemporary demographic and health factors from an evolutionary perspective.
Human Variation:
The course examines the human condition from a biological perspective and explores contemporary physical diversity from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. It provides a survey of human biological diversity arising from genetic evolution and responses to diverse environmental conditions. By the end of the course the student should understand 1) the biological mechanisms that create physical variation within any species, 2) the types of physiological responses to various environmental stressors, 3) be able to describe physical diversity among populations around the world, and 4) provide possible evolutionary and ecological explanations for physical diversity.
Race and Anthropology:
This course reviews the major theories of the origin of racial variation and examines the effect of these theories on biosocial research and political action. The course deconstructs the race concept from an historical, social, cultural, political and economic perspective. In so doing it reviews historical theories of the origin of race, the sociocultural environment in which the concept originated and why it is maintained in contemporary society. The course also examines the interplay among race, class, and racism. By the end of the course the student should understand 1) the historical roots of the race concept, 2) sociocultural and political factors in the genesis and maintenance of the race concept, 3) various forms of racism, 4) the impact of racism on health and 5) the impact of racism on our everyday lives.
Medical Anthropology:
The growing awareness of the role of culture in health led to the development of medical anthropology as a discipline. Medical anthropology is the comparative and holistic study of culture and its influence on disease and health care. Class discussions will focus on the influence of biology, culture and nature on disease patterns. Disease and health care are common to all societies, but the types of diseases that afflict a given people, and how they perceive and treat their afflictions are variable. In this course we will investigate the relationship between health status and culture by examining aspects of human culture which set limitations on the health of a society and affect people's ability to accept various types of health care. The purpose of the course is to examine the interrelationships between disease and culture, and to examine the role of adaptation in the disease process.
Anthropology of HIV:
This course examines the HIV/AIDS pandemic from a biological, social, cultural, historical, policy and economic perspectives. Thus, the purpose of the course is to enlarge students' understandings of the contexts in which HIV/AIDS has occurred and is occurring and the human consequences of the disease, both for groups and for established structures. The course will cover a variety of topics, including: what AIDS is, what causes it, prevention, impact of the pandemic on the individual, family, and globally. Special emphasis will be given to exploring socio-cultural responses to the pandemic and to the long and short-term consequences of the pandemic.
Culture, Health, and Poverty:
In this course we explore the multiple dimensions of health and poverty. They will include humanistic accounts of living in extreme poverty, summaries of health and poverty by geographical area, and scientific reports on relevant aspects of this association. The course will provide a comprehensive overview of the connections between: 1) political economic processes creating impoverishment, 2) the multiple environmental and social stressors which challenge the health of the poor, 3) biocultural responses to these living conditions, 4) the consequences of impaired health on family and social relationships, and 5) solutions that can prevent and break the cycle of poverty.
Seminar in Medical Anthropology (Graduate):
The growing awareness of the role of culture in health led to the development of medical anthropology as a discipline. Medical anthropology is the comparative and holistic study of culture and its influence on disease and health care. Class discussions will focus on the influence of biology, culture and nature on disease patterns. Disease and health care are common to all societies, but the types of diseases that afflict a given people, and how they perceive and treat their afflictions are variable. In this course we will investigate the relationship between health status and culture by examining aspects of human culture which set limitations on the health of a society and affect people's ability to accept various types of health care. The purpose of the course is to examine the interrelationships between disease and culture, and to examine the role of adaptation in the disease process.
Seminar in Physical Anthropology (Graduate):
Physical anthropology is examined to understand the human condition from an evolutionary, biological, and global perspective. Class discussion focuses on the major divisions within physical anthropology: Human Evolution and Human Variation. Under human evolution we examine the fossil evidence for human evolution and also primatology, the study of monkeys, apes and humans. Human variationists examine physical, physiological and genetic variation among contemporary populations. Topics discussed include: population studies, osteology, anthropological genetics, growth and development, medical anthropology, and adaptability. |
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