ANP 322 Peasants and Social Change in the Developing World (An Ecological Anthropology Approach) TTH 12:40-2:00PM 107 Ernst Bessey Hall Spring 2008

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1 ANP 322 Peasants and Social Change in the Developing World (An Ecological Anthropology Approach) TTH 12:40-2:00PM 107 Ernst Bessey Hall Spring 2008 Instructor: Rosina Hassoun, Ph.D. Office: 335 Baker Hall Office hours: TBA I. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to examine the forces impacting the lives of the world s rural agriculturalists, with a focus on subsistence farming. Perspectives of ecological anthropology and political ecology will inform the debate. The course will also provide a background on the theoretical development of ecological (and to a lesser degree environmental) anthropology. Lastly, a political ecology viewpoint will be used to look at current peasant political and environmental movements and the impact of globalization on their cultures and livelihood. The majority of examples of peasant cultures examined through ethnographic studies and anthropological articles will be in Latin America (specifically Mexico and Peru), The Philippines, India, and the Middle East. II. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1) Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the development and principles of ecological anthropology, with the ability to recognize the theoretical stances of its founding contributors 2) Determine the difference between ecological anthropology and environmental ecology 3) Explain the lifestyles, culture, and anthropology of the peasant groups discussed in class 4) Apply the perspectives of ecological and environmental anthropology to the cultures of rural agriculturalists and the issues they face 5) Understand the impact globalization has had on peasant cultures and their way of life. 6) Examine the current compesino movement through the work of La Via Compesina and the backlash against globalization in terms of political and environmental ecology, as well as 7) Discuss the feminization of poverty and the counter movement of microeconomic programs in the lives of peasant women and families. III. GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: Anthropology seeks to assist students in obtaining a holistic perspective of culture while increasing their cultural competency skills. Anthropology also informs a more global perspective of our world and alerts us to important issues that occur among peoples and cultures in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. Anthropology provides culturally sensitive perspectives and solutions to human problems through its theory and knowledge base, as well as through the application of applied anthropology. 1

2 VI. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Required: Desmarias, Annette Aurelie La Via Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants. Ann Arbor: Fernwood Publishing. ISBN Moran, Emilio Human Adaptability: An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Third Edition. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Wolf, Eric R Peasants. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. (You can buy the facsimile or the original- do not buy the Peasants and Wars in the 21 st century. There is no subtitle for the book we will be using in class.) Townsend, Patricia Environmental Anthropology: From Pigs to Policies. Prospect Heights, IL. Waveland Press ISBN Other readings will be provided on-line and in the anthropology department. V. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION The methods of instruction will be face-to-face class, as well as some on-line information in Angel. Methods of instruction include PowerPoint presentations, lectures, classroom participation in discussions, and a student research paper. Evaluation: Attendance in class is mandatory and will be calculated by taking a random number of attendances each semester: those students with 90% or of the random number of attendances will receive all of their 10 attendance points, 85% will receive 7 points attendance points, 80% will receive 6 points, 75% will receive 5, 70% will receive 4 points, 65% will receive 3 points, and 60% will receive 2 points for attendance etc. Note: non-attendance may also hurt your exam grades because so much material is available only in class. Participation points will be based on student submissions of related articles and links, as well as their discussion in class. REQUIREMENTS POINTS PERCENT OF TOTAL GRADE Exam % Exam % Final Exam % Final Paper % Attendance in class % Participation % Total Points % Note: failure to complete an exam, final project, or multiple missed assignments can result in an incomplete and/or failure for the class. 2

3 University Standards For Grading: 4.0 Excellent % 182 and above points 3, % Good % % Satisfactory % % Poor % % less than 119 points There is no curve in this class. Most students do very well without the need to curve the exams. Extra credit possibilities will be announced in class and no student can do more than 10 points of extra credit or 5% of their total grade in extra credit assignments. Exams: The exams include multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Final Projects: A detailed description of the 8-12 page research paper is provided below in section IX (after the schedule of topics). Rubric for Grading Final Papers Category Quality Maximum Points Content How well does it provide new 20 and unique information? Form/Design Is the paper well designed in 5 a logical fashion? Is there proper use of headings, subtitles, paragraphing or data chunking that makes sense? Flow/links How well does the paper 5 flow? References Is there at least 7 major 10 references (excluding the minor images etc)? Are two references off the web? Is there proper use of in-text citations, as well as a reference page? Total 40 3

4 VII. COURSE PRACTICES: A. COURSE PRACTICES FOR PARTICIPATION: Course and College Policies, Practices and Services: Students are responsible for following the rules of conduct of Michigan State University Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated so that a cordial and positive class environment can be maintained. Beepers, pagers, and phones must be turned off or set on vibrate and no phone conversations are allowed during class. Students will be required to attend class and attendance will be taken. The class discussions, in-class materials, and online discussions will be used on exams- so attendance and participation are critical. Students will be expected to turn in all materials- the failure to do so may result in an incomplete grade for the class. Incompletes that are not resolved can revert to a 0.0. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus as needed to facilitate learning. Cheating and Plagiarism Cheating and plagiarism will result in a 0.0 grade (see MSU official policy) for the assignment and can result in a 0.0 grade in the class in addition to being reported to the administration. Plagiarism is taking or using materials that you did not write without accurately attributing the source in your own paper. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. All images and sources of materials for your final project must be properly referenced ( see below). Course Completion and Late Projects All exams, papers, and class work must be completed in order to receive a grade in this course, regardless of lateness. Arrangements for "excused lateness" must be made in advance and approved by the instructor. Unexcused late course work will lose 5% of its points for each weekday that it is late. Disability Accommodations: Michigan State University provides services to students with documented disabilities. I am happy to accommodate students with disabilitieshowever in order to accommodate students with disabilities, you must notify your professor within the first week of classes and you need to be registered with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities -see their web page at: Writing Support: If you would like assistance with writing assignments, you are encouraged to use the MSU The Writing Center (see Commercialization of Course Notes and Materials: The University prohibits students from commercializing their notes of lectures, university presentations, and class materials without consent of the instructor. Dr. Rosina Hassoun does not allow commercialization of class materials. The reason is that past attempts have introduced errors and misquotes, etc. and further hampered learning in class. 4

5 VIII DETAILED OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT AND SEQUENCING Class Readings and Assignments: It is critically important that students have read the assignments listed below before coming to class on the assigned date to facilitate in-class discussions. SCHEDULE: Date Topics Reading Assignments 1/8 Introduction and Course Townsend Chapter 1 through 5 pg 1-42 Logistics; Introduction to ecological perspectives in anthropology 1/10 Continue introduction to Continue Townsend pg 1-42 ecological perspectivesoverview of the development of theoretical concepts 1/15 Environmental anthropology and complex societies Townsend pg 43- Chapter 6-9 pg Submit student articles and/or web links 1/17 Complex Societies, Risk factors, Green Issues today Townsend pg In Class Discussion: Student articles 1/22 People in Ecosystems: Ecosystems Theory 1/24 Theories of Human-Habitat Interaction up to the 1950 s 1/29 Fundamental Concepts and Methods 1/31 Review Discussion Bring articles and links to class. Moran Chapter 1 pg 1-26 Moran Chapter 2: pg Moran Chapter 3: pg /5 Exam 1 2/7 Environmental Change and Spatial Analysis Moran Chapter 4: pg /12 Remote Sensing: A Primer Materials Provided 2/14 Human Adaptability to Artic Zones 2/19 Human Adaptability to High Altitudes Moran Chapter 5: Pg Moran Chapter 6: Pg /21 Human Adaptability to Arid Moran Chapter 7: Pg

6 Lands 2/26 Human Adaptability to Grasslands 2/28 Human Adaptation to the Humid Tropics Moran Chapter 8: Pg Moran Chapter 9: Pg /3-3/7 Spring Break No Classes 3/11 Urban Sustainability Moran Chapter 10: Pg Submit articles and links to class 3/13 General Discussion of Human Adaptability and ecological anthropology Bring articles and links to class 3/18 Classic Readings Peasants: Problems and Economics 3/20 Peasants: Social Aspects and Ideology Wolf; Part 1 Chapters 1 and 2 pg 59 (page numbers may vary depending on printing) Wolf Chapters 3 and 4: pg /25 Review Discussion 3/27 Where have all the Peasants Gone? 4/1 Modernization and Globalization: The Enclosure of Agriculture Desmarias Chapter 1 pg 1-39 Desmarias Chapter 2: pg /3 Peasants and Farmers Going Global Desmarias Chapter 3: pg /8 Peasant Organizing: The WTO Will meet sometime, somewhere, and we will be there. 4/10 A Fine Balance: Local Realities and Global Actions Desmarias Chapter 4 pg Desmarias Chapter 5: pg

7 4/15 Cooperation, Collaboarations, and Community; Reflections on Via Compesina, and Participatory Research 4/17 The VICOS Project: Peru A look back and to the future Submit articles and links 4/22 General Discussion: globalization and its impact on subsistence farming Desmarias Chapter 6 and 7: pg Final Papers are Due Bring articles and links to class 4/24 Review Discussion 4/29 Final Exam Tues APR 29 12:45-2:45 IX OTHER COURSE INFORMATION Guidelines for Final Paper Project Objectives Research Paper Guidelines Your final project paper will be a research paper designed to apply an ecological or environmental anthropology perspective to peasant/ rural agricultural cultures. Choose a culture or take a cross-cultural perspective and/or choose an environmental issue as it applies to a peasant culture or cultures. Take care to limit your topic to what can be discussed in a brief paper. By mid-term you should have selected a topic, provided a list of references, and submitted an outline of your proposed paper for approval. The finished paper should be no shorter than 8 pages and no longer than 12 pages, including a cover page and your reference page. Please use the following guidelines for writing your research project. Please use in-text citation (anthropological or APA styles are preferred) or a standard biological, anthropological, or science journal style for your references with a proper bibliographical citation. The final draft must be double spaced, 12 point font, black ink, 1 margins. Use a scientific (or social science) style of writing and be as concise, clear, and to the point as possible. See the table below. 7

8 Section Description/ Guidelines Suggested Length. COVER PAGE 1 page only ABSTRACT Describe the major objectives of the project, the procedures to be words on a separate page followed in conducting your research, with a brief summary of your results and conclusions. INTRODUCTION The introduction should begin with a strong hook statement that will draw the reader into your paper. This should be followed by an introduction to the research problem or expository issue with an explanation of your 1-2 pages BACKGROUND (LITERATURE REVIEW) RESULTS CONCLUSIONS hypothesis/thesis statement. This section contains a summary of previous work that has been conducted in this same area and 1) clarifies the research problem 2) demonstrates your knowledge of the field. The results section will be the body of evidence supporting your hypothesis or thesis statement, For those students doing a strict literature review, this section of the paper will contain more supporting evidence than in the background. Any tables and data analysis or summaries of surveys or case studies should be included here. This section includes a summary of your major findings and your conclusions. Restate the significance of the research and how it will be useful in the future for you or others 1-2 pages 2 pages, more if needed 2 pages, or more if needed REFERENCES ANTH Style see AAA web page preferred or APA, etc. ( be consistent with the same style throughout), 7 references are required per person and two must be off the web. 1 pages 8