Summary of Requirements (Fall 2022)

Late Paper Policy: Deadlines are strict. Barring personal crisis, family emergency, or severe illness, all late papers will be subject to one half point off (out of 10) per day late. I do not give paper extensions for time management issues. I also cannot guarantee detailed comments for late assignments. If you are struggling, please reach out and talk to me! We can come up with an alternative plan together.

Resources for Anthropology 211 Assignments Click here for guidelines on completing these assignments well, info. on anthro citation practices and avoiding plagiarism.

Summary of Requirements:

  • Avid participation in course (30% of grade):
    • regular attendance
    • learning goals reflections
    • prompt completion of assignments
    • discussion questions and leadership
    • in-class discussion participation
    • peer-review participation
  • 2 peer-reviewed 1-2 page theory synopses (10% of grade)
  • 3 papers (15%, 20%, 25% of grade)

Summary of Deadlines:

This course is designed to emphasize your intensive, analytic engagement with assigned readings and other materials presented for class discussion. There will be three analysis essays, ranging from 3-7 pages each, and 2 1-2 paragraph "theory synopses" which we will workshop in pairs during class as preparation for the papers. I will expect your avid participation--including regular attendance, prompt completion of assignments, and active involvement in discussions (in class as well as outside of class on moodle).

In fact, class participation and attendance will comprise a significant portion of your grade. Beginning week 3 class members will take turns crafting discussion questions. For the week in which you are posting questions, you will also be responsible for helping to lead discussions both days. I will expect a short presentation introducing the main themes and questions on both days you lead. Our Course Moodle serves only as our public class discussion forum. Meanwhile, all information on the course is available on the course website.

Readings are available in multiple formats, including books available at the college bookstore. Articles will be marked with where they can be found: ereserve, or online for articles available for downloading from the web.  Please print out as many online articles as you can before reading them and bring all readings to class; lsmartphones are not allowed during class discussions, and laptops are not preferred but can be used responsibly for taking notes. To avoid distractions and grappling with data we can't vet on the spot, we will try hard NOT to google things in class! Please let me know if you have any trouble obtaining the readings.

Avoid Plagiarism! While we may do collaborative work in and outside of class, my expectation, unless otherwise specified, is that all work you turn in for this class (regardless of the medium) is your own work. Be sure to carefully cite all text and images you borrow from others. For more information on this and how to cite correctly in the discipline of anthropology see these links on Plagiarism and Anthropology Citation Practices under "Resources for Anthropology 211 Assignments".

Sensitive Topics and Ethical Use of Images  Anthropology courses address some of the most sensitive issues humans face (kinship, race, gender, sexuality, class inequality, violence, state politics, etc.). At the same time, class discussion is the central activity of this course and students are required to be proactive in their preparation for it. I define active participation in class as promoting a positive and safe learning environment through respectful discourse with students and me about the topics at hand. While most of our readings, films and assignments will not directly portray graphic or violent material, I will use "Content Notes" to alert class members to any such content ahead of time. I prefer that term (vs. "Trigger warnings") because it avoids psychologizing us and does not assume what our responses to material will be. I also prefer the more neutral-sounding "Content Notes" because it encourages us not to prematurely foreclose our engagements with difficult material, but just to be aware of our own needs and to provide extra care for ourselves if necessary.

Similarly, please be thoughtful and respectful in your image-sharing practices (in your blogs, papers and Moodle posts). All images or videos shared with class members or me should be framed or contextualized with some information about their sources, why they are relevant to the discussion and any Content Notes you feel are needed.

Disability and Accessibility Resources and this course

If you have a disability that may impact your work in this class and you have received an accommodations letter from Disability and Accessibility Resources, I encourage you to meet with me early in the semester or as soon as possible after receiving your letter. Discussing your accommodation needs early on can help clarify expectations and allow time to implement accommodations that require some coordination. If you have not yet requested accommodations through Disability and Accessibility Resources for this semester, or you are interested in learning about disability and accessibility resources at Reed, I encourage you to contact DAR at dar@reed.edu to request an appointment.

Ilness-related Absences

When your health allows, you are expected to be present and engaged in class. At the same time, each community member has an individual responsibility to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Following public health guidance is part of living in an honorable community. 

The following recommendations should guide your decision about coming to class:

  • Self-isolation is the recommended course of action for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, whether due to possible coronavirus or to other illnesses.  Please stay at home if you feel sick, and contact the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) or your healthcare provider to discuss. 
  • If you test positive for COVID-19, you should not attend class for five days.  Please contact the HCC and continue to isolate until you receive a negative antigen test, or until 10 days have passed since your positive test.  You can find more information on Reed’s COVID policies here.
  • The CDC suggests that people with the following symptoms may have COVID: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.  As always, please consult a medical professional (members of the HCC or otherwise) if you have any questions about your health or health safety. 
  • If you need to miss a class, or series of classes, due to illness, self-isolation, and/or quarantine, you are responsible for emailing me to let me know as soon as possible. You are also responsible for coordinating with me to complete work that you might miss due to absences. I will always provide makeup options in cases of excused absence; this might include a written response, a Moodle post, or other check-in assignments. 

Covid Protocol for Our Class

As a community of learners, we have obligations to protect one another’s health. Please wear your masks at all times in class. If you have a medical issue that will make this challenging for you, please see me and/or Disability and Accessibility Resources to discuss accommodations.  It is also possible that we may have bigger disruptions due to COVID. We will navigate the situation together, and I will try to maintain open communication so that we all know what is going on.