Featured Course
ANTHROPOLOGY THROUGH FICTION
Level: College - first year; high school
Focus: humanistic anthropology/interdisciplinary
Competency: close reading
In a Nutshell: Works of fiction written by genre-crossing anthropologists considered in the context of their academic work and life experience
Why I Developed This Course
After 20 years of teaching a survey intro course, I was convinced that there was a better way to introduce the core ideas of cultural anthropology, most importantly, ethnography. I also wanted students to see anthropologist-ethnographers as people, whose life experiences forged their passion for the study of cultures, and whose creativity found multiple expressions both within and outside the bounds of an academic discipline.
Reading List
I focus on the works of three anthropologists: Laura Bohannan, Zora Neale Hurston and Ruth Behar.
Return to Laughter (click for preview) - Laura Bohannan's classic fieldwork tale was published under a pseudonym, Elenore Smith Bowen, as she believed that there was no place for personal thoughts of an ethnographer in her "scientific" writing. Her interest in the connection between ethnography and literature received a renewed attention in the 1980s as an early example of innovation in ethnographic writing.
Supplemental material: "Shakespere in the Bush" (an essay on the challenges of conveying a story across cultural differences)
Their Eyes were Watching God (click for preview) - Zora Neale Hurston's critically acclaimed novel was out of print for a couple of decades when it was rediscovered by Alice Walker in the late 1970s. Hurston's representation of the search for independence by a Black female protagonist and her use of African-American vernacular were well ahead of her time. Her work in her hometown of Eatonville, FL, also creates a fascinating contrast against the mainstream anthropology that studied the cultural other.
Supplemental materials: excerpts from Dust Track on the Road (Hurston's autobiography), Mules and Men (study of Black-American folklore), and "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston" (Alice Walker's essay about her journey to Florida to look for Hurston's grave site); PBS documentary: "Jump at the Sun: Zora Neale Hurston." Also helpful: free audio book on YouTube gives students, who are unfamiliar with the African-American Vernacular, an opportunity to appreciate its audial quality.
Lucky Broken Girl (click for preview)- Written as a children's novel, this little book can be read as a story of a little girls who overcame many challenges to discover herself. At the same time, it carries a big story in the background, of Jewish Diaspora, Cuban Exile, and the history of U.S. hegemony in the western hemisphere, and a high personal stake for the author Ruth Behar, who is known for her challenge against the conventional boundary between the professional and the personal.
Supplemental materials: "The Girl in the Cast" (essay on Behar's recollection on her childhood trauma), historical overview of Cuba and the U.S. in the 1950s-60s (readily found online); also, Behar's documentary film "Adio Kerida" depicts her revisit to Cuba 30 years after her family's exile.
Course Objectives
I incorporate instructions and activities that address intellectual contents: the Concept of Ethnography, Border Crossing, and cognitive strategies: Close Reading and Contextualization.
Concept of Ethnography - A series of brief slide presentations (no more than 15 minutes each) on the history of anthropology and development of ethnographic thought are given in class or in video recording. Students are encouraged to utilize information in these presentations during class discussions and teamwork sessions.
Border Crossing - Anthropology is all about crossing social, cultural and geographical borders and seeing the world from the other side. Not only that, all three authors experienced border crossing in their formative years. Their border-crossing experiences, both professional and personal, are reflected in their fictional work. Students are encouraged to apply the principle of "cultural relativism" and suspend their own cultural judgment.
Close Reading - Essential skill set for academic work in humanities and social sciences is also one of the weak points in the educational background of today's students. We practice paying attention to the narrative structure, following the "hero's journey" motif that are applicable to all three novels, as well as key symbols and metaphors deployed. Even more important is the use of textual evidence to support one's claims, which is reinforced throughout the guided analysis of these fictions.
Contextualization - Narratives are created, read or told, and evaluated in a particular context, whether social, cultural, historical or personal. Students are encouraged to step away from their initial interpretation, based on their own sociohistorical positionings, and interpret the significance of these texts relative to its original context.
Course Structure
The course is designed for a 15-week semester. Each "module" is structured around a process-oriented assignment (instead of an essay or exam at the end), which students work on step-by-step throughout the module.
Week 1-2: Introductory Module
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First class session focuses on the discussion of course requirements and verbal instruction on the modular learning process.
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Remainder of the module will model the modular learning process in a shortened format, concluding with a small assignment that requires students to incorporate three modes of learning: self-guided activities (readings, video recorded presentations, discussion prep), whole-class discussion and teamwork.
Week 3-5: Module 1 (Laura Bohannan)
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Primary goals: 1) to provide a historical overview of anthropology, 2) introduce the key concepts including ethnography, participant observation and cultural relativism, and 3) consider anthropology's relationship to colonialism.
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Process-oriented assignment helps students acquire the skills of using textual evidence and applying the "hero's journey" motif.
Week 6-8: Module 2 (Zora Neale Hurston)
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Primary goals: 1) to consider issues of race and racism 2) introduce feminist thinking and activism that was instrumental in the resurrection of Hurston's work, 3) practice the skill of contextualization by considering the main text in relationship to Hurston's biography, and 4) consider the idea of "native anthropologist" in relationship to the historical development of anthropology as an academic discipline.
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Process-oriented assignment helps students practice the skill of synthesizing multiple sources and considering the connection between biography, history and intellectual knowledge production.
Week 9: Interlude
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Students will watch Ruth Behar's documentary film, "Adio Kerida" during the semester break and submit viewing notes as homework assignment.
Week 10-12: Module 3 (Ruth Behar)
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Primary goals: 2) to consider the issues of migration and border-crossing, 2) further develop the skills of contextualization by incorporating biographical and historical information in the process of interpretation, 3) consider the impact of childhood trauma, and 4) consider the possibility of anthropologists as the "other" due to their gender, race, ethnicity and/or national origin.
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Process-oriented assignment helps students articulate the effects of major political events on individual lives and synthesize their understanding of the fiction, historical background and personal stakes.
Week 13-15: Final Module
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Primary goals: 1) to identify the key information and/or skills that need further attention, and 2) synthesize all that was learned this semester.
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Process-oriented assignment (in lieu of the final exam) helps students review the course material in a holistic manner and reinforce their cognitive strategies.
Reflection
This turns out to be much more effective than a usual intro survey course in many ways. Students become more connected with the authors not just as anthropologists but also as human beings, and are more invested in learning from their writing. Video recorded presentations as well as guided discussions are crucial in providing context to their fictional work and infusing disciplinary contents as relevant.
Compared to other two, Bohannan's biographical information is rather scant. I was her graduate assistant toward the end of her academic career, and therefore, am fortunate to have some insights to her personal life. Even then, two of her most well-read writings and a sampling of her co-authored publications with her ex-husband Paul Bohannan will vie you a glimpse of how much/little of her literary background comes through.