Course Description

This year's First Year Program asks the question, "With so many claims of what is true and good, how then shall we live?" In the spring semester, we will consider the relationship between morality and culture. In a world of diverse cultural and religious views, how can we understand different conceptions of what is right, good, and moral? Anthropology urges us to be culturally relativist by understanding that how people see the world varies according to their cultural context. But does that mean that we should also be morally relativist, that we can't judge other people's notions of what is right or appropriate because we don't share their experiences and perspectives on the world? What if our morality compels us to challenge or stop other people from taking actions that they believe to be correct?

This course will consider complex moral questions from a cross-cultural, anthropological perspective. We will critically examine how different groups and individuals grapple with a sense of what is right and moral, and how their views and actions, as well as our responses to them, are caught up with issues of power, politics, economics, social relations, and culture. Topics will include drug dealing, poverty and infant mortality, abortion, AIDS, genocide, masculinity, and human trafficking.

As part of the First Year Program, this course is simultaneously interdisciplinary and grounded in the field of anthropology. The interdisciplinary elements of the course will be most evident in the texts, discussions, and co-curricular activities that we will share in common with other FYP sections. The anthropological perspective will emerge in two key ways: First, the course starts from the anthropological premise that human beings are sociocultural creatures who shape and are shaped by their social and cultural contexts in complex and profound ways, and that focusing on the particularities of individual and group experiences in all their diversity can help us to understand larger social, cultural, economic, and political processes. Second, many of the authors we will read are anthropologists who are primarily concerned with issues of culture and/or write ethnographically about the particular experiences of the people with whom they did their research.

Throughout the semester, these two approaches -- interdisciplinary and anthropological -- will come together in several key questions: How do people come to hold particular perceptions of what is right, just, or good? What role does culture play in the creation of morality? How are approaches that seek to learn about "goodness" -- ethics, philosophy, literature, and religion -- also reflections of particular cultural and historical contexts? With what consequences? Once we see that questions of morality can be answered in diverse ways, how can we formulate our own notions of goodness and act upon them appropriately and responsibly?

Class meetings

The class meets three times per week and follows a seminar format. Students will be expected to attend class meetings (attendance will be taken), to complete the readings as scheduled on the syllabus, and to come to class prepared to engage in a focused discussion of the issues raised by the readings. Most weeks, students will write a brief journal entry (2-3 pages) on an assigned topic. These will serve as the basis for group discussion.

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based on written work and class participation, broken down as follows:

1. Class Discussion and Participation (20%)

This seminar promotes an active approach to learning. Not only are you required to attend class meetings, but you will be expected to engage actively in group discussions in ways which demonstrate your critical reflection on the readings. Because involvement in class activities is so important, more than two unexcused absences during the semester will result in the lowering of your participation grade by one-half a percentage point for each additional class missed.

2. Reading reflection journal (30%)

Overview: Each week, you will be asked to write briefly (2-3 pages) on issues raised by the readings. Journal entries are not formal papers, but they do require you to explore insights you have acquired from the readings, develop points that intrigue you, compare the author's perspective to those of others you have read or discussed (in this class or others), relate the issues considered to your own experiences, or evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of an author's argument. Although these reflections might be personal and less formal in tone than those of a longer paper, they should still be scholarly/intellectual, in that you critically, but fairly, consider the views offered by the reading, develop your own ideas, and suggest concrete supporting points through evidence and logic.

Topics: For each set of readings, study guide questions will be posted to the course website http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/fypspring/fypsgquestions.html). These questions are intended to get you thinking about themes that we may discuss in class. Use one of those questions as a starting point for your journal entry. For some days/readings, you will be free to choose whatever question appeals to you. At other points, you will be asked to address a specific question or set of themes. Instructions will be included with the questions for each week.

Intellectual Approach: A journal entry can be an essay, complete with a thesis statement and a logical progression of ideas and evidence to support your argument. But it also might be a less structured musing or stream of consciousness reflection on the issues surrounding the question. It could also take a comparative approach in which you consider the question in light of other works you've read or experiences you've had. Follow whatever approach seems most interesting to you for the particular topics and themes we're considering that week. Feel free to experiment with different writing styles or modes of analysis as the semester progresses. Whether you adopt the more formal tone of an essay or the freer discursive style of stream of consciousness, make sure that you consider the questions of logic and evidence appropriate for an intellectual journal. Why do you think or feel the way you do about the issue you're describing? What other approaches might one take? What are their relative strengths and weaknesses? Keep in mind our primary goal of critical thinking in which you explore diverse ideas so that you can come to informed conclusions which you will be able to support.

Format: Journal entries should be typed, double-spaced, in 12 point font, with margins of at least one inch on all sides. Please print the entries out and bring them with you to class on the days that they are due. In keeping with the new academic honesty policy for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, every entry will also need to be submitted by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu for archival purposes. Entries will be collected and returned the following week with feedback.

Grading: Eleven journal entries are assigned over the course of the semester. You need to submit eight. You may submit a ninth entry, in which case the lowest grade will be dropped. Journal entries will be evaluated on a scale of check plus, check, and check minus. These designations roughly correspond to the traditional letter grades of A, B, and C. Your overall journal grade will be an average of these assessments, but it will also incorporate other factors such as improvement over time, consistency of effort, etc. I encourage you to meet with me at any time and as frequently as you would like to discuss your entries.

3. Two 4-6 page essays (25%)

In weeks 5 and 11, you will be asked to submit a 4-6 page (double-spaced) essay on an assigned question. These essays will require you to make a critical, insightful, and compelling argument that synthesizes issues raised by at least two readings from previous weeks. The paper with the higher grade will count for 15% of your course grade, while the lower grade will count for 10%. Papers should be submitted by email and will be due by 5pm on Sunday, February 18 and Wednesday, April 4. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one portion of a grade (e.g. an A becomes an A-) for each day late.

4. Final paper (25%)

At the end of the semester, you will write a final paper (10-15 pages) in response to two essay questions that require you to evaluate critically several readings in order to explore central themes of the course. The questions for the final paper will be distributed during class on April 20. Papers will be due in Professor Leshkowich's office and by email on Friday, May 4 by 5 p.m. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one portion of a grade (e.g. an A becomes an A-) for each day late.

Academic Honesty

In coming to Holy Cross, students and faculty have joined an intellectual community dedicated to learning together through the open exchange of ideas. For us to feel comfortable sharing our perspectives, we need to be confident that our ideas will be respected as our own. All of us share responsibility for creating an environment conducive to open exchange by holding to principles of trust, integrity, and honesty. Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and collusion, violates these fundamental principles. As a student, you are responsible for reading and knowing the College Policy on Academic Honesty, as stated in the College Catalog (pages 12-14). As your professor, I am available to help you understand this policy and to guide you in following appropriate methods of research and citation.

In response to a growing number of infractions of the college policy on academic honesty, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology has instituted an archive of student written work. All papers for this class, including journal entries, must be submitted in electronic form so that they may be permanently stored in the department.

This class adheres to a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty. Any work that, upon investigation, is found to violate the college policy will receive a grade of zero and a report will be submitted to the college administration. Further information about these procedures is contained in the College Catalog.

Grade Calculation

The 4-6 page essays, final paper, and course grades will be calculated according to a 100-point scale. The grading scale is as follows:

A, 93 and above	C+, 77-79.99
A-, 90-92.99	C, 73-76.99
B+, 87-89.99	C-, 70-72.99
B, 83-86.99	D+, 67-69.99
B-, 80-82.99	D, 60-66.99
	F, 59.99 and below

Office Hours

My office hours are listed at the top of this syllabus, and I encourage you to visit with me during the semester. I am available to discuss specific issues arising from the course, as well as to exchange more general insights and chat about experiences from your studies or my research.

Course Website (http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/fypspring/fyp.html)

The website for this course is a center for important information: syllabus, writing assignments, study guide questions, essay questions, and announcements. Please check it frequently and feel free to pass along suggestions for additional links and information which should be included. Also, check out my homepage at:
http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/homepage.html

Readings

The following books (marked with ** on the reading list) are available for purchase at the bookstore:

Bourgois, Philippe. 2003. In Search of Respect. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0521017114
Gutmann, Matthew C. 2006. The Meanings of Macho. University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520250130
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. 1992. Death without Weeping. University of California Press. ISBN: 0520075374
Farmer, Paul. 1993. AIDS and Accusation. University of California Press. ISBN: 0520083431
Hinton, Alexander Laban (ed.) 2002. Annihilating Difference. University Of California Press. ISBN: 9780520230293
Ginsburg, Faye. 1998. Contested Lives. University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520217355
Bales, Kevin. 2004. Disposable People. University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520243842
Greene, Graham. 1991. The Quiet American. Penguin Classics. ISBN: 0140185003

All other readings are available through ERes. The course password is moralityculture.

Course Schedule

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: What is morality? How does it relate to culture? How much of what we think to be moral and good is a product of our cultural context?

Wednesday, 1/17
Discussion of course themes, organization, and requirements.
Viewing of movie: "Warrior Marks"

Friday, 1/19
The Debate over Female Genital Cutting
Read: Walley, "Searching for 'Voices': Feminism, Anthropology, and the Global Debate over Female Genital Operations" (article)
Ahmadu, "Rites and Wrongs: An Insider/Outsider Reflects on Power and Excision" (article)
Journal Entry #1 due on Sunday, 1/21 by 6pm. Please submit your entry by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

HAMLET
Our first common reading for the year is Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet. What are the issues of morality at stake in the play? How are these issues related to the culture of Elizabethan England? Are the themes of Hamlet reflections of human universals?

Monday, 1/22
Read: Begin **Shakespeare, Hamlet, Introductory materials (pp. xiii-liii), Acts 1 and 2

Wednesday, 1/24
Read: Continue **Shakespeare, Hamlet, Acts 3-4

Friday, 1/26
Read: Finish **Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5, Essay by Michael Neill (pp. 307-326)
Bohannan, "Shakespeare in the Bush" (article)

Monday, 1/29
Read: No new reading today
Journal Entry #2 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

DRUGS
In the 1980s, crack received significant public attention in the US as a sign of poverty, moral degeneration, and hopelessness. Philippe Bourgois's book focuses on the lives of drug dealers in New York's Spanish Harlem. In reading his book, we will consider such questions as: What led individuals to participate in the crack trade? What role did history, race/ethnicity, gender, and class play in shaping this trade and the lives of those who participated in it? How do we study individuals who engage in behavior that we might find repugnant?

Wednesday, 1/31
Read: **Bourgois, In Search of Respect, chapters 1-3 (chapters 2-3 can be read quickly)

Friday, 2/2
Read: **Bourgois, In Search of Respect, chapters 4-6

Monday, 2/5
Read: **Bourgois, In Search of Respect, chapters 7-9, epilogue (chapter 7 can be read quickly)
Journal Entry #3 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

MASCULINITY AND MACHISMO
In Search of Respect highlighted connections between violence, misogyny, and masculinity. Similar ideas are often associated with "machismo" among Mexican men. But is the idea of machismo more stereotypical than real? How do conceptions of proper masculinity shape actual men's behavior? Why do certain groups of people acquire reputations for bad gendered behaviors?

Wednesday, 2/7
Read: **Gutmann, The Meanings of Macho, Introduction, chapters 1-3

Friday, 2/9
Read: **Gutmann, The Meanings of Macho, chapters 4-6

Monday, 2/12
Read: **Gutmann, The Meanings of Macho, chapters 7-10
Journal Entry #4 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

POVERTY AND MOTHERING
Continuing our exploration of behavior and morality in the context of family life, we will consider what happens when one must raise children under extremely adverse conditions. Is maternal instinct really an instinct, or are feelings between mothers and children in fact culturally conditioned? Can life conditions be so bad that one adjusts one's feelings toward others? Does that excuse one's actions? Can behaviors that constitute child neglect and abuse in one society be seen as normal and reasonable in another?

Wednesday, 2/14
Read: **Scheper-Hughes, Death Without Weeping, Prologue, Introduction, chapters 2-3

Friday, 2/16
Read: **Scheper-Hughes, Death Without Weeping, chapters 6 and 7
Handout about development and structural adjustment policies

Monday, 2/19
Read: **Scheper-Hughes, Death Without Weeping, chapters 8 and 9

Wednesday, 2/21
Read: No new reading.
First 4-6 page essay due by 5pm on Thursday, 2/22. Your essay should be emailed to: aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

AIDS AND GLOBAL RELATIONS
Why do diseases become pandemics that quickly circulate around the globe? What cultural, social, political, and economic factors are involved? Why are certain countries and peoples said to be disease-ridden? What is our responsibility for pandemics?

Friday, 2/23
Read: **Farmer, AIDS and Accusation, Introduction, Part I

Monday, 2/26
Read: **Farmer, AIDS and Accusation, Parts II and III

Wednesday, 2/28
Read: **Farmer, AIDS and Accusation, Parts IV and V
Journal Entry #5 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

SECOND COMMON READING
Friday, 3/2
Read: Galbraith, The Affluent Society, pages 6-17, 114-142 (article)

Monday, March 5 - Friday, March 9
No Class: Spring Break

GENOCIDE
This week, we will consider what leads people to hate others, often for reasons of cultural, ethnic, or religious difference, so much that they engage in mass extermination. Revisiting some of the questions raised by last semester's production of the play Good, we will explore not just the individual causes of genocide, but also the broader structural factors. We will also consider what happens in the wake of genocide. What is our moral responsibility when we know such things to be occurring? How might anthropology help us to understand genocide?

Monday, 3/19
Read: **Hinton, Annihilating Difference, chapters 1, 2, and 4

Wednesday, 3/21
Read: **Hinton, Annihilating Difference, chapters 6 and 8

Friday, 3/23
No regular class today. Instead, meet at the Cantor Gallery for a tour of the exhibit of Indonesian songket textiles, led by curator Professor Susan Rodgers.

Monday, 3/26
Read: **Hinton, Annihilating Difference, chapters 10, 11, and 13
Journal Entry #7 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

Wednesday, 3/28
Read: No new reading, continue discussion of Hinton

ABORTION
In 1991, sociologist James Hunter described America as engulfed in a "culture war" in which people seemed polarized by different ideological views of the world. Abortion has been one of the hot button issues of the culture wars. By exploring accounts of activists on different sides of the abortion issue, we will consider how people form moral views. On an issue about which many people feel strongly, what leads a minority to devote time and energy to convincing others of the correctness of their beliefs? How might understanding the context for the formation of moral beliefs help to bridge differences between different sides?

Friday, 3/30
Read: **Ginsburg, Contested Lives, chapters 1-5

Monday, 4/2
Read: **Ginsburg, Contested Lives, chapters 6-8

Wednesday, 4/4
Read: **Ginsburg, Contested Lives, chapters 9-12, Epilogue
Journal Entry #8 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

Friday, 4/6 and Monday, 4/9: No class, Easter Break

HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Slavery may seem to be a relic of the past, but contemporary forms of human trafficking are more widespread than we might realize. What are these forms? Why are they occurring? What are the perspectives of those involved in coercive labor? What forms of agency might people have, even in situations of extreme constraint? And what is our role as consumers who benefit, perhaps unwittingly, from coercive labor?

Wednesday, 4/11
Read: **Bales, Disposable People, Preface, chapter 1, first of your two assigned chapters
Optional reading: Lindquist, "Veils and Ecstasy: Negotiating Shame in the Indonesian Borderlands" (article)
Movie in class: BATAM

Friday, 4/13
Read: **Bales, Disposable People, second of your two assigned chapters, chapter 7, Coda
Second 4-6 page essay due Sunday, 4/15 by 5 pm by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

THIRD COMMON READING: THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH

Monday, 4/16
Read: **Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Ilyich, "Introduction"

Wednesday, 4/18
Read: **Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Ilyich, "Death of Ivan Ilyich"

Friday, 4/20
Read: **Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Ilyich, "Master and Man"
Journal Entry #9 due in class and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.
Questions for Final Paper will be distributed in class.

AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD: IDEALISM AND POWER
In the decades following the end of the Second World War, America has assumed a prominent role in global politics. What are the moral claims and visions that have often accompanied American foreign policy and intervention? Are democracy and human rights universals? What lessons might we take from prior American involvements abroad?

Monday, 4/23
Read: **Greene, The Quiet American

Wednesday, 4/25
Read: **Greene, The Quiet American

Friday, 4/27
No class: Trip to New York City. Bus departs at 7am, returns around midnight.
Journal Entry #10 due to Prof. Leshkowich's office and by email to aleshkow[at]holycross.edu.

For more information, contact: aleshkow@holycross.edu