Carleton University
Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology
Winter 2006
Mondays 11:35 - 2:25
Tory Building 219
Anne Galloway
anne.galloway@gmail.com
Office Loeb A701
Wednesdays 1:00 - 2:15
or by appointment
Assignment details & due dates
Assignment details & due dates
SHOW-AND-TELL 10%
Students are required to bring an interesting object to class each week. The artefact - extraordinary or mundane - must be found somewhere in Ottawa and tell us something about the people or places around us. Each seminar will begin with students presenting their things to the class in traditional show-and-tell style and include critical discussions around issues of material culture. Due weekly.
SEMINAR PARTICIPATION 10%
Students are expected to come to class each week with the assigned readings completed in advance, and to be prepared to critically discuss the main arguments and how they relate to instructor mini-lectures and student presentations. At the end of each class, students will be required to submit one statement and one question arising from our discussions. Due weekly.
The seminar follows these guidelines:
"The university classroom is a special place that allows exploration and discussion of issues and topics that may well present a problem for some students. It is therefore important, during discussions, that students keep an open mind, try to understand other's perspectives, and, if necessary, agree to disagree. You may well remain convinced that you are right and that everyone else (or a good percentage of the class) is wrong at the end of the day, but engagement in critical discussion and analysis is what the university is all about and it is perhaps one of the few places you have to engage with issues without restraints or fears. Although discussions may be heated, all participants must observe everyday expectations of courtesy and consideration for others in the exchanges. If the instructor feels that these expectations have been breached the student involved will be asked to leave the class."
(Rob Shields, Theorizing Material and Virtual Culture - Winter 2006 syllabus, University of Alberta)
SEMINAR PRESENTATION 20%
Students are required to give a 15 minute presentation on one of the assigned readings. In addition to summarising the main points, students must critically evaluate the article and relate it to the week’s other readings and the broader course themes. Student will also provide a 1-page handout for other students, and lead the class in discussion following their presentation. Assignment guidelines will be provided in class and online. Sign-up will take place in the first class. Due per student sign-up.
RESEARCH PROJECT 40%
Students are required to conduct a substantial (15-18 pages) research project on a topic related to course themes and approved by the Instructor at least one month before the due date. Individual projects may take one of the following formats: EITHER a written essay OR a web-based project (including written text) OR a drawn or photographed project (including written text). Assignment guidelines will be provided in class and online. Due Feb 27, 2006.
INVISIBLE OTTAWA PROJECT 20%
Using a combination of observation, written, photographic and audio documentation, and critical interpretation, students are required to submit a short (5-7 page) ethnographic narrative of Ottawa according to the themes presented in one of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. Copies of the stories and assignment details will be provided in class and online. Due Apr 3, 2006.