Course Goals and Objectives

This course is designed introduce students to the broad field of ecological anthropology while also providing each student with the opportunity to explore particular topics of their own interest. Special emphasis is placed on human adaptation, the role of humans in the transformation of nature, threats from contemporary risks, and strategies of conservation including marine protected areas and co-management of natural resources.

The main goal of this course is to help students acquire an understanding of multiple, and often competing, perceptions of the relations between social systems and ecosystems. A central question is the role of humans in nature. This is one of the oldest human questions, and although much research has been done to advance understandings of different habitats and species, the actual and proper place of humans within these systems remains an issue of contention. The problem is philosophical but it has persisted in part because social scientists have studied social systems and natural scientists have studied ecosystems. The course hopes to bridge this gap by demonstrating the mutual relationships between humans and nature. We argue that most critical environmental problems only come into focus when we are able to combine both perspectives

The relationship between collective behaviors and ecological characteristics is contextualized by a large body of research that is currently being conducted on the topic of Risk Perception. The concept of the Risk Society is utilized to explore risk management responses to changes in the relationship between humans and their environments.

This course begins with an introduction to basic concepts of ecological anthropology and models used for understanding the relationship of ecology to social behavior. We are especially interested in how humans over long periods of time come to change and be changed by their environment. Environmental ethics, folk knowledge, and residential stability are viewed as key variables. These ideas are considered in a series of case studies in which we can see the effects of long-term and short-term cultural/natural adaptations.

The first case involves the Numic people (Paiutes and Shoshone Indians) of the Great Basin. By examining a culture that has been learning from, adapting to and modifying the ecosystems of the Great Basin for over ten thousand years, it is possible to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the multiple factors that contribute to the development of an environmental ethic.

More recent systems of environmental ethics and adaptation are next explored through Steve Lansing’s writings on the Indonesian Balinese society. Bali is another of the most-studied places on earth, and today its thousand-year-old system of common property management is threatened by collapse. We explore how a full understanding of this system leads us from the natural world to Balinese ideas about ecology and social life.

In the final weeks of class we explore social systems of environmental ethics developed in relation to marine protected areas (MPAs). First, we explore relations developed between Bahamians and the sea over four hundred years, and next we examine the relation between Dominican Republic social systems and environmental threats and solutions. A parallel example of adaptation occurring over a period of one hundred years is provided through an analysis of the Scandinavian Folk Fishers of Isle Royale.

These case studies provide information about modeling, risk perceptions and management, and environmental ethics that can be compared and contrasted to issues of current and future world cultural ecology. We encourage students to actively utilize the web site urls as well as individual research to gain a greater understanding of how societies conceptualize environmental risks and manifold solutions.

Integration of Writing

Writing is an integral part of Anthropology 307. Students will prepare three related essays outside of class. The essays reflect the major themes of the course. The first essay will describe a balanced (or sustainable) human-nature relationship anywhere in the world. The second essay will describe a threat to this human/nature relationship. The third essay will describe a solution to this threat that could be or was successful. The final paper integrates the three previous essays into a single story.

These essays will range from three to six pages single-spaced in length. The integrated essay should be from ten to fifteen pages in length, including bibliography and maps. The writing component of this course emphasizes critical inquiry by dealing with controversial subjects related to the nature-human relationship. Students will gather, evaluate, and integrate ideas from several sources to prepare for their written exercises. Writing will be graded for content and argument, as well as for structure, grammar, and overall presentation. Students will have the opportunity to revise essays after receiving comments from the instructor on initial drafts. Students will be required to properly cite all references consulted.

Critical Thinking

Anthropology 307 is an exercise in critical thinking. This course is specifically geared to explore the interface between two competing approaches to the study of the relationship between ecology and the social world. Social scientists and natural scientists often take very different approaches to the same problems, but many of the most important problems in environmental studies require the integration of these approaches. Students will explore how these approaches can be most effectively combined or even replaced by completely different approaches. The Mini Papers can suggest new approaches.

Student Assessment

Student grades are based on three exams and four short essays. Each exam will cover approximately a third of the course materials, and is based equally on lectures and readings. The exams involve objective questions and maps. Each exam is focused on materials presented since the last exam; thus the Final Exam is not cumulative.

Exam 1		100 Points
Exam 2		100 Points
Mini Papers
Case Study		25 Points
Threat		25 Points
Solution		25 Points
Integrated Essay		25 Points
Final Exam		100 Points
Total Points		400 Points

Honors Students

Ecological Anthropology is an ideal course for honors students. Honors students will be accommodated with a special discussion section, in addition to the normal lectures, where they will engage in discussions on current and controversial topics in ecological anthropology. As a final project, honors students will write a short research paper, which can be an expanded version of the normal class Mini Papers. The honors grade will be equally influenced by participation in the discussion section and the research paper.