Cultural
Anthropology/Sociology - Consumption, Values and U.S. Culture
An intriguing approach to the study
of culture in the United States is to focus on how well
traditional anthropological definitions of culture reflect the
complex manifestations of popular culture. Students have dealt
with this topic in both my Cultural Anthropology and my
Introduction to Sociology class. In the case of the later I asked
that students develop an analysis of our culture as it relates to
a national marketing initiative known as PRIZM. In the former I
had groups of students focus on the commonalities of U.S. culture
through sets of perceived values, both real and ideal.
Eventually, students took their groups definitions of values
and applied them to one case studythe included example to the
left is focused on television and U.S. life. Such a focus on
values and culture allows the anthropology student to gain a
greater appreciation of the complexities of modern culture as
well as contemporary debates of the foundational concepts in the
discipline.
Class Resource -
Showcasing Student Work
As one of the many resources that I
feature on the departmental website, I enjoy highlighting the
previous accomplishments of my students. By emphasizing the
public nature of pedagogy, I can serve the needs of my current
students through the education that is the work of previous
classes. Teaching anthropology in a community college offers me a
unique opportunity to connect to students at all levels of the
discipline, including theory and practice. I often share these
resources with my colleagues on campus, regardless of their
discipline, to give them some ideas that might work in their
classroom. Because I have been involved in the professional work
focused on Strategies in Teaching Anthropology, I also
receive e-mails and calls from anthropologists who are beginning
their careers. Most recently I received an e-mail from a
colleague who is just beginning to teach anthropology at the
community college level. She had read my article on teaching
anthropology through popular culture and wanted to get more
feedback on the suggested activity. Because of the interesting
issues that are raised in anthropology classes, I have found it
useful to make the work of student anthropologists as public as
possible.
An intriguing approach to the study
of culture in the United States is to focus on how well
traditional anthropological definitions of culture reflect the
complex manifestations of popular culture. Students have dealt
with this topic in both my Cultural Anthropology and my
Introduction to Sociology class. In the case of the later I asked
that students develop an analysis of our culture as it relates to
a national marketing initiative known as PRIZM. In the former I
had groups of students focus on the commonalities of U.S. culture
through sets of perceived values, both real and ideal.
Eventually, students took their groups definitions of values
and applied them to one case studythe included example to the
left is focused on television and U.S. life. Such a focus on
values and culture allows the anthropology student to gain a
greater appreciation of the complexities of modern culture as
well as contemporary debates of the foundational concepts in the
discipline.
