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Psychological Anthropology (Spring
2000--Rutgers)
Robey Callahan, Instructor
Office Room #: 467
Office Hours: M 3:00-4:30 (or by appointment)
Office Phone: 225-6340
M,W 1:20-2:40
Armitage Hall (ATG-212)
070-307 (69233) Sec. 01
Credits: 3
An Introduction to the Course
While the modern fields of psychology and anthropology may well
have shared some common ground in the late 1800s (Wundt's
�ethnic-psychological� work is probably the best example here), they
very quickly went their separate ways and, with two noteworthy
exceptions (Rivers's empirical studies of perception on the Torres
Straits expedition and L�vy-Bruhl's theoretical work on �primitive
mentality�), remained well apart in the years prior to the First
World War.
The sub-field now called
�psychological anthropology� arose as the result of at least two
main points of revived anthropological interest in psychology. The
first centers around early engagements by Malinowski (and, soon
after, certain of Boas's students) with Freudian psychoanalysis; the
second, around early debates among Boas and his students�debates
that gave rise to what has come to be known as �Culture and
Personality� studies.
In the years following the rise of
psychologically-oriented anthropology, one other major strand of
thought would come to have a substantial impact on the growing
tradition. George Herbert Mead provides us with a starting point for
this other major strand: a form of social psychology which may be
termed �symbolic interactionist�.
Taken together, these various
influences, along with numerous others of lesser or tangential
relevance, have bequeathed to us a vibrant and diverse series of
perspectives, all of which, to a greater or lesser extent, focus on
the relationship between culture and mind.
Course Requirements
Attendance is required.
Class participation is encouraged:
I'll ask a few people each day to read their �question� papers (see
below) in order to help get class discussions moving.
There is no research paper to write;
however, each day students will write and submit a �question�
paper. In total each student is required to write fifteen of these
�question� papers. Each �question� paper must be between 125 and
150 words (about half a page typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times
Roman). It must include a brief summary leading up to one or two
thoughtful questions relating to the assigned reading(s). [Note:
the summary should not encompass the entire reading(s); it should
simply be a summary of the parts of the reading(s) relevant to your
question(s).] Of course you can ask questions to which you already
know the answers. The purpose here is to get us all thinking about
the most important points raised in the readings.
As the semester progresses, you can
ask questions that link the currently assigned reading(s) with
previous readings. Fifteen �question� papers are due. Each is
worth 3% of your course grade (for a total of 45%). You can of
course submit more than 15 over the course of the semester (there
are 25 opportunities in all), and I'll take the top 15 into account
when figuring your grade. [Note: you should expect to spend at
least half an hour writing each of these �question� papers�this does
not include the time you'll spend thinking about the readings
before writing.]
There are two exams: a mid-term and a
final. Both are part multiple-choice and part essay. The mid-term
is worth 20% of your course grade; the final, 35%. I've set aside
the last day of class as a review session for the final.
Should you wish to earn extra credit,
you can choose to write a 2,000-word (about eight pages typed,
double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman) essay linking an ethnography
with relevant psychological-anthropological content to readings in
the course. If you are interested in this option, contact me as
early as possible in the semester so that we can discuss your
individual project. By writing this essay you'll have the chance to
earn up to 10 extra percentage points on your final course grade.
Grading
Your course grade will be determined
in the following manner:
Fifteen �question� papers�45% (3%
each)
Mid-term exam�20%
Final exam�35%
(Optional extra credit�10%)
Books
All of the following books (and the
bulk-pack of readings) are available at the bookstore. A copy of
each is also on reserve in the library.
Benedict, Ruth (1934)
Patterns of Culture. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Freud, Sigmund (1910)
Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Mead, Margaret (1928)
Coming of Age in Samoa. New York: William Morrow and Company.
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1981)
Medusa's Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious
Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rosaldo, Michelle (1980)
Knowledge and Passion: Ilongot Notions of Self and Social Life.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The following book is recommended but
not required. It provides a useful summary of some of the themes
we'll be dealing with in this course. Again, a copy will be
available on reserve in the library.
Bock, Philip (1999)
Rethinking Psychological Anthropology. 2nd ed. New York: W.H.
Freeman.
Introduction
January 19th, Wednesday
Discussion of class mechanics and a road map of the major themes
of the course.
Preparatory Readings
January 24th, Monday
Kroeber, Alfred (1917)
The Superorganic. American Anthropologist 19:163-213.
Sapir, Edward (1917)
Do We Need a �Superorganic�? American Anthropologist
19:441-447.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
Freud, Malinowski, and the
Trobriands
January 26th, Wednesday
Freud, Sigmund (1910)
Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
(�Freud: A Brief Life� and the First and Second Lectures)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
January 31st, Monday
Freud, Sigmund (1910)
Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
(The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Lectures)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture on
Freud's model of the psyche and its formation, with particular
attention paid to the Oedipus Complex.
February 2nd, Wednesday
Malinowski, Bronislaw (1927)
Sex and Repression in Savage Society. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. (Part 1, pp 1-40)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
February 7th, Monday
Malinowski, Bronislaw (1927)
Sex and Repression in Savage Society. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. (Part 1, pp 41-82)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
February 9th, Wednesday
Spiro, Melford (1982)
Oedipus in the Trobriands. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
(Chs 1-2, pp 1-39)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture
introducing other anthropological encounters with Freud's ideas.
Culture and Personality
February 14th, Monday
Benedict, Ruth (1934)
Patterns of Culture. New York: Houghton Mifflin. (first half)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
February 16th, Wednesday
Benedict, Ruth (1934)
Patterns of Culture. New York: Houghton Mifflin. (second half)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture on
Bateson's C&P work and on studies of national character.
February 21st, Monday
Mead, Margaret (1928)
Coming of Age in Samoa. New York: William Morrow and Company. (first
half)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
February 23rd, Wednesday
Mead, Margaret (1928)
Coming of Age in Samoa. New York: William Morrow and Company.
(second half)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture on M.
Mead's other C&P work.
February 28th, Monday
Sapir, Edward (1938)
The Emergence of the Concept of Personality in the Study of
Cultures. In Selected Writings of Edward Sapir in Language,
Culture, and Personality. Pp 590-597. Mandelbaum, David G., ed.
(1949) Berkeley: University of California Press.
Sapir, Edward (1938)
Why Cultural Anthropology Needs the Psychiatrist. In
Selected Writings of Edward Sapir in Language, Culture, and
Personality. Pp 569-577. Mandelbaum, David G., ed. (1949) Berkeley:
University of California Press.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture on
Freudian contributions to BPS and on the contributions of Kardiner,
Linton, DuBois, the Whitings, and others.
March 1st, Wednesday
Wallace, Anthony (1970)
Culture and Personality. 2nd Ed. New York: Random House. (Ch. 1, pp
1-27, 34-38)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
March 6th, Monday
Review for mid-term exam.
March 8th, Wednesday
Mid-term exam.
---Spring Break---
Ethnographic Interlude: Bali
March 20th, Monday
Geertz, Clifford (1973)
Person, Time, and Conduct in Bali. In The Interpretation of
Cultures. Pp 360-411. New York: Basic Books.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture
introducing the work of M. Mead, Bateson, and Belo on Balinese
character.
March 22nd, Wednesday
Wikan, Unni (1989)
Managing the Heart to Brighten Face and Soul: Emotions in Balinese
Morality and Health Care. American Ethnologist 16(2):
284-312.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
G.H. Mead, Hallowell, and Goffman
March 27th, Monday
Mead, George Herbert (1934)
Mind, Self and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Part III, Chs 18, 19, 20, 21,
and 22, pp 135-178)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
March 29th, Wednesday
Mead, George Herbert (1934)
Mind, Self and Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Part III, Chs 23, 24, 25, and
26, pp 178-209)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture
reviewing G.H. Mead's model of the self.
April 3rd, Monday
Hallowell, A. Irving (1955)
The Ojibwa Self and Its Behavioral Environment. In Culture
and Experience. Pp 172-182. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture on
Hallowell's model of the self.
April 5th, Wednesday
Goffman, Erving (1955)
On Face-Work: An Analysis of Ritual Elements in Social Interaction.
In Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. Pp
5-45. (1967) New York: Pantheon Books.
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Lecture linking
these approaches with reference to other sources.
Ethnography I: Sri Lanka
April 10th, Monday
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1981)
Medusa's Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious
Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Introduction and
Part 1)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
April 12th, Wednesday
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1981)
Medusa's Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious
Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Parts 2 and 3)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
April 17th, Monday
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1981)
Medusa's Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious
Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Part 4)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
April 19th, Wednesday
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1981)
Medusa's Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious
Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Part 5)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
Ethnography II: The Philippines
April 24th, Monday
Rosaldo, Michelle (1980)
Knowledge and Passion: Ilongot Notions of Self and Social Life.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Ch. 1, pp 1-13 only; Ch. 2)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
April 26th, Wednesday
Rosaldo, Michelle (1980)
Knowledge and Passion: Ilongot Notions of Self and Social Life.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chs 3 and 4)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions.
May 1st, Monday
Rosaldo, Michelle (1980)
Knowledge and Passion: Ilongot Notions of Self and Social Life.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chs 5 and 7)
Discussion on the readings based on your questions. Review for
final exam.
---May 2nd-3rd, Reading Days---
May 10th, Wednesday, 9-12
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