ANTH 1300 - Ethnography: Text and Film

Goals: To introduce students to written and cinematic ethnography, the representations of the peoples and cultures that anthropologists produce. To introduce students to basic anthropological concepts and current debates concerning the ethnographic representation of cultures.

Content: Ethnography is the primary method by which sociocultural anthropologists communicate the results of their investigations into the cultures they study. This course will investigate ethnography–both written and pictorial–as a means of communicating cross-cultural difference. A close reading of ethnography is combined with screenings of numerous ethnographic films, a selection of key theoretical articles, lecture and discussion to understand the relationship between media and the representation of culture. How does one translate experience into text or images? Is “culture” the source or the product of these attempts? How do anthropological attempts at representing culture in ethnographic books and film relate to fiction and entertainment?

Taught: Alternate years, winter term.

Credits: 4 credits