GLST290: Cultural Anthropology

11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 06/24/2024

Course Description

This course will study how people from around the world survive, live, and thrive as a community through the perspective of culture. Key issues discussed include social structure, language, subsistence, power, religion, kinship, and globalization.

Rationale

Since Christians are obliged to confront every ethnic community with the claims of Jesus Christ intending to make disciples, it is necessary for them to make the Gospel relevant and meaningful. This course is designed to enable the student to recognize and minimize any misunderstandings in the mission process, to more readily adapt to other cultures, to understand social structures within those cultures, and to know how to properly contextualize the work they will eventually leave behind.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning opportunities. Therefore, the student will complete 3 Discussions in this course. For each Discussion, the student will post a response of at least 400 words to various questions using the Bible and the course material to support their assertions. The student will also reply to at least 2 classmates’ posts using at least 200 words for each unique reply using the Bible and the course material. Citations from the textbook(s) are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: A, B, C, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Ethnographic Interview: Research Basics Assignment

The student will analyze several research concepts and show their significance to the ethnographic interview process. A title page and bibliography are required in addition to the 2 pages of content. Citations from the textbook are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: B, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 3)

Elmer Book Review Assignment

The student will write a 3-page review of the book Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. A title page and bibliography are required in addition to the 3 pages of content. Citations from the book are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: A, B, D and FSLOs: CGE 3, 4, 5)

Ethnographic Interview: Pre-Interview Research Assignment

The student will conduct research on the culture of the person they have chosen to interview for the ethnographic interview and present their findings and an analysis of their role as the researcher in the ethnographic interview process in a 3-page paper. A title page and bibliography are required in addition to the 3 pages of content. Citations from the textbook(s) and other scholarly sources are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: A, B, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Ethnographic Interview: Pre-Interview Questions Assignment

The student will submit a list of ten interview questions that could be used during the ethnographic interview. Concepts from the textbook(s) and other scholarly sources must be used when creating the interview questions and must be cited using current Turabian formatting. A title page and bibliography are also required.  (CLOs: A, B, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Ethnographic Interview: Analysis and Reflection Assignment

The student will conduct an interview with a person who was born and raised in a different culture than the culture that the student would consider their home culture and write a 4-page analysis using the course material and other scholarly sources. A title page, bibliography, and appendix containing the list of the interview questions are required in addition to the 4 pages of content. Citations from the textbook(s) and other scholarly sources are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: A, B, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Case Study Analysis Assignment

The student will write a 2-page analysis of the assigned case study using Scripture and the course material. The student will identify the main issues in the case study, the rationale that informs the actions of each party involved in the conflict, and discuss possible solutions to the dilemma presented in the case study. A title page and bibliography are required in addition to the 2 pages of content. Citations from the textbook(s) are required using current Turabian formatting. (CLOs: A, C, D and FSLOs: CGE 1,2, 3, 4, 5)

Quizzes (3)

All quizzes are open-book and open-notes. Each quiz will contain 30 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour. (CLOs: A, B, D and FSLOs: CGE 1, 2, 3, 5)