1 Anthropology 410, Fall 2010 SOCIAL CONTRACTS Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30-9:50am, Condon 260 Dr. Stephen Dueppen Office: 254 Condon Hall Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-4 or by appointment Email: [email protected] Course Description Western political philosophy has long debated whether rulers lead by consent of the populace, or rather take power from them. During the enlightenment, a variety of theories were advanced regarding the nature and practice of social contracts, primarily concerning state-level societies, but also addressing issues of egalitarianism and the origins of institutionalized inequalities. This course explores social contract theory within anthropological research, and how it has influenced analyses of the domestic group, communities, and polities in western and non-western societies. Requirements: Your final grade for this course will be based on the following: - Reaction Journal (55%) - Research Paper (35%) - Attendance and Participation (10%) Late papers will NOT be accepted without prior permission. If you have a documented disability and may need accommodation in this class, please contact me in advance. Please also request the Counselor for Students with Disabilities to provide a letter verifying your disability. I take academic integrity very seriously; please review the University’s Academic Honesty Policy posted on the blackboard website and contact me if you have any questions. Readings: All course readings are available as PDF files on the course blackboard site. Important Dates to Remember October 19: Deadline for choosing a research paper topic November 16: Research paper outline and bibliography due in class December 3: Research paper due by 5:00 pm Reaction Journal For each class, you will be required to write a short reaction journal to the readings. These are NOT meant to be summaries, but rather an opportunity for you to think critically about the meaning and implications of the work. In order to help you, I will provide you with question(s) that you may use to guide your response. We will then use these questions as a starting point for our class discussions. • Journals are due at the beginning of class. • Each journal should be at least 250 words, but not over 500 words • Journals may be written informally, in a conversational tone, but should be carefully edited for spelling and grammar. I realize that other obligations can sometimes get in the way of a daily assignment. For this reason, you may turn in ONE journal late, provided you attend class and submit the journal by 10pm the same day, and you may pass (not turn in) ONE journal, again provided you attend class.Anthropology 410: Social Contracts 2 Class Topics and Readings! September 28: Introduction, Four-Field Anthropology and Political Theory September 30: Foundations: Hobbes Readings: Hobbes, Leviathan Chapters XVII-XXII October 5: Foundations: Locke Readings: Locke, Two Treatises of Government, Book II Chapters 1-7 October 7: Foundations: Rousseau I Readings: Rousseau, Discourse on Social Inequalities, “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men” Parts 1 and 2 October 12: Foundations: Rousseau II Readings: Rousseau, Social Contract, Books 1 and 2 October 14: Foundations: Western Democratic Revolutions Readings: Magna Carta Bill of Rights Federalist Papers I, XLI, XLII, XLIX, LI, LXXI, LXXVIII Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen October 19: Classic Anthropological Approaches to Political Change: Steward and White ***FINAL DEADLINE FOR CHOOSING PAPER TOPIC*** Readings: Steward 1955, Theory of Culture Change, Chapter 1 White 1959, Evolution of Culture, Chapter 1 October 21: Classic Anthropological Approaches to Political Change: Service Readings: Service 1975, Origins of the State and Civilization, Introduction; Chapters 1, 3 October 26: Classic Anthropological Approaches to Political Change: Fried Readings: Fried 1967, The Evolution of Political Society, Chapters 1, 2 October 28: Classic Anthropological Approaches to Political Change: Sahlins Readings: Sahlins 1972, Stone Age Economics, “The Original Affluent Society” Sahlins 2008, The Western Illusion of Human Nature, 98-112 November 2: Social Contracts and the Domestic Unit Readings: Pateman 1988, The Sexual Contract, Chapter 1 November 4: Social Contracts, Genetics and the State of Nature Readings: Dawkins 1976, The Selfish Gene, Chapters 1-2 November 9: Social Contracts and Social Inequality Readings: Hayden 1995, “Pathways to power: Principles for creating socioeconomic inequalities” Kelly 1993, Constructing Inequality, 473-481 November 11: Inter-Societal Contracts Readings: Wallerstein 1974, The Modern World-System I, Chapter 7Anthropology 410: Social Contracts 3 November 16: Exploration of Contracts 1: Pueblo Society ***PAPER OUTLINE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE IN CLASS*** Readings: Rushforth and Upham 1992, A Hopi Social History, Chapters 1-2 November 18: Exploration of Contracts 2: African Societies Readings: Ottenberg 1971, Leadership and Authority in an African Society, Introduction, Chapters 1, 12 Shaw 1977, Unearthing Igbo-Ukwu, Chapters 1, 8-9 November 23: Exploration of Contracts 3: New Guinea Readings: Tuzin 2001, Social Complexity in the Making, Chapters 1, 8 November 25: NO CLASS- Thanksgiving November 30: Exploration of Contracts 4: Northwest Coast USA Readings: Boas 1966, Kwakiutl Ethnography, Chapter 4 Coupland et al. 2009, “Hierarchy, communalism, and the spatial order of northwest coast plank houses: a comparative study” December 2: The Future of Social Contracts in Anthropology ***FINAL PAPERS DUE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, BY 5:00