ANT 2416 Childhood Around the World Fall 2014 Class Number 4864 Class Meets T R 12 30 1 45 PM 201 MCH Instructor Dr Elizabeth H Peters Office 1847 W Tenn CVS Varsity Plaza Office Hrs M W 11 30 AM 12 30 PM by appt Telephone 644 8148 E mail epeters fsu edu Class Asst TBA Office 1847 W Tenn Varsity Plaza Office Hrs TBA Telephone 644 4281 leave message E mail TBA Final Exam Thurs Dec 11 2014 3 00 5 00 PM This course examines the variety of ways childhood is experienced in other cultures allowing students without a background in anthropology to develop an appreciation for the nature of childhood and the pivotal role this stage plays in maintaining cultural continuity and influencing cultural evolution Examination of the scientific evidence for the nature of children will alternate with cinematic dramatization and discussion of relevant readings This course meets Liberal Studies Area III requirements and X Cross Cultural requirements OBJECTIVES Examine lifespan changes in humans with a focus on childhood Review the evolutionary forces that have shaped human nature at every stage with a focus on the Examine the role of culture in organizing human behavior and the role of children as agents of Broaden exposure to the variety of ways childhood is experienced in other cultures and the place childhood stage cultural continuity and cultural change of children in diverse cultural communities nurture children on a worldwide basis Develop awareness of the dangers posed by the global exploitation of children and the need to LECTURE TOPICS Why study children What can anthropology contribute What can anthropology learn What is a human What is a child Species traits stage traits What is culture How is human culture distinctive Physical traits appearance change in size proportion growth curve Motor development child play child work Emotional and social development attachment Cognitive development Children and culture continuity and change Child exploitation child abuse nurturing children worldwide Educational initiatives of the 21st century REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS 1 Attendance participation daily sign in begins Tues Sept 2 2 Syllabus Quiz Thurs Sept 4 3 Readings as assigned 4 Two class exams Thurs Oct 3 and Thurs Nov 6 5 Written report due Fri Nov 15 6 Final exam Thurs Dec 11 READINGS Readings will be available on Blackboard through FSU e Reserves The first slide of every class will announce any required reading for each topic SYLLABUS QUIZ On Thurs Sept 4 2014 there will be a short quiz about the contents of this syllabus If all questions are answered correctly a student can earn one bonus point toward their final average for example a final average of 89 would become 90 Since this is a bonus point and not a required component there are no make ups Come to class and perform well on this 5 question true false quiz to earn one bonus point POWERPOINTS ON BLACKBOARD This is a web assisted class All Powerpoints will be posted on Blackboard under the Powerpoints tab Reviewing these posted Powerpoints on a regular basis will enhance your understanding and long term memory of material presented in class If you are absent from class you can use these posted Powerpoints to get some sense of the contents of a class but this is not a substitute for seeking notes from a classmate which will be much more inclusive Also note that the first slide of every Powerpoint contains important announcements Generally you can expect to see Powerpoints posted soon after each lecture but no later than Friday midnight ATTENDANCE A university education is a process of brain change Processing classroom lectures and doing the required work will change the way your brain functions Minimizing what you do reduces this change and therefore the benefit to you of a university education Attendance sheets will be passed out on a daily basis beginning Tues Sept 2 2013 At the end of the semester the attendance sheets will be examined and the following point values assigned 0 3 absences 4 8 absences 10 attendance points 5 attendance points 9 or more absences 0 attendance points Attendance sheets will begin in the back of the room and move forward If you arrive late and missed the attendance sheet you may discuss with the instructor your university approved excuse for arriving late If you have a university approved reason for leaving the classroom early please let the instructor know before class begins with a written note Otherwise a departing student may trigger a second attendance sheet If a medical emergency requires you to leave the classroom without warning send an explanatory e mail to the instructor asap so that you are not unjustly assigned an unexcused absence If you have a university approved excuse for being absent from class you must e mail the class assistant either before the absence or within 48 hours after the absence Use your FSU e mail account and identify your course so that our records are accurate You will not receive a response At the end of the semester our class assistant will do an electronic search on any name that is in danger of getting less than 10 attendance points to establish whether all absences have a university approved reason for being absent Remember that e mail has the advantage of providing a written record with a date stamp If there is any dispute about your meeting the attendance requirement you will be able to re send any and all original e mail and each original document will have the appropriate date stamp Note Regardless of the initial means of notification e g an excuse letter or a contact from another person it is critical to also provide our UG assistant with an e mail from your FSU e mail account so that we have an electronic record that is easy to locate at the end of the semester UNIVERSITY ATTENDANCE POLICY Excused absences include documented illness deaths in the family and other documented crises call to active military duty or jury duty religious holy days and official University activities These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness EXAMS There are three exams two class exams and a final exam Each exam will have 40 50 computer graded questions This means that each individual question contributes 2 2 points toward the exam total All exams including the final exam will take place in our regular classroom On exam days