Course Syllabus

Spring 2026

ANTH-A 104 (#15379)

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY COURSE SYLLABUS

©2025 Stephen Zolvinski. All rights reserved.

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Instructor Contact Information

  • Instructor: Stephen Zolvinski
  • Office Location: Arts & Sciences #2085
  • Office Hours: By appointment, in-person, Zoom call or telephonically
  • Email: szolvins@iu.edu
  • Phone: (219) 980-7128
  • Class Meeting Time: Online

Indiana University Mission Statement

Our purpose is to enhance the quality of life of the most diverse, urban, industrialized region of the state.

  • We engage the community in high-quality teaching and scholarship.
  • We partner with communities to impact and promote social, economic, and cultural development.
  • We inspire and empower a diverse body of students to be active citizens, who apply their knowledge to transform their communities and the world.

IUN Campus-wide Competencies

  • Critical Thinking: Indiana University Northwest graduates will demonstrate proficiency in applying critical thinking.
  • Broad and Integrative Knowledge: Indiana University Northwest graduates will demonstrate proficiency in using broad, integrative knowledge (within and beyond the major)
  • Specialized Knowledge: Indiana University Northwest graduates will apply specialized knowledge in discipline-appropriate work, including current applicable disciplinary technology and ethical thinking.
  • Social Consciousness: Indiana University Northwest graduates will be informed citizens who consider multiple perspectives. They will be attentive to diversity and seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities.
  • Collaboration: Indiana University Northwest graduates will engage in meaningful collaborative work.

Program Learning Objectives:

  • Examine cultural diversity and demographic change and their effects on social relations in Northwest Indiana and the U.S.
  • Understand cultural anthropology’s role within the broader discipline of anthropology.
  • Understand anthropological research methods and apply through mini-ethnographic projects.
  • Define and use the concept of culture as a foundation for anthropological analysis.
  • Evaluate anthropological theories of culture and cultural change.
  • Critically engage with themes from course readings, films, and discussions.
  • Identify human subsistence systems and analyze gendered labor, ecological contexts, and community sustainability.
  • Explore language, kinship, marriage, and family systems and their transformations across cultures.
  • Recognize supernatural beliefs and explain their functions within cultural systems.

Course Description

Culture is a fundamental aspect of being human. Only humans have culture. An introduction to cultural anthropology provides you with an understanding of the many ways in which humans engage with and create meaning in the world. We will investigate the diversity of the human cultural experience on both the global and local scale. You will learn how to identify how all human practices, beliefs, and behaviors are shaped by their local cultural and historical contexts. These skills are valuable in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. You will find that they relate to a broad range of courses you will take at IU Northwest. These skills will also serve you in interacting with others in the highly cultural diverse Northwest Indiana region, or in your future careers, whatever those may be.

 

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Course Website

You will participate in this course using IU Canvas Learning Platform.

LINK: https://iu.instructure.com/courses/2350429

Course Level Learning Objectives   (CLO)

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

CLO 1: Explain the role of cultural anthropology within the broader discipline and apply the concept of culture to analyze human behavior.

CLO 2: Demonstrate understanding of anthropological research methods by conducting mini‑ethnographic projects and reflecting on ethical issues in fieldwork.

CLO 3: Critically evaluate anthropological theories of culture, diversity, and change through engagement with readings, films, and discussions.

CLO 4: Analyze cultural systems including language, kinship, marriage, family, subsistence, and religion across diverse societies.

CLO 5: Assess interactions between Western and Indigenous cultures and their effects on social relations, identity, and community sustainability.

CLO 6: Recognize and interpret supernatural beliefs and explain their functions within cultural systems.

CLO 7: Apply cross‑cultural perspectives to contemporary issues in Northwest Indiana, the U.S., and global contexts.

 

……….

Required Text (accessible through the IU eTexts (Unizin Engage)

KOTTAK, Conrad Phillip (2023) Mirror for Humanity: A Concise introduction to Cultural Anthropology. 13th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education (ISBN: 9781260729207 / 9781265696689)

 

Options:

  • If you prefer a hard copy, you can get it online from the publisher McGraw Hill Higher Education (https://iu.instructure.com/courses/2350429).or comparison shop at online used booksellers such as Bookscouter, AbeBooks,  Thriftbooks, Better World Books.,
  • If you can't afford to buy or rent the textbook, it free on two-hour reserve at the Circulation Desk of IU Northwest Library (https://northwest.iu.edu/library/departments/circulation.html) If you are unable to locate, it please ask Head of Circulation and Reserves Debbie Curtis in Room 136 for assistance

 

Course Requirements

There are a maximum 637points in this course, consisting of:

  • Introductory Quiz (12 points, 2 percent)
  • Discussions (125 points, 19 percent)

You will be assigned to a team of four classmates to discuss either a posted article or online film.

  • Your team will discuss provided questions, and the Team Leader will submit a collective response for grading by the instructor.
  • Your discussion grade will be the result of your team’s submission, and your course discussion grade will be the average of all grades earned.
  • Team assignments will be rotated so you are not with the same members for the entire semester.
  • Students who fail to participate in the weekly discussion will receive zero (0) points for that discussion, which will be averaged in with your cumulative course discussion score.
  • Two Fieldwork Assignments (200 total points; 31 percent).

            You will do two fieldwork assignments (100 points each) and write up an  

            essay each. You can choose from these options:

  • Participant-Observation: Don an anthropologist’s hat to immerse yourself into a service of a religion that is different from your own for purposes of observing & writing a three-to-five page ethnographic report.
  • Livin’ in America: Interview someone born in another country or Puerto Rico; write a three-to-five-page paper about what it’s like to come to America, how that person adjusted to life here. The interview must be in person, no telephone, e-mail, text-messaging or other electronic/digital interview permitted.
  • Examinations (300 total points, 47 percent)

Two midterms (100 points each), and one final examination (100 points), consisting of multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions. Exams are not comprehensive.

 

  • Extra Credit
    • The Leader of the Team Discussion will receive an additional 25 points per discussion to account for the time and effort in writing up and submitting the discussion response to the instructor.
    • Other EC assignments will be announced as they become available during the course.

 

Instructional Activities and Approaches

This class will draw on a combination of the following instructional methodologies:

  • Online instruction and module content of lesson materials
  • Online team discussions of provided articles and films
  • Using online videos
  • PowerPoint tutorial
  • Using online resources
  • Two mini-ethnographic projects within the student’s community

Minimal Technology Skills:

  • Comfort using Canvas, sending email with attachments, participation in discussion posts, completing online examinations, and using video conferencing tools like Zoom.
  • Proficiency using Microsoft Office programs like Word for writing and submitting team discussion reports and fieldwork essays.

 

Technical Requirements and Support

You will need the following to participate in this course:

  1. Computer hardware requirements:
  • A laptop or desktop computer.
  • An internet connection.
  • Speakers
  1. Computer software requirements:
  • Adobe Acrobat.
  • Web Browser.
  • Desktop version of Zoom.
  1. Microsoft Word,
  2. Internet browser requirements:
  • Up to date.
  • Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are recommended.
  1. Internet connection speed requirements:
  • Broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE).

 

You can receive technical support from

 

 

Course Technology Accessibility Statements and Privacy Policies

Accessibility and Privacy Statements for Learning Tools at IU: https://servicenow.iu.edu/kb

Technology

Accessibility Statement Link

Privacy Statement

Canvas LMS

Canvas Accessibility Statement

Canvas Privacy Statement

Microsoft Products

MS Products Accessibility Statement

MS Products Privacy Statement

Academic Services and Resources at IU Northwest

Course Expectations

Participation

You should be logging onto Canvas at least three times a week to view modules for course lessons, discussions, assignments and examinations, etc. Activities and assignments will be posted in advance providing ample time for completion. Please plan your schedules accordingly.

Course Absence

If you plan to be absent from class activities, including discussions or tests, for longer periods of time because of a sport, school, medical, or family event, please let me know in advance to make arrangements to complete any required work. In case you miss these scheduled events, you will receive a zero.

Late Work

There will be a 1.5 point penalty grade deduction for each day the assignment is late.

Overview and Schedule of Assignments

Assignments, Points Distribution and Due Dates:

 

Assignments

Points

Due Dates

Reflective Paper

5

End of Module 2 (11.59 P. M. Sunday)

Research Article Project

5

End of Module 3 (11.59 P. M. Sunday)

Discussion 1

3

End of Module 3 (Initial Post due Thursday 11:59 P. M. Response posts due 11.59 P. M. Sunday)

 

 

 

 

Description of Assignments:

Please provide a description for EACH of the assessments in this course. Please make a special note if the assignments allow for the submission of a preliminary draft for instructor comment and suggestions for improvement or if the assignment is set for peer reviews and critiques. If sample papers or sample answers are provided for the assignment, please make a special note.

The description of the assignments should be concise. For example:

  • Forums or Discussions: There will be biweekly forums/discussions on topics related to the content. Students should post their own thread for the discussion by Thursday of the week and respond to at least two other peers’ posts by Sunday of the week. A minimum of 200 words are required for the initial post and 100 words are required for the response posts. A rubric is provided.

Standard Grading Scale

Letter Grade

Percentage

Quality of Work

GPA

A+

97-100

High degree of originality beyond  course material

4.0

A

93--100

Unusual degree of excellent

A-

90--<93

 

3.7

B+

87--<89

Above average achievement

3.3

B

83--<87

 

3.0

B-

80--<82

 

2.7

C+

77--<79

Average achievement

2.3

C

73--<76

 

2.0

C-

70--<72

 

1.7

D+

67--<69

Passing work but below desired standards

1.3

D

63--<66

 

1.0

D-

60--<662

 

0.7

F

<59

Failure in the course

0

Expectations of Classroom Behavior

A classroom is analogous to a professional environment. Students are expected to behave professionally so that everyone can engage fully in the educational process, which means that disruptive behavior during class is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, arguing with the instructor about grades or assignments, arguing with other students, bringing up individual concerns with the instructor in the middle of class, or using language or exhibiting other behavior that distracts others from engaging fully in the academic enterprise. A student who disrupts the learning environment will be asked to stop the behavior immediately; if the disruptive behavior continues, the student will be asked to leave the class session.

Communication and Interaction Policy

Interactions are very important for the success of the online course.

  • Professional and respectful tone and civility are used in communicating with fellow learners and the instructor, whether the communication is by electronic means or by telephone or face-to-face.
  • Be sensitive to the fact that there will be cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as different political and religious beliefs, plus just differences in general. Always keep in mind that people benefit from different cultures. Always show respect to different cultural values and behavior.
  • Written communication, both formal and informal, uses Standard English rather than popular online abbreviations and regional colloquialisms.
  • Spelling and grammar are correct in written work.
  • Students are expected to check the Canvas website at least three times a week, to read the required materials and complete assessments and discussions.
  • Students are encouraged to e-mail the instructor whenever there is a question and visit the instructor during office hours. The instructor will respond to students’ emails in a prompt manner, normally within 48 hours.
  • Students will post each assignment on time. The instructor will use the rubric for each assignment to grade the assignment. Instructor written feedback will also be provided along with the rubric. The assignments will be graded within one week of submission.
  • Students are encouraged to check the instructor’s written feedback and contact the instructor by e-mail, by phone or during office hours.

Netiquette Policy

Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online. Something about cyberspace makes it easy for people to forget that they are interacting with other real people. The following bullet points cover some expectations for online communication via email, discussion boards, and any interaction between students, faculty, and/or administration.

For discussion boards, these guidelines will be factored into the evaluation of student posts and responses as well.

  • Use good taste when composing your responses in Discussion Forums. Swearing and profanity is also part of being sensitive to your classmates and should be avoided. Also consider that slang can be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
  • Don’t use all capital letters when composing your responses as this is considered “shouting” on the Internet and is regarded as impolite or aggressive. It can also be stressful on the eye when trying to read your message.
  • Be respectful of others’ views and opinions. Avoid “flaming” (publicly attacking or insulting) them as this can cause hurt feelings and decrease the chances of getting all different types of points of view.
  • Be careful when using acronyms. If you use an acronym it is best to spell out its meaning first, and then put the acronym in parentheses afterward, for example: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). After that you can use the acronym freely throughout your message.
  • Use good grammar and spelling and avoid using text messaging shortcuts.

 

Student Engagement Roster

This semester I will be using IU's Student Engagement Roster to provide real-time feedback on your performance in this course. Periodically throughout the semester I will be entering data on factors such as your class attendance, participation, and success with coursework, among other things. This information will provide feedback on how you are faring in the course and offer you suggestions on how you might be able to improve your performance. Reports will be sent to advisor for students whose performance is below a D level. You will be able to access this information as follows -- Student Engagement Roster:  One.IU>Student Engagement Roster (Student) tile.

 

Indiana University Policies

IUN Grading Policies

The following includes highlights paraphrased from several campus or university policies pertaining to grades and grading. For official descriptions of these and other related policies, click the Campus Course Policies button on your Canvas tool bar and then click the link for x Campus Academic Policies.

Grade Appeal

If you believe the grade received in a course is incorrect, you should follow the Grade Appeal Policy. The Change of Grade Request requires course information (course title, semester taken) and a reason for the requested change.  Additional documentation to substantiate the reason may be required.  If the student's performance or withdrawal was medically related, the student should provide appropriate supporting documentation. Decisions on grade changes are made within the schools. If the request is supported, the school will notify the Office of the Registrar of the new grade. If the request is denied, students will be so notified by the school.  The student may then appeal to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Organization.

Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct:  

To create a positive learning environment for all students, Indiana University’s policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.  If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with Student Counseling Services or (219) 980-6741. Visit Counseling Services for more information.

University policy requires the Deputy Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Coordinator to share information about potential sexual misconduct, discrimination, and/or harassment.  Individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken, and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.   

Additionally, Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.  If you feel you have experienced discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct and wish to make a report, please use the online reporting form available through the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.  

Bias Incident Reporting 

Indiana University is committed to creating welcoming, inclusive, and respectful campus communities where everyone can thrive and do their best work—a place where all are treated with civility and respect. If you experience or witness an incident of bias, you should report it.   

Accessibility and Accommodations

Indiana University is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities have the support services and reasonable accommodations needed to provide equal access to academic programs. To request an accommodation, you must establish your eligibility by working with IU Northwest’s Accessible Educational Services (AES) Coordinator, Freda Cox-Harris at fjcoxhar@iu.edu or (219) 980-6941. Additional information can be found at IU Accessibility. Note that services may take time to put into place and are not retroactive; captions and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact IU Northwest’s AES office as soon as possible if accommodations are needed.

Additionally, IU is dedicated to support students who are pregnant or have experienced other conditions related to pregnancy (termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, lactation, or related health conditions). To register for accommodations due to pregnancy or related health condition, please contact IU Northwest’s Accessible Educational Services (AES) Coordinator at fjcoxhar@iu.edu.  To learn more about the rights and resources available to students, such as academic accommodations, please visit IU Pregnancy or email nwocrc@iu.edu for more information.