Anthropology 33: Culture and Communication

Winter 2002 (Fowler A103B)
Lecture: T & Th 11AM - 12:15PM

Instructor: Prof. Alessandro Duranti
Office: Haines 349  Ph. (310) 825-5833
Office Hours: Tu 12:30-1:30; Th 3-4
or by appointment (aduranti@anthro.ucla.edu)

[updated January 17, 2002]

TEXTS (all required):
  1. A. Duranti, Ed. 2001. Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 
  2. A.C. Zentella. 1999. Growing Up Bilingual. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 
  3. H. Morphy. 1998. Aboriginal Art. London: Phaidon Press. 
  4. A. Duranti, Ed. 2001. Key Terms in Language and Culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell. [Key Terms]

SYLLABUS 

  • January 8
      INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE: GOALS, READINGS, REQUIREMENTS, GRADING
    1. VIDEO: "Crosscultural Encounters" -- An audio-visual introduction to Anthro 33 by former Anthro 33 students.
    2. Introductory remarks and review of syllabus
    3. What is a theory?
    4. An example from jazz.


  • January 10 
      IMPROVISATION and SOME KEY NOTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION

      READINGS:

    1. Morphy, Aboriginal Art, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4. (pp. 13-142 [with lots of beautiful pictures!] 
    2. Key Terms: Indexicality, Improvisation, Participation, Performativity
  • January 15  
      METHODS, I: FIELDWORK AND RESEARCH AGENDAS

      READINGS: 

    1. Zentella, Ana Celia. (1997). Growing Up Bilingual, ch. 1 (pp. 1-16), ch. 2 (The Community: el bloque), & 3 (The Bilingual/Multidialectal Repertoire of el bloque) (pp. 17-55). 
    2. Morgan, M.M. [1994]. The African-American Speech Community: Reality and Sociolinguistics. Reader, Chapter 3. 
    3. Key Terms: Community, Identity, Interview.
    4. ASSIGNMENT ONE (due to your TA two sessions from today)
    •  
  • January 17  
      METHODS, II: TRANSCRIPTION

      READINGS:

    1. M.H. Goodwin & C. Goodwin [2000] Emotions within Situated Activity. Reader, Chapter 10. [Pay particular attention to the different transcription formats used by the authors to make different points] 
    2. Key Terms: Turn. 
  • January 22  
      PROPERTIES OF LANGUAGES AS SOCIO-HISTORICAL REALITIES

      READINGS:

    1. Key Terms: Competence, Deaf, Evolution, Grammar, Endangered, Names, Reconstruction, Relativity, Signing. 
  • January 24  
      LANGUAGE SOCIALIZATION ACROSS CULTURES 

      LINKS: 

    1. Children's Spaces in a Samoan Village

    READINGS: 

    1. Duranti, A. 2001. Linguistic Anthropology: History, Ideas, and Issues. In Reader, pp.23-6 (section 7: 'Language Acquisition and Language Socialization')  
    2. Ochs, E. & B.B. Schieffelin. [1984]. Language Acquisition and Socialization: Three Developmental Stories and Their Implications. Reader, Chapter 11. 
    3. Zentella, Ana Celia. (1997). Growing Up Bilingual, ch. 7 (Life and Young Adulthood). 
    4. Key Terms: Acquisition, Competence, Socialization. 
  • January 29  

    LITERACY, AND CLASSROOM INTERACTION 

    READINGS: 

    1. Heath, S.B. [1982] What No Bedtime Story Means: Narrative Skills at Home and School. Reader, Chapter 13.  
    2. Zentella, Ana Celia. (1997). Growing Up Bilingual, ch. 10 (Raising the Next Generation of New York Puerto Ricans).  
    3. Key Terms: Literacy, Orality

  • January 31  
      REVIEW and PREPARATION FOR MID-TERM 
  • February 5  
      MID-TERM (Past exams) 
  • February 7  
      CROSSTALK: THE ROOTS OF MISCOMMUNICATION 

      VIDEO: 

    1. "Crosstalk" by John J. Gumperz (Produced by BBC) 

    READINGS: 

    1. Bailey, B. [1997]. Communication of Respect in Interethnic Service Encounters. Reader, Chapter 5.  
    2. Philips, S.U. 1972. Participant Structures and Communicative Competence: Warm Springs Children in Community and Classroom. Reader, Chapter 12.  
    3. Key Terms: Conflict
  • February 12  
      LANGUAGES IN CONTACT

      READINGS: 

    1. Gumperz, J.J. [1968]. The Speech Community. Reader, Chapter 1. 
    2. Zentella, A.C. (1997) Growing Up Bilingual, ch. 4 (Bilinguilism en casa), 5 (The Hows and Whys of "Spanglish"), only pp. 80-101 108-14. (skip ch. 6) 
    3. Key Terms: Contact, Switching, Syncretism. 
  • February 14  
      FROM VARIATION TO HETEROGLOSSIA 

      READINGS: 

    1. Kroskrity, P.V. Arizona Tewa Speech as Manifestation of a Dominant Language Ideology.  
    2. Spitulnik, D. [1996]. The Social Circulation of Media Discourse and the Mediation of Communities. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 4.  Link to ichiBemba (Zambia)
    3. Key Terms: Heteroglossia, Ideology, Media, Register, Style, Variation.  
    4. ASSIGNMENT # 2 (Due to your T.A. two sessions from today)
  • February 19  
      ACTS, ACTIVITIES, EVENTS: THE FORMULAIC-CREATIVE CONTINUUM 

      READINGS: 

    1. Duranti, A. [1997]. Universal and Culture-Specific Properties of Greetings. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 9.  
    2. Irvine, J.T. [1979]. Formality and Informality in Communicative Events. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 8. 
    3. Key Terms: Act, Gesture, Space, Vision
  • February 21  
      POWER IN LANGUAGE 

      READINGS: 

    1. Ochs, E. & C. Taylor. [1995] The "Father Knows Best" Dynamic in Dinnertime Narratives. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 19.  
    2. Hill, J.H. [1998]. Language, Race, and White Public Space. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 20. 
    3. Zentella, Ana Celia. (1997). Growing Up Bilingual, ch. 12 (Expanding Repertoires: Linking Language, Education, and the New Diversity) 
    4. Key Terms: Expert, Gender, Healing, Power, Prayer, Prophecy.
  • February 26  
      ART AS TRANSFORMATION: AN INTRODUCTION
    1. Museums: Ettore Guatelli  
    2. Ritual Life & Everyday Life: Samoan mats/Samoan spaces 
  • February 28  
      AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ART 

      VIDEO: 

    1. "An Interview with Fred Myers (Anthropology, NYU)" [Copy of video available at the Instructional Media Lab, 270 Powell]

    READINGS: 

    1. Morphy, Aboriginal Art, Chapters 5, 6, 7, 11. 
  • March 5  
      NOISE/SOUNDS/MUSIC

      READINGS:

    1. Key Terms: Music, Ideophone, Meter.
  • March 7  
      VERBAL ART 

      READINGS: 

    1. Bauman, R. [1975]. Verbal Art as Performance. Reader, Chapter 7.  
    2. Mitchell-Kernan, C. [1972]. Signifying and Marking: Two Afro-American Speech Acts. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, Chapter 6. 
    3. Key Terms: Genre, Proverb, Humor, Style, Theater. 
    4. ASSIGNMENT # 3 (Due to your TA on March 14 before class).
  • March 12  
      THE "FINAL LECTURE": when everything magically comes together 

      READINGS: 

    1. Duranti, A. 2001. Linguistic Anthropology: History, Ideas, and Issues. In Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, pp. 1-38, (bibliography on pp. 465-79). 
  • March 14  
      FINAL REVIEW in preparation for final exam. 
  • FINAL EXAM 
      (See Schedule of Classes for time and date)
     
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