Anthropology (ANTH) 591
Ethnobiology: Traditional Knowledge of Plants, Animals, and Land in Contemporary Global Context (Revision 3)
Delivery Mode:Individualized-Study.
Credits:3
Prerequisite:ANTH 275 or other introductory anthropology or biology course, or professor approval is required.
Precluded Course:ANTH 591 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for Athabasca University's ANTH 491.
Centre:Master of Arts Integrated Studies
Program: Master of Arts Integrated Studies
**Note:Students in Group Study courses are advised that this syllabus may vary in key details in each instance of the course. Always refer to the Moodle site for the most up-to-date details on texts, assignment structure, and grading.**
Introduction
Students who have received credit for Athabasca University's undergraduate course Anthropology 491 must obtain permission to register in Anthropology 591 from the Program Director for Integrated Studies.
Ethnobiology can be conceived of as the study of the cultural knowledge of living things and the environment. In this course, we will begin with a consideration of the nature of ethnobiological knowledge and its similaritiesto and differences from the understandings of contemporary science. The next section of the course will examine cultural knowledge of and main types of uses of plants. In this course, we will be covering uses of plants by contemporary peoples and peoples of the recent past, so we will not look at the rich archeological record of plant use and domestication of crops by past cultures. From there we will examine knowledge and use of animals, and end the course with a review of ecological knowledge, and contemporary issues. What is the nature of Nature, and how do people relate to the world around them? Ethnobiology draws on the insights of several academic disciplines, principally anthropology, biology and geography. As an interdisciplinary field, connections between different forms of knowledge about living things and the environment are examined from a variety of vantage points in a comparative or global context.
To learn more about ANTH 591, the course outline, resources, etc..
Course Objectives
This course provides you with the opportunity to
- to become familiar with the nature of ethnobiological knowledge, and the ways in which it is similar to, and different from, scientific knowledge.
- to gain an understanding of the diversity of approaches to plant resources among different human groups, and of fundamental significance of plants for foods, medicines, and in technology among peoples of different cultures.
- to gain an understanding of the rich cultural knowledge that human societies have about animals, and to gain a sense of the differences in attitudes about non-human species held by northern hunting peoples, pastoral peoples, and people of European and North American cultures.
- to gain understanding of the relationship to the environment that characterize different human societies, and how cosmology and world view shape perceptions of the environment and environmental adaptation.
- to engage in critical analysis of contemporary issues of conservation of traditional resources, the effects of globalization, and issues surrounding intellectual property of traditional and local peoples in the global marketplace.
Student Evaluation
To receive credit for Anthropology 591, you must complete the journal, the online quiz, and three written assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. The Master of Arts-Integrated Studies grading system is available online at the MAIS home page. Please note that it is your responsibility to maintain your program status. Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.
| Course Activity | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Journal | 20% |
| Assignment 1 Online Quiz | 5% |
| Assignment 2 Short Paper | 15% |
| Assignment 3 Short Paper | 15% |
| Assignment 4 Research Paper | 45% |
| Total | 100% |
Course Materials
The package you received should contain each of the items listed below. If anything is missing, contact the Course Materials Production division of Athabasca University. If you live in Edmonton or Calgary, we encourage you to call the Learning Centre in your city and use the automated telephone attendant to connect with Course Materials Production (the extension is 6366). If you live outside Edmonton or Calgary, but within Canada or the United States, you may call the automated attendant using Athabasca University's toll-free number, 1-800-788-9041 (extension 6366). If you live outside Canada or the United States, or if you prefer not to use the automated system, you may call Course Materials Production at (780) 675-6366. You may write in care of Athabasca University, 1 University Drive, Athabasca AB, T9S 3A3; or you may send e-mail to cmat@athabascau.ca.
Textbook
- Balick, Michael J., and Paul Alan Cox. 1997. Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany. New York: Scientific American Library.
- Berkes, Fikret. 1999. Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.
- Hunn, Eugene S., with James Selam and Family. 1990. Nch'i-Wána "The Big River": Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
- Johnson, Derek, Linda Kershaw, Andy MacKinnon, and Jim Pojar. 1995. Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen Parkland. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing.
- Nelson, Richard K. 1983. Make Prayers to the Raven: A Koyukon View of the Northern Forest. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Athabasca University Materials
Course Guide: The Course Guide provides you with specific information about how to proceed through the course. Pay particular attention to the suggested course study schedule. The "Study Guide" section of this manual is the backbone of the course, providing a road map for the readings and videos. It is divided into nine units. Each unit consists of commentary, which provides guidance for required readings and assignments, guiding questions, and study questions. Please read the commentary for each unit before beginning the assigned readings. The "Assignment File" includes instructions for completing the course assignments.
Reading File: The Reading File is a collection of carefully selected articles that provide background and analysis of questions and issues engaged in this course. Together, these articles and the course textbooks comprise the required reading material for this course. The "Course Guide" commentaries will direct you to each article in the Reading File at the appropriate time.
Forms: The forms students will need to submit assignments or to inform the University of a change in status as a student are included with the course materials.
Course Web Page: Several course components including the online quiz, course questionnaire, library resources, discussion board, and ethnobiology bibliography are linked to the course Web page at http://www.athabascau.ca/mais/anth591.
Online Bibliography: The Selected Ethnobiology Bibliography, an updated list of articles, booklets, and texts organized by topics is linked to the course Web page.
Videotapes: In addition to the course materials supplied to you or available on the course Web page, you are required to watch the six videos listed below. Copies of these videos will be shipped to you, on request, from the Athabasca University Library. You will have up to four weeks to view each video. Once you have viewed a video, please return it promptly to the Athabasca University Library for other students' use.
- The Dogrib Birchbark Canoe. 1997. 28 min. Lone Woolf TV Production Services.
- Make Prayers to the Raven: The Life in the Bear. 1987. 28 min. University of Alaska.
- Rabbit Boss. 1996. 26.5 min. University of Nevada Oral History Program.
- Fires of Spring. 1978. 32 min. University of Alberta Department of Radio and Television with CFRN Television.
- Second Nature: Building Forests in West Africa's Savannas. 1996. 41 min. Cyrus Productions.
- Blockade: It's About the Land and Who Controls It. 1993. 90 min. National Film Board of Canada.
Athabasca University Library: Students are encouraged to browse the Library's Web site to review the Library collection of journal databases, electronic journals, and digital reference tools: http://library.athabascau.ca.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 3, April 11, 2007.
Last updated by E. Comrie 11/19/2010 16:55:43
