Cultures of the Pacific . . . sample syllabus
Anthropology 184 Dr. John B. Gatewood
Cultures of the Pacific Price Hall, Room 10C
Spring, 1997 758-3814 / JBG1
OVERVIEW
This course is an ethnographic survey of the indigenous peoples
and cultures of the Pacific islands. The course is divided into
three parts. First, we examine the natural environment afforded to
inhabitants of the Pacific islands and summarize the culture history
of Oceanic peoples, from first settlers through the time of European
contact. The second part of the course reviews general features of
the four main culture areas of Oceania: Australia, Melanesia,
Polynesia, and Micronesia. The emphasis here is on aboriginal
lifeways, i.e., how the people lived prior to substantial disruption
by direct contact with European and Asian nations. The third part of
the course consists in close reading of representative ethnographies
of island cultures, one from Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia,
respectively.
For the first two parts of the course, I shall be lecturing
during class periods, and the reading assignments complement what I
have to say. In the third part of the course, however, my function
shifts from purveyor of information to discussion moderator as teams
of students present the three ethnographies.
REQUIREMENTS
Your course grade is based on two hour exams, attendance-
participation, and either a 10 page paper or an in-class essay exam
during the final exam period. The two mandatory hour exams cover
Parts I and II of the course. The paper or third essay exam is based
on the three ethnographies assigned during Part III of the course.
Times and deadlines are indicated on the attached schedule. Note
that attendance is required and that you are to read all assignments by
the date they are listed on the syllabus.
For students electing the paper instead of the third essay exam,
please note that I am serious about the deadline -- 5:00 P.M., Monday,
May 5th. If I have not received the paper by five o'clock that day,
it will not be accepted, and you must take the third exam. (You may,
of course, turn papers in before the deadline and, thereby, avoid
possible last minute delays.)
MATERIALS
Oliver, Douglas L. (1989) The Pacific Islands, Third Edition.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Harding, Thomas G. and Ben J. Wallace, eds. (197O) Cultures of the
Pacific: Selected Readings. New York: The Free Press.
Schieffelin, Edward L. (1976) The Sorrow of the Lonely and the Burning
of the Dancers. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Sahlins, Marshall (1981) Historical Metaphors and Mythical Realities:
Structure in the Early History of the Sandwich Islands Kingdom.
Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Alkire, William H. (1989) Lamotrek Atoll: Inter-Island Socioeconomic
Ties. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jan 14 (Tu) --General Introduction
PART I: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE HISTORY
--Geology of the Pacific Basin
2. Jan 16 (Th) --Geography of the Pacific
OLIVER, The Pacific Islands, pp. 3-12
VAYDA & RAPPAPORT, Island Cultures...H&W;
3. Jan 21 (Tu) --Culture History: Physical Anthropology and
Archaeology
OLIVER, The Pacific Islands, pp. 12-17
SHUTLER & SHUTLER, Origins of the
Melanesians...H&W;
4. Jan 23 (Th) --Culture History: Linguistic Evidence
OLIVER, The Pacific Islands, pp. 12-17
GRACE, Austronesian Linguistics and Culture
History...H&W;
5. Jan 28 (Tu) --Culture History: The "Voyaging" Issue in
Relation to the Peopling of the Pacific
Islands
A. SHARP, Polynesian Navigation to Distant
Islands...H&W;
6. Jan 30 (Th) --Culture History: Contacts with Europeans
OLIVER, The Pacific Islands, pp. 35-280 (skim
reading)
7. Feb 4 (Tu) * * * FIRST HOUR EXAM * * *
8. Feb 6 (Th) PART II: CULTURE AREAS OF THE PACIFIC
--Overview of Pacific Island Cultures
OLIVER, The Pacific Islands, pp. 17-30
--Australia
STANNER, The Dreaming...H&W;
9. Feb 13 (Th) --Australia
SERVICE, Sociocentric Relationship Terms and the
Australian Class System...H&W;
L. SHARP, Steel Axes for Stone-Age
Australians...H&W;
10. Feb 18 (Tu) --Melanesia
MALINOWSKI, The Primitive Economics of the
Trobriand Islanders...H&W;
HARDING, Trading in Northeast New Guinea...H&W;
FREEDMAN, Social Organization of a Siassi Island
Community...H&W;
11. Feb 20 (Th) --Melanesia
MEGGITT, Male-Female Relationships in the
Highlands of Australian New Guinea...H&W;
OLIVER, A Leader in Action...H&W;
SAHLINS, Production, Distribution, and Power in a
Primitive Society...H&W;
12. Feb 25 (Tu) --Melanesia
LAWRENCE, Daughter of Time...H&W;
LAWRENCE, The Ngaing of the Rai Coast...H&W;
13. Feb 27 (Th) --Melanesia (MOVIE)
14. Mar 4 (Tu) --Polynesia
FIRTH, In Primitive Polynesia...H&W;
15. Mar 6 (Th) --Polynesia
SAHLINS, Poor Man, Rich Man, Big-Man, Chief:
Political Types in Melanesia and
Polynesia...H&W;
16. Mar 18 (Tu) --Polynesia
FIRTH, The Analysis of Mana: An Emprical
Approach...H&W;
17. Mar 20 (Th) --Polynesia (MOVIE)
18. Mar 25 (Tu) --Micronesia
BASCOM, Ponapean Prestige Economy...H&W;
19. Apr 1 (Tu) --Micronesia
SCHNEIDER, Political Organization, Supernatural
Sanctions, and the Punishment for Incest on
Yap...H&W;
20. Apr 3 (Th) --Micronesia (MOVIE)
LUNDSGAARDE, Law and Politics on Nonouti
Island...H&W;
21. Apr 8 (Tu) * * * SECOND HOUR EXAM * * *
22. Apr 10 (Th) PART III: REPRESENTATIVE CULTURES
--The Kaluli of New Guinea
SCHIEFFELIN, pp. 1-116
23. Apr 15 (Tu) --The Kaluli of New Guinea
SCHIEFFELIN, pp. 117-223
24. Apr 17 (Th) --The Hawaiian Kingdom
SAHLINS, pp. 3-32
25. Apr 22 (Tu) --The Hawaiian Kingdom
SAHLINS, pp. 33-72
26. Apr 24 (Th) --Puluwatans of Central Micronesia
ALKIRE, pp. 1-113
27. Apr 29 (Tu) --Puluwatans of Central Micronesia
ALKIRE, pp. 114-189
28. May 1 (Th) --Course Summary
--Student Evaluations
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Papers Due by 5:00 P.M., Monday, May 5th
* ELSE *
Third Exam during "final exam" period assigned by Registrar.