March 17, 2007
Syllabus Project
I think we need a project that will get us working together this term in a more formal way, since little energy is being generated on the blog (no blame intended). I propose that we begin to work on a syllabus for an upper-level undergraduate class on the anthropology of the contemporary—as has been discussed before. Paul intends to teach such a class in the spring of 2008. I see us proceeding as follows:
1. Have a face-to-face brainstorming meeting—preferably, before spring break—to discuss how we want to proceed, setting up a schedule, proposing (perhaps) an early structure, and (perhaps) assigning particular parts to particular people.
2. Proceed from there using the wiki both to work on the document, using the discussion function to go back and forth.
3. Have another face-to-face meeting during the week of April 15 in which we review our work.
4. Make a final draft by April 24.
5. Have a final meeting where we present the product of our labor to Paul and have a full meeting discussing it. Paul won’t participate until the final meeting.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. This isn’t Paul’s project, it’s ours. It’s an experiment in collaboration around something that we all have in common: thinking about what an anthropology of the contemporary might look like. We all have something unique to contribute based on our own projects conceived as anthropology of the contemporary, and we all have something to gain from it. Whether Paul uses the syllabus or not is not the point. It’s for us all to work together to confront an “anthropology of the contemporary.” How are we doing it? How would we teach it?–as if we were just told by Rosemary Joyce that there were a departmental crisis and we’d been called upon to put a class together, quick. Simply posting the syllabus on the ARC website could be another foreseeable final purpose of the project.
2. It will be very hard for anyone who doesn’t attend the initial face-to-face meeting to participate on the subsequent work, so we need to find a time when everyone can come. I know this is hard. I propose the following dates/times: tomorrow after Mattias’s brown bag (1:30); or Thursday at 4 p.m. If these times don’t work, suggest others. We may have to wait until after spring break, but let’s see what might be possible this week.
3. Finally, I know everyone’s busy but I also know that everyone’s busy with things that are directly relevant to this very subject. To that end, I think we could use Amelia’s field statement (which she posted last week) as a starting point. It contains a section on “the anthropology of the contemporary.” Let’s have it be our “starter.”
Please reply with comments, confirmations, time suggestions, etc. I’ll take silence to mean you’re not interested in being involved.
Thanks for initiating this, Mary. Monday at 1:30 works for me.
1.30 monday works for me
I could participate via the wiki, if that were okay. Maybe at the meeting you can discuss forms of contribution / feedback?
This sounds like a good idea. I also think we should all read Amelia’s paper and discuss it first. (It is important for many reasons and we should do that as friends- colleagues as well…)
As for possible dates of the meetings, I can come tomorrow. Then I’m flying to Israel and will be back only by the 8/4. And then again I won’t be around between the 17/4 and the 27/4.
So I’ll do my best to physically participate, and certainly will participate through the web.
I think I can do Monday. I may be a little late, but it shoud work.
Monday at 1.30 sounds good.
I have class Monday at 2pm, but can come for the first half hour. Thursday at 4 also works well.
hey meg,
if the time works for you, we could have you log in to skype
I’m not available at either of those two times. I can meet Monday before 12, Tuesday 11:30 - 3, or Wed, Thurs and Friday before 1 pm. Otherwise I will provide input thru the wiki.
Either time is fine, though Thursday is better for me.
[...] to my earlier post: a group of us met (those who could make the very short notice meeting). Because we could only [...]