Reading Analysis Guide (RAG I) for ANTH 145 (Spring, 2009) through 3/17/09 Prof. Daniel M. Varisco Office: 200E Davison  (516) 463-5590 [Daniel.M.Varisco@hofstra.edu]

[Last Update 1/22/09]

This RAG is a guide to all of the assigned readings for this section. This page is for RAG #1, the course readings up to midterm. For the RAG #2 from the midterm to the final exam, click here (still coming). Each student must take notes individually on these questions and hand in the RAG the day of each exam (midterm and final) for credit. These notes will result in a study guide for the exams. All of the short answers on the midterm and final will come from questions in this study guide.

Each RAG is worth 12 points, for a total of 24 points. The grading criteria for each RAG are as follows: 2 points (impressive) 1 point (adequate):

a. Comprehensive responses to most questions (more than phrase or simple gist)
b. Recognizes key issues involved
c. Raises specific questions about what is read
d. Provides personal views and opinions (you will not be graded on what you say, but you must make an effort to state how the course material affects your understanding of the material
e. Awareness of anthropological approaches and methods
f. Overall level of effort and engagement with material.

SAMPLE RAG NOTE:

• De Waal (1995) "Bonobo Sex and Society"

• What is the basic life cycle of a female bonobo? (p. 83 on original)

• reach adolescence by age 7
• give birth at 13-14 years, nurse and carry baby 5 years
• adult by 15
• lives to at least 40 in wild and 60 in captivity
My (as a student) Questions: Why do they carry their young so long? When is a young bonobo able to fend for itself?

[Note: Although Google is not God, it is pretty close at times. You could actually try finding out more about "bonobo" by putting this into the search engine. This can be a useful exercise when you are confused or need more information. There is no need to do this for everything you read, but follow up on points you find interesting and feel free to bring in something new for the class discussion.]

2/3 Human Sexuality: The Basics
female anatomy (http://www.innerbody.com/image/dige04.html and http://www.innerbody.com/image/repfov.html), male anatomy (http://www.innerbody.com/image/repmov.html)
• No questions. The purpose of this reading is to familiarize yourself with the female and male sexual organs. There are numerous other websites with illustrations; if you want more information, these include: http://www.the-clitoris.com/f_html/anat_indx.htm, http://www.bartleby.com/107/258.html, http://net.indra.com/~shredder/intact/anatomy/index.html.

Friedl (1994) “Sex the Invisible” (friedl94.pdf) on Blackboard

• What does Friedl think may be the best argument for explaining why human females no longer have estrus signals (a stte known as concelaed ovulation)? (p. 837)

• How might the evolution of "social intelligence", as seen in other primates, explain the cultural preference for concealing the sex act from view by others? (pp. 837-838)

• What is your reaction to Friedl's argument about the nature of concealed sex leading to vulnerability among sexual partners? (p. 840) What exactly is vulnerable?

• Read endnote 7. What is Friedl's argument for rejecting that heavy female menstruation would have encouraged men to form hunting groups?

2/5 Bonobos in Paradise: A History of Primate Sex
“The First Primates” (http://anthro.palomar.edu/earlyprimates/early_2.htm)

• How did the early prosimians of the Eocene epoch differ from most primates today?

• When did "Proconsul," one of the earliest transitional forms to apes live?

“Apes” (http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_7.htm)

• What are the types of great apes and where do they live (there is a map in the webpage)?

• How is the sexual dimorphism of gibbons different from that of orangutans?

• About how many chimpanzees exist today?

de Waal (1995:82-88) “Bonobo Sex and Society” (http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/globalrights/sexorient/bonobos.html)

• What important trait do bonobos share with humans in terms of sexuality?

• What range of sexual activity do bonobos share with humans?

• In what sense are bonobos a "fission-fusion" society? Who stays in the natal group?

• How do bonobo females dominate males?

de Waal (2007) “Bonobos Left and Right” (http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-08-08.html#feature)

• De Waal is critical of an article by Ian Parker, who claimed that bonobos were violent chimps? What does de Waal say is the problem with Parker's claim?

• Why does de Waal think that many scientists underestimate the sexual activity of bonobos?

Shlain, ch. 9 (pp. 101-114)

• What are the main theories as to why early hominid males became bipedal? (pp. 103-104) which makes the most sense to you and why?

• Why does Schlain argue that human females are ill-adapted to be hunters (even though this is not the case for lions and hyenas)? (p. 107)

• What is Shlain's theory that explains the male obsession with sex and the evolution of huntind dangerous animals? (pp. 110-111)

2/10 Sexual Reproduction in Hominid Evolution
Shlain, Preface (pp. ix-xix) and chaps. 1-4 (pp. 2-43)

•  What is the question that the author states "lies at the heart of this book"?  (p. x)

•  Why is the author, a surgeon, writing a book about sexuality?  (pp. xiv-xv)

•  As noted by Shalin, what was the critical insight of Darwin for setting us on the right course to understand the evolution of life?  (p. xvi)

•  Why did human females have more difficulties delivering their young than other primates?  (pp. 4-5)

•  How do we know that our evolution as a species (Homo sapiens) is fairly recent?  (p. 7)

•  What are the key features differentiating human sexuality from other primates?  (pp. 16-17)

•  What is your reaction to the following quote (p. 24):  "Sheer aggression between males and females has nvever, ever been used as the standard sexual strategy for any other species.  From an evolutionary point of view, intersex mayhem would be too costly and dangerous to maintain.  Rape in the wild remains an oddity, rarely observed." 

•  What are the six major sources of female iron loss?  (pp. 26-29)

•  Why do humans get hemorrhoids?  (pp. 33-34)

•  React to the following statement:  "Natural Selection seems to have rigged the human's digestive tract so that humans, especially females, would have to acquire iron from the flesh of another animal." (p. 41).

2/12 Female Menstruation and Ovulation
Shlain, chaps. 5-8 (pp. 45-82), ch. 13 (pp. 165-185)

•  Who are human's two closest evolutionary relatives? (p. 46)  Know the scientific names and what they mean.

•  What are the arguments for and against the "daddy-at-home" theory explaining the adaptive value of concealed (or cryptic) ovulation in human females?  (pp. 48-49)

•  What is  Shlain's criticism of Sarah Hrdy's infanticide theory to explain concelaed ovulation?  (pp. 49-50)

•  How does the human female tendency to harmonize menstrual cycles "break the back" of a system in which dominant males compete for sexual partners?  (pp. 53-54)

•  What is endometriosis and why is it unique to human females?  (pp. 60-63)

• In what sense may menstruation not be seen by females as a "curse"?  (p. 65)

•  What is the theory of Margie Profet about the possible adaptive function of menses? (pp. 66-67)

•  Read the three popular theories (Pole Ax, Upsuck and Cuddles) about the functional role of female orgasm (pp. 71-75).  Explain which one makes the most sense to you and why?

•  In what sense does Shlain say that male and female lovemaking agendas differ?  (pp. 76-77)

•  What is Shlain's theory about the adaptive role of the "G Spot" of sexual plaesure in females?  (pp. 79-80)

•  What are the six steps (with a brief one-sentence description of each) in Shlain's moon/mensis theory?  (pp. 174-180)

•  What do the various words for "menses" in European languages have in common?  (pp. 180-181)

•  What is Shlain's argument about the evolutionary significance of menses in human females?  (pp. 184-185)

2/17 Mate Choice and Sexual Strategy
Shlain, chaps. 14-15 (pp. 187-225)

•  What communicative skills are chimps capable of?  (pp. 188-189)

•  What does Shlain theorize is the evolutionary function of human language ability?  (pp. 191-192 and p. 197)

•  From what meaning does the word "companion" stem?  (p. 194)

•  What role does the female need for iron play in the evolution of sexuality, according to Shlain?  (p. 198)

•  React to the following statement:  "Men, for the most part, fall in love with their eyes; women, with their ears?"  (p. 201)  What is your view of Shlain's argument here?

•  What are two major advantages of human speech for females looking for the right mate?  (pp. 202-203)

•  What is the difference, as suggested by Carl Jung, between anima and animus?  (p. 209)

•  What role does testosterone play in female spooted hyenas?  (p. 212)

•  What kind of monogamy do gibbons practice, as compared to humans?  (pp. 213-214)

•  React to the following statement:  "Why so cruel?  Why so kind?  The simple one-word answer is sex."  (p. 217)  Read the following several paragraphs.  What do you agree with or not agree with in Shlain's scenario of animus/anima for the human male?

•  What is your reaction to the responses to the question about rape posed by the Thornhills (p. 220)?

•  What is the point of Aristophanes about the origin of human sexuality?  (pp. 224-225)

2/19 Circumcision: Cutting Edge Views
Shlain, ch. 8 (pp. 85-97)

•  How does the "Grandmother Theory" explain the anomaly of female menopause?  (pp. 87-88)

•  What is Shlain's view on the proposed health benefits of male circumcision?  (pp. 89-90)

•  What is the adaptive role of the prepuce (foreskin) of the male penis?  (p. 90)

•  If circumcision requires a male to thrust longer in order to ejaculate, why might this be adaptive, according to Shlain?  (pp. 93-94)

•  React to the following statement (meant to sum up Shlain's argument):  "I am out of estrogen and I have a gun."  (p. 97)

“Does Circumcision have a History?” (http://www.historyofcircumcision.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=5&id=70&Itemid=48)

• Is circumcision required in the Quran? Why do Muslims practice male circumcision?

• React to the following quote (in the "demonisation of the foreskin" section): "In all cases [of masturbation] circumcision is undoubtedly the physician's closest friend and ally, offering as it does a certain means of alleviation and pronounced benefit …. Those cases in which the glans presents a moist, semi-oily appearance … long thickened foreskin, pliant and giving, large and often tortuous dorsal veins, go to make up a picture that is exceedingly tempting to the surgeon's scissors." Dr Edgar Spratling, "Masturbation in the adult", Medical Record, Vol. 48, 1895, p. 443.

• What is the anatomical purpose of the foreskin? Go beyond the obvious here and consider what it is made of.

• What do the proponents of routine neonatal circumcision in boys have to demonstrate? (Burden of Proof section)

“Female Genital Mutilation” (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/)

• What are the four major types of FGM?

• Under the "causes" section, which seem like the most signfiicant causes for the practice (pick your top three and state why)

2/24 Sexing our Earliest Ancestors #1 (Film: “Quest for Fire” (1983) V-2085)

Read the Plot Summary at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quest_for_Fire

Review of film in American Anthropologist (quest.pdf) on Blackboard (Be prepared to look for examples of the film's problems as we watch it in class.)

• Why is the movie depiction of the Ulam tribe wearing animal skins problematic? (p. 991)

• What makes the film an "anthropological stew" with virtually no scientific value whatsoever? (p. 992, especially last paragraph).

For more information on the film, go to: http://www.themakeupgallery.info/weird/paint/qff.htm and http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue316/classic.html

2/26 Sexing our Earliest Ancestors #2
Shlain, chaps. 21-23 (pp. 307-349)

• Read the scenario on pp. 307-311 about a possible origin of "marriage" and the regulation of sex. Your reaction? Go beyond the obvious and explain why you think the way you do.

• Why did Adam say women did not need an incest taboo but the men did? (p. 312)

• What did the "short man" suggest was thte way to diminish women's collective power? (p. 317) What do you think of this argument?

• What is your reaction to the quote on page 321 from John Hartung: "Males are a breeding experiment run by females -- a proving ground from which females cull winning genes."

• Answer the question raiused by Eve (p. 322): "What ill can come of a man's knowing his own children?"

• Answer the question of the young woman on p. 324. If you are a male, answer it as the male involved in the question and if you are a female take the female part: "Why should I consent to your new arrangement when I could have lots of men competing with each other to bring me meat?"

• Do you agree with Shlain's assessment (in italics on p. 327) of how human love differs from emotions of other species?

• React to the following statement on p. 330: "Knowledge of paternity markedly diminished men's innate selfishness."

• React to the quote by Margaret Sanger on p. 336: "No woman is completely free unless she has control over her own reproductive system." Explain why you agree or do not with the statement. You are entitled to your own view here.

• What do you think of Shlain's suggestion as to why men became interested in hunting? (pp. 336-337) Consider the whole chain of events he presents in his scenario.

• What are the implications of the following statement (p. 339)? "Yet all of us are walking around with a nervous system designed to work optimally within a small band of hunter-gatherers."

• What is the difference between "misogyny" and "patriarchy"? Try to go beyond the obvious and put it in your own words.

• What is your reaction to the statement on p. 341? "The most important event in a woman's life is the birth of her son; in a man's life, it is the death of his father."

• What is your reaction to Ortner's claim that man is to culture as woman is to nature? (pp. 342-343) Think of the examples given here by Shlain. Also, think about this in relation to female menstruation. For an interesting visual spin on modern ads and Ortner's binary, click here.

• What is the etymology (linguistic origin) of the term "estrus"? (p. 346). What does this tell you about gender relations?

3/3 Malinowski and the Paternity Question
Malinowski (1916:353-357, 403-430) on Blackboard

• How do Trobrianders react to the ghost (kosi) of a dead man? (p. 356)

• What is the "real" cause of pregnancy for Trobrianders? (p. 403)

• What do Trobrianders believe is the prupose of male sperm? (p, 409)

• In local myth how was the hero Tudova born? What does this say about Trobriand attitudes regarding male paternity? (pp. 411-412)

3/5 The Ethnography of Margaret Mead
Note: I suggest you start with a well-done online exhibit about Mead in Samoa at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/field-samoa.html.

Mead, xi-xxviii, chaps 1-VI (pp. 1-60)

•  What does Mary Catherine Bateson (Mead’s daughter” say were the two main themes that Margaret Mead focused on? (pp. xi-xii) 

•  In reading the introduction by Mary Pipher, what two things do you find most fascinating about the life and achievements of Mead and why?  (pp. xv-xix)

•  Why does Mead stress that it is important to remember she is writing about Samoa and the U.S. in 1926-1928?  (p. xxiv)

•  How long did Mead study in Samoa and how many girls did she actually interview as a sample?  (pp. 9-10)

•  Read Ch. II (pp. 12-15) as you would a novel.  After reading, what is your impression of the style of writing for an ethnographic work of non-fiction? For a sense of how some others have reacted to her writing, click here (for an article written in 1950).

•  Why do you think there are different birth customs (involving disposal of the umbilical cord) for girls and boys in Samoa?  (pp. 16-17)

•  Why does Mead think boys learn to organize quickly, but Samoan girls do not?  (pp. 20-21)

•  What do you think is the social function of the “Aumaga” for males in a Samoan village?  (pp. 25)

•  According to Mead, why does a Samoan girl of 17 not wanted to get married yet? (pp. 27-28)

•  What are the taboos for behavior between brothers and sisters when they reach 9-10 years of age?  (pp. 32-33)  What function do you think these taboos serve?

•  What did young girls of age 7-9 fear so much that they ventured out on excursions in groups?  (pp. 44)  Why do you think they had these fears?

•   What is a “soa” and why do you think boys circumcised together become such good friends?  (p. 49)

•  What adult male duties do boys in the “Aumaga” learn? (pp. 53-54)

•  Read the description of a “taupo” on pp. 55-56 and 58-59.  Although this is an elite status, would you rather be a taupo or a commoner girl, given the responsibilities?  Why?

•  What is the extent of the “menstrual taboo” in Samoa?  (p. 57)

3/10 On Margaret Mead
Mead, chaps. VIII-XI (pp. 77-128)

•  What do you think the role of “jester” dance is in Samoan society?  (p. 80) 

•  Read Mead’s description of “dance” as a part of socialization in Samoan society (pp. 82-83).  Do you see a similar function for any kind of dancing in our society? Click here to see pictures of Samoan dance.

•  What happens when a person falls ill, according to Mead (p. 87)?  What function do you think this serves in the society?

•   What is the Samoan attitude toward masturbation?  (pp. 95-96)

•  Do you agree with Mead’s last sentence in the end of the first continuing paragraph on p. 105?  Would this work for American society?

•  What do Samoan women to prevent getting pregnant?  (p. 107)

•  What is your reaction to the case of Moana, discussed on pp. 107-108?  Are you surprised by her actions?

•  Why was Sala not a victim of antagonism, despite her frequent sex offences?  (p. 125)

3/12  The Samoan Controversy
Mead, ch. VII, pp. 61-76, appendices II-III

•  Who is generally the first lover of a young Samoan girl?  (p. 62)  Why do you think this is the case?

•  For a boy, who seems to make the best candidate for a “soa”?  (p. 64)

•  Read Mead’s account of the clandestine love affair on p. 65.  Do you think this account sensationalizes or exaggerates such affairs?

•  When does mead say “rape” appeared in Samoa?  (p. 66)  After reading the account of “moetolo” (pp. 66-67), would you call this a form of rape if you were a Samoan?

•  Why does a taupo not engage in clandestine love affairs?  (p. 69)

•   Based on what you have read, do you agree with Mead’s statement on p. 73 that “romantic love as it occurs in our civilization” does not occur in Samoa?  Do you think there is a kind of “romance” in the affairs she describes?

•  What do you think Mead means by describing Samoan marriage as “a very brittle monogamy” (p. 75)

Shankman (1996, shankman.pdf on Blackboard)

• How do Freeman's own data on the chastity contradict his claim that there was a strict virginity complex on Samoa? (p. 557)

• Based on 19th century missionary accounts, does the evidence they give tend to support Freeman's contention that chastity was the norm in practice? (pp. 559-560)

• After reading the conclusion (563-564), what do you think of Freeman's dismissal of Mead's claim that the girls she interviewed had numerous sexual affairs? What is the strongest evidence Shankman provides?

3/17 Sexism and Language

5/4 Wajnryb (2005:204-236) [E-Reserve]

• The authors lists the "dirty dozen" words on p. 207. Are there any words you think could be added or subtracted to this list and why?

• What is the difference between a plosive and a frictive in speech and why is this relevant for understanding the nature of vulgar words? (pp. 207-208)

• How does vulgar language abuse females? (p. 214) What is the implication here?

• What are the three functions of swearing (p. 218). Which do you think is the most important function and why?

• What is the problem with Keith Windshuttle's argument about Aborigine language? (p. 220)

• Why does the author argue that linguistically sexuality is less of a problem for Japanese than for English speakers? (pp. 224-229)

Rancour-Laferriere (1985) (rancour.pdf on Blackboard)

• According to Walsh and Leonard, reported in the text, about how many terms did the average American male and female student know for the sexual act? (p. 224). Write down the words you use or know, both "clean" and vulgar?

• Until when was it forbidden to pulbish the word "fuck" in the British Commonwealth? (p. 225)

• Read the comments of the author on Tourette's Syndrome (p. 226-227). What does the author think is the cause of the obscenities in this syndrome?

Watch George Carlin “Seven Words” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Nrp7cj_tM

Watch “The Word ‘Fuck’” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgsw5Hg0Ag&feature=related)