This class will be concerned with the shared "cognitive maps" we human beings construct and manipulate so as to make sense out of our perceptions of both the inner and outer worlds. It will be conducted, for the most part as a seminar. That is, although I will do a fair amount of lecturing from time to time, the primary focus will be on the discussion of a series of essays and papers on various aspects of cognitive anthropology, and of what Anna Wierzbicka calls the "key words" in English, Russian, Polish, German, and Japanese.

Course requirements

Students will take turns serving a discussion leaders (we will shortly work out a "rotation"), and will prepare brief, one-paragraph summaries of the articles to be discussed for distribution to the class. These should also include some questions raised by the research and/or theories to be discussed. Participation in this aspect of the class, although not easily quantifiable (see below), is nevertheless extremely important and will indeed be taken into consideration when assigning final grades. So will the student's overall level of participation in class discussion

There will be two examinations, a take-home mid-term, worth 50 points (it will be handed out on 3/18 and will be due two weeks later on 4/1), and a comprehensive, take-home final, worth 75 points. In addition, students will be responsible for a term paper concerned with some aspect of cognitive anthropology. This paper may be theoretical/critical in nature (that is, library-based) or empirical (that is, based on a brief, highly focused cognitive field project formulated in consultation with me). This paper, due at the end of the semester (on 5/3; see below), will be worth 75 points. Final course grades will be determined on the basis of a student's total numerical score (out of a possible 200 points) plus my estimate of the quality of her/his performance as a discussion leader and overall class participation (see above).

Text books and course-pack

The text books are:
Ben Blount, ed., Language, Culture, and Society : A Book of Readings (2^nd ed., 1995).⁽¹⁾
Anna Wierzbicka, Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words (1997).
In addition, there is a small "course pack" (=CP) containing six additional essays by Goodenough, Spradley, Frake, Berreman, Kempton, and Warner. It can be purchased from Sue Flaherty, the Anthropology Secretary, in Swan Middle, 2^nd floor.

Outline of topics and articles to be discussed (by week):

FIRST WEEK (1/19, 1/21): Introduction; some basic concepts: culture, cognition, language, etc. The fundamental relationship between language and culture. The taproots of cognitive anthropology. Readings: Will discuss Blount's Introduction to Part I, the articles by Boas (in Blount), and, if time permits, both articles by Sapir (in Blount). Note: There will no designated student discussion leaders during the first week.

SECOND WEEK (1/26, 1/28): The seminal impact of Benjamin Lee Whorf. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Readings: Will discus the first 10 pp. (pp. 64 to the top of p. 74) of Whorf (in Blount).

THIRD WEEK (2/2, 2/4): The impact of Whorf (continued). Readings: the balance of Whorf (pp. 74-84); Hoijer (in Blount).

FOURTH WEEK (2/9, 2/11): The 50s & 60s: Ethnoscience, the "new ethnology," Pike's concept of emics, Goodenough's challenge, etc. The immediate roots of cognitive anthropology. Readings: Will discuss Goodenough (in CP), Blount's Introduction to Part II (no discussion leader), both articles by Frake (one is in Blount, the other in the CP), and Berreman (in Blount).

FIFTH WEEK (2/16, 2/18): Cognitive anthropology comes of age: the early 70's. The importance of cultural taxonomy. Readings: Will discuss Spradley (in CP), Lévi-Strauss (in Blount), Berlin (in Blount), and Hymes (in Blount).

SIXTH WEEK (2/23, 2/25): Sociolinguistics. Readings: Will discuss articles by Gumperz, Ervin-Tripp, and Turner (all in Blount).

SEVENTH WEEK (3/2, 3/4): The "grammar of consciousness," Whorf redux, and the cognitive dimension of cultural ecology. Readings: Will discuss Blount's Introduction to Part III (no discussion leader) and articles by Hill, Lucy, and Hunn (all in Blount)..

EIGHTH WEEK (3/16 3/18): Color terminology, language acquisition, and gender mapping. TAKE-HOME MID-TERM HANDED OUT (3/18). Readings: Articles by Kay, Berlin & Merrifield; Ochs & Schieffelin; and Blount (all in Blount).

NINTH WEEK (3/23, 3/25): Gender mapping and the concept of "genre." Readings: Silverstein and Briggs & Bauman (all in Blount).

TENTH WEEK (3/30, 4/1): Fuzzy sets. TAKE-HOME MID-TERM DUE (4/1). Readings: Will discuss articles by Kempton and Werner (both in CP).

ELEVENTH WEEK (4/6, 4/8): Cultural semantics and the concept of "key word." Readings: Wierzbicka, Chapters 1 and 2. Note: from this point on, we will assign multiple discussion leaders for each chapter in Wierzbicka; that is, each will be responsible for several sub-sections).

TWELFTH WEEK (4/13, 4/15): Ethno-lexicons: "friendship" words, freedom" words, and "homeland" words in four languages. Readings: Wierzbicka, Chapters 2 , 3 & 4.

THIRTEENTH WEEK (4/20, 4/22): Key words in Australian English and Japanese. Readings: Wierzbicka, Chapters 5 & 6.

FOURTEENTH WEEK (4/27, 4/29): Japanese key words (continued). Some final observations. TAKE-HOME FINAL HANDED OUT. Readings: Wierzbicka, Chapter 6.

The term paper is due by 5:00 p.m., on Monday, 5/3, in my box. The take-home final will be due at 5:00 p.m. on the day an in-class final is scheduled by the Registrar (not yet determined).

My e-mail address is yokatta@oxy.edu.
My home page can be accessed at http://oxy.edu/~yokatta/home.htm

1. Important note: We will not discuss in class every article in the Blount anthology (e.g., the articles by G. H. Mead). However, by the final (see above), students will be expected to be generally familiar with the entire book.