1 SYLLABUS TITLE ANTH 620H Human Ecology (Theory or Method) TIME 10:30-11:45 a.m., TTh, Spring Semester 2009 PLACE 329 Saunders Hall, University of Hawai`i @ Manoa INSTRUCTOR Dr. Les Sponsel, Professor Director, Ecological Anthropology Program Office: 317 Saunders Hall Office hours: 3:00-5:00 p.m. TTh by appointment Office phone: 956-8507 Email:
[email protected] Homepage: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/Sponsel ORIENTATION Ecological anthropology explores how culture influences the dynamic interactions between human populations and the ecosystems in their habitat through time. The primary approaches within ecological anthropology are cultural ecology, historical ecology, political ecology, and spiritual ecology. This sequence of approaches reflects the historical development of the subject, largely since the 1950’s. By now ecological anthropology is a mature topical specialization that crosscuts the five subfields of contemporary anthropology. It has its own separate unit within the American Anthropological Association called the Anthropology and Environment Section (http://www.eanth.org); journals (Human Ecology, Journal of Ecological Anthropology, Ecological and Environmental Anthropology); textbooks and anthologies; publisher’s series; specialists, programs, and courses; listserv with more than 1,000 subscribers (see E & A Section website to subscribe); and so on. (See http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecological_anthropology). This class, 620H, is the graduate core course for the Ecological Anthropology Program (see EAP on the instructor’s homepage at http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/Sponsel). Ideally, the prerequisite for 620H is 415 Ecological Anthropology. Those who have not taken 415 may request the instructor’s consent. However, for some background they are strongly 2 advised to read Patricia K.