fandomhigh | Anthropology 101, 6th Period

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Anthropology 101, 6th Period

Daniel smiles at his small class. "Welcome to Anthropology. I'm Dr. Jackson.

Today, I just wanted to talk to you about what this class is going to entail, and also, have you introduce yourselves and discuss why you took this class.

The first thing is that I will be expecting interaction. As there's only four of you, that means you might have to do more work... so you could try and persuade your friends to add this," he grins.

"We'll start by looking at what is anthropology, and what it's subdisciples are this week. Next week, we'll be starting with physical, or, as it is sometimes called, biological anthropology. Next lesson, I'll have a handout for you with a run down of the class syllabus, and a suggestion of books. Oh, and I also need a TA, so if anyone's interested in the job, just come see me after class and we'll talk.

But today, I just want to get to know you. So, I'll start, then we'll go clockwise around the room. Tell me why you've decided to take this class and something else about yourself, and then we'll go around again, and I want you to tell me what you think anthropology is

I'm Daniel Jackson, I'm the teacher and I like coffee. I'm not going to say what I think anthropology is, because I know. As a hint, I'm going to tell you that it comes from the Greek. Let's go, guys."

[[Your final grade will be reflecting participation. Obviously if RL happens, then that's not your fault and a simple X was here and did Y will do. But I won't take that every lesson. Of course, you don't need to actually write the essays that he sets, but something would be nice.

I'm in GMT (mostly), so might not be around to discuss things with in class, but you can always talk with each other. I'll respond when I can. Monday's class will close just before I post Wednesday's class, and Wednesday's class will close around midday (GMT) on Saturday.

Any problems? Talk to me IC or OOC. Both Daniel and I are very harmless - honestly!

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"Of course, I already know Jack. Hi, Jack."

Blair grinned happily and bounced. "Hi, I'm Blair, Blair Sandburg and I'm a freshman. I've wanted to be an anthropologist since...well..I can't remember when I haven't wanted to be one! I'm really interested in tribal guardians." Blair bounced for a second than added, "This is my first time ever going to school, and I've lived all over the world."

Daniel looked at him curiously. "Really? Where have you lived, Blair?"

"Everywhere, man!" Blair grinned and bounced, waving his arms as he spoke. "Tanzania, British Columbia, Greece, Australia, Germany, Pakistan, Laos, France and tons of other places. Most recently was Chile. It was great." Blair bounced. "But I decided that I wanted to try going to school because I really want to go to college and become and anthropologist." Blair grinned.

"That's an impressive list of places," Daniel smiled. "What colleges are you thinking of?"

Blair bounced happily. "Colleges with anthropology departments?" He shrugged. "I talked to a professor who was conducting a study on the tribe my Mom and I were living with and he said that no college would take me unless I had gone to high school. So I haven't even started to look at specific colleges. Should I?" Blair fumbled for his notebook and pen. "What are good ones? Should I apply now?"

Daniel laughed. "You can start looking now if you wish, but you've got a couple of years ahead of you," he said. "If you want to come and talk colleges with me, in my office hour, or at any time really, then you're very welcome to."

"Thanks, man!" Blair grinned and bounced in his seat.

Kiki smiles and says, "My name is Kiki Takayama, and I decided to take this class because I am interested in people and civilizations. I'm a traditionally-raised witch, and many of our customs have very ancient roots, gathered from all over the globe and passed down through the generations. I'm really interested in learning about other cultures and how the current customs I know are related to, or may have come from, other groups."

Daniel smiles. "We'll hopefully be touching upon magic and witchcraft in anthropology during the second half of the semester," he says. "I hope you'll be able to share some of your culture's customs with us at some point, Kiki."

"Great," Kiki answers. "I'm really interested to see if what we think we know of ancient customs corresponds to what we practice today."

"It may surprise you," Daniel replies. "Anthropologists will use data collected from cultures still in the world today to extrapolate what extinct cultures might have experienced."

"I see," Kiki nods. "I was just thinking - we make all these guesses as to how people in past civilizations lived, but we can't ever be sure. I mean, say a future civilization found the remains of our culture, and found that we had thousands of small altars along our roads - as if to gods of safe passage or transportation, perhaps - that we make offerings to. That's a completely valid interpretation of a part of our culture, but to us, it's just a parking meter."

Daniel hides a grin. "That is true. It's also why documental sources are also important when looking at extinct cultures. Cuniform, which developed in Mesopotamia, was the basis for some of the earliest writing, and was originally used in economics and trade."

"Cuniform isn't so extinct, sir," Han says rolling up his left sleeve. The tattooed bracelet (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/valarltd/persiantat.jpg) above his elbow is indeed in cuniform.

"My boyfriend was Persian, from the court of Al'skander," he adds by way of explanation.

"But surely," Kiki continues, her brow furrowing in thought, "there must be some aspects about which nothing is written - things that were considered so mundane and part of everyday life that they were not considered important enough to bother recording, like trade and political matters. Without a written context, how can those be interpreted except by most reasonable hypothesis?"

Han decides to stand up and brazen it out. "I'm Han Solo. I'm a junior. I'm not from this planet and I'm curious about the customs humans have developed here as opposed everywhere else I've been. Mainly because I keep banging into customs like they're walls and I'm tired of bloody noses."

Daniel nods thoughtfully. "Well, there's a great deal of variety in customs amongst the cultures. The diversification on the planet means that whilst you may offer your hand in greeting here in the US, it could be considered rude elsewhere. If that's one thing I've certainly found out time and time again, body language is certainly not universal!"

Han gives him a grin. "Nothing's universal in my experience." The grin vanishes. "That look I just gave you would get me torn apart by my guardian's family. By the way, we are only studying humans, not other anthropods?"

"We will be looking at primates and other early hominids for a couple of weeks," Daniel says. "However, cultural anthropology and humans are my specialty and as this is only an overview course, then it will be mostly Homo Sapien based."

"Just checking. I think it'll be interesting to study a pre-spacing, post-industrial world. There aren't any back home."

He smiles and nods. "I hope you'll still be thinking that at the end of the semester," he says.

"Hi Daniel! I'm Jack, I took this class mostly to bug you because I already had my minumum three."

"Well, I had my suspicions, but it's always good to know," Daniel replies, managing to smile. "And Jack? In the classroom I would appreciate it if you would call me Dr. Jackson."

"See I'm pretty sure if I used the words 'Doctor Jackson' out of pure habbit alone it would immediatly be followed by 'didn't destroy the temple on purpose sir,' so how about I just wing it?"

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Anthropology 101, 6th Period

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