Gifts and Giving
ANTH 103
Spring 2018 not offered
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| Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory |
What is a gift? A commonplace understanding is that a gift is something given gratuitously and without the expectation of a return (just look the word up in any dictionary). Why, then, upon receiving a gift, do we feel indebted to the giver? And rather than gratuitous, isn't most gift giving occasioned by socially significant events and regulated by relatively rigid rules? This course is an in-depth examination of gift giving as one of the most powerful forces binding individuals and groups in society. Students will become familiar with critical anthropological and philosophical debates about the gift and consider their application to contemporary forms of gift giving in the United States, including philanthropy, volunteerism, and new types of giving made possible by recent advances in technology, such as organ donation and surrogacy. We will attend to the economic, political, and gender dimensions of gift giving in their remarkable power to make or break social bonds and undermine or reinforce hierarchical relationships at all levels of local and global society. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS ANTH |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ANTH)(CSCT) |
Major Readings:
Marcel Mauss, THE GIFT: THE FORM AND REASON FOR EXCHANGE IN ARCHAIC SOCIETIES. ISBN 978-0393320435
Alan Schrift, THE LOGIC OF THE GIFT. ISBN 978-0415910996
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Examinations and Assignments:
Papers and class presentations |
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