MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: XOXOXO

We bought THREE, count 'em THREE, XO laptops from our campaign from Dec 16 - 23.

My paypal account charged me $15.57 in fees which I am covering and I donated another $20 from myself. We raised a total of $642.

We have $45 remaining. I asked for a single donation on Twitter of $144 to buy a fourth. We'll see what happens. Otherwise, I will keep the $55 for next year's campaign unless someone really needs their donation returned. I'll gladly do that.

Greetings from Amazon Payments,
Your Dec 27, 2008 payment to OLPC Foundation for $597.00 has completed successfully. Here are the payment details:

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CHECK OUT 2008 THANK YOU'S
FROM ACTUAL KIDS WHO GOT AN XO LAPTOP

HERE'S THE FINAL COUNT

2:30 Section
$324 in total donations from 40% of a class of 20 students
from Daniela, Caroline, Melissa, Lynda (and her mom), Kashif, Victor
and special thanks to Yaroslav. Oh and I forgot to add Jessica Gil!!

4:10 Section
$228 in total donations from 38% of a class of 26 students
from Nicaury, Terentiy, Claumery (special thanks to her office), Craig,
Jou-man/Erica, Nuzzy, Ivana, Gabrijela, Jiaying, Kayla, Maimouna and Xiang.

Also Prof. Sarah Ryan and I made contributions to the overall effort.

NEXT YEAR / 2009:
I will send out an announcement. Best way to keep in touch is through our blog. Check back in November or contact me directly. I invite you all to participate. We will start November 1 next year. I learned SO MUCH that will make next year's campaign SING! and GENERATE LOTS OF DONATIONS! I would love to have a meeting to organize things in September of 2009. If you're interested add your email and name to the comments below.

CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH AND EVERY CLASS MEMBER ON OUR MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Rhode Island: An Immigrant Jail in an Immigrant Town

So many of you were moved by the last Conformity & Conflict chapter we read on immigrants vs. refugees. Happened upon this video from NYTimes this week on immigrants in Rhode Island. One of the things I am concerned about relative to illegal immigrants is creating a culture where the institution of the family is not at all respected among those whom we deem "illegal". They are still human beings and creating a capitalistic culture of wealth on top of family's misery seems unethical no matter what circumstances led to that plight.

NYTIMES: U.S.
An Immigrant Jail in an Immigrant Town

Locking up unauthorized immigrants for deportation is a growth industry. The jail in Central Falls, R.I., tried to cash in, but in a town full of immigrants, one result is a community living in fear.

Prof. G is going to TED2009!

I am ecstatic!!! I am getting SO EXCITED about going to TED Feb 2-6, 2009!

They just sent me the line up of speakers that includes Bill Gates on Day One. It is said that you can measure your influence by the people you interact with. My influence will be exponentially shifting from this event and it's already shifting from my introduction to the other 30 fellows. We are movers and shakers on the planet. About the conference theme:

Our theme is "The Great Unveiling" and every speaker is planning to share something they've never shared in public before. Stand by for new discoveries, new ideas, new beginnings. (In addition to the featured speakers, we have more than 50 members of the audience offering shorter contributions.)

I won't be speaking on stage but I have the opportunity speak among the TED fellows and be recorded for a TED U TALK!!! I am there!! Enjoy the video and stay tuned to the blog in February. I'll blog each day about it. For now, check out this teaser that was sent to us.



PS. There is one AMAZING TED talk I didn't get to show this term. It's by HANS GOSLING. Look in our tag cloud and check it out. It is relevant to what we think about the THIRD WORLD and how to debunk the stereotypes we have about us vs. them. Simply look for Hans Gosling in the blog's tag cloud.

OLPC Mission Part 1

Let's say you can't donate. Then be part of the marketing of our video!

To help promote our video over the next three days, got to YouTube and rate and comment on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSWu6CLVL6Y

Also Nicholas Negroponte, founder of OLPC, throws the XO laptop! Check it out!

BARUCH XO CAMPAIGN GOES PUBLIC!!

Thanks to all who participated in making the concept, the video and making it all happen with your time and your dollars! What can $199 buy? A World of Difference!

One Laptop Per Class and other models for giving back

Hey I am going to miss the Fa08 generation of ANT1001!!

To the 2:30 section representin' SEEK, keep playing and loving and being great with each other all the way to graduation - NO JOKIN!! No one left behind! This is your greatest opportunity to shine beyond anything you've known before. But it takes 4 years!! Come on!

To the 4:10 section, I learned SO MUCH from you about other countries that I never had known. Taiwan, Albania, Serbia, Bangladesh, and Brooklyn much much more!! Your group presentations rocked my world!! And your listening to one another -- priceless!

Special thanks to you! Yes you! who is reading this. Without you, none of what happened was possible. Get that!!

The ONE LAPTOP PER CLASS video will be edited by Jeffrey from the 2:30 section.
What we are up is launching a yearly campaign called ONE LAPTOP PER CLASS where each Baruch class (700+) will be asked to by a $199 laptop. We already raised $199 + $280 from our two sections alone!! And we haven't collected all the donations yet.

TO MAKE A DONATION: click here

If each student and faculty of each class participates the cost is less than $10 per person for a class size of 20 - 100. We are doing the final edits on a viral video to entice other colleges and universities to join us by Dec 31st this year and to create buzz for next.

We just started finals today and we have already raised the funds for at least 2 laptops from both sections. The viral video is based on the Mastercard priceless commercial ads + Mike Wesch's Students Today videos. It will be launched in a day or two to catch the Dec 31 deadline for this year's OLPC.com campaign.

ALSO
Check out Darius Goes West
http://www.dariusgoeswest.org/

In this multi-award-winning documentary, fifteen-year-old Darius Weems and eleven of his best friends set off across America with the ultimate goal of getting his wheelchair customized on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. The result is a rarely seen testament to the explosive idealism of today’s youth, as well as a vivid portrayal of adventure, of brotherhood, and of the character and strength it takes to shed light on an uncertain future.

Not only does Darius Weems bravely face his own inevitable fate with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but through his unflinching humor and his extraordinary laugh, he sparks a revolution in the lives of everyone who crosses–and then shares–his courageous path.

Raul Midon - Life Beyond Research Papers + Blindness + New Technology

MY MOTTO: "I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong." Richard Feyman

Dialogic Editing 101

I told you before I left for the funeral that I'd get you something on Dialogic Editing. Sorry for the delay. Here it is.

This practice helps tease out the difference between your etic view and their emic view of the culture (in some of your cases, there may be some overlap between the two).

After you have completed your draft. Submit it to your cultural consultant(s).

STEP 1
Have them read your draft.

STEP 2
Capture their reactions and feedback like a 2nd interview.

STEP 3
Read the one page from an article on Dialogic Editing
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhnm7kdd_22fzkcd7gd

STEP 4
Write a response titled (see below) based on the following questions. Keep it brief and succinct. You may go over your page limit if needed.

SECTION TITLE Dialogic Editing: A Postscript and Conclusion.

1. Ask your cultural consultant what they thought of your essay. Did you get what was important and what mattered to them? Or just what you saw from the outside?

2. Is there anything you missed that they thought must be included? Were there any misunderstandings? If so, try to notice why you misunderstood and write about that in this section.

3. Do they have any comments, after thoughts, or questions about the process or even suggestions regarding the interaction, your questions, or the essay? If so, capture the exchange and notice what you learned about the dialogic process of seeing from different points of views about a culture (from within and from without).

4. What did you learn from the dialogic editing? And from the entire project and process?

ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD/ THE XO COMPUTER

When I first got to Baruch in 2006, I heard a question raised about our prized diversity at Baruch from President Waldron. She said we know we are the most diverse institution but how does that translate to our culture or school on the whole?

Students from both sections of ANT1001 today agreed to launch a plan to invite the Baruch Community to participate in a ONE LAPTOP PER CLASS campaign (classes of 20 or more). We can donate money for an XO laptop for a child in the Third World that is being nationally advertised on TV and radio.

(How many classes do you think there at Baruch?)

DIVERSITY AT BARUCH AND FOR THE WORLD
As a diverse school representing over 121 countries, we as Baruch College have a unique opportunity to give laptops to educate the children of the world. The buy one get one campaign is $349 a pair but its only $199 to give a laptop. Let's just give laptops!!

With 20 students in a class, that $10 per person. $20 for two.
With 30 students, it's only $6 per person or $12 for two.

There are 57 students combined in both sections. 95% of those present were willing to support the campaign and/or contribute to a laptop. I am going to contact OLPC and see if THEY'LL set up a system for us. I already sent the email just now.

We have a committee of 8 students (Daniela, Enki, Bilal, Kashif, Ellie, Nuzzy, and Diana and maybe Angel) working to organize things.

ON THU DEC 11: We are creating a viral video on Thu and if approved it would be shown on the video kiosks on campus and linked as an announcement on Baruch sites and emails.

VIRAL CAMPAIGNING
We are on to an effective viral campaign. It could be city wide universities and colleges or even nationwide. Every child should have access to an education no matter where they are from. By tapping our own diversity at Baruch we can bridge the gaps that divide us (between students/faculty/staff, between nations/ethnicities, sexes, abilites, etc.).

If we play it right, we should contact OLPC with this as a idea to launch at all universities and colleges with Baruch as the leader.

I am writing for your support and participation. Regarding collecting money, given the short notice, we will simply use Amazon.com this year and create an old-fashioned (paper and pen) system of accounting for how much each class raises as well as posting it on our blog.

DATES
The span of the campaign would be from Fri Dec 12 to Wed Dec 23. If anyone wanted to contribute through Dec 31 online that would be fine too as long as they could note that on our blog.

I am aiming for at least 400 laptops this year. Next year? let's see how we do this year!

The mission of the OLPC campaign is to be able to provide laptops children can take home every night in an entire school. I think we could do something amazing (Obama like) in just 10 days.

CAN I COUNT ON YOUR SUPPORT?
This is a SIMPLE viral, online and email campaign. No paper flyers. I want to send an announcement inviting all faculty and staff to participate in all three schools by Friday.

Prof. G - Just some thoughts on your posts of late

I have been really enjoying the comments and reactions to Majora Carter's TED Talk and the post on Social Responsibility. I wished more of you responded to my previous post about whether "individual" or "fear" are social constructs. I am very interested in leading you all to consider that if most ideas we live by are socially constructed, like myths we live by, and all human cultures have their own way of thinking, believing, behaving and feeling about this common humanity we share, why is it so difficult to change something we made up? How do we get stuck with these things? It has implications for economics, for how we talk about our times. "We are in a financial crisis" gives a particular point of view of life when we might have had the same amount of money or even more during the Clinton administration boom and been worse off. Why?

Daniela was responding to the TED talk about the South Bronx with Majora Carter who is an excellent and passionate non-profit leader for greening the ghetto. Daniela as well as Edwin made some AWESOME comments--go back and read them. But often we can talk about change and what's missing but because we live in the US more often than not we have the luxury of talking but not necessarily acting.

We have so many luxuries here in the U.S. The luxury of a democracy, of money, of our position in the world, of choice, of free speech. They are awesome and wouldn't trade em for the world.

“Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind”

Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)

What do you think would have Thoreau say this and what about what you learned this semester from doing/reading/participating-observing/writing about anthropology, what aspects of what you have learned would you use as evidence for your answer?

AFTERTHOGHT: Hey what if "luxury" is something you can simply create (words create worlds)? What would you create in your speaking and how? Maybe it begins with simple pleasures.

A Refugee Crisis in Afghanistan - NYTIMES Video

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY NOW, CORPORATE AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY 4 LIFE

All of your comments about the circumstances of sweatshop labor revealed a deep concern for your relationship as students to others who are less fortunate in the world. This is the start of becoming a student OF the world rather than IN the world. Your insight and awareness is something to be proud of. Don't undermine it with guilt or shame, blame or fault, or even regret.

Consider this re-definition from Landmark Education.

Responsibility is not about blame, shame, guilt, fault, or regret. It starts with a willingness to consider being cause in the matter.

No one else is coming to save us. Responsibility might be creatively responding using the resources you have as a college student (technology, the power of your institution--Baruch/CUNY, the radio station, blogs, etc. ) or the resources of your position (galvanizing other students or people with similar interests) to make a difference, to impact the world we live in.

Perhaps you all could be like the students in the video and organize Baruch students to explore what unfair labor practices we as a group of people are unknowingly supporting. Awareness is an important form of activism.

Perhaps this poem might be useful in being cause in the matter.
"Our Deepest Fear"
by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

ABOUT MIRACLES AND FEAR
By the way, how would anthropologists study MIRACLES or even FEAR? Guilt, shame or blame? What etic category applies or would be useful? How, when or where would you participate and observe miracles or fear? Where would you conduct fieldwork? Better yet, what social construct is at work behind the perception/reality of MIRACLES, FEAR or SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY? What construct prevents us from seeing them/it?

One thought for me, because I don't have an answer for this, is the social construct of "the individual" (does it really exists in nature or is it merely a social discourse perceived in some cultures and not others?). Hmm? What a paradox. "Individual" is a social construct. That's something I've NEVER thought about before.

IN CONCLUSION
What I am learning from my own inquiry is that "noticing" is the most powerful tool in participant-observation and ethnography.

Applying Anthropology: Who Identifies the Needs of Locals?

Applied Anthropology is distinct from the academic or theoretical side of the discipline. Through the use of anthropological data, theory, and methods to identify, assess, and solve contemporary problems involving HUMAN BEHAVIOR and social and cultural forces, conditions and contexts. The ethnographic method is an invaluable tools for learning and studying the local firsthand. So who should identify the needs of the local people? Is it the ethnographer, the scientist, who returns home after fieldwork? Or the cultural consultants, the insiders, the locals themselves?

Here's an example of a local from the South Bronx determining development needs for her community. Applied anthropology empowers local people to fulfill their own needs.

Talks Majora Carter: Greening the ghetto

Conformity and Conflict: A Mother's Love

Read more on mother love by Nancy Scheper-Hughes

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them”.
Epictetus (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135)

Chap 10 - The World Economic System and Colonialization

Globalization and Colonialization is Fostering Unity among Youth
Most of my experience with colonialization has not seemed good. I am a person of African descent. My family history is traced to slavery. Forced migration led my people here. In the mid to late 1990s, I was one of those who challenged globalization at the political level. The bourgeosie were stealing the labor of the proletariat. Now mothers as well as fathers were not home with the children. All parents and even children have to work to make a living. Americans spend more time with fellow workers than their families and since the climate at work tends to be so strict, the anxiety and venting about our circumstances tend to fall on the family and kin in a strange version of negative reciprocity. Family seems last on our list time-wise. The impact of industrialization and commodification in our state economy.

So we are having a conversation, an inquiry, that is designed to really get up under your social constructs, which can seem like getting under your skin. Stirring up confusion, angry, and other feelings that may not be comfortable. Know this: it's all part of the learning process. Like walking out to look at the edge of the earth before our superstitions were upended, it can really seem threatening to confront our social constructs and the discourses that keep them in place. Our mindset is designed to reinforce the status quo. We cannot really seem beyond "what makes sense" or seems "real" to us. It's not a social construct. That's the way life is.

Here is the first video I want you to examine and dig into. It's called SOMETHING TO HIDE documenting a delegation composed of university students who head to El Salvador to find out who makes clothing for Nike and Wal-Mart. They find out it's people their age with little knowledge of their labor rights.

The second video called THE HIDDEN FACE OF GLOBALIZATION is produced by the same media organization the National Labor Committee. They support workers rights in a global economy. The second video is also about sweatshops but in Bhangladesh. Watching both had me realize how universal or at lease pervasive this experience has become relative to some of the largest US corporations such as Nike. From El Salvador to Bhangladesh cultlure is becoming a universally dismal like of labor and not much else.

It has been through live aid concerts and sweatshop campaigns that young people around the world have been out to make a difference. In 2008, Live 8 founded by Bob Geldof advocated for canceling Africa's debt to save African lives. Check out his appeal at the concert.

Social Control

In this TED Talk video Julia Sweeney talks about her transition in understanding religion from the time she turned 7 till now. Towards the end however she stresses the fact that no matter what religion, ultimately some of the ideals that they are based on sound ludicrous. For example, the story of God impregnating the Virgin Mary without the use of intercourse, and giving birth to the son of God. I may believe in this, however pretend you as an intellectual of 18+ never heard the story before. Would you not think of the story as just a myth? Is it another form of Social Control in that as child you were influenced to believe this and ultimately think it to be true? Do we choose to believe in it now because it works? Or do we just have nothing else to believe in?

Chapter 9: Religion

This week in Thursday, November 6, 2008, our group will discuss religion in a variety of different ways. We want to show how different every religion is and how others use ethnocentrism, believing that their religion is better than other religions. Before class, we want everyone to think about their own religions, if you have one, and what kind of practices your religion performs. Think about whether or not other people from other religions will criticize them.
On thursday, Jiaying will discuss family culture on the Chinese New Year. She will explain the process of how they worship the Gods, as well as bring some of the materials used to worship gods. This will allow us to understand some aspect of the Chinese religion.
Ivana will speak about her Christian Evangelic religion in her home town in Serbia. Her town is separated by an invisible line, dividing the homes of the Christian Evangelics on one side and the Catholics on the other side. This will show how religion can separate people and even cause conflicts.

The picture on the left is the Catholic church on one side of the town, while the picture on the right is the Christian Evangelic church, located on the opposite side of the town.

Eun Ji will be discussing religion in South Korea. Almost 46% of the South Koreans express no religious preference. Of the religious people, 29% are Christian, 23% are Buddhist and 3% have other religious beliefs. Christianity is the biggest religion in South Korea. Christianity in South Korea has a relatively short history, but after a difficult beginning, it has seen significant growth and success. South Korea has different kind of denominations, for example, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptism and Full gospel. Although Presbyterian is the most well-known, there are more followers for Full gospel so here is a clip on full gospel.
Yoido Ful Gospel Church



This is a video of worship in full Gospel Churches in South Korea.

Christian Music Video Body Worship Dance - Worthy Is The Lamb

Tanzina will show some interesting videos on taboos in religion.

The New First Family, A New President, A New America

Voting on Gay Marriage Today - Nov 4

While McNeil-Lehrer reports a record breaking turnout from the electorate today, major initiatives concerning gay marriage are being decided in voting in three major states.

"Initiatives dealing with gay marriage, stem cell research and abortion also are on the ballot in several states.

California's Proposition 8 would terminate marriage rights for gay couples. Arizona's Proposition 102 would amend the state's constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Similarly, Florida's Proposition 2 would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage."

Why is it that humans fight over defining laws for other people in this manner? What is the assumption about humans that such activity suggests? That we must be all the same? What do you think?

Group 4 Gender

On thursday Oct 30 our group made a presentation on Gender. We discussed gender roles throughout different cultures and societies. Lorrain told a story about how she helped her team win a soccer game as young child. However, the opposing coach wanted the win to be nullified because he accused Lorrain of being a boy because of her looks. This caused Lorraine's family to get very upset and just shows how the opposing coach couldn't believe that a girl could accomplish what Lorraine did on the field. Lorraine also showed a video about small children as they innocently pointed out gender roles in our society www.youtube.com/watch?v=am8n5bXefi0
Gabrielle talked her family who are part of a Moroccan Jewish culture. She described how the women of household are supposed to be the ones in charge of cleaning the house and cooking the food. She also mentioned her grandfather's views of gender roles as he had a problem with Gabrielle enrolling in sports activites because she was a girl.
Edwin talked about chauvinism in todays world. He explained that chauvinism is the belief that men are better then women. Male chauvinists often believe that women are property and can accomplish nothing with out men. As out dated a belief as it may seem to us, with the women's rights movements, many people, both men and women, hold this belief to be true. Edwin than showed the following videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0xoKiH8JJM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptx52QwFz10
I talked about how humans are all alike and how sex is seperated by just one single chromosome. I played this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGNGpwb8nE
Enki showed a "Ted Talk" like video in which a guest speaker discusses how an aid of 50/50 in a poor country given to men and women was not the right solution. The speaker showed how women are better able to manage money than men and use it to take care of their family. The aid given soon moved to a 60/40 split and continued moving in the women's favor until almost all aid was given to the woman of the household.
Nicaury showed how disney cartoons invoke messages of sexism, male strength, and male dominance. She played this video:

Use Active Learning for Your Group's Time in Class

PLEASE NOTE: The week your group is responsible for presenting on Thursday, you and your group members are only responsible for READING the Conformity & Conflict chapter HOWEVER you are not REQUIRED to write any response. You are welcome to comment on it but are not required to do so. My apologies to past groups for not stating this earlier.

The presentations so far have been great. Now I'd like to encourage different kinds of learning environments. The group presentations are also an opportunity to create an active learning environment -- that's where students are not lectured to but actuall create and contribute to what's learned from their own participation. Instead of presenting ideas and videos, you can use a video or facts/statistics to poll other students' thinking or beliefs. It's sort of like moment of participant-observation where the group operates as the scientists polling the emic views of the other students.

Previously I posted guidelines to inspire ideas for your group presentation. I requested it be 15-20 mins. I will allow you up to 20-25 minutes from now on. Please be mindful of that limitation (prepare + practice and time yourselves). Check out the previous posts on group presentations.

ACTIVE TRAINING/LEARNING STRATEGIES
Did any of you see the film FREEDOM WRITERS? In it Hilary Swank's character, a first-time teacher in a "war-zone" urban school abandons traditional teaching practices to get the students more involved in caring about their education. Your group presentations might abandon the traditional method of "presenting" ideas by having the rest of the students actively generate their emic views about religion, race/ethnicity, and the world economic system during your 20-25 mins.

Have the class do a "Take a stand exercise" (polling them on current immigration policy or the history of racial stratification. Do a "campfire" sharing session where groups of 3-4 students share a story/myth that reflects a core value in their religion/faith. Then have the groups discuss the stories they heard from an etic/anthropological perspective: what generalities or universals were shared in the stories; what is it that humans in each culture are striving for and why is there so much conflict between religions given the core values? You are welcome to steal or borrow any of these ideas. Strategies for active learning (rather than just listening) are much more fun and the group does much less work in the end.

Here are great resources for active learning strategies, do your own search on Google, or think of a great example from a film, a book you read, or from a favorite class you took before. I personally love the first one on trading spaces using post it notes.

1. http://www.activetraining.com/active_learning/tool_trading_places.htm
   
2. http://www.activetraining.com/active_learning/WeaveCourseContent.pdf
3. http://www.cat.ilstu.edu/additional/tips/actEngage.php
4. Also check out TEACHERTUBE for great resources and videos
   

Religion and the Supernatural (cf. Wesch)

Found a great story below about Hinduism that shows how the religious emic view is cultural integrated with other values of Indian society/culture. It comes from on Mike Wesch's Wiki under the topic of Religion + the Supernatural

He writes: " Religion responds to BIG QUESTIONS: Why death? Why life?"

"The world is much more than what meets the eyes. We experience great sorrows - and great elation. We experience death - We fall in love - and sometimes we have what for lack of a better word we might call "the religious experience" --- all of these experiences are beyond words. And then there is the world itself."

"Where did it come from? It too is beyond words. You can say it is the Big Bang - but what was before that - You can say it was God, Allah, Spiderwoman of the Hopi, Afek of the Nekalimin, any number of thousands of Gods that Humans put their faith in ... but is that just a word we place on something unexplainable?"

"Ultimately the ground of our being is a mystery - as humans we name it by many names ... You have probably heard of several religions - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam ... there are in fact no less than 5000 religions. Each one as adamant as the others that they have the right answer in their pocket. Great diversity - yet remarkably similar as well. How do we explain this diversity?"

"Worldwide we find that religion expresses, explains, and legitimizes cultural practices, values, and the socio-political order" (Wesch).

INDIA - HINDUISM ... INDRA'S LESSON

"There is a wonderful story in one of the Upanishads about the god Indra. Now, it happened at this time that a great monster had enclosed all the waters of the earth, so there was a terrible drought, and the world was in a very bad condition. It took Indra quite a while to realize that he had a box of thunderbolts and that all he had to do was drop a thunderbolt on the monster and blow him up. When he did that, the waters flowed, and the world was refreshed, and Indra said, "What a great boy am I."

So, thinking, "What a great boy am I," Indra goes up to the cosmic mountain, which is the central mountain of the world, and decides to build a palace worthy of such as he. The main carpenter of the gods goes to work on it, and in very quick order he gets the palace into pretty good condition. But every time Indra comes to inspect it, he has bigger ideas about how splendid and grandiose the palace should be. Finally, the carpenter says, "My god, we are both immortal, and there is no end to his desires. I am caught for eternity." So he goes to Brahma, the creator god, and complain. Brahma sits on a lotus, the symbol of divine energy and divine grace. The lotus grows from the navel of Vishnu, who is the sleeping god, whose dream is the universe. So the carpenter comes to the edge of the great pond of the universe and tells his story to Brahma. Brahma says, "You go home. I will fix this up." Brahma gets off his lotus and kneels down to address sleeping Vishnu. Vishnu just makes a gesture and says something like, "Listen, fly, something is going to happen." {CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR INFO ABOUT IT}

Next morning, at the gate of the palace that is being built, there appears a beautiful blue boy with a lot of children around him, just admiring his beauty. The porter at the gate of the new palace goes running to Indra, and Indra says, "Well, bring in the boy." The boy is brought in, and Indra, the king god, sitting on his throne, says, "Young man, welcome. And what brings you to my palace?" "Well," says the boy with a voice like thunder rolling on the horizon, "I have been told that you are building such a palace as no Indra before you ever built." And Indra says, "Indras before me, young man- what are you talking about?" The boy says, "Indras before you. I have seen them come and go, come and go. Just think, Vishnu sleeps in the cosmic ocean, and the lotus of the universe grows from his navel. On the lotus sits Brahma, the creator. Brahma opens his eyes, and a world comes into being, governed by an Indra. Brahma closes his eyes, and a world goes out of being. The life of a Brahma is 432,000 years. When he dies, the lotus goes back, and another lotus is formed, and another Brahma. Then think of the galaxies beyond galaxies in infinite space, each a lotus, with a Brahma sitting on it, opening his eyes, closing his eyes. And Indras? There may be wise men in your court who would volunteer to count the drops of water in the oceans or the grains of sand on the beaches, but no one would count those Brahmin, let alone those Indras."

While the boy was talking, an army of ants parades across the floor. The boy laughs when he sees them, and Indra's hair stands on end, and he says to the boy, "Why do you laugh?" The boy answers, "Don't ask unless you are willing to be hurt." Indra says, "I ask. Teach." (That, by the way, is a good Oriental idea: you don't teach until you are asked. You don't force your mission down people's throats.) And so the boy points to the ants and says, "Former Indras all.Through many lifetimes they rise from the lowest conditions to the highest illumination. And then they drop their thunderbolt on a monster, and they think, 'What a good boy am I.' And down they go again."

This story illustrates some core values of Hinduism:

• Cycles - Reincarnation
• Each person has their place (Caste)
• Subdue individuality - Be humble. These are the Virtues.

Analyzing Gender and our Reactions to studying Gender

ABOUT CHRISSIE and LEARNING ABOUT SEX vs. GENDER
I noticed a lot of reactions among both men and women about collapsing sex and gender OR about some worry or concern that if someone like Chrissie exists (born with internalized male organs but looks like a man) the whole notion of sex or gender is threatened. The reaction itself is a kind of ethnocentrism. It leads to fear and even violence in places and contexts where such threats seem to threaten community or societal values and persons become targets. They are targets used to maintain the social constructed nature of cultures. This is from the collapsing of biological notions with learned ways of being--culture.

Anthropologists can use there participant-observation methods and the power of ethnography to LEARN HOW SUCH CULTURAL REACTIONS WORK. Why is this such a threat? What triggers the threat? What dissolves the threat? Why are so many of you more threatened that Chrissie seems to be? Remember the high percentage of women who are sexually men in Australia is particular to Australia. Notice how no one asked why that is? Why Australia?



Here's a video I am showing in each section today before the group presentations. Posted on YouTube by male user tencups on June 28, 2006. Tencups is short for Ten Cups Golf Channel. George the actual user from Austin (I believe Texas) and he calls himself a "certified golf nut." With his own hidden camera video he supposedly confirms "the superior consciousness of women". The video titled Why Women should be in Charge has a low number of views (3,801) relatively speaking for being on since 2006. I posted a video about 4 months ago and I have over 700 views. What's interesting is that youtube marketers insist that anything with women's sexual bodies or "T&A" (tits and ass) will get lots of views on YouTube.

What if the George of Ten Cups is missing the actual context of why women ARE NOT in charge? How could this video support that conclusion?

What I find even more fascinating and somewhat predictable about this video are the range of YouTube Comments. Take a sample and notice what doesn't get said. We shared about this in class.

theratking666 (2 months ago) -1

he probably only showed the ones were the man messed up and there were 500 women who screwed the whole test and hes such a liberal minded arse he didnt want to disgrace his vagina

liseestelle (4 months ago) 0

careful of stereotyping.....

LegendaryMario (5 months ago) 0

lol giri, men need help in the 21st centure? what is that. go die

girigoku31st (7 months ago) 0

Makes no sense.. Gosh.. Men need more help in the 21st centure in all developed and handsomely developing countries..

bipper1 (7 months ago) 0

Tencups is a liberal baby-boomer loser. His generation produced a bunch of self hating men. Can't wait for them to die off so we can let the real men take over. Worst generation EVER!

Grubnar (1 year ago) -1

Strange, in my experience men and women are surely diffent but exacly the other way around. Its the women that always fail to read and follow the instructions. I dont know why!

horuvex (1 year ago) 0

This is really interesting. While maybe not a reason women should be "in charge" it proves that men do things differently. My guess is the men dismiss most of this writing as advertising. It is true women are more observant, especially regarding human emotions.

haleylovesrichard (3 months ago) 0

well youd think theyd see all the arrows and atleast look at it though you do have a good point it just doesnt make much sense im kinda thinking that guy may have set it up but then again what would he get out of it??

datiger (2 years ago) 0

Okay... what was the point.? Men don´t read signs.?
We do logical conclusions. What´s logical about a place where there´s "self-service" and you have to pay, although nobody is checking if you do.

Also check out the YouTube videos Men's Power In Society or see Buffet tag about his secretaries.

Five Genders in Indonesia from National Geographic

Kottak - Gender

Next week we explore how the cultural meanings assigned to the biological differences between females and males and some variations from the norm that can assist us in getting related to the kind of ethnocentrism that arises around sexuality, gender roles and sexual orientations. Below are some short videos and links that will assist us in exploring the cultural evolution of the ways we think and learn about gender.

Lauren Wells Hasten/Digital Anthropologist writes:

Used interchangeably in both anthropological research and popular conversation, the words "sex" and "gender" are usually handled as synonyms. They are in fact two different things, and each incorporates multiple aspects. Sex itself refers to the biological manifestation of gender as well as to sexual activity; a person's sex is usually determined by the genitalia that are present at birth, while sex refers to the physical activity that involves the stimulation of these genitals. ... most Americans expect a person with female genitalia to desire a sexual partner of the opposite biological sex, and ....

1. The Hilary Factor from Reuters
   Apr 18 - Best selling Author Deborah Tannen details "The Hillary Factor" and understanding gender in the Presidential campaign.Tannen says when a female politician shows a softer side, whether its ...
   
   
2. The gender trap
   "We're familiar with drug testing for athletes, but officials at the Beijing Olympics will be taking things one stage further and examining competitors whose sex is in doubt. And it is far from being a new problem, as Emine Saner discovers..."
   
   
3. Al Roker interviews Leonard Sax, "Why Gender Matters" (2005)
   For more from MSNBC
   
   
4. Read more about the anthropological study of multiple genders
   
   
5. Gender Puzzle - 44min. documentary: http://www.booserver.com/projects.php?ProjectID=2394
   

WEEKLY RESPONSES to "Life Without Fathers or Husbands" by Clifford Geertz

Found a really great resource online. A Marriage and Family Encyclopedia that has entries on every nation from Brazil to Haiti all the way up to Vietnam and Zambia.

Post your brief comments below regarding "Life Without Fathers or Husbands" by Clifford Geertz

In this YouTube video Geertz speaks on the process of writing an ethnography in anthropology.


http://ksuanth.wetpaint.com/page/Sex+Love+and+Marriage+Lecture

Mosuo Women in China (Life without Fathers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoTrARDa8BU

NYT Article 2006 on Bride Price

http://ksuanth.wetpaint.com/page/Sex+Love+and+Marriage+Lecture

Photographs: Child Brides

About our role in Afghanistan around 2006 when this above article was published (from Wikipedia "War in Afghanistan (2001–present)":

By May 2008, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had an estimated 47,000 troops from 40 countries, with NATO members providing the core of the force. The United States has approximately 17,000 troops in ISAF. By May 2008, ISAF had an estimated 47,000 troops from 40 countries, with NATO members providing the core of the force. The United States has approximately 17,000 troops in ISAF.

And now for a little humor about arranged marriages:

Play on Words and the Worlds They Create

Hey professor i came across this email that was sent to me and it reminded me of the language chapter in Kottak. it also serves a purpose to brighten and bring a smile and laughter to everyone:

EVER WONDER
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?- -
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?- -
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?- -
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?- -
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?- -
Why is it that to stop Windows 98, you have to click on "Start"?- -
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid- made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?-
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?
Why- don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

From Claumery, XZ24C section

FIRST DRAFT: PROPOSAL FOR MINI-ETHNOGRAPHY DUE TUE OCT 21

In addition taking the online quiz for Ch.7 Families, Kinship and Marriage
you also are expected to write up a proposal for your mini-ethnography

It should include:

1. SUBJECT OF THE ETHNOGRAPHY: What are you going to study? Be as specific as possible. If interviewing a person, what cultures are involved?
   I.e., the Carnegie Deli in Manhattan. My grandmother's migration from Cuba in the 1930s.
   
2. Key Cultural Consultant(s). Who you intend to interview with a couple of options suggested if you don't already know them. Provide some basic info (age, ethnicity, nationality, sex, etc.) What makes them a KEY cultural consultant in your eyes or in the eyes of the cultural community?
   
3. Participant-Observation/Emic View. What is the site of your study? A ritual, event, place, or location? Give an address if possible or place it is associated with. In what way will you participate in the culture to get an insider's view?
   
4. What interests you most and what questions do you anticipate about this project or the person you are interviewing.
5. Name 3-4 etic concepts you could use to address your interests or questions. Use the concepts from the Kottak and the Conformity and Conflict. Avoid generalizing. Saying I will explore "language" may be too general, but saying I will explore the "focal vocabulary" and differences in speaking between coaches and players related to gender and race is very specific.
   
6. Paper & extras: Have fun with this. Write a conventional ethnography and supplement it with a slide show or youTube video and share it with not only the class but the world.
   

New Guidelines for Group Presentations

1. For students to discover new views of their own worldviews and others.
   
2. To counter the ethnocentrism of US educated students
3. To compare multiple emic views and bring a slice of it to the week's conversation.
4. To bring Baruch's diverse cultures into the mix--consider using your own cultural backgrounds as a starting point for the discussion.
5. To present a group view of the subject in 20 mins or less in a way that expands or disturbs our social constructs about the week's subject.
6. Before or immediately after your presentation, create a group post to further the discussion and capture what your presentation was about.
   

Next week's subject in the Kottak and Conformity&Conflict readings is Families, Kinship and Marriage. Here are some great suggestions (NOTE: SUGGESTIONS) for each group's preparation. Delegate tasks so each group member contributes more or less to the project in a way that works for them.

1. BLOG & BLACKBOARD
   Review the video Did You Know 2.0 (8 mins) and checkout our blog's tag cloud, videobar, and newsfeeds. Use your group's email/discussion board on Blackboard.
2. THE CONTEXT IS DECISIVE
   Explore how the U.S. and your home country have changed using gapminder.org. Watch the gapminder.org tutorial first to quickly understand how to use it.
   
3. FIND A KEY CULTURAL CONSULTANT
   Skim the articles on Anthrosource and/or Lexis-Nexis through the Baruch Library DATABASES page or search current news videos from NYTimes, Associated Press, PBS and/or National Geographic. Also look at the bibliographies for the chapters of our weekly reading.
   
4. THAT WAS OUTTA CITE!!
   Cite or keep track of all the sources used (urls, books, articles, videos) and create a bibliography as a group post on the blog for our class and the next to use for the week's subject. Oral communication requires documentation, too.
   
5. TO POWERPOINT OR NOT TO POWERPOINT?
   Despite what I've said before, you CAN use powerpoint (see a great example about water). Instead of talking, use only visual or sonic communication (photography, hypertext, music, film, audio). How about dancing to learn about courting practices in mating??
   
6. SOCIAL COLLABORATION 101
   Consider creating a slideshow, a social bookmarking account with Digg or Delicious, a youtube channel, or a Flickr or Tumblr account that can be used and built upon next class (ask Prof. G to create an acct for long-term use).
   
7. DANCE IN THE CONVERSATION
   Get us out of our seats, if possible. Use polling or taking a stand, etc. http://www.activetraining.com/active_learning/WeaveCourseContent.pdf
   
8. K.I.S.S.
   Keep it simple, stupid. The best stories and presentations are simple. Think Chris Abani in his TED Talk.

IDEAS FOR FAMILY (or another chapter):

• Compile family photographs or Google images for the week's subject and create a slide show that reflects the members of your group.
  
• Choose a provocative video (e.g., on Shakers) to create a panel of experts discussing the pros and cons followed by Q&A.
  
• Choose a familiar word related to the subject (monogamy). Create a slide with a definition from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. Then show other slides comparing same word or idea defined in other ways, from other sources, famous or indigenous people's sayings, jokes, or other dictionaries, such as a French, Swahili, or slang dictionary.

THE BEST PRESENTATIONS
What makes the best presentations the best, you ask? Hmm. I decided to search the web on that and found a few interesting links:

• http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2006/08/21/top-10-best-presentations-ever/
• http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/09/winners-of-worl.html
• Use the 10/20/30 rule of powerpoint. No more than 10 slides in 20 mins at 30 point font.
• http://www.slideshare.net/contest/
  

NEW BLOG FEATURES & USES FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS

I may not be new to blogging but I am discovering the untapped power of having a blog for this class. I have been wanting to make sure you all stay current with current affairs not just in US but around the globe or perhaps to have YOU share your views of the world with our blog.

So blogger.com allows for video feeds and news feeds from other blogs and sites. So I added that to the right side of the blog. Check it out. The VIDEO BAR is linked to four YouTube channels:

• Journeyman Pictures
• Broadcaster PBS
• AlJazeeraEnglishTV

I also created WHAT'S NEW IN WORLDVIEWS (menu to the right) with links to newsfeeds from NYTimes US report, Associated Press, AlJazeeraTV, Now on PBS, Frontline on PBS, TED Talks, Media Matters, and Wired Magazine on culture.

Let me know if there is a video channel or a newsfeed we should add. Or if you'd like to be responsible for updated the video feed and newsfeed for each week's theme around your group presentation, let's do that.

Race-Baiting, Smear Campaigns and Islamaphobia in Current US Election

AGREE TO BE OFFENDED
As many of you know, one of the things that matter to me is transforming the converations of race and racism not only in the US but in the world. This was how I began promoting the practice of AGREE TO BE OFFENDED (and stay in the conversation anyhow), which was a gift from a young Korean woman in a hip-hop class I taught at NYU in 2005. We got that people always take things personally and that the groundrule of agreeing to be offended allowed us to openly say so and stay connected. This allowed the possibility of transforming any barrier between people. I am playing to transform racism.

As a professor of anthropology and as a singer-songwriter, I can make a difference in practicing and sharing a new kind of courage and compassion for anothers' worldview. I can combat ethnocentrism by not being ethnocentric myself and inviting others to call me on my own if it surfaces. Most of us did not LEARN to have a capacity for all of humanity however it shows up, esp. when it does not conform to our worldview. Especially when my worldview, not theirs, leads to fear and hatred. It's my worldview I must be vigilant against not others. I've been noticing how fear impacts me not only around race/racism but in how often I hear the fear around this financial crisis. Even in parts of the world where there is NO money to be found, invested or stretched, humans beings have a remarkable spirit to survive and tolerate difference in times of war and poverty.

FEAR-MONGERING IN THE US ELECTION
ColorofChange.org (Changing the Color of Democracy) has captured evidence of McCain and Palin race-baiting the issue of Obama being a terrorist at rallies and evidence that supporters at these McCain/Palin rallies have yelled "kill him,"¹ "terrorist,"² "traitor!"³ and "off with his head!"⁴ about Obama. There videos and other references to this evidence are listed below.

What I find most interesting is how the U.S. media is underreporting the actual evidence and only commenting on the possible race-baiting involved. Meanwhile the English version of the Arabic-language news network is breaking the news quite effectively in this video. Al-Jazeera English TV is the only independent Middle Eastern news outlet. featuring great background pieces and global reactions to current news. How ironic. This Islamaphobia that has invaded US whisper campaigns has many non-muslim or non-Arab citizens and immigrants unwilling to investigate the veracity of not only the claims against Obama but to insist our national media outlets and the McCain campaign stop this hate inciting speech among white working class Americans who fear Obama will make America 'black'.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة‎, al-jazīrah, IPA: [aldʒaˈziːra], meaning "The Island," referring to their status as the only independent Middle Eastern news station^[1], is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel with the same name, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the Internet and specialty TV channels in multiple languages, and in several regions of the world.

The original Al Jazeera channel's willingness to broadcast dissenting views, including on call-in shows, created controversies in Persian Gulf States. The station gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it broadcast video statements by Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders (see Videos of Osama bin Laden).

American citizens have never have heard of AlJazeera before it broadcast Osama bin Laden's videos, and guilt by association, is not a democratic value. This video reveals aspects of American culture we rarely see on CBS, NBC, or ABC News soundbytes this election season. Thank godness for the Web 2.0 era where many alternative and even ordinary broadcasters can get the message out.

References

1. "Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pit Bull Look Tame," Washington Post, 10/07/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wmg4c

2. "Obama called a terrorist" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXf9AUHTqM

3. "McCain Supporter Yells Out 'Traitor!'" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiESklGDuH4

4. "McCain's 'Fellow Prisoners'," First Read, 10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/4qc5vn

5. McCain-Obama Presidential Debate Transcript, Commission on Presidential Debates, 10/15/08
http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2008d.html

6. "TV Ad: Dangerous", John McCain campaign, 10/06/08
http://tinyurl.com/48j9uj

7. See reference 1.

8. See reference 1.

9. "'Kill Him' Yell At Clearwater Palin Rally Being Probed," Tampa Bay Online, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/442vn5

10. See reference 4.

11. "McCain camp defends the behavior?," First Read, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/4az7uw

12. "John Lewis vs. John McCain," First Read, 10/11/08
http://tinyurl.com/3m6qln

13. "The Sidewalk to Nowhere, McCain Supporters in Bethlehem, PA" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

14. "Misconceptions of Obama fuel Republican campaign" (video), Al-Jazeera, 10/13/08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0

15. "Florida Sheriff Intros Palin, Says 'Barack Hussein Obama'," (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woNYeyOQnuI

16. "McCain and Palin in Bethlehem: A live report!" Philly.com, 10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wvq9x

17. "Who is Barack Obama?" Snopes.com, January 2008
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

An Exemplar Mini-Ethnography: Ruehl No. 105

This is an excerpt of an excellent and exemplary ethnography by Lisa F. from Sp08. It received an A. It had excellent use of key etic concepts from anthropology throughout (Weber; colonialism; race; class; and gender). It honored the limit of 5-7 pages in length. Lisa's role as an employee strongly aided her participant-observations. She uses her interview material (emic) well (interspersed throughout the text) and she had excellent sources supporting her reading of the culture as a text--The store Ruehl in Paramus, NJ.

This was a great mini-ethnography; a wonderful re-construction of a social reality that most customers and workers would not notice.

Ruehl No. 105: What About the Bulldog? by Lisa F.


The entire document is viewable at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhnm7kdd_202365rzkw

The Abercrombie and Fitch moose is a dominant symbol in American style. The Hollister Co. seagull is very distinguished as well. But what about the bulldog? A French bulldog named Trubble represents RUEHL, pronounced “rule,” the more sophisticated and most expensive branch of the Abercrombie enterprise. Of the three largest counterparts of the whole Abercrombie company, RUEHL is much lesser known than Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. Although lesser known, RUEHL is just as culturally significant as its sister companies. Currently, I am employed at RUEHL in the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Through participant observation and an interview with my manager, Lisa Rella, who is my key cultural consultant, I will explore the cultural significance of “my” store, Ruehl 105.

RUEHL is the most expensive of all the Abercrombie stores with a look that hails from Greenwich Village in New York City. RUEHL’s target consumers are college and post-college adults ages 22 to 35, so the clothes have higher quality and a more sophisticated look than the others to appeal to older customers. By this I mean that the clothing is less marked with “RUEHL” or Trubble on it, which appeals to older customers who are “over” the loud exclamation of where their clothes are from. “Ruehl is the first to focus on this new core customer: a person in the early stages of a career who can afford better quality but still wants youthful looks”(Hazel). The outside of the store resembles a brownstone house because brownstones are popular residences in the Village. The layout of the inside is very different from the typical store; it has several dimly lit rooms, ladders, vintage books, couches, intricate lighting, and something employees call “the bed,” which is a little section of the store made up of huge pillows. With the loud music, dim lighting, and the ubiquitous smell of cologne, customers either love or hate the RUEHL experience (Scardino, Ruehl No.925).

Lisa Rella, my key cultural consultant, was born in Hackensack, New Jersey but has lived in Rochelle Park all her life. Her father is Italian and Polish and her mother is Irish and British. In October 2004, when she was 18, she began working at RUEHL, in the Garden State Plaza, as a model, which is a person who works on the sales floor and does any number of jobs, such as ringing on the cash register, greeting customers, folding clothes, monitoring fitting rooms, among others. One must be 18 to work at RUEHL. After seven months of working she left the company to concentrate on school. In May 2007, Lisa graduated Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. To be a manager at any one of the Abercrombie companies, one must have a college degree. In June of 2007, Lisa came back to RUEHL as a Manager-in-Training, and now she is one of the stores full-time Store Managers (Interview).

My employment at RUEHL began in September 2007 when a friend, who worked there in the summer, called me and asked me if I wanted to work at RUEHL during the school year because I live at home. I agreed, filled out an application, and went to the group interview, and I have been working there as a model ever since. Almost immediately, you observe the clientele, coworkers and the interactions they have with each other. The interview was done in the stock room of RUEHL on April 21, 2008, and it lasted about 40 minutes. This was after the store closed because there would have been a large number of interruptions if we did the interview during operating hours. Also, while working, I did some participant observation of the customers and employees. Some things I saw immediately made me realize that there are anthropological concepts in progress, and other times I had to decide what concept it was and connect it to the observation. Everything that I observed I jotted down on paper so I would not forget because some really great anthropology topics occur in and around RUEHL.

Bibliography

[Must include 2 – 3 anthropological concepts discussed in Kottak. You may reference Conformity & Conflict. Must include at least 3 other sources found through AnthroSource, Lexis-Nexis, NYTimes, and Wikipedia. Must include 2 references from your pre- and post- interview. Read up on your subject BEFORE you start interviewing. Learn as much as you can BEFORE to expand your listening and questioning. This bibliography is missing the followup interview Lisa did. It would be listed in this fashion: Rella, Lisa. Telephone Interview (dialogic editing feedback). 10 May 2008.]

1. Hazel, Debra. (2005). Abercrombie’s RUEHL No. 925 Makes Customers Feel at Home. Retrieved April 20, 2008 from http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0205/retailing_3.php
2. Kottak, Conrad Phillip. 2008. “Mirror For Humanity.” 124, 133, 201-203, 206. McGraw-Hill
3. Rella, Lisa. Personal Interview. 21 April 2008.
4. Scardino, Emily. (2004). Ruehl: A&F’s Hip New Retail Concept. Retrieved April 19, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_18_43/ai_n6212855
5. Wikipedia. (2008). Ruehl No.925. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruehl_No.925

FROM LISA: Professor, I am not allowed to take pictures of the inside of RUEHL but I would love it if you saw what it looks like. If you Google Image “RUEHL No. 925” some pictures will come up. I would love for you to get a sense of the inside of the store. Also, in the two articles I used, they talk about the actual store I work at! I just thought that was a little fun note! Thanks for a great semester.