Comments on: Fake Anthropology isn’t teaching http://www.bloggernews.net/119378 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:54:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Nancy Reyes http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-899499 Nancy Reyes Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:07:26 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-899499 I checked the website. It is teaching the Marxist approach to history, not anthropology. Yes, the games "inspire" the students, but so did the "consciousness raising" meetings of the 1970's... Even having students "visualize" how they would live in X area with Y climate and Z resources starts with students whose enculturation is American individualism and materialist values. How will this allow them to understand the family oriented thinking of Asia that extols self sacrifice for the sake of the group, not success...and the "behala na" or "Inshalla" fatalism when bad things happen? I checked the website.

It is teaching the Marxist approach to history, not anthropology.

Yes, the games “inspire” the students, but so did the “consciousness raising” meetings of the 1970’s…

Even having students “visualize” how they would live in X area with Y climate and Z resources starts with students whose enculturation is American individualism and materialist values.

How will this allow them to understand the family oriented thinking of Asia that extols self sacrifice for the sake of the group, not success…and the “behala na” or “Inshalla” fatalism when bad things happen?

]]> By: Nancy Reyes http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-899386 Nancy Reyes Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:16:15 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-899386 My point is that the scenerio is "bad vs good" and that the students are still acting and thinking like American students. As for teaching anthropology, the answer is no, but I have worked in cross cultural medicine for 40 years...and that job involves understanding culture in order to implement "culture change" in villages... My point is that the scenerio is “bad vs good” and that the students are still acting and thinking like American students.

As for teaching anthropology, the answer is no, but I have worked in cross cultural medicine for 40 years…and that job involves understanding culture in order to implement “culture change” in villages…

]]> By: Michael Wesch http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-898485 Michael Wesch Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:57:55 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-898485 As the professor you are referring to in the article above, it might surprise you that I do not disagree with anything you have said about the importance of helping students understand cultural differences and the nuances of history that implies. We don't abandon any of that in my class. The World Sim simply inspires students to explore those nuances, and in my experience does it much better than any typical 400 person lecture can. Keep in mind that the activity above only takes 1 or 2 class periods out of 45 total. What it does is inspire a much more engaged group of students in those other 43 sessions. Check out my site for more details. As the professor you are referring to in the article above, it might surprise you that I do not disagree with anything you have said about the importance of helping students understand cultural differences and the nuances of history that implies. We don’t abandon any of that in my class. The World Sim simply inspires students to explore those nuances, and in my experience does it much better than any typical 400 person lecture can. Keep in mind that the activity above only takes 1 or 2 class periods out of 45 total. What it does is inspire a much more engaged group of students in those other 43 sessions. Check out my site for more details.

]]> By: Rich http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-897419 Rich Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:40:38 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/119378#comment-897419 Nancy have you taught a class in Anthropology? Nancy have you taught a class in Anthropology?

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