Professor: Smith Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 15 Total Enrollment: 18 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 0 Jrs: 12 Srs: 3 Concs: 2 Non-Concs: 13 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.33 Course Average: 1.30

Anthropology 185, titled “Anthropology and International Development,” is an upper-level seminar designed to explore the interaction of culture and the international development of countries from an ethnographic perspective. It looks at issues of poverty and progress from local points of view. The course is organized around the premise that culture is central to understanding processes of development. Broad development themes such as public health, agriculture, democracy, and the environment were explored through readings representing a wide range of regions and cultures. Although there were no prerequisites, many students found that a background in anthropology or development studies was useful.

On the whole, the reviewers were very happy with Professor Smith’s teaching style. They described him as knowledgeable and skilled at stimulating discussions while letting the students lead them. All the students were satisfied that he took their needs and interests into account. Some students mentioned that lectures from the professor would have been a good addition to the course.

The majority of reviewers said that all of the readings were interesting, useful, and appropriate to the class. Otherwise, the assignments included three short response papers and one 20- to 25-page final paper.

Most of the students reported spending between five and ten hours per week on work for this class. This was about what they expected, and no one complained about the workload. They recommended this class highly for anyone interested in the topic and willing to put some effort into reading about and discussing it.

View AN/0185 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.