"So, as I see it, your responsibilities are to find ways to make your learning active. That includes reading thoroughly, coming to class prepared to talk about your readings, being willing to make informed contributions to discussions, completing all assignments and cultivating an openness to ideas—both your own and those of others. I expect students to treat each other (and me) with respect, which includes no private talking or whispering during class, so everyone may hear the person who is speaking to the group. This respect includes all the time to the end of the period—that is, please do not begin to pack up your things before the class period ends! Please also note that my definition of a respectful classroom includes no cellphone use, e-mail use or web surfing during class. Such activities in class will get you an invitation to leave."

"A main goal of anthropology is to encourage you to think critically and well about any cultural phenomenon you look at. That means that there often aren’t clear-cut 'right' and 'wrong' answers to many of the questions we will raise. But there are well-thought and well-communicated responses. You will do a lot of writing as you organize your thoughts this semester, and you will need to express yourself in conversation, too."

"With all that said, I want to encourage you to be creative and have fun with this course. We will work hard and have fun while trying to creatively add our efforts to addressing important contemporary issues that we face as a society."

"What you may expect from me"

"I will come to class prepared; to the best of my abilities I will stay current with the information I present; I will work to be sensitive to the differences among you in your learning needs; I will provide as intellectually stimulating a classroom setting as possible; I will end class on time; I will be fair in assessing your performance in this class. . . ."