The end is nigh...

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Well the school year is over here at SLU and only final exam week
remains. I just wanted to respond or say a few things before I
have to unsubscribe for the summer.
First, with regards to the past thread on the "synthesis" I must
admit that I think Ralph Holloway was probably right with the
suggestion that anthro already has been through a synthesis.
Like I said before I am not really aware how the field could be
more integrated. I think that if it were to be integrated a couple
things need to be done. The first is that all practioners of any
branch of anthro have to deal with the fact that Anthro is science
and that half or part of the field can't be part of the humanties.
The second is that a "general theory" of anthro would have to be
developed along with a class on the undergrad and grad level in
general anthro. Third all majors in the undergrad level, regardless
of focus shoul be required to take so many classes in all the
subfields. (Maybe this is different at other schools)
With regards to what I said about a lot of the students that I know
refusing to accept the idea that anthro is a science. I freely admit
that there are many in all fields who are excellent scientists and
those who are as Ralph Holloway put it "escapists."
I also beleive that science and the dialectic is being dangerously
hampered by many who feel that the study of human difference is
wrong and/or who feel that there is no "truth" that we can
seek. Further there are those who hamper the field because they
often miss the forest for the trees when it comes to what people
say. In other words those who go "ape-shit" when they hear or see
a word they don't like. There who hamper the field because they
take the stance that when somebody says "your wrong" about idea X
that the person saying "your wrong" is hampering the field. In other
words they want to stop the dialectic cold.
There is of course a happy medium to a lot of this and I am not accusing
any one group of any of these things. All of these "bad practices" need
to be eliminated regardless of who practices them. Anyway I look forward
to reading some interesting responses to this post before I have to sign
off for the summer. See y'all on the flip side! Oh and good luck to
those graduating or those going afield for research. Whatever you are
doing for the summer I hope you are succesful!

Matthew D. Joanis '98
St. Lawrence University
Anthropology (IS a science!)
X8H1@music.stlawu.edu
http://it.stlawu.edu/~mjoanis

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