Anthropology 308 – American Culture through HBO’s The Wire (online)

Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Instructor: Paul Christensen, Ph.D.

Eric Cunningham, Ph.D. candidate (ABD)

Contact Information:
Eric Cunningham Paul Christensen

Email: ericjc@hawaii.edu Email: paulchri@hawaii.edu

Phone: 808-956-7828 Phone: 808-956-7828

Course introduction and goals: This online course uses HBO’s television series The Wire to
explore through an anthropological lens a range of social and cultural issues in contemporary
America. The course is spread over both summer sessions and students are encouraged to
participate in class activities for the entire twelve weeks.

ONLINE

This course is offered entirely online, so students should familiarize themselves with the
“Laulima” system here at the University of Hawai‘i. Online courses require that each student
take PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY and stay informed about assigned readings, assignment
due dates, and online discussions. Taking a course online does not relieve you from investing
an adequate amount of time to your learning. If you are unfamiliar with the “Laulima” system
and need help learning how to use it please contact the instructor right away at
paulchri@hawaii.edu or ericjc@hawaii.edu

Learning outcomes:
After completing this course, successful students should have the following:

1. Understand anthropological perspectives on domestic issues

2. Gain a sense of the operation of power between institutions and individuals
3. Develop ability to think critically about urban American culture and environments

Student responsibilities and assignments:

PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION

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 Students are expected to read and be prepared to participate fully in discussions online.
This means that each student is responsible for being up to date on reading and prepared
to contribute thoughtfully throughout the course. Students are expected to maintain a
presence online and contribute to online discussions

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Writing is an integral part of this course and is a way for me to evaluate each
student’s ability to think critically about topics discussed in class. In this course
students will be asked to write three 5-page, double-spaced papers focused on
topics presented throughout the course. Papers must be submitted via Laulima
by 11:59 pm on Friday of the week they are due. Late submissions will be
deducted a full letter grade for each day they are late (e.g. two days late, two letter
grades deducted).   
 
The format for the papers is as follows:
 typed
 1" margins, all around
 10- or 12-point font
 double-spaced
 pages numbered
 name included in header on each page
           
Papers must include citations from books, discussions (eg. class notes 07/03/09),
and films. Citations must conform to the American Anthropology Association’s
style guide (see www.aaanet.org).
 
In written assignments students should convey to the instructor their ability to digest,
comprehend, and weave together material from films, class discussions, and readings.
Students will also be expected to draw out and elaborate on anthropologically relevant
concepts and ideas. Papers should not simply be “book reports” that summarize
materials; rather, they should reflect critical thinking on the part of the student.  

Student conduct:

It is the responsibility of all students to know and follow the UH Mānoa student code of
conduct (http://studentaffairs.manoa.hawaii.edu/ policies/conduct_code/). In particular,
PLAGIARISM will not be tolerated and incidents will be dealt following the rules laid
out in the student code of conduct.

Breakdown of grades:

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 Assignment Points Overall %

Participation and attendance: 100 points X 6 (600) 30%

Papers: 700 points X 2 (1400) 70%

Total 2000 points 100%

Grade % Grade %
A+ 100-97 C+ 79.9-77

A 96.9-93 C 76.9-73

A- 92.9-90 C- 72.9-70

B+ 89.9-87 D+ 69.9-67

B 86.9-83 D 66.9-67

B- 82.9-80 D- 66.9-63

F 60>

Required texts/DVDs:
The Wire: The Complete First Season (DVD 2002).
The Wire: The Complete Third Season (DVD 2004).
Course reader, available via Laulima

Course schedule and topics to be cover:

Students will typically watch two episodes per week; the numbering system refers first to the
season and then the episode number. Thus 1.1 is Season 1, Episode 1.

Week one: Introduction – surveillance and enforcement. Watch episodes 1.1 and 1.2
Discussion topic one: The role of surveillance in society
Discussion topic two: Selective enforcement and benign neglect

Readings: 1) Michel Foucault’s Govermentality

2) Nikolas Rose’s Government and Control

Week two: Institutional failures. Watch episodes 1.3 and 1.4

Discussion topic one: The structuring of addiction and poverty
Discussion topic two: Structure and agency

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Readings: 1) Merrill Singer’s Confronting Juan Garcia's Drinking Problem: The
Demedicalization of Alcoholism 
2) Buchanan et al, Neighborhood Differences in Patterns of Syringe Access, Use,
and Discard among Injection Drug Users: Implications for HIV Outreach and
Prevention Education

Week three: (Hidden?) violence in America. Watch episodes 1.5 and 1.6
Discussion topic one: Comprehension of violence in America
Discussion topic two: Insulation, isolation, and invisibility

Readings: 1) Paul Farmer’s On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View from Below
2) Vinh-Kim Nguyen’s Anthropology, Inequality, and Disease: A Review

Paper #1 due on Friday by 11:59 pm.

Week four: Masculinities and race. Watch episodes 1.7 and 1.8
Discussion topic one: Masculinity in America
Discussion topic two: Race and masculinity

Readings: 1) Geoffery Hunt’s Alcohol and Masculinty: The Case of Ethnic Youth Gangs
2) Michael Kimmel’s Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear Shame and Silence in
the Construction of Gender Identity

Week five: Community and addiction. Watch episodes 1.9 and 1.10
Discussion topic one: Connections/disconnections between community and addiction
Discussion topic two: Addiction as social problem or social illness?

Readings: 1) Philippe Bourgois’ Useless Suffering: The war on homeless drug addicts
2) Philippe Bourgois’ Righteous Dopefiend (introduction and conclusion)

Week six: The construction of progress and the status quo. Watch episodes 1.11, 1.12, and
1.13
Discussion topic one: “The king stay the king” – “presentations” of success
Discussion topic two: The possibility for change

Readings: 1) Erika Johnson-Lewis’ The More Things Change, the More They Stay the
Same: Serial Narrative on The Wire
2) Angela Anderson’s No Such Thing as Good and Evil: The Wire and the
humanization of the object of risk in the age of biopolitics

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Paper #2 due on Friday by 11:59 pm.