Today, I finished up my last final exam for this semester. The exam, for The History of Anthropological Thought, covered modernist anthropology, post-modernist anthropology, ethnoscience, structuralism, structural-functionalism, ethnoscapes, etic and emic observations of culture and socioeconomic transactions on a global scale. It was rather difficult to remember which anthropologist wrote about what because many have bits in common. Sherry Ortner wrote a rather silly work about how women are devalued because they menstruate, have children and are therefore closer to nature and not to culture. Levi-Strauss, whose ideas were heavily influenced by Emile Durkheim's work, was a leader in the Structuralism movement in anthropology.

I must say I utterly loathe the modernist movement. Instead of human needs, modernists created social structures and buildings to house humans in a dehumanized manner. Apartment buildings from the Modernist movement look like prisons instead of places to raise families because architects thought it would "look better." Jane Jacobs spoke out against the Modernists, because she thought their movement would ruin society. And, in many ways, it did. The Nazis were Modernists, for example.

The test also asked about Arjun Appadurai (who wrote endlessly on "scapes") and how everything is relative. One person may use the word "terrorist" in a way that another would deem incorrect usage. I don't believe in cultural relativity either, I'm afraid. I suppose that's bad in someone who's studied anthropology for four years. I also focused on Ahwang Ong who wrote about East Asians becoming increasing prominent in global business because of their greed for money and power on the same scale as the Jews. These people also have a power-connection based on families, and if you examine the most important and richest Asian businessmen, you'll see that they are related in one way or another.

After the three hour long exam, I spoke with two other fellow American girls in my class. One is married and shall go to Belgium to be with her husband now she is finished with her education. The other girl will be going to Paris to see her American family and they will go to Egypt. I'd love to go to Egypt, I've always wanted to go see the archaeological ruins at Thebes, Giza, Hierakonopolis and up the Nile. I thought it quite amusing how all three of us have European boyfriends/husbands. Yes, our culture are pretty much the same, though slightly different which adds so much character and interest to the relationship.

I have only two more classes this summer before I receive both my degrees. I'm excited. My whole life is ahead of me now, and I don't ever want to make any mistakes. I want to live my life well without causing harm to anyone else. And to be happy and bring happiness to others. That's what I want more than anything else.