Anthropology Courses

NOTE: The complete college catalog can be found here.

ANTH 112 (3)
Cultural Anthropology
This course is a broad, general introduction to selected concepts and topics in cultural anthropology. A number of ethnographies from different world regions will be read, and questions about differing social practices and cultural values will be explored, along with questions about how anthropologists examine the objects of their studies - persons, cultures, societies. The course is designed primarily for first- and second-year students with little background in social sciences. V4

ANTH 114 (3)
Introduction to Archaeology
This course is an introduction to the theory and methods of anthropological archaeology and a survey of some of the prehistoric societies in different parts of the world. IIIQ, V

ANTH 115 (3)
Archaeological Field Methods
This course reviews basic principles of archaeological methods and theories, and teaches students field techniques. Participants conduct archaeological reconnaissance survey, learn to excavate a site, analyze and conserve artifacts in the archaeology lab, and participate in field trips to local sites. V1

ANTH 215 (3)
Peoples and Cultures of Africa
This is a survey course of selected African societies. Africa has been the site of invention of anthropological concepts and problems, and the course introduces students to studies in kinship and social structure, religion and ritual, bodily constructs and healing practice, women's experiences and gender constructs and performance studies across the continent. The course emphasizes colonial transformations and how general, popular images of Africa are engaged by anthropological practice. V4

ANTH 221 (3)
Culture, Society and the Individual
This course is an introduction to the theoretical foundations of anthropology. We examine the emergence of specific problematics in anthropology: What is the relationship of the individual to society? To culture? What\ are the implications of talking about society as "structured?" How do we account for change and diversity? Where do we locate creativity and practice? The course introduces these questions through the examination of theoretical sources and selected ethnographic texts. V5

ANTH 224 (3)
Ethnography
A critical evaluation of the ways anthropologists study non-Western cultures and the ways in which anthropologists shape the disparate data they have collected into coherent narratives. A practical introduction to fieldwork techniques and to the conventions of anthropological writing. IIIW, V

ANTH 233 (3)
Cultural Perspectives on the Family and Society
This course examines social relations in the family and society at large. Changing forms of social institutions within the family such as gay and lesbian marriage, the division of labor, new reproductive technologies and adoption are contrasted with traditional forms. The metaphor of "family" as it applies to such diverse social groups as the mafia, the workplace and cults is examined. Offered alternate years. V5

ANTH 238 (3)
The Anthropology of Globalization
This course takes a critical look at globalization, both as an idea about the current moment, and how people respond to, and create, contemporary changes. We will pay particular attention to global markets and the flow of people, goods and ideas, neoliberalism and the rise of nonstate global agencies, the work of the imagination, the apparent contrast between "the global" and local knowledge, and the place of the intimate in world-wide change.

ANTH 249 (3)
Political Anthropology
This course examines political life from an anthropological perspective in societies around the world. Course topics may include the political economic positions in the history anthropological thought, identity as a political construct, nationalism, colonialism, globalization, politics as order and politicas as resistance to order, civil cultures, legal anthropology and ritual/power/occult. Offered alternate years. V7

ANTH 261 (1)
Directed Study
Special topics pursued by individual students under supervision. This course is graded as P/CR/NC only.

ANTH 268 (3)
Peoples and Cultures of the Mediterranean
An area survey of selected Mediterranean societies, including the comparative analysis of selected European, Middle Eastern and North African cultures. An examination of the central concepts in the social anthropology of this region: honor and shame, the roles of family and kinship and systems of stratification. Offered alternate years. V5

ANTH 270 (3)
Peoples and Cultures of South Asia
A comprehensive study of South Asian cultures, including Tibet and Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia and Indonesia-Bali. The ethnographics examined will include cosmology, religious philosophy and art, political and social-economic organization, as well as interaction with the West and trends of modern development. The instructor will draw on various models of analysis and anthropology fieldwork in India and Nepal. V4, V

ANTH 272 (3)
Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
In this course we will survey cultural traditions within a variety of Middle Eastern countries. For each country we will analyze kinship networks, gender relationships, political organization, religion, urbanism, and contemporary issues. Students will study centers of Middle Eastern civilization and apply an anthropological approach to studying political formations within local contexts. Offered every two years. V4, V

ANTH 274 (3)
Sex and Gender: An Anthropological Perspective
Are relations of power and status between men and women always unequal? Are gender differences always linked to the same notions of sexuality and sexual practice? These questions will be explored by looking at the ways in which people in various cultures throughout the world define and maintain gender distinctions and order and conceptualize sexuality. This course may be counted as a core course toward the minor in Women and Gender Studies. V5

ANTH 281 (3)
Visual Anthropology
This course explores images of the cultural other, as seen in ethnographic and documentary photographs, films, museums and other visual media. How do photographs, art, exhibits an museums reinforce stereotypes of "the primitive" and "the exotic?" In what ways are visual media used to create ethnographic texts and representations? The course will address these topics through a series of films, visual media and readings. V5

ANTH 282 (3)
Anthropology and the Body
This is a detailed exploration of the body as a cultural construct. The class will examine how the body is imagined through a variety of discourses, including disease, illness and healing; ritual; age and gender; and the political economy of domination and resistance. V5

ANTH 310 (3)
The Anthropology of Identity and Citizenship
This course examines the processes through which people come to think of themselves as part of a group united by shared values, practices, or substances, and the ways in which such identities figure in political contexts. The course also anthropological ideas about ethnicity and tribalism; nationalism; subcultures and youth identity; and globalization. Offered alternate years. looks at how people relate to and shape political contexts, including "the state," examining such concepts as civil society and the public sphere. Offered alternate years. V7

ANTH 317 (3)
Ecological Anthropology
Ecological and materialist approaches in anthropology are introduced in this course. The cross-cultural analysis of production and economy will be examined in foraging, pastoralism/ranching and agricultural systems in local and regional environments. Contemporary issues include global economy, sustainable food production systems and human population growth. V5

ANTH 325 (3)
Special Topics in Anthropology
An intensive study of a selected topic in anthropology, to be determined by the students and the instructor. Topic for Spring 2004: Death and Dying. Death is a universal human experience, yet attitutudes and responses toward it develop out of a complex interplay between the personality of the individual and her or his sociocultural environment. Using anthropological, sociological and historic works, as well as novels and films, this course explores the meaning of death in a variety of cultures (modern and ancient).

ANTH 328 (3)
Ritual and Worldwide
A study of how ritual and religious symbolism define cultural categories and individual experiences. The course will focus on initiation and death ritual, taboo, witchcraft and other idioms of affliction, and on some of the theories anthropologists have used in interpret religious behavior and ideas. V4, V

ANTH 334 (3)
Gifts and Commodities
How do objects, such as gifts, money, commidities, art and aesthetic products, become "value?" How do exchanges of valued objects shape relationships among people? The place of value and exchange in everyday life is examined through classic statements (for example by Marx, Mauss and Simmel) and also in selected ethnographies. Offered alternate years. IIIO

ANTH 361 (1)
Special Study
Special topics pursued by individual students under supervision. This course is graded as P/CR/NC only.

ANTH 451 (1)
Senior Workshop
This is a required fall workshop for anthropology students planning to take ANTH 452 (Senior Seminar) in the spring. In the course we will plan the senior seminar and plan research projects for the spring, including assembling reading lists, bibliographies and research materials for the seminar. Students will complete a research proposal and write a syllabus for the spring We will also discuss career planning and how the anthropology major has prepared students for a variety of post-graduation paths. The course meets for one hour a week.

ANTH 452 (3)
Senior Seminar
An examination of the core concepts of anthropology through focused discussion of contemporary topics in anthropology. These topics will be selected by students and professor prior to the beginning of the course each year. IIIO, III

ANTH 461 (1)
Independent Study
Special topics pursued by individual students under supervision. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.

ANTH 470 (3)
Junior Honors Research

ANTH 472 (3)
Senior Honors Thesis