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AnthropologyFull Time Faculty: Ron Barrett, Olga Gonzalez, Arjun Guneratne, Scott Legge, Dianna Shandy (Chair) Part Time Faculty: Sonia Patten, Jack Weatherford Anthropology is the study of humankind in all of its aspects, cultural and biological, across both space and time. The discipline consists of four sub-fields: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological (or physical) anthropology, which studies human physical variation and the evolution of the genus homo. This holistic approach to understanding human beings is a distinctive attribute of the discipline and places it at the nexus of the social sciences, the natural sciences and the humanities. Anthropology thus provides a broad, comparative perspective on what it means to be human. The anthropology program offers courses in both cultural and biological anthropology, and stresses training in anthropological methods. Anthropologists see culture not as a collection of practices or behaviors but as the knowledge, values and systems of beliefs and morality that shape human actions and the interpretations human beings make of the world they live in. We believe that culture may best be discovered by intensive ethnographic research (fieldwork) among the people concerned, conducted in their language. Anthropology takes culture to be a process, not a thing. We impart to our students this processual understanding of culture, linking it to training in the methods and techniques anthropologists use to conduct research. The history of the human species is not complete without understanding how it changed over time, and such an understanding will help put to rest popularly held misconceptions regarding the nature of biological difference among human populations. The emergence of a capacity for culture (the ability to symbolize and engage in learned, shared behavior) in an ancient population of hominoids, some 7 to 10 million years ago, was the catalyst that drove human evolution forward. Natural selection operated on those biological traits that were linked to the human ability to symbolize and use tools, particularly the evolution of the neo-cortex and of a musculoskeletal structure facilitating bipedalism. Culture and biology therefore are the two parts of a double helix that accounts for why humans evolved, and the department provides a broad range of courses that address this relationship. The aim of the anthropology program is to train students to think anthropologically, that is, to think holistically and critically about the human condition and the values, assumption and premises they may encounter in a culturally complex and socially diverse world that is being knit ever more closely together by the processes of globalization. We seek to educate our students broadly in the wide-ranging field of anthropology, to give them the theoretical training they need to understand why we frame questions the way we do, and to train them in the methods of anthropological inquiry. More narrowly, we prepare students for graduate work in the discipline and in related fields, and provide them with practical ethnographic skills that will be of value to them professionally. To that end the department requires study abroad and emphasizes courses in theory and in methods. An anthropology major will prepare students for careers in law, business, government, medicine, public health, humanitarian and development work, museum administration, and any other occupation that requires a knowledge of and appreciation for cultural diversity and an understanding of symbolic meaning and social relations. We encourage students to plan summer work, internships, and course work in light of their general career objectives. Because of this need to plan, students should choose course work carefully in consultation with their advisors. General Distribution Requirement All courses in the anthropology department count toward the general distribution requirement in the social sciences except for courses numbered 115, 340, 604, 614, 624, and 634. Courses numbered 115 and 340 count towards the general distribution requirement in math/natural sciences. General Education Requirements Courses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and multiculturalism will be posted on the Registrar’s web page in advance of registration for each semester. Additional information regarding the general distribution requirement and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog. Major RequirementsConcentration With effect from the class of 2012, a major in anthropology consists of ten courses, to include either Anthropology 101 or 111 (a prerequisite for all other anthropology courses except 112, 115 and 340), Anthropology 230 (which should ideally be taken in the sophomore year or before the student studies abroad), Anthropology 487, the senior seminar (490) and other anthropology courses chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor. Majors are strongly urged to take at least one ethnographic area course. If a student cannot complete the course successfully in two attempts, he or she must petition the department chair for permission to attempt it a third time. For earlier classes, the major consists of nine courses, including the required courses listed above. In addition, a student majoring in anthropology must complete one semester of study abroad after successfully completing a course in research methods (either 230 or a similar course approved by the department). The program chosen by the student should have a substantial fieldwork-based component or the opportunity to engage in significant independent research. Where appropriate, a student may, with the permission of the department chair, count one course taken on study abroad towards the major, with the exception noted below. A maximum of two courses in anthropology taken at other universities or institutions of tertiary education (including foreign universities) may be counted towards the major at the discretion of the department chair. An exception to this limit may be made at the discretion of the chair for students who have a particular interest in archaeology or biological anthropology and who wish to avail themselves of additional courses in these areas offered at other universities. If circumstances warrant, a student may petition the department to waive a requirement, provided an alternative acceptable to the department is proposed. Internships and independent study do not in general count towards the fulfillment of the course requirements in the major. Minor Requirements A minor in anthropology consists of five courses chosen with the assistance of the student’s departmental advisor. One of the courses must be Anthropology 111 or 101. Courses taken on study abroad or at other universities do not count towards the minor. Honors Program The anthropology department participates in the Honors Program. Eligibility requirements, application procedures and specific project expectations for the anthropology department are available from either the department office or the Director of Academic Programs. Topics Courses 194, 294, 394, 494 Examination of selected topics of relevance to anthropology, such as Mongols: Past & Present; Anthropology through Science Fiction; Darfur: Conflict and Human Rights in Africa, and Applied Anthropology. To be announced at registration. (4 credits)
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