Class Schedules

This course is an introduction to the discipline of anthropology as a whole. It presents students with a theoretical grounding in the four major subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. In this class the emphasis is on the holistic nature of the discipline. Students will be challenged with some of the countless links between the systems of biology and culture. They will explore key questions about human diversity in the past, present, and future. Prerequisite(s): Not open to students who've taken ANTH 111 .

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The cultural perspective on human behavior including case studies, often illustrated by ethnographic films and slides, of non-Western and American cultures. May include some field interviewing. Includes the cross cultural treatment of economic, legal, political, social and religious institutions and a survey of major approaches to the explanation of cultural variety and human social organization. Prerequisite(s): Not open to students who've taken ANTH 101 .

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

It is interesting that the term “Evolution” can be more contentious in the United States than the concept of a hairy upright walking humanlike ape populating the remote forests of North America or even the snowy slopes of the Tibetan Plateau. Nothing grabs international media headlines like a Bigfoot sighting. This course will examine some of the most heated debates of evolutionary anthropology in the U.S. We will trace the histories of these debates back to the early European Naturalists who posited some of the first theories of organic change and look at the ways in which many of those theories have been re-shaped into the pseudo-scientific “evolutionary alternatives” that are posited today. Throughout the course we will read a wide variety of texts, including both fiction and non-fiction, and discuss how these writings have shaped the public understanding of evolutionary theory.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Language loss is accelerating at alarming rates. In fact, Linguists predict that only five percent of the six thousand languages currently spoken in the world are expected to survive into the 22nd century. In this course, we will examine the historical, political, and socio-economic factors behind the endangerment and/or marginalization of languages in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. We will also concentrate on the globalization of English (and other major languages), which plays a primary role in language endangerment and marginalization. Additional topics include: linguistic diversity, language policy, multilingualism (in both nations and individuals), global language conflict, and language revitalization. Students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about these issues by interviewing speakers of an endangered and/or minority language.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An introduction to ethnographic field interviewing learned in the context of individually run student field projects. Focuses on the anthropologist-informant field relationship and the discovery of cultural knowledge through participant observation and ethnosemantic interviewing techniques. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines issues of health, illness, and healing from a variety of anthropological perspectives. From a cross-cultural perspective, we will examine the diversity of beliefs about human health and sickness, and a variety of healing practices by which people treat them. From the perspective of critical epidemiology, we will wrestle with recurrent problems of socioeconomic inequalities, ecological disruptions, and their impact upon the differential distribution, prevention, and treatment of human diseases. Previous courses in anthropology are recommended but not required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The study of the human skeletal system is basic to the disciplines of biological anthropology, forensic science, medicine and even archaeology. This class will examine the fundamentals of osteology. It will also explore numerous pathological conditions associated with both infectious and non-infectious diseases in addition to those caused by traumatic events. Students will learn to identify and analyze human bone and pathological conditions of the skeleton to aid in the reconstruction of life histories from human remains. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111 or ANTH 112 or ANTH 115 or ANTH 223 or BIOL 112 or BIOL 190 or BIOL 200.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Despite long histories of deep engagement in global flows of people, goods, and ideas, the single story we hear about Africa is too often one of backwardness, distance, and disconnection. This course moves Africa from the margins to the center of our understanding of globalization, focusing on histories of trans-oceanic trade, colonization, slavery, structural adjustment, rights discourses, and environmental politics to consider how Africa and Africans have shaped contemporary world systems and cultural economies. To this end, we will pay particular attention to systems, process, and change. Students will have the chance to critically examine diverse representations of Africa through fiction, film, journalism, and social media. Ethnographic sources will further allow us to explore how everyday lives, subjectivities, and intimacies on the continent shape—and are in turn shaped by—global historical processes. Particular cases will be explored in depth to highlight wider themes and conflicts related to knowledge production, commerce, humanitarianism, sexualities, and conservation. The course aims to familiarize students with the diversity of ways in which Africa has gone global, and cultivate a critical perspective on Africa’s contemporary place in the world. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

From Italian Mafia dons to famous American philanthropists; from the knitting of "trauma teddies" in Helsinki to gift shopping in London; and from ceremonial exchange rings in Melanesia to the present day global refugee crisis: this course will investigate how generosity is understood and practiced in global perspective. We'll begin the semester by examining key debates surrounding reciprocity, gifts, and exchange, theories of altruism and generosity, and patron-client relations. We'll then explore the birth of the "humanitarian spirit," and the complicated ethics and politics of humanitarian intervention. We will compare diverse religious traditions' approaches to giving, including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Jainism. And we'll explore contemporary debates surrounding volunteerism within sectarian and neoliberal political regimes.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the field of ethnomusicology through its philosophical foundation, theoretical models, and disciplinary practices. Topics include comparative approach, structuralist/functionalist models, cultural relativism, organology, bi-musicality, reflexivity, post/modernism, among other recent research directions. Assignments are designed to develop skills in musical fieldwork, transcription and analysis, as well as preparing and presenting scholarly findings in ethnographic disciplines. This course is aimed primarily for students of music and/or anthropology. There is no prerequisite, hower basic knowledge or experience in world music and performance is desirable.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the broad range of explanations for social and cultural phenomena used by anthropologists since the emergence of the discipline in the 19th century. The course focuses on the development of three broad theoretical approaches: The American school of cultural anthropology, British social anthropology, and the French school that emerged from the work of Durkheim and his followers. The course also examines theoretical approaches such as cultural materialism, and symbolic and interpretive approaches to the study of culture. Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing.  Students should have at least two courses in anthropology including ANTH 101 or ANTH 111, or the permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The cultural perspective on human behavior including case studies, often illustrated by ethnographic films and slides, of non-Western and American cultures. May include some field interviewing. Includes the cross cultural treatment of economic, legal, political, social and religious institutions and a survey of major approaches to the explanation of cultural variety and human social organization. Prerequisite(s): Not open to students who've taken ANTH 101 .

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism OR U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The origin and development of prehistoric peoples and cultures. The concepts, methods, and theories of prehistoric archaeology, human paleontology, and human biology as a framework for examining the fossils and artifacts left by humans. Course includes films and the use of casts and slides to illustrate concepts.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces students to archaeology, the study of the material remains of human culture. Students will explore the history of the discipline and profession, its basic methods and theories, and the political and ethical dimensions of modern archaeological practice. Students learn to examine and interpret evidence using specific examples, from artifacts to sites to regions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

An introduction to ethnographic field interviewing learned in the context of individually run student field projects. Focuses on the anthropologist-informant field relationship and the discovery of cultural knowledge through participant observation and ethnosemantic interviewing techniques. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the diverse lifeways of Muslims around the world, looking at how understandings and practice of Islam are shaped by social, economic, and political factors. It examines the Qur'an and hadith, and other authoritative texts that ground Islamic jurisprudence, and explores the diverse ways in which Muslims have understood and interpreted these teachings in locations across the world-such as Indonesia, the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and the United States - and at various points in history. The specific focus may vary with each offering, responding to instructor expertise and focus, emerging and volatile situations worldwide, or new advances in the field.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism OR U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Archaeology in the United States is no longer practiced exclusively by universities and museums. In fact, since the 1970s, the vast majority of archaeological projects undertaken involve individuals employed in either private industry or with the federal or state government. This shift toward cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology transformed the traditional role of archaeology practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So what changed? This course explores the role of public archaeology in the United States through an examination of the laws and practices dictating the protection of historic properties, consultation with descendant communities, and the design of archaeological management plans.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Cultural heritage sites, including libraries, archives and museums, have existed in some shape or form for a very long time. Computers, on the other hand, have only been a part of these institutions for about sixty years. Although technologies offer more efficient and cost-effective ways to store and disseminate information and promise greater accessibility to materials, that doesn't necessarily mean that they successfully facilitate the missions of these cultural heritage sites or the needs of their visitors. Why is this the case? Do digital technologies truly have the potential to decentralize and democratize these spaces? What can they tell us about what we value, as a culture? In this interdisciplinary course, we will reflect on the impact of digital technologies on cultural heritage sites, and museums in particular, starting in the 1960s and continuing through the present, including discussion of how museums responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, students will learn how to collect, curate, and digitize objects, write and design an object label, and contribute to an online exhibition.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an in-depth focus on a major topic in medical anthropology as it pertains to human health, illness, and/or healing. Specific topics vary from year to year, ranging from traditional healing systems, to health related stigma and social inequalities. Students will learn to apply social theories to important health issues, and will critically read, analyze, and discuss the clinical, epidemiological, and social science literature pertaining to the most recent discussions and debates about the topic. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111 .

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines the human determinants of infectious diseases from the Paleolithic to the present day using the combined frameworks of evolution, human ecology, critical history, and social epidemiology. We will consider the co-evolution of culture and disease: the ways that human subsistence, ecological disruptions, social inequalities, and demographic changes have created selective conditions for new infections, re-emerging infections, and antibiotic resistance. We will also address the social dynamics of current epidemics, and major controversies over biosecurity and bioterrorism. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the broad range of explanations for social and cultural phenomena used by anthropologists since the emergence of the discipline in the 19th century. The course focuses on the development of three broad theoretical approaches: The American school of cultural anthropology, British social anthropology, and the French school that emerged from the work of Durkheim and his followers. The course also examines theoretical approaches such as cultural materialism, and symbolic and interpretive approaches to the study of culture. Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing.  Students should have at least two courses in anthropology including ANTH 101 or ANTH 111, or the permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The senior seminar is for anthropology majors who are working on their senior capstone project and is designed to help students develop that project for presentation. The seminar will also include reading of anthropological works, guest speakers and discussion of current controversies in the discipline. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 111 or ANTH 101, and either ANTH 387 or ANTH 487.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials