Department of Anthropology
Courses of Instruction
Definitive course listings are published before each semester. Courses listed here carry 4 credit hours unless otherwise noted. Following are some of the recent or planned offerings.
Please Note: Course descriptions are currently in the process of being updated. Some courses may not have information available at this time.
Introductory Courses
These courses are usually open to first- and second-year students only.
- ANT 101
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Provide an understanding of cultural variation and how anthropologists interpret it.
- Offered:
- Fall Spring
- ANT 102
INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Exploration of anthropological interpretation, research, and writing on the ways different peoples understand and deal with issues of illness and disease.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 104
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES & ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The complex inter-relation of race, class and gender in contemporary America, both in people's subjective identities and in their objective life chances.
- Offered:
- Spring Summer
Core Courses in Anthropology
- ANT 201
THEORY AND METHOD IN ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- A survey of major developments in anthropological thought. Explore the relationship between sociocultural theory and the methodologies used by anthropologists to conduct ethnographic research (NOTE: This class is required for the anthropology concentration.)
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 202
MODERN SOCIAL THEORY:KEY TEXTS & ISSUES
- Prerequisites:
- Two previous anthropology courses or permission of Instructor
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- A close textual analysis of three founders of modern social theory-Marx, Durkheim, and Weber-and of the use made of their works by contemporary social scientists.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 203
RITUAL, MYTH & SCRIPTURE
- Prerequisites:
- Two previous anthropology courses or permission of Instructor
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Major anthropological approaches to the study of the symbolic knowledge embedded in life-cycle rituals, origin myths and religious scriptures.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 204
ETHNOGRAPHIC THEMES
- Prerequisites:
- Two previous anthropology courses or permission of instructor
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The role ethnographic texts play in posing and answering questions about human culture and society.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 205
THEORIES & DEBATES IN ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- At least two previous anthropology courses or permission of instructor
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Contemporary and historical debates which have shaped theory and method in cultural anthropology, showing how they have shifted over time and differed between national traditions.
- Offered:
- Spring
Senior Requirement Courses
These courses are primarily for anthropology majors in their junior and senior years.
301-310. Advanced Topics. Prerequisite: ANT 201.
- ANT 390
SUPERVISED TEACHING
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- For ANT 101, Cultural Anthropology. By application only. The TA program requires students to work in teams and to lead group discussion.
- Offered:
- ANT 393
HONORS RESEARCH & ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Offered:
Individualized Study Options
- ANT 390
SUPERVISED TEACHING
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- For ANT 101, Cultural Anthropology. By application only. The TA program requires students to work in teams and to lead group discussion.
- Offered:
- ANT 391
INDEPENDENT STUDY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Offered:
- ANT 392
PRACTICUM IN ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Offered:
- ANT 393
HONORS RESEARCH & ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Offered:
- ANT 394
INTERNSHIP
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Internships will be graded on a pass/fail basis only.
- Offered:
Topics in Anthropology
- ANT 110
INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- ANT 110, LIN 110 (P)
- Description:
- Investigates the structure of human language, covering the basic techniques and concepts in the subfields of contemporary linguistic analysis.
- Offered:
- ANT 213
WORLD MUSIC
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Some of the world's major music traditions, including theater music from China and Japan, Indian and Indonesian classical music, ritual and ceremonial music from West Africa, Eastern Europe, and the United States. Focuses on musical sound structures as well as social, political, and religious contexts for musical performances.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 214
LOVE, FRIENDSHIP & COMMUNITY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- A neurosociological perspective on strong interaction and strong personal ties - high-frequency social dynamics marked by strong mutual coupling.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 215
SELF, SOUL AND PSYCHE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- What does it mean to be an individual? Examination of the shaping of experience in culture.
- Offered:
- ANT 216
MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Prerequisites:
- Previous Anthropology or Health and Society courses or permission of instructor
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Cultural and social dimensions of health and illness including the political and economic dimensions.
- Offered:
- Spring Summer
- ANT 218
BIRTH & DEATH I: VITAL EVENTS IN OUR PERSONAL
LIVES
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- How do human beings experience, make sense of, cope with and shape birth illness, and death in their own lives and in the lives of those who are close to them? Historical and contemporary examples from North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 220
HEALING AND RITUAL
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The symbolic dimensions of healing are examined by looking at the use of ritual procedures as a form of healing.
- Offered:
- ANT 223
NATURE, LANDSCAPE, ENVIRONMENT
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Anthropological approaches to the environment will be broadly defined.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 224
ANTHROPOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Major trends in the anthropological study of international development through ethnographic case studies from around the world.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 225
THE SOCIAL USES OF MEDIA
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- An anthropological perspective to the study of media. We will examine constructions of media as objects of social scientific analysis, as both textual artifacts and social practice.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 226
CULTURE AND CONSUMPTION
- Prerequisites:
- ANT 101 or 201 helpful
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Anthropological approaches to the study of mass consumption and material culture. Specific topics for investigation include: possessions and personhood; the history of modern consumerism in the West; fashion and social status; and the globalization of markets.
- Offered:
- ANT 227
LOCAL & GLOBAL MARKET RESEARCH
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Focuses on understanding consumer behavior in terms of cultural symbols and values. It shows how an ethnographic approach to market research contributes to development of marketing and advertising strategies.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 228
WOMEN, CLOTH, AND CULTURE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- An inquiry into women's predominant roles as textile artists, particularly in the Americas.
- Offered:
- ANT 229
WAR AND MIGRATION
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Post-1945 migrations to the U.S. through the lens of war. Far-ranging impacts of American military intervention in East and Southeast Asia on migration flows and the civil rights of American citizens of Asian descent.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 239
LATIN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION: ANTHROPOLOGY WITHOUT
BORDERS
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Contemporary ethnographies of Latin American migration, globalization, transnationalism, and international justice.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 243
RITUAL AND COSMOLOGY: SOUTH PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Cosmological visions and ritual processes of different South Pacific societies. Topics for discussion include: myth, magic, sorcery, rites of passage, cargo cults, Christian missionization, and millenial anxieties.
- Offered:
- ANT 244
MARRIAGE, FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES IN A GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- What is the impact of a new global economy on families, marriage and communities around the world and in the United States? Are there new forms of transnational social relations, marriage, love, families?
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 245
AMERICAN CULTURE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Major debates that occupy American public life in areas such politics, religion, health, and the media.
- Offered:
- ANT 248
COLONIAL & CONTEMPORARY AFRICA
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The impact of capitalism on African socioeconomic institutions during and after the era of formal colonialism.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 249
ENVISIONING SHANGRI-LA
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Tibet and Himalayas have long held a fascination for people in the West as exotic, enchanting, and dangerous lands. What do such fascinations reveal about the aspirations, fantasies and prejudices of those who experience them? How much do they reflect or distort the lives of those portrayed?
- Offered:
- ANT 251
THE ASIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The history of Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans in the United States and Hawaii in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
- Offered:
- ANT 252
WOMEN IN EAST ASIA
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- ANT 252, FMS 277, HIS 296W (P), WST 251
- Description:
- A history of women in the family, women and work, and women in society in three East Asian cultures. Same as HIS 296
- Offered:
- ANT 257
CHINESE SOCIETY AFTER MAO
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- ANT 257 (P), ANT 457
- Description:
- Adopts an anthropological approach towards understanding the dramatic socio-cultural transformations that have followed in the wake of China’s post-Mao economic reforms.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 260
NATIVE AMERICAN ART&RELGION
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- AH 280 (P), ANT 260, REL 238
- Description:
- This examination of selected spiritual and artistic traditions of the indigenous peoples of North America will range from the Canadian arctic to the desert southwest, as we look at various ways in which the visual arts articulate religious and philosophical systems of thought.
- Offered:
- ANT 262
CULTURE AND RELIGION IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- ANT 262 (P), ANT 462, HIS 364, HIS 464, REL 274
- Description:
- The transformations of the world religions during the colonial and post-colonial periods in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 263
RELIGION & SOCIETY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- An introduction to the way anthropologists study a variety of religious beliefs and practices. Examine 'tribal' religions in terms of the meanings attributed to myths, symbols and other expressions of spirituality; linkages between religious beliefs and social structure; and ritual and healing.
- Offered:
- ANT 264
ISLAM & GLOBAL POLITICS
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- ANT 264 (P), REL 248
- Description:
- The response of the Islamic world to European colonialism and American foreign policy.
- Offered:
- Fall
- ANT 265
RELIGION AND CULTURE: FUNDAMENTALISM
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- The social and cultural circumstances that give rise to religious fundamentalism, explore the reasons for its attraction to adherents, and look at its contrasts with other forms of religious practice.
- Offered:
- ANT 266
GLOBAL CULTURE
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Discussions of globalization within cultural anthropology and related disciplines. How, why, and with what consequences people and money, ideas and technologies variously move across the planet.
- Offered:
- ANT 267
ANTHROPOLOGY OF SOCIALISM & POST-SOCIALISM
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Socialism (and its aftermath) as a cultural, political, and economic system and how it affected the everyday lives of people in China, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and elsewhere through a holistic, anthropological approach.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 274
CREATIVE ETHNOGRAPHY
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- Different styles of writing cultural stories in one of following ways: fiction, poetry, autobiography, creative nonfiction, screenplay, traditional or creative ethnography.
- Offered:
- ANT 276
GENDER & REPRESENTATION
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- An examination of gender-based artistic practices in selected Native American societies.
- Offered:
- ANT 277
MUSEUM AND "THE OTHER"
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- History and development of ideas about non-Western peoples as presented in North American museums from 1880 to the present.
- Offered:
- ANT 278
BIRTH &DEATH II: MAKING POPULATIONS HEALTHY
- Prerequisites:
- None; ANT 218 is strongly recommended
- Crosslisting(s):
- AAS 278, ANT 278 (P), WST 278
- Description:
- Programs carried out by governments, multilateral organizations, and non governmental organizations to deal with "public problems" connected to population: communicable diseases such as TB, malaria and HIV/AIDS; famine prevention and relief; child survival, especially malnutrition and infant diarrheal disease; safe motherhood; teen pregnancy; contraception, and abortion.
- Offered:
- Spring
- ANT 299
MALAWI IMMERSION SEMINAR
- Prerequisites:
- Crosslisting(s):
- Description:
- A three week study abroad/experiential learning program focusing on the health, social, political and cultural issues in Malawi, Africa.
- Offered:
- Summer
