Anthropology

Major Requirements | Minor Requirements | Courses | Worksheet

Courses

111. Human Evolution
This course introduces students to the scientific concepts, principles, methods and research pertaining to human biological evolution. The course begins with a discussion of evolutionary theory and then applies evolutionary theory to examine: (1) contemporary human biological diversity, (2) the biological and behavioral similarities and differences among humans and nonhuman primates, and (3) the fossil evidence for human evolution.
Meets general academic requirement S.

112. Cultural Anthropology
This course introduces students to the concepts, principles, and methods used by cultural anthropologists to understand and explain the diversity of human societies throughout the world. It combines a cross-cultural analysis of different social institutions with the systematic examination of the behavior of individual societies in order to promote a rational understanding of human social and cultural diversity.
Meets general academic requirement D.

115. Archaeology
An introduction to the methodology and theoretical concepts used in the scientific acquisition and transformation of archaeological data into interpretations and explanations of cultural behavior, adaptations and culture change.
Meets general academic requirement B.

205. Anthropological Theory
This course examines the development of anthropological theory from the 19 th century to the present. It critically evaluates major figures in the field and the principal schools of thought, including Evolutionism, Dialectical and Historical Materialism, Historical Particularism, Functionalism, Structuralism, and modern Materialist theories. The central theme of the course is to evaluate the scientific validity and utility of the different anthropological research strategies. The course also explores contemporary anthropological approaches which question the application of traditional scientific research methods in anthropological research. Taught every spring semester.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology
Meets general academic requirement W.

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224. Peoples of Africa
An overview of the social and cultural diversity of Africa. The course examines how both the geographic diversity of the African continent and the demographic characteristics of its people underlay the continent’s extensive cultural diversity. The course also explores the impact that contemporary social, economic and political developments have had on indigenous African societies. Taught every other year.
Meets general academic requirement D and W.

227. The American Southwest
An introduction to the complex and dynamic relationship that has existed between people and the environment in the American Southwest. The course examines prehistoric, historic and contemporary developments in the American Southwest in order to illustrate the region’s rich ecological and cultural diversity and to show the effect that human occupation and resource exploitation have had on regional social and ecological relations. Taught every other year.
Meets general academic requirement W.

230. Native American Ecology
Much has been written claiming a unique relationship between American Indians and the environment. This course critically examines this literature by systematically exploring the ecology of Native American peoples and by emphasizing the role that human-environmental relations played in the evolution of native societies prior to European contact. The course also examines the impact that ecological factors played in determining the history of both Indian-Indian and Indian-White relations. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology or SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Meets general academic requirement D.

235. Anthropology of the Caribbean
An anthropological inquiry into the sociocultural life of creole populations in the Caribbean Basin. This course will explore the lifeways of the pre-Columbian Arawak Indians, the emergence of plantation agriculture, the cultural legacies of European and American colonial contact, and the social dynamics of Caribbean nationhood. Attention will be paid to creole languages, religions, economic infrastructures, political institutions, and other social relations. Topics to be addressed include: colonialism, creolization, liberation theology, Rastafari, Vodou, Santeria, U.S.-Caribbean relations, modernization and development, international trade relations, revolution, and democratization.
Meets general academic requirement D.

240. Witchcraft, Magic & Sorcery
This course will examine beliefs and practices of witchcraft, magic and sorcery in both Euro-American and non-Western societies. Emphasis will be placed on comparative analysis of the dynamics and functions of magical practice in cross-cultural context. Special attention will be paid to answering the following questions: What sorts of cultural information is transmitted through acts of conjuring and witchcraft? What are the social functions of magical ritual? Why do cultures embrace notions of malevolent supernatural power? How is sorcery used to control social behavior? Topics to be addressed throughout the course include the functions of ritual, Vodou and zombification, shamanism, the casting of spells, vampirism, divination, possession, sacrifice, and the use of oracles. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology or permission of instructor
Meets general academic requirement R.

250. Anthropology of Sex & Gender
A scientific examination of cross-cultural differences in the definition of sex and gender and of the behavior associated with specific gender categories. Topics covered include: the distinction between sex and gender; “Third Genders”, household economy and organization; monogamy, polygyny and polyandry; infanticide; violence and aggression; gender stratification; circumcision and subincision, and the evolution of gender roles in human society.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology or SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Meets general academic requirement W.

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255. World Prehistory
An introduction to human prehistory. This course focuses on the origin of human culture, the beginnings of agriculture and the rise of civilization in both the old and new worlds. Taught every other year.

260. Vodou in Haiti and the Diaspora
This course employs an anthropological approach in examining the symbols and rituals of Haitian Vodou, as well as their relationship to larger economic, political and cultural issues of peasant life. Students will draw on ethnographic sources in order to gain an understanding of the construction of the Vodou cosmology and humanity’s unique place within it amid the spirits and specters of the invisible world. Attention will be paid in particular to rites of zombification and other acts of sorcery, and their instrumental role in effecting social control in the Haitian countryside. Other topics to be addressed throughout the course may include shamanism, vampirism, divination, sacrifice, and the diffusion of Vodou cults into the Haitian diaspora communities of North America.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology
Meets general academic requirements D and R. 

270-279. Topics in Anthropology
Selected courses with a specialized focus on topics that are not contained within the regular anthropology curriculum. Topics covered might include Economic Anthropology, Political Anthropology, Hunters and Gatherers, etc.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology  

310. Human Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations between living organisms and their environment. Human ecology comprises the explicit application of ecological concepts, principles, and scientific methodology to explain the adaptation and evolution of human populations and communities. Topics covered include energy flow, nutrient cycling, population ecology, community evolution, resource competition and disease ecology. The course also examines how the principles of human ecology enhance our understanding of contemporary environmental issues. Students will complete a scientific research project. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology or ESC 113 Environmental Science
Meets general academic requirement S.  

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311. Research Methodology I (Cross-listed as SOC 311)
This course provides experience in the design and implementation of sociological research. It covers qualitative techniques for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data. We examine the epistemological issues that underlie social research, the ethical questions involved in research, and the assumptions on which various research strategies are based. We evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the most commonly used methods. Students will design an original research project. Taught every fall semester.
Prerequisite: SOC 205 Sociological Theory or ATH 205 Anthropological Theory
Meets general academic requirement W.

312. Research Methodology II (Cross-listed as SOC 312)
A continuation of Research Methodology I. This course focuses on quantitative methods. Students will learn how to use statistics to address research questions in sociology and anthropology. Students will use popular statistical packages such as SPSS to analyze data. Taught every spring semester.
Prerequisite: SOC 310 Research Methodology I and MTH 104 Statistical Methods
Meets general academic requirement W.

317. Field Archaeology
A four-week intensive analysis of a particular archaeological site. Utilizing the methodological and theoretical concepts of anthropological archaeology, students will be required to participate in every phase of the scientific research process. Typically offered during the summer sessions only.
Prerequisite: ATH 115 Archaeology

 320. Anthropology of the Child
This course will explore the significance of children in diverse social, political, and economic contexts. It will situate childhood as a dynamic site of cultural construction and interpretation, while considering the broad cross-cultural definitions and uses of children in local and global discourse. Topics may include historical constructions of childhood, cross-cultural definitions of childhood, the relationship of child to kin group, surrogacy, in-vitro fertilization, infanticide, issues in pediatric care, children’s rights, domestic child abuse, child soldiers, street youth, and adolescent involvement in politics and violence.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology
Meets general academic requirement B  

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325. Primate Behavior
An examination of the natural history of non-human primates from an evolutionary, ecological and social perspective. Includes a survey of the primate order and an assessment of the behavioral characteristics of each major group relative to modern evolutionary theory. Emphasis is placed on the similarities and differences which exist among non-human primates and their implications for understanding the evolution of human behavior. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite: ATH 111 Human Evolution

360. The Origin and Evolution of Religious Movements
This course explores the role that the political economy plays in the origin and evolution of religious movements. Several specific religious movements are examined in order to illustrate both the pervasiveness of this type of social movement and the commonality underlying such movements. Movements examined include: the Ghost Dance among the Plains Indians; Cargo Cults among South Pacific islanders; the Kimbangist and Mau Mau movements in Africa; selected Islamic Movements in Africa and the Middle East; Mormonism in the United States; the Jesus Movement in Roman Palestine, and the contemporary rise of religious fundamentalism. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite: ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology
Meets general academic requirement W.  

370. The Ethnography of Violence
A cross-cultural analysis of the definitions, causes, and resolutions to social violence and conflict, and the anthropological theories and methods used to study them. The goal of this course is to impart analytical thinking with regard to situations of collective violence in diverse cultural milieus through an intensive study of contemporary ethnographic fields of conflict. Emphasis will be placed on the critical dissection of the cultural, economic and political strategies and social factors influencing actors in their negotiations of dispute and strife. Topics to be examined include warfare, terrorism, political violence, riot, insurrection, torture, and mechanisms of social control. Taught every other year.
Prerequisite: ATH 205 Anthropological Theory or permission of instructor
Meets general academic requirement W.

 450. Senior Seminar in Sociology and Anthropology (Cross-listed as SOC 450)
A research practicum in which students develop independent research projects. Students will design and carry out an original research project. Open only to sociology and anthropology majors and minors.
Prerequisite: SOC 310 Research Methodology and either SOC 205 Sociological Theory or ATH 205 Anthropological Theory
Meets general academic requirement W.

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