ANTH 1100 Introduction to Four-Field Anthropology    3 Credits

Attributes: MSID Magis Core: Interdisciplinary

Who are we, where do we come? Why is life unfair, and why do intolerance, poverty and inequality persist? Anthropologists hold no monopoly on truth or explanation, but they do employ a wide range of methods to explore what it means to be human. In this introductory anthropology course we survey the four sub-fields that comprise this multi-disciplinary science: biological anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural anthropology, and linguistics. Over the course of the semester, we will explore what anthropology and its sub-fields contribute to our understanding of ourselves, our histories, and our world. Previously AY 0010.

ANTH 1110 Cultural Anthropology    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective

Why is there such variety in the way people live, dress, speak, eat, love and fight? This course explores the shared patterns of thought, behavior, and feelings - that is, the cultures - of a number of peoples and presents explanations for the forms they take and the differences between them. The course helps students develop a new perspective on the values and institutions of Western culture. Previously AY 0111.

ANTH 1115 Cultures of Africa    3 Credits

Attributes: BSFC Black Studies Focus Course, BSSS Black Studies: Social and Behavioral Sciences, INEL International Studies Elective

This course explores the wealth of cultural traditions and histories from Africa. It begins with an abridged review of African history from the dawn of humankind to 21st century challenges and achievements. Then the focus shifts to regional case studies through African literature, film, and music. For the final segment of the class, students conduct and present original research on the cultural dynamics of critical issues facing contemporary Africans. Students learn and practice research methods in African Studies and anthropology. Previously AY 0130.

ANTH 1116 Introduction to Latinx-U.S. Immigration    3 Credits

Attributes: INEL International Studies Elective, LCEL LACS Minor: Elective

This course is an introduction to key themes in the study of Latin American/Latinx im/migration to the U.S. The course uses interdisciplinary resources drawn from anthropology, sociology, history, political science, and ethnic studies to address the history and demographics of Latinx im/migration to the U.S., the relationship between race/class/gender intersectionality and Latinx immigration, immigrant social and economic incorporation, and the impact of immigration policy on Latinx im/migrant experiences. Students will hear from guest speakers from local immigrant-serving organizations, follow emerging trends in Latinx-U.S. immigration, and develop the skills to separate fact from fiction in immigration-focused media and discourse.

ANTH 1120 Islamic Societies and Cultures    3 Credits

Attributes: INEL International Studies Elective, IWSS Islamic World Studies: Social Sciences

This is an anthropological inquiry into a number of Muslim societies. This course investigates the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity within Muslim societies, while seeking to understand what they have in common with each other and with their non-Muslim neighbors. Previously AY 0152.

ANTH 1125 Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective, INEL International Studies Elective, WSGF Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Gender Focused

Through a comparison of selected Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Native American societies, this course explores the ways that culture can mold the biological facts of sexual difference into socially accepted behavior, creating two, and sometimes more, genders. Topics include the allocation of work, power, and prestige between men and women, the belief systems that legitimate gender roles, and some possible causes for the wide variation that exists among cultures. Previously AY 0168.

ANTH 1200 Biological Anthropology    3 Credits

The study of natural selection, primate evolution, and living primate societies provides a baseline from which to study the evolution of the human species. The course also traces human cultural and social development from the foraging bands of the first humans to the civilizations that appeared at the dawn of written history. Students also examine physical variation among living populations. This course meets the core natural science requirement and not the social science requirement. Previously AY 0110.

ANTH 1201 Introduction to Evolution of Human Health    3 Credits

Attributes: MSID Magis Core: Interdisciplinary

Have you ever wondered about the increasing prevalence of diseases like diabetes and cancer, the challenges of human birth, or the reasons behind aging? This course investigates our evolutionary history to explain current health trends. Students will learn how genetics, culture, environment, diet, physical activity, and historical interbreeding influence our well-being. We will also discuss hygiene, medicine, vaccines, and the future risks of antibiotic resistance and gene editing. This course concludes by emphasizing the crucial role of science and medicine in our journey toward better health.

ANTH 1210 Biomedical Anthropology    3 Credits

Attributes: HSST Health Studies: Science and Technology

This seminar-style class explores biological anthropology to examine the dynamic relationship between health, biology, and culture. Across cultures, geography, and time, we uncover the underlying processes that inhibit or enhance human health. From the biology of stress to the eradication of tuberculosis and Ebola, we'll see biological anthropology's invaluable contributions to modern medicine, public health, and global health management. Students will learn theoretical and applied approaches to understand the evolution and ecology of disease; human development and metabolism; and sexuality and gender; as well as health policy and medical practice (in terms of cultural universals, differences, and disparities). This course meets the core natural science requirement and not the social science requirement. Previously AY 0115.

ANTH 1500 Anthropology of Happiness    3 Credits

Attributes: MSID Magis Core: Interdisciplinary

This course will explore the biological, behavioral, and cultural dimensions of happiness through the interdisciplinary lens of four-field anthropology. We begin with linguistics and archaeology, and we integrate philosophy, religious studies, visual arts, and poetry to define happiness and to explore the roots and evolution of happiness into the 21st century. In unit two, we shift to biological and cultural anthropology, along with neurology, chemistry, and psychology to examine the myriad ways humans pursue and experience happiness across the world. We conclude with a final unit in which we apply our interdisciplinary knowledge to complete several short happiness projects. Previously AY 0147.

ANTH 1510 Anthropology of Food    3 Credits

The way humans make and consume food shapes our lives and transforms our world. From our hunter-gatherer past to your family's most recent holiday dinner, in this course we explore the relationship between food, society, and our environment. Through cross-cultural, historical, and ecological studies, the anthropology of food reveals fascinating patterns of cooperation, inequality, and human diversity. The class is divided into three parts: making food (food production), eating food (food consumption), and being food (relationship between food and identity). Our semester includes three feast days and an off-campus field trip. Previously AY 0145.

ANTH 1900 Special Topics (Shell)    3 Credits

Special topics in anthropology provide an opportunity for students and faculty to explore compelling themes that are not covered in the department's regular course rotation and curriculum. Previously AY 0190.

ANTH 2010 Culture and Political Economy    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective, MWAC Magis Core: Writing Across Curriculum

This course examines the ways in which global political economic dynamics impact local cultures. Students will begin with classic texts in social theory, examine how this theory informs contemporary debates, and look to small-scale societies in the Global South for an intimate, ethnographic perspective of our global era. Crosslisted with INST 1052. Previously AY 0052.

ANTH 2015 Refugees and Culture    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective, HACA Humanitarian Action Minor Context Course, INEL International Studies Elective, PJST Peace and Justice Studies

This course provides students with an overview of refugee movements with a focus on cultural encounters across the world. Students will focus on the social integration and identity adjustments of refugees in their host communities and/or country. The course will also allow students to learn about cultural adjustments of both refugees and host communities whether it is in the United States, Europe, Middle East, or Africa. Students will explore how features of the specific societies serve to inhibit or augment cultural adjustments and meet the new needs and realities of populations in movement. Previously AY 0135.

ANTH 2016 Anthropology of Humanitarianism    3 Credits

Attributes: HACA Humanitarian Action Minor Context Course, HAFD Humanitarian Action Foundation Course, HASM Humanitarian Action Minor Skills/Method Course

Are cultural categories such as race, ethnicity, origin, gender, class, etc., influencing the way people reflect, design, and implement humanitarian actions in today’s world? This course explores the relevance of anthropological perspectives for international humanitarian action. It will deal with key topics such as forced migration and methodological challenges of studying conflict and crisis, the discipline’s historical engagement with emergencies and human suffering, and the contemporary legalization and financialization of the humanitarian field, and finally, the changing humanitarian-development-security nexus. The course will critically examine how recipients, practitioners, decision-makers, and donors interact with the discourses, institutions, and rules of humanitarianism.

ANTH 2025 Philosophy and Economic Anthropology    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective, PMMP Philosophy Major: Major Philosopher

This course examines the economy from philosophical and anthropological perspectives. We will investigate why people produce and exchange things, why they seek to amass things in some circumstances and give them away in others, and how our modern understandings of value, debt, and rationality emerged. Previously AY 0199.

ANTH 2100 Culture and Inequality    3 Credits

Attributes: DEIE Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Elective, INEL International Studies Elective, PJST Peace and Justice Studies

This course focuses on the concepts of "culture" and "inequality," two terms employed to deal with "difference" in a range of intriguingly different and morally charged ways. The course explores recent work in anthropology, economics, and sociology using culture and/or inequality as a lens through which to view various issues in contemporary social theory. In the process, students work to discover what kind of lens culture and/or inequality provides, how our implicit understandings of these ideas shape how we think about the world, and how we might better use such ideas to do our thinking. Previously AY 0163.

ANTH 3600 Anthropological Research Methods    3 Credits

Attributes: HASM Humanitarian Action Minor Skills/Method Course, INEL International Studies Elective

How does anthropological field research help us understand our lives, our communities, and our world? How might anthropological research methods help you explore and pursue your own passions or professional ambitions? In this course students conduct original anthropological field research, write an original journal article manuscript, and they develop an online portfolio to share results and conclusions beyond our classroom. Over the course of our semester, students learn and practice techniques for designing, proposing, conducting, analyzing, and sharing anthropological field research. The class is divided into four sections: Developing Your Research Question, Your Anthropology Toolkit, Anthropological Analysis and Writing, and a final Research Symposium. Previously AY 0200.

ANTH 3700 Grant Writing for the Social Sciences    3 Credits

Attributes: EVAP Environmental Studies: Applied Professional Skills , HASM Humanitarian Action Minor Skills/Method Course, INEL International Studies Elective, PAWR Public Administration Grant and Proposal Writing

This course will introduce students to the practicalities of international research, with particular emphasis on qualitative social science methods and the eventual aim of producing a viable grant proposal. The course will be taught from an anthropological perspective, but the skills developed should be broadly applicable to the social sciences and humanities. Previously AY 0180.

ANTH 3710 Theory and Practice in Anthropology    3 Credits

This course focuses on of the production of ethnographic knowledge, a form of intellectual inquiry at once art and science, evocation and explication. Emerging in the 20th century as the preeminent form of anthropological expression, ethnographies are one of the few scholarly means of understanding other cultures and societies in meaningful depth. At the same time, ethnographies reveal as much about the disciplines and societies in which they are produced as they do about distant "others." Previously AY 0189.

ANTH 4990 Independent Study    1-3 Credits

Independent study experiences provide intellectually curious students with opportunities to take the reins of their education and delve deeply into the ideas and subjects that truly inspire them. Upon request and by agreement of an individual professor in the department, students undertake a one-semester independent study on a defined research topic in anthropology. Previously AY 0399.