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Courses

Anthropology

0403. Approaches in Cultural Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Examination of the major theoretical debates that have informed cultural anthropology by analyzing how these perspectives have shaped the development of the ethnographic form. Topics include: structural-functionalism, professional and symbolic approaches, political economy, gender theory and post-structuralism.

0404. Approaches in Linguistic Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Linguistic anthropology is concerned with the dynamic inter-relationships among language, culture, and society. This course provides an overview of theoretical and methodological approaches through which language can be studied in its social and cultural contexts as a means of communication as well as a medium of power, a means of production, and a commodity of value. Language is regarded as a cultural resource, and communicative practices are treated as forms of social action that vary significantly from one place and time to another. The role of language in sociocultural processes of reproduction and change are examined, revealing that communicative practices and their social organization are not just reflections of pre-existing social structures and cultural patterns, but are in fact constitutive of society and culture.

0405. Approaches in Physical Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Survey of theories and methodologies used in physical anthropology. Development of physical anthropological theory and practice, genetics, hominid evolution, human population variation, primate history and ethnology, ecology, demography, and physiological anthropology.

0406. Approaches in Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Examines the methods and theories used in archaeological research and provides an overview of human history that has been revealed by archaeological research. Topics covered include the historical development of archaeology, the nature of archaeological evidence, measuring and organizing time, analyzing spatial relationships, interpreting material culture, explanations in archaeology, hunter-gatherers in prehistory, agricultural origins, origins of complex societies, historical archaeology, and current trends in archaeology.

0407. Approaches in Historic Sites Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Examines the methods and theories used in archaeological research focused on the colonial and later periods of American history.

0408. Approaches to the Anthropology of Visual Communication   (3 s.h.)

General introduction to the Anthropology of Visual Communication. The course has a survey approach; the theoretical overview is grounded in a perspective that applies concepts of culture to processes of visual communication.

0409. Topics in the Anthropology of Visual Communication   (3 s.h.)

Examination of an anthropological approach to the study of the uses of the body, space, and the built environment, film, photographic, and television theories of construction and reception, art and aesthetics, cyberspace, and museums.

0411. Teaching of Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Methods and problems in the teaching of college level introductory anthropology. Introduction to professional membership in an academic community and applying anthropological teaching in non-academic contexts. Required for all anthropology teaching assistants.

0412. Medical Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Examines biocultural and sociocultural approaches to the understanding of multiplex human experiences of health, disease, and affliction. Introduction to the major theoretical schools and critical issues of contemporary medical anthropology. Explores six topical areas: biocultural perspectives on disease and health; ethnomedicine; medical pluralism; medicine and social control; international health development; and the relationships between culture/ society and scientific biomedical representations.

0415. Anthropology and Social Policy   (3 s.h.)

Examines "applied" domain and different ways of "using" anthropological knowledge, ranging from critiques of international and federal social policies as products of the state and private interests to participative anthropology that moves toward political action and empowerment, to working for the state and private corporate centers as a way to make a living. Evaluates the efficacy of different types of work for progressive social change and examines the possibilities of how to make our research matter more in relation to major public issues.

0501. History of Anthropological Theory   (3 s.h.)

Clarifies various intellectual currents in contemporary anthropology, their relationships to intellectual and social developments, and debates in the broader society. Concerned with the development of anthropological thought as it has been shaped by Western society and the emergence of various intellectual tendencies. Surveys the antecedents of anthropology in the major intellectual currents of the early modern era and its crystallization during the Age of Revolution. Focuses in detail on what happened after the social sciences were professionalized in the late 19th century.

0507. Methods in Linguistic Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Survey of methods and problems in linguistic anthropology.

0509. Language Socialization and Cultural Reproduction   (3 s.h.)

Language socialization research is concerned with the processes whereby children and other novices, through interactions with older or otherwise more experienced persons, acquire the knowledge, orientations, skills, and practices that enable them to function as (and crucially, to be regarded as) competent members of their communities. This seminar examines language socialization and cultural reproduction as both universal and culturally specific phenomena. Topics explored include theoretical and methodological approaches to socialization; cross-cultural variations in ways of teaching and learning; socialization of children and of other novices; the agency of learners; the socialization of identities, roles, and statuses; and socialization processes as a site of innovation and change. Using the resources of the Linguistic Anthropology Teaching Laboratory, seminar participants collect, analyze, and present ethnographic audio-video data from various local settings (schools, churches, community organizations, workplaces, etc.) in which socialization can be observed.

0510. Fieldwork in Ethnography   (3 s.h.)

Considers the methodology employed and the problems encountered in conducting ethnographic fieldwork. Each student will be expected to design and carry out a local field project

0513. Problems in Sociocultural Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

A seminar oriented to specific research issues. Topics vary from semester to semester.

0515. Theory and Methods in Cultural Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

0516. Reading Ethnography   (3 s.h.)

Devoted to reading and discussing a wide range of classic and contemporary ethnographies with the goals of: (1) illustrating the ways in which ethnographies have contributed to the development of anthropological theories; (2) providing some coverage of major cultural traditions or culture areas outside of Europe; (3) discussing how ethnographies can be used in undergraduate teaching; and (4) analyzing how the ethnographic process has changed in the postmodern, postcolonial world.

0520. Field Session in Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Techniques and concepts of field archaeology. Students will be expected to spend the greatest part of the session in the field during the excavation of a prehistoric occupation site.

0521. Methods of Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Methods and procedures used in the practice of archaeology with topical foci varying by semester. Semester long topics include: cultural resource management; sediments, soils, and geomorphology in archaeology; pottery analysis; and lithic analysis. As an example, the lithic analysis focus provides hands-on experience in analyzing lithic assemblages through experimental replication of stone tools, experimental use of stone tools, microscopic analysis of experimental and archaeological specimens, and classification of lithic assemblages. The first half of the course consists of laboratory exercises in making, using, and analyzing stone tools and flaking debris. The second half of the course is devoted to the conducting of independent research projects by class members on some aspect of lithic analysis.

0522. Indigenous Self Representation and Videography   (3 s.h.)

Critically reviews the relationships between ethnographic monographs and ethnographic film with the indigenous forms of self representation, film, photography, and art. Primary focus is the new medium of video generated visual texts. Native, minority, emergent, and elite texts of various societies will be compared with each other as well as with similar forms of visual representation in contemporary western societies

0524. Genetic Basis of Human Variations   (3 s.h.)

Explores the hereditary variation in our species and its special relationship to disease incidences and susceptibilities. Emphasis on contrast between adaptations of traditional societies to infectious disease loads and contemporary societies with degenerative disease loads, and the genetic susceptibilities concerned.

0525. Biocultural Adaptation in Human Populations   (3 s.h.)

This course explores the manner in which the adaptation concept has been used in cultural and biological anthropology. Evaluations of optimization models, thermodynamic models, evolutionary stable strategy theory, cultural materialism and selection models are conducted in a seminar format. Discussions will focus on the extent to which the behavioral and biological characteristics of human populations can be explained in an "adaptive" context. Students will critique specific models and the way they have been applied to groups living in stressful environments.

0526. Methods in Physical Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Methodological training for graduate students in physical anthropology and the Biocultural adaptation program. Topics include population genetics and demography, osteology, energy flow models, and human physiology.

0527. Physiol Basis in Human Var.   (3 s.h.)

0528. Theory and Methods In Cultures and Comm.   (3 s.h.)

0532. Anthropological Photography   (3 s.h.)

A review of the major photographic styles used for anthropological photography, and analysis of the role of photography in anthropology.

0533. Anthropology and Film   (3 s.h.)

Critical examination of the ethnographic/anthropological film literature. A number of filmmakers (Vertov, Rouche, Marker, MacDougall, and Deren) will be explored in detail. The purpose is to explore the possibility of an anthropological cinema. The seminar is primarily designed for advanced undergraduates in the visual anthropology track and graduate students in the anthropology of visual communication program.

0534. Anthropological Problems in Visual Production   (3 s.h.)

Concentrates on the development of production skills and the application of more complex techniques in the making of anthropologically significant visual texts. These techniques demonstrate why different methods and strategies are appropriate when films and other visual texts pursue different objectives.

0536. Anthropology in Feature Films   (3 s.h.)

An examination of how Hollywood feature films treat topics, themes and people familiar to anthropological scholarship. A constructivist position is applied to mass communicated imagery, media socialization, stereotype formation and maintenance, themes of representation as related to viewer response theory, genre demand characteristics, social construction of credibility and "otherness."

0538. The Anthropology of Public Culture   (3 s.h.)

Explores museums, exhibitions, galleries and festivals as a form of public culture. Activities include critical reading of relevant literature and an examination of films, CD-ROM's, Internet web sites as well as field trips to local institutions.

0548. Marxist Perspectives in Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Concerned with the theoretical and methodological contributions of Marxist thought to the study and understanding of the structure, development, and transformation of human societies. In addition to selected works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, materials relating to recent development theories are studied in relation to anthropology and its place in the modern world.

0549. Social and Cultural Change   (3 s.h.)

Examines alternative theories of society and explanations of change and development: (1) to expose the network of assumptions underlying various theories of change and to investigate their implications, (2) to show the commonality of social thought in different societies and to challenge notions about the uniqueness of Western thought, (3) to examine selected instances of historical change and transformation: alternate roads of socioeconomic development, and the colonial encounter and decolonization.

0555. Gender Theory   (3 s.h.)

Explores anthropological literature on gender as a means of exposing the hidden assumptions about power, language, and gender that inform anthropological theory. Theoretical critiques of this literature will be used to reassess anthropology and to generate a systematic approach to the study of gender.

0561. Contemporary Perspectives in Urban Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Examines the development of urban anthropology from the early debates of the 1970s to redefinitions in the 1980s. The emerging paradigm of intensive studies of local social processes within larger macrostructural contexts is the focus.

0570. Comparative Early Civilizations   (3 s.h.)

Comparative analysis of the rise of civilizations (state-based societies). Examines archaeological and historical information to investigate the transformation of kin-organized communities into class-stratified societies with state machines. Considers the internal dynamics of kin-organized communities with food-producing economies and the capacity to produce surplus goods and labor as well as the foundational role they play in the rise of states. Explores the contradictions and developmental potential of tributary states.

0571. Seminar in Northeastern Prehistory   (3 s.h.)

The archaeology and prehistory of the native peoples of the Middle Atlantic Region are examined in detail, and in the broader context of cultural developments in the Northeast and Eastern Woodlands of the United States. Although the seminar employs cultural historical periods as a way to present information, cultural diversity across time and space are emphasized. Basic descriptive data dealing with prehistoric cultures are presented, as well as the variety of interpretations of native lifeways upon which they are based. Included in the course is information derived from cultural resource management studies, the results of which are infrequently published.

0580. Seminar in Evolutionary Biology   (3 s.h.)

In-depth review of the synthetic theory of evolution, and special topics in evolutionary theory. Emphasis placed on human evolution, human biocultural adaptation, and evolutionary biology.

0584. Historic Sites Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Topical focus varying by semester dealing with the archaeology of colonial and later periods of American history.

0591. Sociolinguistics   (3 s.h.)

This seminar examines the relationships among language, social structure, and social action, focusing on the socioculturally and linguistically mediated processes through which human groups reproduce and transform themselves. Language and discourse (both spoken and written), images (both still and dynamic), performances, and other communicative forms and practices are regarded as forms of social action, as a means of production, and as commodities of value. Particular attention is given to the ways in which they shape, and are shaped, by relations of power, at both micro and macro levels of analysis. A primary goal of this seminar is to develop critical perspectives on the place of language in contemporary social theory.

0594. Ethnolinguistics   (3 s.h.)

0598. Independent Study   (1 to 12 s.h.)

Prerequisite: departmental approval.

Special study on a particular aspect of anthropology under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. No more than six semester hours can be counted toward degree requirements.

0599. Independent Study   (1 to 12 s.h.)

Prerequisite: departmental approval.

Special study on a particular aspect of anthropology under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. No more than six semester hours can be counted toward degree requirements.

0613. Problems in Ethnology   (3 s.h.)

Reading and analysis of key ethnographic texts. Major topics include: development of ethnography as a genre in the 20th-century; regional patterns in ethnographic data and their relation to theory formation; postmodern critiques of ethnography; the influence of ethnography on other disciplines; and the use of ethnographics in teaching anthropology.

0623. Problems in Archaeology   (3 s.h.)

Consideration of special theoretical and methodological problems in archaeology. Topical and area emphasis varies by semester.

0635. Seminar in Visual Anthropology and the Arts   (3 s.h.)

A seminar oriented to specific research issues, with topics varying from semester to semester.

0644. Seminar In Epressive Cult.   (3 s.h.)

0648. Comparative Political Economy   (3 s.h.)

Concerned with developing a more textured understanding of Marxist political economy and an appreciation of its significance for informing an anthropological perspective in a period of intense class and state formation and distinction. Emphasis varies by semester.

0660. Advanced Research in Urban Ethnography   (3 s.h.)

For students who do research analysis in urban environments with emphasis on field techniques, research design, and interpretation data.

0677. Archaeological Inference   (3 s.h.)

Examines the nature of archaeological data, and the relationship of such data to current archaeological and anthropological theory. Builds upon the foundation established in ANT 406, 521, and 623, and specifically addresses the issue of how to operationalize the variety of research strategies in use in contemporary archaeology.

0691. Master`s Essay   (1 to 12 s.h.)

Students who are doing research and writing for their M.A. thesis should register for this class. Credit does not count toward either the 24 s.h. requirement for MA or the 48 s.h. requirement for the Ph.D.

0692. Master's Essay   (3 s.h.)

Students who are doing research and writing for their M.A. thesis should register for this class. Credit does not apply toward either the 24 s.h. requirement for MA or the 48 s.h. requirement for the Ph.D.

0712. Quant. Anal. Anthro. Data   (3 s.h.)

0729. Problems in the Anthropology of Visual Communication   (3 s.h.)

Advanced seminar devoted to problematic aspects of visual media, research, fieldwork, production, exposition of issues central to relationships of anthropology, media, and visual communication. Topics vary by semester.

0740. Advanced Seminar in Social Anthropology   (3 s.h.)

Oriented to specific research issues. Topics vary by semester.

0799. Preliminary Exam Preparation   (1-6 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Limited to doctoral students who have finished course work.

0898. Independent Study   (1-12 s.h.)

Prerequisite: prior approval of the department.


Limited to doctoral students. Specialized study and research under the supervision of a faculty member.

0899. Pre-Dissertation Research   (1-6 s.h.)

Prerequisite: prior approval of the department.

Credits in 899 are intended for students who have completed their qualifying exams and preparing for field research.

0999. Dissertation Research   (1-6 s.h.)

Only students elevated to candidacy and writing the diissertation should register for this course.