02403/Anthropology (ANTHRO)
Unless otherwise noted, courses may be taken without prerequisites. |
1009. Discovering Anthropology (1 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0002.) This course is designed to allow students to explore Anthropology as a possible major and/or career path. It introduces the field of Anthropology in general and, subsequently, the sub-fields of the discipline (Social-cultural Anthropology, Linguistics, Biological Anthropology, Archaeology), and the specialized tracks that exist within the department (Human Biology and Visual Anthropology). Career paths and opportunities will be discussed and students will develop hypothetical course plans for a B.A. in Anthropology and subsequent career plans in conjunction with the faculty member/advisor in charge of the course. Students will sample departmental functions, may sit-in on a class of a selected course, participate in a field trip, or attend a relevant lecture or public presentation at area museums or professional gatherings. Mode: Seminar.
0814. Human Ecology (3 s.h.) Core: IN. (Formerly: GE-HUMB 1024.) Human hunters may have contributed to animal extinctions as early as 10,000 years ago; civilizations in the ancient Near East developed complex irrigation networks that led to some of the area’s permanent deserts. Since pre-history, humans had an impact on the environment, but changes in technology have magnified the scale of human influence. Today, attempts at sustainable land use are often at odds with struggles for indigenous population rights, with population migration and increases in population size, or with desires to preserve areas for national parks or tourism, let alone attempts to exploit natural resources. Study the ecological principles underlying the relationship of humans with the environment and the explosion of conflicts surrounding modern environmental use. Note: This General Education `Human Behavior` pilot course fulfills the Core Individual & Society (IN) requirement.
0815. Language in Society (3 s.h.) Core: IN. (Formerly: GE-HUMB 1022.) How did language come about? How many languages are there in the world? How do people co-exist in countries where there are two or more languages? How do babies develop language? Should all immigrants take a language test when applying for citizenship? Should English become an official language of the United States? In this course we will address these and many other questions, taking linguistic facts as a point of departure and considering their implications for our society. Through discussions and hands-on projects, students will learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret language data and how to make informed decisions about language and education policies as voters and community members. Note: This General Education `Human Behavior` pilot course fulfills the Core Individual & Society (IN) requirement.
0817. Youth Cultures (3 s.h.) Core: IN. (Formerly: GE-HUMB 1021.) What does a young, inner city, hip hop artist have in common with a D&D dungeonmaster? They share a life stage; both belong to a phenomenon called youth culture. Often rooted in gender, race, class, sexual preference and ethnicity, youth cultures enable young people to try on identities as they find their way to a clearer sense of self. Empowered by new technology tools--cell phones, ipods, instant messaging--and with the luxury of infinite virtual space, students will analyze the process of identity formation, heighten their ability to communicate effectively with peers and other audiences, and come to appreciate the forces and contexts that drive youth cultures around the globe. Note: This General Education `Human Behavior` pilot course fulfills the Core Individual & Society (IN) requirement.
0825. Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (4 s.h.) Core: QB. (Formerly: GE-QUAN 1056.) Psychological, political, social, and economic arguments and knowledge frequently depend on the use of numerical data. A psychologist might hypothesize that I.Q. is attributable to environmental or genetic factors; a politician might claim that hand gun control legislation will reduce crime; a sociologist might assert that social mobility is more limited in the United States than in other countries, and an economist might declare that globalization lowers the incomes of U.S. workers. How can we evaluate these arguments? Using examples from psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, students will examine how social science methods and statistics help us understand the social world. The goal is to become critical consumers of quantitative material that appears in scholarship, the media, and everyday life. Note: This General Education `Quantitative Literacy` pilot course fulfills the Core Quantitative Reasoning second level (QB) requirement.
0829. The History & Significance of Race in America (3 s.h.) Core: RS. (Formerly: GE-RADV 1064.) Why were relations between Native Americans and whites violent almost from the beginning of European settlement? How could slavery thrive in a society founded on the principle that “all men are created equal”? How comparable were the experiences of Irish, Jewish, and Italian immigrants, and why did people in the early 20th century think of them as separate “races”? What were the causes and consequences of Japanese Americans’ internment in military camps during World War II? Are today’s Mexican immigrants unique, or do they have something in common with earlier immigrants? Using a variety of written sources and outstanding documentaries, this course examines the racial diversity of America and its enduring consequences. Note: This General Education `Race & Diversity` pilot course fulfills the Core Studies in Race (RS) requirement.
0831. The American Dream: Hearing the Immigrant Voice (3 s.h.) Core: RS. (Formerly: GE-RADV 1066.) As a Temple student, you go to school and live in a city full of immigrants. Perhaps your own relatives were immigrants to the United States. But have you ever listened to their stories? With an historical and sociological framework as a basis, we will take an in-depth and more personal look at the immigrant experience as expressed through the immigrants’ own voices in literature and film. Topics explored include: assimilation, cultural identity and Americanization, exploitation and the American Dream, ethnic communities, gender, discrimination and stereotyping. Note: This General Education `Race & Diversity` pilot course fulfills the Core Studies in Race (RS) requirement.
0833. Race & Poverty in the Americas (3 s.h.) Core: RS. (Formerly: GE-RADV 1065.) The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most brutal and momentous experiences in human history. Attitudes toward Latino, Caribbean, African, and Asian immigrants in the United States today can only be fully understood in the contexts of slavery and the “structural racism,” “symbolic violence” (not to mention outright physical violence), and social inequalities that slavery has spawned throughout the region. Although focusing primarily on the United States, we will also study the present entanglements of poverty and race in Brazil, Haiti, and other selected nations of “The New World,” placing the U.S. (and Philadelphia in particular) experience in this historical context. Note: This General Education `Race & Diversity` pilot course fulfills the Core Studies in Race (RS) requirement.
0848. American Revolutions (3 s.h.) Core: AC. (Formerly: GE-US 1171.) From the first encounters with Native Americans to the present, a series of pivotal moments have had an enduring influence on American society, culture, and politics. In each class, three modules will focus on three pivotal moments, such as King Philip’s War, Nat Turner’s Rebellion, the Scopes trial, the Civil Rights movement, the women’s movement, the emergence of Elvis Presley, the sexual revolution, the rise of environmentalism, the Reagan Revolution, and 9-11. In each module, students will first place the main subject of the module in context, and then seek to understand how it changed American society. The last week of each module will be devoted to a consideration of how the subject of that module has become part of American collective memory. Note: This General Education `United States Society` pilot course fulfills the Core American Culture (AC) requirement.
0867. World Regions and Cultures: Diversity & Interconnections (3 s.h.) Core: IS. (Formerly: GE-WRLD 1173.) How does the process of globalization impact people in different culture regions? Explore this central question through readings, discussions, mapping exercises, field trips to Philadelphia sites and special events that celebrate the international flavor of the city. Focusing on four regions, we will learn how people cope with environmental problems like desertification, population growth, rapid migration to cities, and ethnic and religious clashes. We will investigate why some areas are mired in poverty and violence while others experience a growing economy and peaceful politics. For each region we will read case studies illustrating both cultural continuity and change. Note: This General Education `World Society` pilot course fulfills the Core International Studies (IS) requirement.
1055. Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology (4 s.h.) F S. Core: SB. (Formerly: ANTHRO C055.) Human populations, both past and present, are the focus of biological anthropology. In this course, the biological characteristics of human populations are studied in terms of their adaptive significance. Students will be introduced to concepts in medical and population genetics, review studies of human morphological and physiological variation, and learn basic concepts in evolutionary biology and human paleontology. Note: This course cannot be taken to satisfy any of the requirements for majors in the Human Biology Track Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
1061. Cultures of the World (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: IS. (Formerly: ANTHRO C061.) An introductory survey of various cultures from different regions of the world. Ethnographic case studies will be compared to show diversity and continuity in human life styles. A major emphasis will be placed on the impact of transglobal economic, political, and sociocultural change in the 20th century. Note: In addition to meeting the University Core International Studies requirement for all students, this course meets the Non-Western/Third World International Studies requirement for Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences majors. Please note the recent update to the Core International Studies requirement at www.temple.edu/vpus/documents/Core_IS_UpdateFinal.pdf. Mode: Lecture/Seminar and large lecture with recitation sections.
1062. Introduction to Anthropology: A Four-Field Integrated Approach to Race and Racism (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: RN. (Formerly: ANTHRO R060.) This introductory Anthropology course is designed to introduce students to important scholarly and practical concepts in the study of race and racism historically and across cultures. It builds upon the important contributions of four-field anthropological practice to our understanding of the ways societies have constructed racial categories and meanings and deployed racialized hierarchies. Students will be asked to read a variety of basic materials in linguistics, biological anthropology, ethnology, and archaeology. This will be supplemented with student efforts to analyze popular representations of race to acquire a familiarity with the important debates in contemporary social science and politics. Note: This course meets the Studies in Race core requirement Mode: Lecture/Seminar, large lecture with recitation sections and on-line learning sections.
1064. American Culture (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: AC. (Formerly: ANTHRO C064.) This course will provide an overview of the anthropological view of American culture. Ethnographic views of particular lifestyle groups based on ethnicity, region, class, age, etc., will be explored. Studies of the historical development of relationships and conflicts between groups will also be included. These will be linked together by the literature on the overarching themes, values, rituals, and institutions that characterize the national culture. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
1065. Origins of Cultural Diversity (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: IS. (Formerly: ANTHRO C065.) Many non-U.S. cultures have long, distinguished histories which can be traced ultimately to a common origin. This course examines the evolution of these cultures through the use of archaeological and paleoanthropological data, which ranges from four million years ago to the time of recorded history. Topics include the emergence of culture, the spread of human populations throughout the world, the origins of agriculture, and the rise of civilizations. The persistence of hunter/gatherer and other small-scale societies into the 19th and 20th centuries is also investigated. Note: In addition to meeting the University Core International Studies requirement for all students, this course meets the Non-Western/Third World International Studies requirement for Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences majors. Please note the recent update to the Core International Studies requirement at www.temple.edu/vpus/documents/Core_IS_UpdateFinal.pdf. Mode: Lecture/Seminar and online learning sections.
1074. Anthropology through Film (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0084.) An introductory survey course employing the medium of ethnographic film to address the diverse issues that anthropologists engage with. Through watching and analyzing films on issues as varied as Azande witchcraft, Trobriand cricket, and Balinese water-temples, students will gain understanding not only of the issues that anthropologists study, but also of anthropological film and filmmaking. The course is organized as a film presentation followed by discussion of the film based upon critical understanding of the film combined with the reading material for that aspect of the course.
1961. Cultures of the World Honors (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: IS. (Formerly: ANTHRO H091.) An introductory survey of various cultures from different regions of the world. Ethnographic case studies will be compared to show diversity and continuity in human life styles. A major emphasis will be placed on the impact of transglobal economic, political, and sociocultural change in the 20th century. Note: In addition to meeting the University Core International Studies requirement for all students, this course meets the Non-Western/Third World International Studies requirement for Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences majors. Please note the recent update to the Core International Studies requirement at www.temple.edu/vpus/documents/Core_IS_UpdateFinal.pdf. Mode: Lecture/Seminar and large lecture with recitation.
2104. Fundamentals of Archaeology (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0124.) An introduction to the theories and methods used in archaeological anthropology. Topics include excavation techniques, analysis of material remains, and reconstruction of ancient cultural patterns. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2169. South American Archaeology (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0169.) A survey of prehistoric cultures of South America. Concentrates on (1) the initial entry and spread of human populations into South America and the West Indies, (2) origins of tropical and highland agriculture, (3) the rise of urbanism, civilization, and the state in the Andes, and (4) the impact of prehistoric cultures on the environment. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2172. Archaeology of North America (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0172.) This course surveys the cultural development of native peoples from the time of the initial colonization of North America to the historic period. The cultural diversity seen across the continent at any given point in time is dramatic and difficult to cover in detail within the scope of a single course. Common and contrasting themes in development are stressed and information is organized by cultural/geographic regions or "areas," and chronological periods. The emphasis of the course is on the peoples found north of Mexico. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2238. Visual Anthropology of Modern Japan (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0238.) Cross Listed with Asian Studies 2238 (0338). An anthropological approach to systems of visual communication that are central to understanding Japanese society and culture. Visual sign systems of everyday life such as writing, food, and clothes plus visual aspects of popular culture such as comic books and ads. Ethnographic films, feature films, and network RV programs plus field trips to Japanese cultural sites in Philadelphia. Mode: Seminar.
2358. Anthropology of American Culture (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0258.) This course may serve as a starting point for undergraduate majors in Visual Anthropology. Emphasis will be given to matching the diversity of American culture with a diversity of visual representations of American culture. We will explore how American culture has been visualized in mass media (feature films, prime time television (including situation comedies), daytime dramas (the soaps), comics, photojournalism, advertising, popular art, etc.) and home media (photography albums, home movies, home video, etc.). We will explore the thesis that American culture is best characterized as a variety of many cultures. Lectures, readings, screenings, web-work, field trips and assignments will suggest an alternative way of seeing what we have looked at all our lives. Note: Course is appropriate for students in American Studies, Media Studies, Sociology and Education. Mode: Seminar.
2361. Peoples of Latin America (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0261.) Cross Listed with LAS 2361. Starting in 1492, Native American isolation from Europe and Africa ended in the region of the Americas that became Latin America. Despite five hundred years of colonial and nation-state domination, indigenous peoples in Latin America continue to assert their basic human right to resist cultural hegemony. Not only have indigenous populations survived, they are also growing. Today they constitute a majority in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru and a substantial plurality in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The focus here is on this remarkable struggle for physical and cultural survival. Attention will be given to the lived experiences of people struggling for human dignity on the lowest strata of regional class structures. Issues of land rights, environmental, health, political, and economic self-determination will be examined. Mode: Seminar.
2366. Urban America: An Anthropological Perspective (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0266.) This course offers undergraduates an opportunity to collaborate with a community-based program or agency and to explore how anthropologists work in applied settings. Students will be expected to spend an average of three hours weekly at your field site and there will be one class meeting weekly. The purpose of this course is to connect students' service experiences with ideas and readings from the academic perspective of anthropology. In consultation with their sponsoring agencies, students will agree on what their volunteer responsibilities on site will be. At the end of the semester, students will write a final paper for the course in which they incorporate material from the academic readings, their own fieldnotes and any other relevant sources (agency reports, news articles, etc.). Mode: Seminar and Service Learning.
2367. Peoples of South Asia (3 s.h.) SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0267.) Cross Listed with Asian Studies 2367 (0252). An introduction to the peoples and cultures of the Indian subcontinent. The course will focus on the indigenous religions of India: Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism as well as Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism as brought to western India by migrants. Mode: Lecture/Experiential Learning.
2373. Japanese Culture (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0273.) Cross Listed with Asian Studies 2373 (0253). Introduction to traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Topics covered include: early literature, aesthetic principles as expressed in art and architecture, religion, gender roles, Japan`s shifting relationships with the outside world, rural communities and urban centers in the 20th-century, and the construction of the self in modern Japan. Mode: Seminar.
2374. The Anthropology of Modern China (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0274.) Cross Listed with Asian Studies 2374 (0254). This course provides an introduction to the culture and society of the contemporary People`s Republic of China (P.R.C.). The first half of the course explores the dramatic changes in both rural and urban sectors of Chinese society since the turn of the century, with a particular focus on post-1949 socialist transformations. The second half of the course examines such topics as gender and the status of women, ethnic minorities, religion and healing, the self and society, the party and the state, and P.R.C. narratives of modernity. Throughout, the P.R.C. will be examined as a society that embodies a distinctively Chinese synthesis of tradition and modernity. Mode: Seminar.
2396. Fundamentals of Cultural Anthropology (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W120.) The first part of the course examines basic concepts, theories and methodology in the anthropology of culture, focusing on time and space perspectives on “meaning.” Situating the anthropological enterprise in relation to, and as it intersects with, other disciplines, we will focus on issues of culture, history, and power, and we will also ponder on the unique kinds of knowledge that fieldwork produces. In the second part we will revisit these issues though case studies that examine, for example, performance, the senses, change, ideology, and identity. In the third part we will ask how culture, power, and history can be combined to understand, for example, the production of culture, especially with regard to representations of identity as they are produced and performed in contested cultural terrains by marginalized groups in society withim varying nation-state ideologies.Student will get an opportunity to experiment with short fieldwork assignments and anthropological critical writing styles. Mode: A combination of short lectures, class discussions, screenings, and students’ presentations.
2408. Fundamentals of the Anthropology of Visual Communication (3 s.h.) F SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0158.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 1062 (R060), 1061 (C061), or equivalent.
A survey of theoretical approaches to an anthropological understanding of visual/pictorial communication. Among the topics explored: theories of culture and communication, models of both social and visual communication, perception, cross-cultural aesthetics, non-verbal communication as well as photography, film, and mass media. Emphasis will be placed on the value of constructing ethnographies of visual/pictorial communication. This course has been designed for anthropology majors specializing in the studies of visual communication, but it is also useful for Sociology, FMA, and Mass Communication majors. Course consists of required readings, screenings, and active class participation. No exams. Students keep a journal and write several short papers. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2507. Fundamentals of Linguistic Anthropology (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0127.) An exploration of basic linguistic concepts from a social and cultural anthropological perspective. Fundamentals of linguistic analyses, the study of language change and dialect variation, and issues in the ethnography of speaking. Mode: Lecture/Seminar and online learning sections.
2705. Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology (4 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0125.) An introduction to evolutionary theory and its applications to understanding the biology of past and present human populations. Includes basic genetics, the genetics of human groups, and genetic models used to explain human biological variability and change. A review of modern human skeletal/muscular anatomy is followed by consideration of evolutionary changes in human lineage. Concludes with lectures on evolutionary aspects of human development, and an evolutionary perspective on epidemiology. Note: Students should complete this course before enrolling in any other upper-level biological anthropology course. Mode: Lecture and Lab.
2761. Human Paleontology (3 s.h.) F SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0161.) Designed to familiarize students with both theoretical and methodological frameworks for interpreting the human fossil record with a review of the synthetic theory of evolution, socio-biological concepts, and procedures in taxonomy and phylogenetic reconstruction. Attention given to the origin of the human lineage and what the fossils of that lineage tell us about the evolution of anatomical systems that are peculiar to humans. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2762. Human Biology of Modern Populations (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0162.) An investigation of how physical anthropologists approach the study of living human populations. The use and application of the 'adaptation' concept is critically evaulated. Students are introduced to basic concepts in evolutionaly developmental biology, and to the way this approach has been applied to understanding modern human biological variation. Finally, non-genetic causes of variation are explored among populations exposed to environmental stress during growth and development. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2763. Human Population Genetics (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0163.) This course is designed to acquaint the undergraduate major in Anthropology (especially those in the Human Biology specialization) with the fundamental concepts of population genetics with particular relevance to human genetics. Although the course, as indicated, has a particular emphasis on genetics, the influence of environmental effects will be especially appreciated in this course, as the impact of culture is so dramatic, even with respect to human genetic evolution. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
2764. Primate Behavior (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0164.) This course has three broad objectives: (1) to describe in detail the geographic distribution, ecology, physiology, life-ways and social behavior of our non-human cousins, (2) to provide the theoretical foundations from which to interpret non-human primate life-ways and behavior, and (3) to discuss the application and limitations of an evolutionary perspective on behavior to human behavior. We will routinely distinguish between the proximate causes of behavior (e.g., physiological mechanisms) and the ultimate or evolutionary causes of behavior (e.g., the impact of behavior on reproductive success). Students will be introduced to the non-invasive, observational methods by which primatologists investigate primate behavior. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
3069. Globalization and Localization (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0269.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2396 (W120), or permission of the instructor.
This course addresses cultural globalization processes in light of current debates about their effects on local cultures - one of the key sites of anthropological as well as nationalist projects. One of the main aims of this course is to question the unidirectionality implied in most global theories, and assess - via combined macro and micro lenses - not only the impact of global processes on particular local histories, but also how the sets of voices that are marginalized by global discourses re-enter them, speaking in them and to them. In other words, we will explore the relation between structured choices and agency. From this vantage point we will examine selected issues on nationalism, postcolonialism, modernity, transnationalism, and diaspora, as well as consumption, technology, tradition, heritage, ethnicity, and tourism. The first part of this course will examine the relation between theory and method in the anthropological research of cultural globalization, especially the challenges for fieldwork in complex societies. The second part will test their applicability and validity through a close reading of ethnographic works and the screening of videos that examine various dilemmas arising from processes of cultural contact in complex societies. In addition to exploring globalization and localization issues in anthropology, this course should enable students to think through and apply different methodologies in writing their research projects for the course.
3170. Methods in Archaeology (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0321.) Prerequisite: Recommendations vary depending on course topic. Check with instructor.
A series of practical, topical courses which deal with aspects of archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analysis. The topic or focus of the course varies by semester and includes: field methods; ceramic analysis; lithic analysis; soils and stratigraphy. Because the topic changes, students may take Anthropology 3170 more than once. Mode: Seminar and experiential learning.
3171. Early Comparative Civilizations (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0270.) This comparative analysis of the rise of early civilizations uses archaeological and historical information to examine the development of ancient societies. It focuses on problems of the Neolithic revolution and the autochthonous transformation of kin-based communities into stratified societies and the subsequent formation and development of archaic states. Mode: Seminar.
3175. Heritage Management in Archaeology (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0205.) The United States and other governments of the world have legal mandates to manage cultural resources on behalf of the public. This course focuses on the archaeological component of cultural resources management in the United States and its linkage with environmental and developmental planning. Participants are given a working knowledge of how the system works, and how to work within it as a professional through a series of readings, classroom discussions, and hands-on exercises. Topic coverage includes: relevant legislation; the phased approach to archaeological and historical research; state and federal review procedures; proposal writing; interacting with clients, native peoples, and the public; professional ethics and standards. The nature of heritage management in other countries is considered for comparative purposes and as a way of illuminating the historical, socio-economic, and legal factors that have shaped the practice in the United States. Note: This course helps to satisfy topical requirements in the Anthropology major and the Environmental Studies major. Mode: Seminar.
3180. Topics in Archaeology (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0204.) A variable topic course that highlights the specialized interests and research of faculty and current trends in archaeological analysis, interpretation, and theory. Some examples of anticipated topics include: Northeastern Native American Prehistory, Origins of Food Production, Battlefield Archaeology, and the Archaeology of Philadelphia.
3189. Field Session in Archaeology (3 s.h.) SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0320.) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Cross Listed with Environmental Studies 3189 (0320). 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 prehistoric and historic sites. Mode: Fieldwork and experiential learning.
3310. Problems in Cultural Anthropology (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0315.) A distinctive contribution of cultural anthropology to the discipline and to the wider intellectual world is ethnography, a way of studying people in their own settings through intensive participant-observation and then communicating the results. Modes of ethnography have changed dramatically since anthropology began as a recognized field in the 19th century. In this course we will focus on different types of ethnography, particularly on how written ethnographies have changed in the last twenty years and how visual ethnographic modes have changed in number, style, and complexity. We will examine the impact of postmodernism and globalization on ethnography as well as its adoption by institutions outside the university (e.g., marketing research). Invited speakers, who are ethnographers, will present career information about ethnography outside academia. Readings will include ethnographies, novels and short stories by ethnographers, reflexive and autobiographical accounts by ethnographers. We will view a variety of visual ethnographic material including films, videos, still photographs, and web sites. One of the goals of the course is to enable students to learn how to communicate about culture, a skill valuable in college courses but also applicable to a variety of post-undergraduate careers. Individual research projects will allow students to develop their own interests from our shared base of knowledge. Note: Variable topic course whose focus will vary from semester to semester. Mode: Seminar.
3321. Folklore and Culture (3 s.h.) SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0182.) Far from being hidden or `dying,’ folklore thrives in public and private spheres both in everyday life and in extraordinary situations. It is invoked in nationalist and post-colonialist practices and, lately, also in global cultural productions. This course will explore the cultural attributes and functionings of folklore in its own terms and as a part of anthropology in various spaces, times, and groups. We will begin with a brief theoretical discussion on the connection between folklore, nationalism, and ethnic and regional identity, as well as popular and mass culture. Placing special emphasis on the emergent, unofficial aspects of vernacular culture, we will then examine how different groups communicate and construct their identity through folk narratives, proverbs, and jokes; folk art; spontaneous memorials; displays of the body, yards; the exchange of food; and the performance of music and dance during festivals, parades, and processions. In light of the currency of “tradition” and “heritage” in the public sphere—in school curricula, state sponsored programs, advertisement and museums—we will also look critically at the production of culture in the context of multiculturalism and identity politics, and the often ambiguous relation established between dominant or elite cultures and unofficial, vernacular cultures. Class discussions will be conducted in a seminar style and complimented with audio-visual materials. Short research exercises will provide students with first hand experiences with the cultural-anthropologist’s craft of documenting and analyzing current folklore materials. Mode: A combination of short lectures, class discussions, screenings, and students’ presentations.
3322. Economic Anthropology (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0222.) Economic Anthropology is the study of how economic systems articulate with culture on a variety of scales. This class examines basic paradigms of study in economic anthropology, theories of money and value, and ethnographies of exchange. We will look at how the commodification, production and/or sale of goods in formal, informal and black markets affect people in very different ways. We think through the role of the state, of religion, power struggles and advertising in shaping these markets. Format includes readings, lectures, film screenings, and discussions.
3324. Anthropology and Art (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0224.) This course examines the anthropology of art and ‘artworlds.’ While its emphasis is on non-western art, it maintains a comparative stance between unfamiliar and familiar visual traditions. Thus, by implication it raises questions about western arts and their cultural contexts. Specific topics and cultures vary according to the interests and expertise of the instructor. Topics can include comparative aesthetics, authenticity and "primitiveness," the commodification of art, tourist art, gender in the production and consumption of art, the influence of non-Western art objects and performances on European and North American cultures, conceptual systems and modes of viewing, the circumstance of encounter with objects, the modes of production and how objects are shared and valued, both in the culture in which they are initially made and in the culture they may be in now. Cultural contexts may include people and art from Aboriginal Australia, Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Native America. Mode: Seminar.
3326. Religion in Non-Western Cultures (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0226.) This course on religion in non-western cultures introduces some of the major themes, methods, and intellectual traditions of the study of religion in anthropology. Considered as a comparative study of religious practice, this course seeks to understand thought and behavior in worship, iconography, pilgrimage, domestic and congregational performance, mythology and cosmology, trance, dance, sacrifice, ritual experience and other dimensions of religious life as well as the way that these facets of religious culture interrelate. The study of religion in a historically complex circumstance will provide the means to examine the processes of accommodation and tension that exist in a multi-religious environment. Mode: Lecture/Seminar.
3331. Anthropology and Culture Change (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0211.) This course will examine change at the individual and group levels in various cultural contexts. What are the transformations that occur during rites of passage? Can we apply this same model to explain seasonal and calendrical changes? Who are the carriers of social change? Where can anthropologists focus to study change? We will explore various kinds of change, especially those brought by migration, colonialism, nationalism, and global capitalism, by focusing on individual and groups levels, by examining material culture as well as rituals and narratives, and by looking at official and unofficial practices. We will focus on the scholarship on ritual, performance, commodities, and the life history approach. Ultimately, we will ponder on the larger frameworks of value that make certain forms of change possible and explore their logic within a local politics of culture. Some of the topics we will discuss relate to the construction of individual and communal ethnic, race, gender, and class identities; vernacular religious change from rural to urban spaces; the commodification of ethnic arts and crafts; the body and house as sites that embody change; and the transformations of food, music and dance in traditional festivals and processions when they cross national borders. One of the goals of examining change processes in various parts of the world at various levels is to theorize, for instance, the effects of the global village, on the one hand, and multiculturalism and identity politics, on the other, on practice, or more generally between agency and structuration. Mode: Seminar.
3332. Medical Anthropology (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0212.) An integration of the cultural and biological perspectives on health, disease, and therapies developed from the anthropological study of human diversity. Evolving patterns of birth, disease, and death; the effects of modernization on health; cross-cultural variations in definitions of illness and therapies; and conflicts between health care systems. Mode: Seminar.
3333. The Anthropology of Tourism (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0210.) Tourism, one of the largest industries in today’s world and an experience shared by many, is analyzed from historical, theoretical, and ethnographic perspectives. The first half of the course examines the development of tourism from travel, the relationship between capitalism, modernity, and tourism, and anthropological interpretations of tourism. The second half of the course is devoted to specific case studies of tourism, including different kinds of tourism (e.g., ecological, sex, adventure, cultural), World’s Fairs and theme parks, historic cities packaged for tourists (Venice, Kyoto, Williamsburg), tourism and representation, and the material culture of tourism. Mode: Seminar.
3335. Anthropology and Social Policy (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0215.) An examination of the place of anthropology within the policy community. The course also examines the development of the applied work within the history of anthropology, its changing meaning and changing clout within the discipline as "practicing anthropology" has been institutionalized in the last three decades. We will evaluate the efficacy of different types of work for progressive social change and examine the possibilities of how to make anthropological research matter more in relation to major public issues. Mode: Seminar.
3336. Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0255.) A cross-cultural survey of the ways in which gender is used to define roles and statuses, with particular attention to the changing nature of sex roles in many contemporary cultures. Mode: Seminar.
3337. Violence, War, and Revolution (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0287.) Is human aggression natural? Is it cultural? How can we know the difference? This course takes these questions as its starting point and explores the nature of violence and war through a re-reading of classic debates in both anthropology and philosophy. In order to understand the underpinnings of anthropology’s interest in the nature of violence, we will begin with some of the salient texts which have informed ethnographic explorations of men and women in the state of violent nature. Mode: Seminar.
3355. Gender Theory (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0355.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 3336 (0255) or the equivalent.
This course explores anthropological literature on gender as a means of exposing hidden assumptions about power, language, and social action. Emphasis is on the development of critiques of theoretical paradigms used to analyze gender. Mode: Seminar.
3389. Field Work in Ethnography (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0310.) Fieldwork and ethnography are recognized as landmarks of anthropology. In this course students will have the opportunity to reflect upon, explore, and experiment first hand with the complex craft of anthropologists. Conducted in a workshop style, this course will enable students to experiment with conducting short fieldwork exercises and research projects, to discuss their findings, and work towards the production of a mini ethnography. Another part of the course will provide a forum for the critical assessment of various fieldwork methods and ethnographic writing. Guest speakers will also contribute to this assessment by sharing their fieldwork experiences with the class. Videos shown in class and mini fieldtrips will provide ethnographic materials for group analysis. Format: workshop style with a combination of short lectures, class discussions, screenings, and student presentations Mode: Seminar/Lecture and experiential learning.
3432. Indigenous Media (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0322.) This course critically reviews the relationships between ethnographic film and indigenous forms of self-representation in video, film, photography and art. Native, minority, and elite visual texts from several societies will be compared with each other and with forms of pictorial representation in contemporary Western societies. The course first explores the emergence of non-professional models of indigenous expression in written forms focused on a reading of indigenous texts written by perceptive individuals. Second, we will examine pictorial forms by viewing and analyzing films and video programs made by indigenous individuals and associations. Examples will come from North and South America, Australia, and India, specifically the Navajo, the Inuit, the Kayapo, the Walpiri, as well as Indian and Tongan videography. Bio- and socio-documentary films made by American teenagers will be discussed; Anglo American examples such as snapshots/slides, family albums and home movies/videos will also be included in an effort to provide a comparative focus and global perspective. Mode: Seminar.
3433. Anthropological Film (3 s.h.) F SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0233.) A review of major films styles useful for anthropological film and video in conjunction with an analysis of the role of film/video in anthropology. Topics will include relationships of anthropological and ethnographic films, the significance of historical and ideological contexts, values of research 'footage' vs. 'film,' comparisons to indigenous video and feature films, and problems in the communication of anthropological theory and insight through film and video media. A broad range of ethnographic films will be screened to illustrate a progression of work and variety in relationships of theory, subject matter, cultural context, production techniques and style, and projected audiences. Mode: Seminar.
3434. Anthropology in Feature Films (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0234.) Students will critically review a series of feature films that include topics, themes, and subject matter often treated within anthropology and related human sciences. It is clear that American feature films usually thought of as 'Hollywood films' can be very influential in establishing or reinforcing social and cultural stereotypes of 'states of knowledge' about peoples living in various parts of the world. Viewership of these materials, either as films shown in movie theaters or as their videotape counterparts seen on home television screens, certainly exceeds the size of audiences in introductory anthropology courses in the U.S. The potential for influence and false senses of familiarity is enormous. Mode: Seminar.
3439. Anthropology and Photography (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0239.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 1062 (R060) or 1061 (C061) and Anthropology 2408 (0158), or permission of the instructor.
Cross Listed with Art History 2008 (0108) or American Studies 3011 (0125). A critical examination of an anthropological approach to photography. Special attention will be given to a socio-cultural history of photography in the U.S. Examples from documentary, fine art, and commercial photographic genres will be shown, discussed, and compared to ethnographic studies. Field methods, models of analysis, and ethical issues will also be included. Required readings, active class participation. No exams. Students keep a journal and write several short essays. Note: Knowledge of camera technology and darkroom procedures is helpful but not required. Mode: Seminar.
3510. Theory and Method in Linguistics (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0307.) A variable topics course focusing on current research issues in anthropological linguistics. Mode: Seminar.
3741. Evolutionary Biology (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0280.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2705 (0125); at least one of the following courses: Anthropology 2761 (0161), 2762 (0162), 2763 (0163) or 2764 (0164); and Introduction to Biology [1011 (C083)/1012 (C084) or 0103/0104] for majors, or permission of the instructor for non-majors.
This course will critically evaluate the ways evolutionary theory has been used to explain human and primate evolution and modern human biological diversity. Included will be lectures on, and discussion of, the history of evolutionary thinking, the sources of variation in human populations, evolutionary processes, behavioral ecology, the levels of selection and problems in phylogenetic reconstruction. Anthropologically relevant models will be used throughout the course. Mode: Seminar.
3744. Human Evolutionary Genetics (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0284.) 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.
3745. Human Osteology (4 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0281.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2104 (0124) or 2705 (0125), or Biology 1011 (C083)/1012 (C084), or Biology 1111 (0101)/2112 (0102), or Kinesiology 1223 (C100)/1224 (C101).
This course, presented in lecture/lab format, is designed to train advanced undergraduates to identify all of the components of the human skeleton. Students will learn the uses of the human skeleton in physical anthropology and archeology and, for those going on to clinical health programs, the course will provide a detailed understanding of the morphology and variation in the human skeleton that will be highly valuable in the gross and dental anatomy courses taught in clinical post-graduate programs. Also included are discussions of bone growth, kinesiology, individual reconstruction, forensic anthropology, and the use of regression analysis and discriminate functions. Some comparative (between-species) skeletal anatomy is also included.
3748. Introduction to Primates (3 s.h.) F S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0248.) This course offers a survey of the living and fossil primates. It will look at the classification, behavior, and adaptations of living species from the level of the entire order down to the genus level. This comparative perspective will then be used to study the phylogeny of the order from its origins 60 million years ago to the present. Mode: Seminar.
3770. Methods in Physical Anthropology (4 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0326.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2705 (0125) or consent of the instructor.
Advanced undergraduate students will have the opportunity to develop individual research projects in biological anthropology, utilizing materials in the department collections and from department expeditions. Students will be introduced to problems in research design, sampling theory, research paper writing, and commonly used statistical techniques in biological anthropology, and will apply them in their project analyses. Mode: Seminar and lab.
3771. Quantitative Methods in Anthropology (3 s.h.) (Formerly: ANTHRO 0271.) The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a solid grounding in basic statistical techniques/methods as applied to anthropological data. Such data is highly variable in form due, in part, to the diversity of research questions being asked and to the methods of collection. The ultimate goal of this course is to bring together various datasets and methods so that students might better assess the results/interpretations presented in the anthropological literature. New quantitative concepts will be presented each week along with examples/applications of the concepts and practice problems. The problems associated with the main course text will be solved using a hand calculator; more complex datasets and problems will require the use of computer statistical software (i.e. SPSS (available on all University machines)).
4082. Independent Study (1 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0392.) Prerequisite: Agreement by faculty member to supervise student`s work.
Directed reading and research on a specific anthropological topic. Note: Does not count toward major requirements in Anthropology.
4083. Independent Study (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0393.) Prerequisite: Agreement by faculty member to supervise student`s work.
Directed reading and research on a specific anthropological topic. Note: Does not count toward major requirements in Anthropology.
4117. Seminar in Environmental Archaeology (3 s.h.) F. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0317.) Cross Listed with Environmental Studies 4117 (0317). This course introduces the student to the techniques and disciplines used in conjunction with archaeology to understand the environmental context and paleo-ecology of prehistoric cultures, as well as the nature of the archaeological record itself. Included in this survey are geology, soil and sediment analysis, geomorphology, palynology, ethnobotany and general floral analysis, phytolith analysis, zooarchaeology, and the analysis of blood and other residues found on artifacts. The range of contributions possible from interdisciplinary research will be explored in addition to how to design such research, how to communicate with specialists in other fields, and how to use existing sources of data to solve archaeological problems. Mode: Seminar and experiential learning.
4185. Internship in Archaeology (3 s.h.) F S SS. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0395.) Prerequisite: Agreement by faculty member to supervise student`s work.
This course provides hands-on, professional level work experiences for Anthropology majors focusing on the study of archaeology. It is designed for students who have already completed basic course work in archaeology, including the department’s field school [Anthropology 3189 (0320) & 3170 (0321)]. Students will be placed with one of a number of firms in the region involved in cultural resource management studies where they will be employed in a variety of laboratory and field activities. The intensity and focus of the experience will be tailored to the particular needs or interests of the student, but minimally will involve 8 hours of effort per week. Mode: Service learning and experiential learning.
4396. History of Anthropological Theory (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W301.) Prerequisite: At least two courses in Anthropology or permission of instructor.
The development of anthropological thought from the mid-19th century to present. Major theoretical schools, such as evolutionism, historicism, functionalism, structuralism, cross-cultural methods, and the new ethnography. Mode: Seminar.
4397. Advanced Seminar in Medical Anthropology (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W323.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2396 (W120), 2705 (0125), and 3332 (0212) or permission of the instructor.
This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students interested in understanding current issues in the field of sociocultural medical anthropology. In particular, we will examine the implications for contemporary medical anthropology of recent developments in the anthropology of knowledge and the anthropology of the body. Note: This course meets the requirements of a Capstone seminar for the Human Biology track of the undergraduate major. Mode: Seminar.
4444. Anthropological Problems in Visual Production (3 s.h.) S. $. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0334.) The introduction of visual recording techniques to a sample of problems in the anthropology of visual communication. Discussions will include ways anthropologists construct problems, develop observational strategies, select appropriate image-making technology, work in field conditions, among others. Strategies of representation connected to the integration of cultural and film theories will be explored in conjunction with a wide range of film examples. Students will be introduced to the department's production facilities and do short exercises in image making, viewing, and interpretation. Note: A lab fee may be necessary depending on the extent of each semester's assignments. Mode: Seminar and experiential learning.
4496. Research in Visual Anthropology (3 s.h.) S. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W308.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2408 (0158) and one 3000-level Visual Anthropology course or permission of the instructor.
As the required capstone course for the Visual Anthropology track in the major, students will review, integrate and operationalize what they have learned in previous coursework. By undertaking an original brief study in visual anthropology, students will participate in all phases of work including selecting a problem, formulating and writing a proposal, doing background library research, undertaking a period of fieldwork, data analysis, writing up findings and results, and making a final oral presentation. Students will be responsible for writing assignments at each stage of the process and a final report. Students may work individually or in pairs. Camera work is optional but encouraged. Mode: Seminar and experiential learning.
4775. Environmental Physiology (3 s.h.) S. (Formerly: ANTHRO 0220.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2705 (0125).
A survey of physiological and biochemical variability in human populations examined as a function of environmental adaptation. Emphasis on the responses of different populations to discernible environmental stresses. Mode: Seminar.
4796. Biocultural Adaptations in Human Populations (3 s.h.) F. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W325.) An evaluation of adaptation, selection, and ecological concepts as the bases for models integrating human biology and culture, and for explaining change. Mode: Seminar.
4797. Evolutionary Perspectives on Reproduction (3 s.h.) Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W327.) Prerequisite: Anthropology 2705 (0125) and two of the following: Anthropology 2761 (0161), 2762 (0162), 2763 (0163), 2764 (0164).
This course will focus on the reproductive biology and behavior of the Primates within an evolutionary framework. Primate reproductive strategies are largely mediated through social behavior that can be the subject of direct study at the Philadelphia Zoological Park. We will balance lecture and discussion of carefully selected readings with zoo-based research exercises. Central topics will cover male and female reproductive physiology and mating systems; ecological constraints on mating systems; sexual selection theory; the evolution of sexual dimorphism; infanticide among primates; and, the evolution of human life histories with particular reference to childhood and post-reproductive longevity; parental investments and alloparenting. A pair of zoo-based research exercises will highlight the relationship between theory and data by engaging students in the scientific method. Mode: Seminar and experiential learning.
4798. Seminar in Human and Primate Evolution (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI. (Formerly: ANTHRO W380.) An in-depth review of the synthetic theory of evolution and special topics in evolutionary theory. Emphasis will be placed on human evolution, human bio-cultural adaptation, and evolutionary biology. Mode: Seminar.[Back] [Top] |