Anthropology

Cultural Perspectives
Introduction to Anthropology This course introduces students to the development of cultural anthropological theory and practice. It considers important anthropological topics such as myth, religion, gift exchange, totem/taboo, and kinship as a way to approach the comparative study of human societies and cultures. Specific topics include rival concepts of culture, critical senses of differences, and ways diversity is represented in distinctive world-views. The course also samples some current and long lasting issues in interpretive practices and critical theory.

Introduction to Cultural Studies Cultural Studies analyzes how culture—the domain in which people search for meaning and construct identity— is subject to politicization and commodification. This course introduces students to the history, theories, and methods of cultural studies, exploring fundamental concepts such as culture, power, ideology, and hegemony and their relationships to the production of culture and identities. Crucial to this project will be a critical analysis of contemporary media (such as TV, romance novels, and advertisements). This course covers topics central to understanding our global society, including: the ways fashion and shopping construct identities; the political and cultural dimensions of global consumerism; the museum as a site for the making of elite culture; the functions served by corporate philanthropy; and the social construction of select spaces as cultural arenas. Throughout the course we consider the interplay of notions of race, class, and gender on national identities, and the relationships between popular and “high” culture. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

Cultural Perspectives
Language and Culture We will study the interconnections between language and other aspects of culture. These interconnections include the ways that language molds and transmits people’s concepts about the world in which they live and the relations between themselves and others. We will study the connections between concepts of the world (or a culture’s “world view”) and the language spoken by examining vocabulary, metaphor, grammatical constructions, and other features of language.

Cultural Perspectives
Gender Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective This course examines the roles performed by men and women in societies throughout the world. It focuses on the relations between the genders and on the positive and/or negative values associated with women and men. Men’s and women’s participation in economies, household interaction, community decision-making, and ritual practice will be analyzed. We will also examine the impact of colonial policies, historical change and contemporary global “development” processes as they affect gender roles and relations. Data will be drawn from foraging, farming, and industrial societies. Prerequisite: One course in Social Studies.

Cultural Perspectives
Colonialism and Tribal Peoples This course examines the impact of colonialist invasions and conquests as well as neocolonial hegemony on tribal people. Direct and indirect consequences of colonialism will be discussed. Topics include changes in economies, political autonomy and independence, family and social systems, and religious beliefs. Readings will be drawn from studies of tribal societies in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific. Prerequisite: One course in Social Studies.

Cultural Perspectives
Anthropology Goes to the Movies This course explores the ways that indigenous and non- Western peoples are portrayed in popular commercial film. Through viewing films and texts about visual representation, we will consider questions such as: From whose point of view is the story told? Whose voices dominate the film’s narrative and perspective? Are characters presented as multidimensional or stereotypical? The course will also focus on the ways that social and political issues involving indigenous peoples are presented. We will analyze the differences between films made with indigenous participation (as writers or directors) and those with no significant non-Western influence. Prerequisite: One course in Social Studies or Film.

Cultural Perspectives
Native American Religions This course examines Native American religious beliefs, practices, and philosophies. It begins with discussion of indigenous concepts of the spirit world and its relationship to human life and experience. Succeeding topics include beliefs about personal contact with the spirit realm, rites of passage, earth and resource renewal, healing, and methods of achieving visionary experience. The causes, contents, and outcomes of Native revitalization movements are also discussed, as are the effects of missionaries on aboriginal belief systems and Native conversions to Christianity. Texts include anthropological, historical, and life-history accounts selected to be representative of Native nations in the Northeast (Iroquois, Montagnais), Great Plains (Hidatsa. Lakota), Southwest (Hopi, Navajo), Great Basin (Comanche), Northwest (Kwakiutl), and Arctic (Inuit).

Cultural Perspectives
Native Peoples of North America We will study the cultures and histories of Native Americans in North America. We will begin with a brief introduction, describing the environments of North America and the migration patterns of the earliest peoples on the continent. The introduction will also include an overview of patterns of change in the lives of Native Americans after the arrival of Europeans in North America. We will then discuss specific societies chosen to represent different cultural developments. In studying Native cultures, we will include attention to economy, social systems, political systems, and religious beliefs and practices. We will discuss traditional lifeways as well as focus on changes in Native cultures that have occurred after contact with Europeans. And we will study the current lives of Native peoples on reservations and urban communities in the United States and Canada. We will end with a summary of Native American philosophies and religions.

Cultural Perspectives
Ritual and Belief: The Anthropology of Religions This course examines religious beliefs and experiences in “traditional” and complex societies. It stresses the interconnections between religion and other aspects of culture such as family and community life and economic and political systems. Topics include rituals marking individual and family events, attributes and functions of shamanistic and visionary experiences, ritual treatment of illness, and the social and political implications of revitalization movements. Prerequisite: One course in Social Science at the 100 level.

Cultural Perspectives
African Urban Life This course focuses on the vibrant, diverse urban cultures in Africa. Students will address in their exploration of African urban life the socio-economic forces that have contributed to these cities’ creation, and explore urban residents’ needs, desires, and dynamic interaction with these built environments. Colonization, urbanization, and migration will be examined to illustrate how town and country continue to be interlinked for urban Africans and to reveal how colonial and postcolonial state projects were imposed on and resisted by Africans in varied urban environments. We will discuss the means by which men, women, and youth locate their respective places in these urban spaces to examine the gendered, economic, religious, and creative aspects of city life from the perspective that anthropology can bring to this subject. The course will draw upon ethnographic work completed in cities primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nairobi, Lusaka, Cape Town, Accra, Bamako, Abidjan, and Dakar to name a few. Prerequisites: ANTH 100 or prior completion of at least one 200-level social science course.

Anthropology Tutorial Under these course numbers, juniors and seniors design tutorials to meet their particular interests and programmatic needs. A student should see the prospective tutor to define an area of mutual interest to pursue either individually or in a small group. A student may register for no more than one tutorial in any semester.