Description fo Anthropology Upper Division Courses offered in Summer and Fall 2013

Summer 2013

ANT 436/536 - Archaeological Field Methods.

Reg. Code 2567/2568 Jackson

More details (pdf) about the field school

ANT 439/539 - Topics in Archaeology.

Reg. Code 2569/2570 Jackson

Fall 2013

ANT 221 - Introduction to Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology.

Reg. Code 1897 (8W2) M-F 10-11:50 am Hayden

The course focuses on the central role that culture and language plays in our lives from everyday interactions to institutional arrangements. Symbols, meanings, and their social contexts are emphasized in the linguistic part of the course. The course provides the foundation for much of what you do in upper-division anthropology courses. Requirements will include three exams and a paper.

ANT 231 - Introduction to Archaeology and Physical Anthropology.

Reg. Code 7643 MWF 1-1:50 am Young

This course will look at the human condition from two of the perspectives that make anthropology unique among the social sciences. First, it will address our past, looking at the origins of human culture in the Lower Paleolithic over two million years ago until the emergence of settled societies in the Neolithic. Second, it will also look at the origins and development of humans as a biological form, covering prehistoric and modern physical variation and its causes. For much of the course, the two perspectives will be very much integrated. The course will provide the foundation for many upper-division courses. The requirements will include tests, short written papers, and laboratory/field assignments.

ANT 301 - History of Anthropology.

Reg. Code 7577 TTH 1-2:15 pm Flanagan

This writing intensive course examines the development of anthropology from the 19th century to the present. Rather than focusing on just ethnological theory, as many history of anthropology courses do, we will, instead highlight a number of significant ideas (e.g. evolutionism, materialism, idealism) and/or concepts (e.g. culture, structure,) both within anthropology and in related disciplines, and examine how they impacted the four subfields of anthropology. The course is designed to provide students with the broad overview of the discipline that will allow them to gain the maximum benefit from the capstone course ANT 401. Students will complete a 15-20 page paper on an approved research topic of their choice and will present their research to the class.

ANT 313 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa. 

Reg Code  9809 TT 11:00-12:15 pm Kaufmann

The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to the central contributions that Africa has made to anthropology. Exploring the diverse ways that human beings relate to each other and their environments on Africa brings out the varied meanings that Africans give to self, family, society, nature, religion, and more.  Topics include:  The African Past, Today's Africa, Society and Culture, Economics and Politics, Madagascar, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and the Sudan.

Methods include music, food, videos, texts, artifacts, and class discussions.  Requirements include midterm, final, book review, and essay.

ANT 429/529 - Topics in Cultural Anthropology - Ethnography of the South.

Reg. Code 9811/9812 MW 2-3:15 pm Hayden

This course will explore how scholars have understood the Southeastern United States ethnographically.  We will examine sources of cultural and social diversity within the region and consider what an ethnographic perspective can lend to our understanding of major social issues such as race, class, and the changes the South has undergone in the past half century.  A close reading of ethnographies will also permit the class to enrich their understanding of the history of ethnography and its use by social scientists.

ANT 434/534 – Historical Archaeology.     

Reg. Code 9813/9814 MWF 10-10:50 am Young

This course deals with current issues and topics in historical archaeology, including gender, ethnicity, architecture, site formation process, and the use of primary documents and oral histories in reconstructing aspects of the past.  Lectures, readings, and class discussions will focus on theory, field and laboratory methodology, and the identification and interpretation of archaeological remains. The course is designed primarily to answer the needs of anthropology majors and graduate students, and anyone interested in related fields who may be continuing their education in archaeology. Proper training in historical archaeology is becoming increasingly critical because so many sites that are being affected by federal programs require archaeologists with this training. There are two exams, a number of written projects, and class presentations.

ANT 445/545 - Bioarchaeology.  

Reg Code 9815/9816 TTH 9:30-10:45 am Danforth

This course introduces students to the methods and theory used in the analysis of skeletal and mortuary data.  Thus, it is of value to those interested in both forensic work and archaeology.  We will be using such information to address a series of research issues in the reconstruction of lifeways, such as the effects of change in subsistence patterns, interaction of social variables and health, and the recognition of activity patterns. Requirements will include a midterm, final and term paper as well as a few small exercises.