The Department of Anthropology offers courses broadly categorized as Introductory, Ethnography, Culture Theory, Archeology, and Biological Anthropology. In addition, the Department offers occasional special-topic courses and seminars intended to address the particular interests of students and faculty as the need and opportunity arise. Independent studies also may be arranged with a supervising professor on topics of interest to upper-level students.
Course descriptions01. Introduction to Anthropology
03. Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
04. People and Cultures of Native North America (Identical to NAS10)
05. Reconstructing the Past: Introduction to Archaeology
06. Introduction to Biological Anthropology
08. The Rise and Fall of Prehistoric Civilizations
09. Introduction to the Study of Language and Culture
11. Ancient Native Americans (Identical to NAS 11)
12.1. Ethnographic Film (Identical to FS 41)
12.2. The Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
12.3. The Ethnography of Violence
12.5. Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient Nears East and Egypt
14. Death and Dying
15. Political Anthropology
16. Secrecy and Lying in Politics, Law and Society (Identical to PBPS 81.7)
17. The Anthropology of Health and Illness
19. Islam: An Anthropological Approach (Identical to AMES 6)
20. Lemurs, Monkeys and Apes
21. The Aztecs (Identical to LACS 42)
22. Olmecs, Maya, and Toltecs: Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica (Identical to LACS43)
23. The Incas (Identical to LACS 44)
04. Peoples and Cultures of Native North America (Identical to NAS10)
25. The Land of the Totem Poles: Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast (Identical to NAS 49)
27. Thought and Change in the Middle East and Central Asia (Identical to AMES 16)
32. Anthropology of Tibet and the Himalayas (Identical to AMES 26)
35. Maya Indians Under Mexican and Guatemalan Rule
36. Contemporary Africa: Exploring Myths, Engaging Realities (Identical to AAAS 44)
37. Legacies of Conquest in Latin America
39. Ethnicity and Nationalism in Russia and the Neighboring States (Identical to Russian 12)
47. Alaska: American Dreams and Native Realities (Identical to NAS37)
50.4. Race, Power, and Development in Global Haiti (AY 2012-2013)
52. Introduction to Maori Society
03. Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
09. Introduction to the Study of Language and Culture
12.1. Ethnographic Film (Identical to FS 41)
12.3. The Ethnography of Violence (Identical to WGST 42.5 / INTS 87 - Fall 2013 only)
14. Death and Dying
15. Political Anthropology
16. Secrecy and Lying in Politics, Law and Society (Identical to PBPS 81.7)
17. The Anthropology of Health and Illness
18. Introduction to Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
19. Islam: An Anthropological Approach (Identical to AMES 6)
30. Hunters and Gatherers
31. Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (Identical to WGST 36.1)
33. Crossing Over: Latino Roots and Transitions Identical to LATS44)
34. Comparative Perspectives on the US-Mexican Borderlands (Identical to LATS 45)
44. Globalization from Above and Below
45. Asian Medical Systems
48. Anthropology of Religion
49. Culture and the Environment
50.1. Anthropology of War and Peace
50.2. Religion, Reason and Reform in Morocco (Identical to AMES)
50.8. Politics of Language in Modern Japan (Identical to JAPN 61)
51. Colonialism and Its Legacies in Anthropological Perspective
53. Anthropology of Ethnicity and Nationalism
55. Anthropology and International Health
56. Introduction to Research Methods in Medical Anthropology
61. Women and Madness
73. Main Currents in Anthropology
05. Reconstructing the Past: Introduction to Archaeology
08. The Rise and Fall of Prehistoric Civilizations
11. Ancient Native Americans (Identical to NAS 11)
12.2. The Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
12.5. Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient Nears East and Egypt
21. The Aztecs (Identical to LACS 42)
22. Olmecs, Maya, and Toltecs: Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica (Identical to LACS 43)
23. The Incas (Identical to LACS 44)
24. Early Civilizations of the Andes
50.3. Digital Archaeology
50.5. Environmental Archaeology
57. The Origins of Inequality
59. Who Owns the Past?
75. Ecology, Culture, and Environment
06. Introduction to Biological Anthropology
20. Lemurs, Monkeys and Apes
38. Human Adaptations
40. Human Functional Anatomy
41. Human Evolution
42. Primate Societies
43. Human Osteology
50.9. Primate Extinctions: Past and Present
77. Origins of Language
85. Reading Course
87. Research Course
88. Anthropology Honors
Students may earn Anthropology credit for the New Zealand FSP at the University of Auckland. See the Foreign Study section of this website.
13F, 14F: 10
A comprehensive study of humankind, the course will survey and organize the evidence of our biological and cultural evolution. It will explore the unity and diversity of human cultural behavior as exemplified in the widest variations in which this behavior has been manifest. Lectures and readings will describe the dialectical relationship between the material conditions of our existence, on the one hand, and, on the other, the unique human capacity for creativity both in thought and in action. The focus of this course will be not only to outline the conditions and conditioning of our cultural past and present, but also to indicate possibilities for future evolution of human culture and experience. Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: CI. Watanabe. Back to top
13X: 10A; 14W, 14X, 15S: 10
Cultural anthropology is the study of human ways of life in the broadest possible comparative perspective. Cultural anthropologists are interested in all types of societies, from hunting and gathering bands to modern industrial states. The aim of cultural anthropology is to document the full range of human cultural adaptations and achievements and to discern in this great diversity the underlying covariations among and changes in human ecology, institutions and ideologies. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Craig, Guitiérrez Nájera, Gulbas. Back to top
13F: 11; 14W: 2
The course provides an introduction to the peoples and cultures of Native North America. A single indigenous group (nation) from different "culture areas" is highlighted to emphasize particular forms of economy, social organization, and spirituality. The course focuses on the more traditional American Indian cultures that existed before the establishment of Western domination, as well as on the more recent native culture history and modern-day economic, sociopolitical and cultural continuity, change, and revitalization. Open to all classes. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Kan. Back to top
14S, 15S: 11
Anthropological archaeology makes a unique contribution to understanding the human past. This course introduces the key concepts, methods and techniques used by modern archaeologists to interpret the past. Students will become better acquainted with archaeological methods through small projects and the discussion of case studies. (ARCH) Dist: SOC. Covey. Back to top13F: 11; 14F: 2A; 15S: 10
The major themes of biological anthropology will be introduced; these include the evolution of the primates, the evolution of the human species, and the diversification and adaptation of modern human populations. Emphasis will be given to
(BIOL) Dist: SCI. Dobson, Dominy. Back to top
08. The Rise and Fall of Prehistoric Civilizations13F, 14F: 10
One of the most intriguing questions in the study of human societies is the origins of cities and states or the transformation from small kinship-based societies to large societies that are internally differentiated on the basis of wealth, political power, and economic specialization. Most of our knowledge of early civilizations comes from archaeology. This course examines the explanations proposed by archaeologists for the development of the first cities and state societies through a comparative study of early civilizations in both the Old World and the Americas. (ARCH) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Nichols. Back to top
14S: 2A
This course will introduce students to the study of human language as a species-specific endowment of humankind. In this investigation we will examine such issues as: 1) the relationship between language use (e.g. metaphoric creativity) and cultural values, 2) the relationships between language diversity and ethnic, political, economic stratification, 3) language use and the communicating of individual identity, thoughts, and intentions in face-to-face interaction, 4) the cultural patterning of speech behavior, and 5) whether or not the structure of specific languages affects the characteristics of culture, cognition, and thought in specific ways. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC. Nozawa. Back to top
11. Ancient Native Americans (Identical to NAS 11)Not offered in the period 2013-15
This course provides an introduction to the ancient societies of North America. The course examines the populating of the Americas and related controversies. We then concentrate on the subsequent development of diverse pre-Columbian societies that included hunter-gatherer bands in the Great Basin, the Arctic, and the sub-Arctic; Northwest Coast chiefdoms; farmers of the Southwest, such as Chaco Canyon and the desert Hohokam; and the mound-builders of the Eastern Woodliands. (ARCH) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Nichols. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
Ethnographic film crosses the boundaries between academic anthropology, art history, and popular media. This course will address the construction of meaning in ethnographic films in relation to the parallel concerns of anthropology. The course focuses on individual films, analyzing their significance from the perspectives of filmmakers and audiences. This course considers various approac hes to film art, the relation of other visual media to ethnographic representation, and the challenges these pose to traditional texts. The class appeals to students of anthropology and film as well as others interested in international studies and the politics of cross-cultural representation. (TOPICAL) Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: NW. Ruoff. Back to top
14S: 2A
This course will present students with an introduction to the archaeology of the Near East from the Paleolithic to the Achaemenid Period (12000 BC – 330BC) and cover major developments in human history, including the move toward sedentism, the origins of agriculture, the establishment of urbanism, the development of writing and the rise and fall of the world's first empires. These events and issues will be addressed through the lens of archaeological evidence from Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia, Iran and Arabia. (ARCHAEOLOGY) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Potts. Back to top
13F, 14F: 10A
Violence is widely recognized as a problem in modern society, with policies and interventions to combat violence, or to employ it, dominating local and global politics. Yet the meaning of violence is seldom analyzed. This course explores violence as both an embodied experience and a socially and culturally mediated problem. Particular attention is paid to understanding how violence relates to manifestations of power, configurations of legitimacy, structures of inequality, and perceptions of difference. Using personal, collective, and institutional perspectives, this course raises key questions concerning security, resistance, suffering, and criminality in a globalized world. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC. Kivland. Back to top
13F: 2A
In the ancient world, death was not the great equalizer—how you were buried and your lot in the afterlife depended on your status, means and achievements. Through archaeological remains and texts, this course will explore how ancient peoples of the Near East and Egypt prepared for the hereafter. Examining cases from Neolithic plastered skulls to the pharaohs' pyramids, we will learn about funerary rituals, ancestor cult, afterlife beliefs, burial practices, memorialization and social memory. (ARCH). Dist: SOC or INT, WCult: NW. V. Herrman. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
Death is a universal human experience, yet the attitudes and responses toward it develop out of a complex interplay between the personality of the individual and her or his sociocultural background. Using anthropological, historical, and biographical works, as well as novels and films, the course explores the meaning of death in a variety of cultures and religious traditions. Particular attention is paid to understanding native ideas about the person, emotions, life cycle, and the afterlife, as well as the analysis of mortuary rituals and the experience of the dying and the survivors. The course also offers an anthropological perspective on the development of the modern Western (particularly American) mode of dealing with death and dying and addresses the issue of mass death in the twentieth century. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT. Kan. Back to top
14W: 2A; 15S: 3A
The political anthropology of non-Western societies raises basic questions concerning the nature of authority, coercion, persuasion, and communication in both small-scale and complex societies. Classical approaches to problems of freedom and order are challenged through examples drawn from various societies. Topics including the ideologies and language of political domination, revolution, wealth, and the transition to post-modern societies are assessed, as are factions, knowledge and control, state secrecy, state and non-state violence, and religious fundamentalism. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Abusharaf, Eickelman. Back to top
13F: 10A; 14F: 2A
Claims to secret knowledge—in families, organizations, and states—is a form of authority over those who do not possess it. This seminar explores how claims to secret knowledge and lying relate to the institutional and cultural frameworks in which knowledge is produced, the use of "leaks" to challenge hierarchical controls and sometimes sustain them, and the ways in which secrecy, deception, and lying form a necessary and often desirable part of social, political, and economic life. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC. Eickelman. Back to top
13F, 15S: 10A
This course introduces students to the cross-cultural study and analysis of health, illness, and medical systems, conceptions of the body, the nature of disease, and the values of medicine. We examine pain, suffering, and healing as universal aspects of the human condition, shaped by the cultural, political, and environmental contexts in which they occur. In addition to considering the symbolic dimensions of illness and healing, we discuss issues of global health inequality, human rights, and social suffering. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT. Gulbas, Craig. Back to top
13F, 14F: 3A
This course will introduce students to the premier method of empirical research in cultural anthropology: participant observation, and associated informal dialogue and interviewing. We will study techniques for planning and carrying out such research, and for recording, checking validity and reliability, storing, coding, analyzing and writing up of ethnographic data. Students will undertake "mini" research projects, and become familiar with basic ethical issues, informed consent, writing of research proposals, formulating research contracts, and sharing results with cooperating individuals and groups. Prerequisite: Anthropology 1 or 3 or one ethnography/culture area course. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC. Gutiérrez Nájera. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
This course integrates anthropological approaches to understanding Islam with textual and social historical ones. The anthropological approach values the study of sacred texts and practices as they are locally understood throughout the world and in different historical contexts. This course focuses on Islam as practiced in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia, and in Europe and North America. It seeks to appreciate the contributions of religious leaders and activists as much as ordinary believers, showing the multiple ways in which Muslims throughout the world have contributed to the vitality of the Islamic tradition. Many different people and groups, including violent ones, claim to speak for Islam. This course suggests ways of re-thinking increasingly vocal debates concerning "authentic" Islam and who speaks for it. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Eickelman. Back to top
14S, 14F: 10; 15S: 10A
Humans are primates. The biology of our species cannot be fully understood outside of this context. This course offers a broad survey of living nonhuman primate diversity. The physical, behavioral, and ecological attributes of each of the major groups of primates will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on traits relating to diet, locomotion, growth, mating, and social systems. Students will gain a comparative perspective on humankind. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Dobson, Dominy. Back to top
21. The Aztecs (Identical to LACS 42)15W: 12
For nearly two thousand years the dominant political power in Middle America has resided in central Mexico. Mexico City, the capital of the empire of New Spain and of the modern nation-state of Mexico, lies over the remains of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. This course examines the development of the Aztec empire and the organization of Aztec society and religion, and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec. It ends with an introduction to Nahua society in the first century after conquest. We will also consider the varied perspectives of Aztec history offered by Nahua texts, archaeology, history, and art history. (ARCH) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Nichols. Back to top
22. Olmecs, Maya, and Toltecs: Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica (Identical to LACS 43)13F, 14F: 12
Mesoamerica, the area encompassing Mexico and northern Central America, provided the setting for two major transformations in human history: the development of maize agriculture and the emergence of cities and states. The legacy of those achievements is still evident today among contemporary Latin American societies. We begin with an examination of how people first occupied Mesoamerica during the Ice Age and discuss the development of agriculture and early villages that laid the foundations for the evolution of Mesoamerica's earliest complex societies, including the Olmecs. We then the explore the Classic civilizations of Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, and the Maya. The course ends with an overview of the Postclassic city-states and kingdoms of the Toltecs, Mixtecs, and Maya and the Aztec empire at the time of the Spanish Conquest. (ARCH) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Nichols. Back to top
15W: 11
Conquering from the high mountain valleys of South America's Andean region, the Incas came to dominate a population numbering in the millions and living across one of the most diverse regions on the planet. An empire lacking writing or currency, the Incas provide an unusual case study for understanding the rise and fall of early civilizations. This course will introduce students to Inca society using current archaeological evidence and the writings of sixteenth-century Spanish chroniclers. (ARCH) DIST: SOC; WCult: NW. Covey. Back to top
14S: 2
The Andean region of western South America is one of a very few world regions where agriculture and urbanism developed independently. This course will consider Andean prehistory from the arrival of the first humans, covering hunter-gatherer lifeways, the domestication of plants and animals, and the emergence of hierarchical societies such as Paracas, Nasca, and Chavin. We will finish with a discussion of early states and empires, looking at the Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, and Chimu societies. (ARCH) DIST: SOC; WCult: NW. Covey. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
With their complex social organization, elaborate ceremonies, fascinating mythology, and flamboyant "art," the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast represent a truly unique "culture area" of Native North America. The course surveys several cultures of this region (from the coast of Oregon to southeastern Alaska), drawing upon early travelers' accounts, anthropological works, native testimony, artifacts from the Hood Museum of Art, and films. Lectures, class discussions, and student presentations will deal with the "classic" Northwest Coast cultures of the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries as well as their modern versions. Open to all classes. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Kan. Back to top
14F: TBA
This course focuses on changing ideas of political and religious authority in the Middle East. Topics include how changing notions of personal, tribal, ethnic, and religious identities influence politics locally and internationally; religion and mass higher education; the multiple meanings and prospects of democracy; conflict over land and natural resources; political and economic migration; new communications media; the global and local bases for extremist movements; and the changing faces of Islam and other religions in the region's public spaces. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Eickelman. Back to top
14X: 10A
This course explores the hunting and gathering way of life, the sole means of human subsistence until the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago, now represented by only a few dozen groups around the world. We will examine a number of hunting and gathering peoples living in highly disparate environments— deserts, tropical forests, arctic regions—in an attempt to discover how they adapt to their natural and social environments, how they organize and perpetuate their societies, and how they bring meaning to their lives through religion. Understanding contemporary hunter-gatherers illuminates the workings of earlier human societies as well as fundamental features of human society in general, such as the sexual division of labor. Prerequisite: One introductory Anthropology course. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Dominy.Back to top
13F: 2A ; 14W: 10
Sex (biological differences between men and women) and gender (social constructions of those differences) are not straightforward or natural, and it naturally follows that gender inequalities and gender oppression are also not straightforward and natural. Therefore, we will pay close attention to the issue of power - in terms of control and distribution of resources and the enforcement of gender roles and sexuality. We will also look at how Western gender ideals have been imposed on people in other parts of the world. We will talk about concepts, perceptions, images, stories, encounters, games, connections and disconnections. Finally, we will explore questions of practice and resistance. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: CI. Gulbas, Igoe. Back to top
15S: 2A
This course introduces students to the peoples and cultures of Tibet and the greater Himalayan region (Nepal, northern India, Bhutan). We examine the cultural, ecological, political, religious, and economic interfaces that define life on the northern and southern slopes of Earth's greatest mountain range. In addition to learning about Himalayan and Tibetan lifeways, we will also learn about how these mountainous parts of Asia have figured into occidental imaginings, from the earliest adventurers to contemporary travelers. (AREA) Dist: SOC, WCult: NW. Craig. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
This course focuses on the experiences of Mexican, Central American, Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican migrants living in the US. The literature will draw from anthropology and its neighboring disciplines in an attempt to understand the social, political, and economic processes that shape the varied experiences of Latino migrants living in the United States. In so doing the class will examine Latino migrant experiences in relation to issues such as the changing character of capitalism as an international system, the organizing role of networks and families, changing patterns of gender relations, the emergence of a second generation, and the cultural politics of class formation. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC; WCult: NA; Class of 2008 or later: WCult: CI. Gutiérrez Nájera. Back to top
14W: 12
The borderlands will be examined in ways that take us from a concrete analysis of the region, including conflict and organizing efforts at the border, to more abstract notions that include strategies of cultural representations and the forging of new identities. We will consider several analytical perspectives relevant to anthropology including: gender, identity, resistance, economics, globalization, migration, and the politics of everyday life. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC; WCult: NA; Class of 2008 or later: WCult: CI. Gutierrez. Back to top
15S: 12
This course explores the contemporary Maya cultures of Mexico and Guatemala against the backdrop of nearly five hundred years of conquest, colonialism, revolution, and nation-building. Given the contrasting, at times deeply antagonistic, cultures and identities that have resulted, this course focuses on issues of Maya ethnicity, inequality, and nationalism in these two closely related yet historically distinct countries. Prerequisite: One course in Anthropology or Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies. Prerequisite: One course in Anthropology or Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Watanabe. Back to top
15S: 10
This course focuses on processes, relationships, and experiences that have shaped, and continue to shape, the lives of Africans in many different contexts. These include issues of ecology and food production, age, gender, ethnicity, exchange, colonialism, apartheid, and development. We will then embark on in depth readings of ethnographies that engage these issues and themes. In the processes we will move beyond prevailing stereo-types about Africa, to engage the full complexity of its contemporary realities. Prerequisite: One introductory course in anthropology or in AAAS or by permission. (AREA) Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: CI. Igoe. Back to top
14F: 12
Despite nearly five hundred years of conquest, colonialism, and change, native peoples still survive in culturally distinct enclaves within the dominant Iberian traditions of Latin America. This course examines the roots as well as the endemic social inequalities and prejudices that resulted. Selected case studies will relate to such contemporary problems as international drug trafficking, deforestation of the Amazon basin, and ongoing political repression and revolution in Central America. The course draws on the insights of local ethnographic studies to shed light on global problems, while anthropologically situating native cultures of Latin America in their larger historical and geopolitical context. Prerequisite: One course in anthropology or Latin American and Caribbean Studies. (AREA). Dist.: SOC; WCult: CI Watanabe. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
The human condition is characterized by immense biological and behavioral variation. The extent to which such variation is adaptive is topic a great importance and controversy. Current research in the field of human behavioral ecology reflects a growing interaction between the social and biological sciences. The objectives of this course are to critically examine the origin and development of this discipline and to survey the physiological and behavioral ways that humans interact with their environment. (BIOL). Dist: SCI. Dominy. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
This course explores the emergence of ethnic identity and nationalism among the peoples of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and their successor states. Drawing on anthropological and historical works, it examines the process of formation of a centralized multiethnic Russian empire and the liberation struggle of its nationalities prior to 1917. It then proceeds to the crucial period of 1917 - 1991 and explores the theory and practice of nationalities politics of the Bolshevik, Stalinist, and late Soviet socialism. The dissolution of the USSR, the rise of interethnic conflicts, and the relations between ethnic groups in Russia and the successor states are the focus of the second half of the course, where several case studies are discussed in depth. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Kan. Back to top
15S: 2A
Anatomy is a science of nomenclature; it provides a universal language for understanding how and why form supports function. Such a biomechanical conceptual framework can inform our understanding of human biology. Yet the anatomical novelties that characterize modern humans are best appreciated when contextualized against living nonhuman primates and the hominin fossil record. Student grades will be based on a mastery of concepts from lectures and labs featuring cadavers, skeletal materials, models, and casts. (BIOL). Dist: SLA. Dominy Back to top
13F: 2; 14F: 12
The fossil record demonstrates that humans evolved from an extinct ape that lived in Africa more than 5 million years ago. Paleoanthropology is the branch of biological anthropology that seeks to document and explain the evolution of our lineage using paleontological and archaeological data. This course provides a survey of human evolution in light of current scientific debates in paleoanthropology. Emphasis will be placed on the use of bones and teeth to infer the biology and behavior of prehistoric species. Prerequisite: Anthropology 6 or permission of the instructor. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Dobson. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
Primates are highly-social mammals. Most primate species live in cohesive social groups. Living in a group poses unique challenges to the individual. This course explores the diversity of primate social organization, with regard to the costs and benefits of group living. Students will gain an understanding of the evolutionary pressures influencing primate social behavior in an ecological context. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Dobson. Back to top
13F, 15W: 12
Human osteology is an important component of biological anthropology, with applications in archaeology, paleontology, forensics, and medicine. This course is designed to acquaint students with the normal anatomy of the human skeleton. Our focus is the identification of isolated and fragmentary skeletal remains. Students are introduced to principles of bone growth and remodeling, biomechanics, morphological variation within and between populations, pathology, ancient DNA, taphonomy, and forensics. Practical techniques are developed in regular laboratory sessions. Prerequisite: Anthropology 6 or permission of the instructor. (BIOL) Dist: SLA. Muldoon. Back to top
Not offered in the period 2013-15
Globalization is used to describe various differing social, economic, and political processes. Most commonly, globalization is used to refer to increasing interconnections of people, ideas, and money across the world. While some scholars may praise the connections offered by globalization, others provide more critical accounts of the homogenizing impacts of globalization on culture, and the exploitative nature of transnational corporations on both people and the natural environment. In this course we examine both he ways that globalization is producing a world that while diverse, is changing through increased interconnectedness and new form of mobilization on the ground that challenge various forms of inequalities. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT. Gutiérrez Nájera. Back to top
14S: 10A
This course investigates systems of healing practiced in, and derived from, Asia. We will focus primarily on three Asian medical systems: Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Tibetan medicine. We will strive to understand how these medical systems are based on coherent logics that are not only biologically but also culturally determined. We will also analyze the deployment of these medical systems in non-Asian contexts, and examine the relationship between Asian systems and "western" biomedicine. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC; WC: NW. Craig. Back to top
14W, 15S: 2A
Since the time United States "purchased" Alaska from Russia, this land has been seen by many as the "last frontier" - a place where tough and adventurous Euro-Americans could strike it rich or get away from the negative consequences of civilized living. Using anthropological and historical works as well as fiction, film and other media, the seminar explores the mythology surrounding the "land of the midnight sun." This myth of the "last frontier" - in its development-driven as well as conservationist versions -- is also contrasted with the ways Native Alaskans' have viewed and lived on their land. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Kan. Back to top
13F: 2; 15S: 10
In this course religions are seen as cultural systems which give shape and meaning to the world in which people live and provide a means, in the form of rituals, by which they can attempt to manipulate those worlds. The emphasis is on understanding non-Western religions, especially those of tribal peoples, through the interpretation of myth, ritual, and expressed beliefs. The role of religion as a social institution is also examined. Alternative approaches to the interpretation of myth, ritual symbolism, deity conceptions, witchcraft, etc., are explored. Prerequisite: One course in anthropology or religion or permission of the instructor. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Kan, Watanabe. Back to top
14W: 10A; 15S: 12
Environmental issues and problems cannot be understood without reference to the cultural values that shape the way people perceive and interact with their environment. This course examines the ways in which different cultures conceptualize and interact with their environment, but with special emphasis on American cultures and values. We will examine how the American experience has shaped the ways in which Americans imagine and interact with the environment and how this has been exported to the rest of the world. We will pay close attention to issues of consumption and conservation and how they have impacted ecologies and human livelihoods in different parts of the world (TOPICAL). Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: W. Bauer, Igoe. Back to top
14W: TBA
Voluminous anthropological literature has brought to bear significant perspectives on war and political violence as well as on mediation and reonciliation. Detailed ethnographies have furthered our understandings of the root causes and consequences of war on communities living with political upheaval and social unrest. The sustained ethnographic investigations of the unique experiences of individuals and communities living under the shadow of mass atrocities have been central to the powerful analysis of state and society. "Have humans always fought and killed each other, or did they peacefully coexist until organized states developed?" asks anthropologist Keith F. Otterbein in his compelling research on the causes of war. This fundamental question had helped frame important debates on the very nature of human society. The main objective of this course is to explore a variety of texts on war and peacemaking. By drawing on a wide variety of ethnographic and interdisciplinary resources, we will be able to contextualize the major forces pertaining to the eruption of war. Topics ranging from local contexts, ethnicity, power, territorial partition, justice, domestic and international politics, collective security, justice and mediation will be examined. The course will employ major theoretical and methodological approaches grounded in cultural and political analysis to unravel the patterns and processes through which individuals and communities begin to cope with war, and how they move on to rebuild their fractured lives. (TOPICAL). PENDING FACULTY APPROVAL. Abusharaf. Back to top
14S: FSP
This course introduces religion in Morocco, and how Islam (and other faiths) relate to Moroccan society, politics, and culture and to the Middle East and Mediterranean worlds. Secular and religious movements in Morocco, as in Tunisia and Algeria - France's other former colonies - show profound political contrasts and have a vital impact on European societies today. The course also explores how the study of North Africa, particularly Morocco, has contributed significantly to ongoing debates over understanding the role of religion and politics in contemporary social life. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Eickelman. Back to top
15W: 11
Remote sensing, geographic information science (GIS), and 3D visualization are becoming an essential part of archaeological research. This course will provide students with knowledge of the theory and methods necessary to incorporate these techniques into an archaeological project. Students will learn to manage and analyze digital data through a series of class exercises and an individual research project where they will receive hands-on training in GIS, terrestrial and satellite remote sensing, data integration, and visualization (ARCH). Pending Faculty Approval. J. Herrmann. Back to top
13F, 14F: 2A
Although often cast as marginal in Western thought, Haiti holds a central place in the history of the modern world. This course examines the tension between Haiti's worldly significance and current predicament by drawing on studies of Haiti within the anthropology of the "Black Atlantic," or African diaspora, and globalization studies. Students will acquire an historical understanding of Haitian society and culture and an enriched perspective on the country's social problems. Independent research is required. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Kivland. Back to top
14S: 10
Archaeological sites preserve not just architectural and artifactual remains, but important clues to how people lived in and acted on their environment. In this course we will explore the types of data used to reconstruct ancient environments and examine theoretical approaches to human-environment relationships. Through case studies, we will confront contentious issues in environmental archaeology and learn how archaeologists integrate the archaeological record with data from history, biology, and geosciences. Pending Faculty Approval. Herrmann. Back to top
14S: 12
This course examines linguistic practice as a mediator of sociopolitical interests in contemporaty Japan. Drawing on linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, literary studies, and semiotics, we seek to understand complex conditions of power relations that shape and are shaped by the way people in Japan communicate ('pragmatics') and reflexively talk about communication ('meta-pragmatics'). Our basic aim is to analytically delineate the metapragmatic/hegemonic stereotype of Japan as a homogeneous ethnolinguistic community and to consider critical alternatives to it. We will explore ethnographic accounts of heterogeneous sites of language-in-use, and address issues such as language standardization, globalization, gender and race relations, subcultures, affect, political economy, etc. Students will learn not just about various sites of linguistic activity in and about Japan, but they will also learn how to situate the Japanese linguistic modernity in a crosscultural, comparative, historical perspective. (TOPICAL) Dist: INT; WCult: NW. Nozawa
Not offered in the period 2013-15
Extinction has played a central role in shaping long-term evolutionary patterns of primate diversity. In this course, we examine the theory and methods associated with the science of species extinction, using evidence from the primate and human fossil record. Topics covered include species vulnerability to extinction, background vs. catastrophic extinctions, and the past and future of primate diversity. Students will gain an understanding of the large-scale trends that have affected the evolution of human and non-human primates. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Muldoon. Back to top
14W, 15W: D.F.S.P.
Between the early 16th and mid 20th centuries, European nations and Japan colonized much of the rest of the world. This course looks at the history of colonialism in various parts of the world, focusing on the similarities and differences between colonialism as practiced by different colonial rulers in different regions at different times. It also traces the ways in which the colonial process and experience has shaped the world we live in today, both in developed and developing nations, in such areas as political systems, economic systems, religions, and interethnic relations. Prerequisite: Any two courses in anthropology. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: CI. Watanabe, Craig. Back to top
14W, 15W: D.F.S.P.
This course is an introduction to the study of traditional and contemporary Maori society and culture. topics for study include: pre-european Maori history, origin and migration traditions, land ownership and use, religion, leadership, meeting ground (marae) protocols, the colonial experience, struggles of resistance and of cultural recovery. (AREA) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Watanabe, Craig. Back to top
14W, 15S: 10A
Ethnic politics and nationalist movements dominated the 20th century and continue to play a major role in shaping the world today. This course explores these important subjects through an anthropological lens by examining such topics as the symbols, rituals and myths of ethnic and national identity; nationalism, ethnic minorities and the state; and homeland and diaspora nationalism. Ethnographic case studies range from indigenous nationalism to that of the newly independent states of Eastern and Central Europe. (TOPICAL) DIST: INT or SOC; WCult: CI. Kan. Back to top
14W, 15W: D.F.S.P.
Credit for this course is awarded to students who have successfully completed the designated course in the department of Anthropology at the University of Auckland during the Dartmouth foreign study program in Anthropology and Linguistics and Cognitive Science. Prerequisite: Two courses in Anthropology. Dist: SOC. Watanabe, Craig. Back to top
13X: 2A
This medical anthropology course explores human responses to disease and illness, focusing on international/global health. We will consider plural health care systems, medical practices, and ideas about illness and the body in cross-cultural contexts, and learn about issues of health-development paradigms, culture and epidemiology, global health equity and human rights issues. Sections of the course focus on the global pharmaceutical industry, women's health, and experiences of trauma-related disorders across diverse social, cultural, and political realities. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT. Craig. Back to top
14S: 2A
This course will introduce students to the various methods Medical Anthropologists have used to understand and study health, illness, health care, health-seeking behavior, as well as issues surrounding the ethics of anthropological research in a variety of medical contexts. This course will provide both theoretical foundations and “hands-on” opportunities to study issues directly relevant to health and illness, and to the effective provision of health care. This course is designed for both undergraduates and Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) students. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC or INT. Craig. Back to top
15S: 2
What led human societies to accept social inequality? This question is as old as the earliest political writings and a central theoretical issue in anthropology. With the collection of detailed archaeological data from multiple world regions, anthropologists have developed case studies for working out the emergence of social inequality. This course will explore the theoretical expectations of multiple approaches to inequality, and then focus on current archaeological evidence from multiple world regions. (ARCH) DIST: SOC or INT WCult: NW. Covey. Back to top
14W: 2
Archaeology reconstructs life in ancient societies, but its contemporary practice and disciplinary future are complicated by questions about ownership of the past. This course will consider intellectual debates and cultural clashes over roles played by governments, cultural institutions, and indigenous peoples in archaeological inquiry. We will also study ongoing controversies about the ethical treatment of archaeological remains, from ancient human bodies to artifacts, monuments, and landscapes transformed through human actions (ARCH). Pending Faculty Approval. Covey
14S: TBA
In this course, we will examine the multiple meanings of women’s mental illness. Course readings will draw on a broad range of writings on mental illness, incorporating perspectives from practitioners, social scientists, historians, journalists, and patients. We will seriously consider theories that posit mental illness as biological in origin, although the primary aim of this course is to complicate our understandings of mental health and illness using a constructivist approach. We will endeavor to unpack how women’s experiences of mental illness emerge within specific, gendered social and historical contexts. Through this examination, we will grapple with crucial issues that feminists face in conceptualizing mental health and illness and the political nature of psychiatric knowledge. (TOPICAL). Dist: SOC. WCult: CI. Gulbas.
13F, 15W: 12
This course examines the theoretical concerns that define anthropology as a discipline. These include the nature and extent of human social and cultural variation; the relationship of institutional arrangements in society to systems of meaning; the material and moral determinants of human social life; the dynamics of change within and between ways of life otherwise taken by their practitioners as given; the place of power in maintaining, challenging, and representing meaningfully constituted human orders. Readings by major theorists past and present will be treated as neither canonical texts nor dead-letter formulations but as part of an ongoing inquiry into the myriad dimensions-and possibilities-of being human. (TOPICAL) Dist: SOC. Watanabe, Igoe. Back to top
14W, 15W: 10
Anthropology's interest in the interactions of humans and their environments has been long-standing, especially in archaeology. In this seminar we will consider changing conceptual frameworks for understanding human-environmental interactions and long-standing debates about nature vs. culture, materialist vs. symbolic approaches, the development of cultural ecology, and the new "ecologies." We will draw on the research of archaeologists, biological and sociocultural anthropologists, geographers, and historians. (ARCH) Dist: SOC. Nichols. Back to top
14S: 10A; 15S: 12
The human capacity for language is an emergent property of multiple interacting biological processes, some of which are shared with other animals. Each piece of the puzzle has its own unique evolutionary history. The goal of this senior seminar in anthropology is to investigate the evolutionary origins of language by integrating perspectives from linguistics, animal behavior, comparative anatomy, and paleoanthropology. Students will be required to critique recent scientific research on the evolution of language, while developing an understanding of the historical context of current debates. The following questions will be addressed. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Dobson. Back to top
All terms: Arrange
Students who would like to pursue intensive, supervised study in some particular aspect of anthropology may do so with the agreement of an appropriate advisor. The student and advisor will work out together a suitable topic, procedure, and product of the study. Prerequisite: written permission of the department faculty member who will be advising the student. Back to top
All terms: Arrange
Students with an interest in research in anthropology and a particular problem they would like to investigate may do so with the agreement of an appropriate advisor. The student and advisor will work out together a suitable topic, procedure, and product of the study. Prerequisite: written permission of the department faculty member who will be advising the student. Back to top
All terms: Arrange
Open only to honors seniors by arrangement with the Chair. Admission to the honors program shall be by formal written proposal only. Consult with Chair concerning the details. Prerequisite: written permission of the department faculty member who will be advising the student. Back to top
First, please read the guidelines available on the Registrar's website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~reg/enrollment/studyaway/index.html. Read this document carefully and fill out the required application, including the statement as to how a particular course contributes to your intended studies.
Second, you must obtain advance approval from the Department of Anthropology in order to get credit for courses in Anthropology that you plan to take elsewhere even if you aren't majoring or minoring in Anthropology and do not plan to do so. Applications must be submitted to the Chair of the Department of Anthropology at least a week prior to the Registrar's deadline.
The Department of Anthropology normally approves for transfer credit only courses not offered on a regular basis. Thus the equivalents of our introductory courses, including ANTH 1, 3, 5, 6, and 9, will not be approved for transfer credit, nor will other courses that we regularly offer. For a list of such courses, please visit http://www.dartmouth.edu/~anthro/schedule.html.
If the course that you propose for transfer credit meets the above criteria, then submit the registrar's application plus a complete syllabus for the course that you intend to take, including the name of the instructor. You may have to obtain this information in advance from the host institution. This syllabus must show all assigned readings and exercises (exams, papers, quizzes, and other requirements) on a weekly basis. If the syllabus you need is not yet ready, submit one for the same course by the same professor when s/helast taught it; or if that too is impossible, submit one from the same course's most recent offering regardless of who taught it. Courses taught only by graduate students or by adjuncts hired solely to offer courses for foreign students are generally not approved for credit by this Department.
Transfer courses may never be used to replace seminars or to fulfill the Culminating Experience. Only courses from accredited four-year degree-granting institutions may be considered for transfer credit, and no credit is given for internship programs.
Normally, not more than two transfer courses from other institutions will count toward a major or minor in Anthropology.
The transfer credit application must be signed by the chair and returned to the Registrar by "the first day of the Dartmouth term immediately preceding the first day of the intended transfer term" (ORC). For example, for a fall term or semester course, you must get your proposed courses approved before the beginning of Dartmouth's summer term. Do not wait until the last minute to seek transfer credit approval. Be aware that chairs of departments are often not available during breaks between terms. Back to top
