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Anthropology - ANTH

Fall 2009
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Anth 1001 Human Evolution

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Thompson,Robert Gordon

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Anth 1001 Human Evolution

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Description:  Humans are unique in the animal world. In this class, we will take a journey through time to examine the evolution of humans, and how natural selection also shapes our own anatomy and behavior. Our goal is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our lineage, and the anatomy and behavior of our ancestors. The first half of the course is based firmly in the present, and will give you a strong background in evolutionary theory: Natural Selection, basic genetics, principles of behavioral biology and the comparative anatomy of living organisms (primarily monkeys and apes). In the second half of the course we will reconstruct the ecology, diet, anatomy, locomotion, and even the social behavior of the hominids (human ancestors) using the evolutionary principles learned in the first half of the course. Among the"big questions in human evolution" that we will address are: What were the earliest hominids, the australopithecines, like? How did climate change affect macro- and micro-evolutionary patterns? How does tool use and culture feed back upon our bodies? How far back in time does modern human behavior date, and what is the evidence for it? When and where did our species, Homo sapiens, in its modern form, originate? While learning the most up-to-date synthesis of paleoanthropology's answers to these questions, students in this course will also learn first-hand how to apply the analytical methods used by paleoanthropologists.

Class URL:  http://webct.umn.edu/login/index.shtml

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 50% Laboratory.

Work Load: 50-65 pages reading per week, 20-25 pages writing per term, 3 exams. writing includes lab assignments, quizzes, and take home assignments

Grade: 35% mid exam, 20% final exam, 30% laboratory evaluation, 15% other evaluation. in-class active-learning assignments

Exam Format: multiple choice

Co-Instructor:  Tostevin,Gilbert B

Co-Instructor:  McNulty,Kieran P

Last Updated:   03/31/2009
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Anth 1001H Honors: Human Evolution

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Prereq:   honors

Description:  Humans are unique in the animal world. In this class, we will take a journey through time to examine the evolution of humans, and how natural selection also shapes our own anatomy and behavior. Our goal is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our lineage, and the anatomy and behavior of our ancestors. The first half of the course is based firmly in the present, and will give you a strong background in evolutionary theory: Natural Selection, basic genetics, principles of behavioral biology and the comparative anatomy of living organisms (primarily monkeys and apes). In the second half of the course we will reconstruct the ecology, diet, anatomy, locomotion, and even the social behavior of the hominids (human ancestors) using the evolutionary principles learned in the first half of the course. Among the "big questions in human evolution" that we will address are: What were the earliest hominids, the australopithecines, like? How did climate change affect macro- and micro-evolutionary patterns? How does tool use and culture feed back upon our bodies? How far back in time does modern human behavior date, and what is the evidence for it? When and where did our species, Homo sapiens, in its modern form, originate? While learning the most up-to-date synthesis of paleoanthropology's answers to these questions, students in this course will also learn first-hand how to apply the analytical methods used by paleoanthropologists.

Class URL:  http://webct.umn.edu/login/index.shtml

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 50% Discussion.

Work Load: 50-65 pages reading per week, 20-25 pages writing per term, 4 exams. writing includes lab assignments, quizzes, and take home assignments

Grade: 45% mid exam, 25% final exam, 30% laboratory evaluation.

Exam Format: multiple choice

Co-Instructor:  Tostevin,Gilbert B

Co-Instructor:  McNulty,Kieran P

Last Updated:   01/16/2007
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Anth 1001H Honors: Human Evolution

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Prereq:   honors

Description:  Humans are unique in the animal world. In this class, we will take a journey through time to examine the evolution of humans, and how natural selection also shapes our own anatomy and behavior. Our goal is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our lineage, and the anatomy and behavior of our ancestors. The first half of the course is based firmly in the present, and will give you a strong background in evolutionary theory: Natural Selection, basic genetics, principles of behavioral biology and the comparative anatomy of living organisms (primarily monkeys and apes). In the second half of the course we will reconstruct the ecology, diet, anatomy, locomotion, and even the social behavior of the hominids (human ancestors) using the evolutionary principles learned in the first half of the course. Among the "big questions in human evolution" that we will address are: What were the earliest hominids, the australopithecines, like? How did climate change affect macro- and micro-evolutionary patterns? How does tool use and culture feed back upon our bodies? How far back in time does modern human behavior date, and what is the evidence for it? When and where did our species, Homo sapiens, in its modern form, originate? While learning the most up-to-date synthesis of paleoanthropology's answers to these questions, students in this course will also learn first-hand how to apply the analytical methods used by paleoanthropologists.

Class URL:  http://webct.umn.edu/login/index.shtml

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 50% Discussion.

Work Load: 50-65 pages reading per week, 20-25 pages writing per term, 4 exams. writing includes lab assignments, quizzes, and take home assignments

Grade: 45% mid exam, 25% final exam, 30% laboratory evaluation.

Exam Format: multiple choice

Co-Instructor:  McNulty,Kieran P

Co-Instructor:  Tostevin,Gilbert B

Last Updated:   01/16/2007
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Anth 1003V Understanding Cultures: Honors

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Prereq:   Honors

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Dean,Diana M

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Anth 1003W Understanding Cultures

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Description:  Introduction to social and cultural anthopology for undergraduate majors and non-majors. Comparative study of societies and cultures around the world. Topics include adaptive strategies; economic processes; kinship, marriage and gender, social stratification; politics and conflict; religion and ritual; personality and culture. We will survey a variety of human cultures and explore theories about the evolution, function and meaning of culture.

Class Time: 75% Lecture, 25% Discussion.

Work Load: 50-100 pages reading per week, 10-15 pages writing per term, 2-4 exams. exams include quizzes and final

Exam Format: multiple choice; essay

Instructor:  STAFF

Last Updated:   09/4/2007
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Anth 1005W Introduction to Cultural Diversity and the World System

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Description:  This course will focus on relations between culture and the globalization process. How are migration, communication, and global capitalism changing local understandings of identity, ways of life, etc.? The course will look at peoples and cultures inside and outside of the U.S. It is an introductory course in cultural anthropology which targets both students seeking to fulfill CLE requirements and prospective majors. Teaching will involve lecture format, multi-media presentations and active learning in recitation sections. The books will include a textbook, such as "On Being Different" by Kottak and a reader, such as "Talking About People" by Howland and Gordon, eds. There will also be two writing assignments, based on such books as "New Pioneers in the Heartland: Hmong Life in Wisconsin," by Koltyk. In addition, there will be 3 multiple choice mid-terms.

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 25% Discussion. video presentations

Work Load: 60 pages reading per week, 10 pages writing per term, 3 exams, 2 papers. 7 active learning assignments (in class)

Grade: 60% mid exam, 20% final exam, 20% reports/papers. also 10% class participation and 10% lab work

Exam Format: multiple choice

Instructor:  Lipset,David M

Last Updated:   09/4/2007
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Anth 1908W Freshman Seminar: Genes R Us? Issues in the Age of the New Genetics

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Prereq:   freshman

Description:  In this seminar we will explore the development of genetics in the 20th century in its social and historical contexts. The seminar introduces the idea that the current explosion of molecular knowledge is creating what has been called ?geneticization,? a world view in which human diversity is increasingly ascribed to genetic causality and the body, health, and illness are conceptualized in terms of genetics. The seminar is organized to enable students to critically engage with contemporary genetic ideas and practices and to explore how a range of scholars are grappling with the issues raised by this new knowledge. Such issues include aspects of social life such as kinship, health care, reproduction, disease/disorder, normalcy, and personhood and how these are in the process of being reshaped as knowledge and practices associated with genetics progress.

Instructor:  Taussig,Karen-Sue

Last Updated:   06/17/2009
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Anth 3003 Cultural Anthropology

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: GLOS 3003

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Song,Hoon

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Anth 3005W Language, Culture, and Power

Grading basis/credits:   4 credit(s)

Description:   The "English Only" movement in the U.S. has been attempting for years to have English recognized as the nation's official language.... On a daily basis, people with non-standard accents are asked where they come from.... In New Guinea, languages which have thrived for centuries are dying out... People claim that they can "tell" if someone is gay or straight by the way they speak. While language is a universal feature of human culture, and a vital resource for humans' ability to describe and relate to the world around them, language is also deeply political in nature. Language, Culture, and Power aims to consider language as a social and political practice from an anthropological perspective which pays close attention to language in its contexts of use. The complex relationship between language, culture, and power raises important questions: how does language shape our view of the world? What relations of power are produced in language use and beliefs about language? How is language used creatively to produce social worlds? What are the politics of using one variety of language over another? What are the politics of writing, and how do debates about spoken language carry over to the written word? This course seeks to explore these and other questions from a variety of perspectives, including language and world view, the use of metaphors in everyday speech, language socialization, language shift, and language and identity. Students will be required to tape-record and transcribe a conversation to be used as the basis for sociolinguistic analysis through the semester. Above all, we will be concerned with the relationships of power that are deeply enmeshed in everyday language use, and consequently, the major themes of this class revolve around the politics of language and language ideologies.

Class Time: 60% Lecture, 10% Film/Video, 10% Discussion, 20% Laboratory.

Work Load: 0 exams, 3 papers. The production of a transcript from a taped conversation is a key component of the class requirments

Grade: 85% reports/papers, 10% class participation, 5% other evaluation. The "other evaluation" refers to your production of a transcription from a taped conversation

Exam Format: There are no in-class exams for this course

Instructor:  Valentine,David

Last Updated:   02/27/2008
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Anth 3009 Rise of Civilization

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Moyer,Alexandra Caroline

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Anth 3021W Anthropology of the Middle East

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 5021W

Description:  This course will focus on anthropological methods of analyzing and interpreting Middle Eastern cultures and societies. The study of kinship, tribal structure, social organization and ethnic group relations are all fundamental techniques in the analysis of Middle Eastern society, but these are rarely dealt with in the traditional Middle East studies curriculum. Although Judaic, Christian and Zoroastrian traditions are important for shaping Middle Eastern life, and will be dealt with during the course, the Middle East as a unified culture area is dependent on Islamic civilization. Therefore Islamic culture will be given the greatest emphasis in readings and lectures. In this course, particular emphasis will be placed on the examination of literary elements in Middle Eastern life from pre-Islamic times to the present. The historical development of ritual practice in Islam will constitute a primary focus. This seminar will have a significant research component, with opportunities for the presentation of original research on the topics covered. One principal aim of the course is to help you understand Middle Eastern culture as an ?insider? with all of the normal cultural understandings a person born and raised in the region would have. The Course will be divided into two sections: I. Cultural Heritage of the Middle East II. Traditional Middle Eastern Society and its Modern Forms.

Class Time: 60% Lecture, 20% Film/Video, 10% Discussion, 10% Guest Speakers.

Work Load: 1 exams, 2 papers, 1 special projects. Special project will be the equivalent of a final research paper or the equivalent such as a creative work. Papers will be short papers Examination will be a mid-term exam. there will be no final exam in the course.

Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% reports/papers, 40% special projects, 10% class participation. The course will have a final research paper rather than a final exam. This is the 40% special projects grade reflected above. There will be two short papers, each of which will count for 15% of the grade for a total of 30%

Exam Format: The Mid-term examination will consist of short answers, a geography quiz and three short essays.

Instructor:  Beeman,William O | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio | Syllabus

Last Updated:   08/28/2009
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Anth 3027W Archaeology of Prehistoric Europe

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 5027W

Description:  

Class Time: 95% Lecture, 5% Discussion.

Work Load: 25 pages reading per week, 10-15 pages writing per term, 3 exams, 1 papers, 1 quizzes.

Grade: 30% mid exam, 25% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 5% quizzes.

Instructor:  Wells,Peter S

Last Updated:   02/26/2008
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Anth 3306W Medical Anthropology

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Prereq:   1003 or 1005 or entry level social science course recommended

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Taussig,Karen-Sue

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Anth 3401 The Human Fossil Record

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 5401

Prereq:   1001 or instr consent

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Co-Instructor:  Tappen,Martha

Co-Instructor:  McNulty,Kieran P

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Anth 3980 Topics in Anthropology: Anthropology of Hip-Hop

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  The course covers the historical trajectory of hip-hop from its inception in New York City during the 1970?s in the form of four elements - break dancing, rap, turntablism, and graffiti art - to its contemporary identity as a global youth phenomenon. The historical development of hip-hop will be accompanied with the analysis of scholarly works ranging from contemporary academic research to old-school rap lyrics. Literature, lectures, films and multi-media projects will individually analyze each element and question the four-element paradigm that defines hip-hop today. We will review legal cases filed against hip-hop artists and/or their publications as well as examine the role gender, class, politics, urban geography, economics, and race play in the use of hip-hop as a tool for social change versus a capitalist marketing device. Weekend workshops with local well-known hip-hop artists will amplify the theoretical focus of the course to an applied learning of lyricism, break dance, DJing, and aerosol art. The course aims to re-structure stereotypes and offer a deeper perspective into how hip-hop simultaneously defines the identities of individuals as well as the consciousness of masses Previous class highlights from 2006 & 2008 include: ? Hands-on weekend workshops with community hip-hop artists Desdamona, DJ Fundamentalist, Carnage, b-boy Daylight, & aerosol artist CHEN (AKB). ? In class speakers filmmaker Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, producer Will Ways, MC/singer/songwriter Maria Isa, & DJ Drea. ? Live interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, b-girl Rokafella, & Jeff Chang.

Instructor:  Riviere,Melisa

Last Updated:   05/14/2009
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Anth 3980 Topics in Anthropology: On Human Nature

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Human Nature: What is the human? What is "not-human," what differences (and similarities) between us and other species? How we think about and explore the human is likely the base and foundation of all of our being and ideas. "Man is the measure of all things" -- said Protagoras. Yet the nature of the human -- the "measurer" of all things -- remains unclear, more vague than we usually think. Our ways of depicting the human are many, but our ways of thinking about ourselves are "stuck" in realms of mostly ancient ideas. We fix our attention on very few forms of explanation for how we are and "should be." Rather than actually studying the human face and body, for example, we focus on ideas of how humans are presumed to be "unique": claimed to be our "mind" or "brain" and "language" and "thought" -- or our "souls" in religious contexts. Still, our bodies are thought to be similar -- of the same "stuff" -- as other species. Here, again, ancient ideas reign, and we may look but don't see, much of how we are. The fact that we are social-interactive creatures - bodies in the world with others' bodies - is just beginning to be noted: "Attachment Theory." We humans are deeply bonded with our m/others, for long periods in our early development. How we "emerge," have, or become "conscious selves" -- how (or if) we are moral -- remains puzzling. Last, but not least, there is much history and currency of "politics" -- all of which expands in this global moment of different peoples, cultures...and bodies. Are we certain of us "fixed" or pre-destined in how we are? 0r are we all flexible and able to grow? Ideas: ancient, mostly from Plato and Aristotle, still reign. What ideas, why/how so powerful? How to see how we are, from outside and inside? With ideas flowing in from the entire world, do we rethink Human Nature? The course: Let's observe - others and ourselves with bodily practice, usually yoga. Infants-in attachment with m/others: the female and male body, gender. Explore our senses. Ask what are faces, how do they "work," how do they "become" us? We will explore the enormous complexity of the human body -- from the face, to hands, to the notion that we live effectively "out-of-balance," and are so very "clever" in our seemingly obvious being. Texts: "Woman" -- Natalie Angier (the mostly "absent" gender in Human Nature study) "The Blank Slate" -- Steven Pinker (a "critical" reading) Regular presence - as we engage in dialogue. Requirements: 2 Essays/Projects: Midsemester and Final

Class Time: 100% Discussion.

Work Load: 40 pages reading per week, 10-20 pages writing per term.

Grade: 80% reports/papers, 10% attendance, 10% class participation.

Instructor:  Sarles,Harvey B (Arthur Motley Exemplary Tch Aw) Open Faculty Award Information

Last Updated:   03/31/2009
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Anth 3980 Topics in Anthropology: International Heritage Management

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Our heritage is all around us. It ranges from historic buildings to archaeological sites, from shipwrecks to artifacts, from traditional costumes, music and dance to folktales, myth and language. While these and other cultural resources may have immense personal, social, economic and political value, their disappearance is inevitable. How this process of loss is perceived and dealt with varies from country to country and culture to culture. Increasingly, however, Western approaches to the preservation of archaeological and architectural properties are gaining global preeminence, a development that is not without controversy. This course invites you to critically explore the problems and possibilities of international heritage management in the intellectual, institutional and regulatory context in which it occurs. In discussions ranging from the technical to the philosophical, students will be introduced to key concepts, methods, instruments and properties exemplifying the historical development and contemporary practice of preservation within and between nations. While we will focus primarily on archaeological and architectural remains, students? own disciplinary interests will help to shape the content and direction of the course.

Instructor:  Adams,Jeffrey L

Last Updated:   04/16/2009
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Anth 3980 Topics in Anthropology: Art, Politics, and Diversity

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  In this course on the intersection of visual cultural studies and German and European studies, we will focus on art events and cultural institutions - such as exhibitions and museums - in the context of globalization. We will deal with the representation of racial, national, cultural and religious diversity and its representation in the public sphere. In particular, we will concentrate on a variety of forms of expressive culture on the politics of exclusion and inclusion in German art worlds. We will describe the appropriation of concepts such as integration and multiculturalism into political discourses in Germany. Through exhibits of art referred to as "international art", 'global art', "ethnic art", 'Non-Western art", we will analyze the notion of otherness at a particular point in time and critically examine German cultural politics. Thus, we will take a critical view of visual culture, political power and alterity. The course addresses this issue from a diachronic perspective: our discussions will follow a sequence of art exhibition cases from Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, the Cold War Germanys and Unified Germany. While the selection of catalogs and slides from exhibition sites focuses on the German case, the theoretical readings allow a more general introduction to German studies, cultural studies, and visual studies. You may take this course as an introduction to German cultural politics; it may also serve the interests and needs of students who are seeking to expand their knowledge of German culture and politics. This course aims furthermore at broadening your understanding of the place and role of art in society and raising your awareness of diversity issues and questions of representation. Working not only with texts, but also studying displays on site and dealing with visual images, you will be encouraged to formulate descriptions carefully, develop your own interpretations, and critically make use of the readings.

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 25% Discussion, 20% Student Presentation, 5% Field Trips.

Work Load: 70-90 pages reading per week, 12-16 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers, 2 presentations.

Grade: 10% mid exam, 20% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 15% in-class presentation, 15% class participation.

Exam Format: Mid term: open questions/short answers expected; final exam: essay form (take-home-exam).

Instructor:  Wolbert,Barbara | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio

Last Updated:   05/7/2009
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Anth 3980 Topics in Anthropology: Global Migration and Photography

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  In this course on the intersection of visual cultural studies and German and European studies, we will focus on art events and cultural institutions - such as exhibitions and museums - in the context of globalization. We will deal with the representation of racial, national, cultural and religious diversity and its representation in the public sphere. In particular, we will concentrate on a variety of forms of expressive culture on the politics of exclusion and inclusion in German art worlds. We will describe the appropriation of concepts such as integration and multiculturalism into political discourses in Germany. Through exhibits of art referred to as "international art", "global art", "ethnic art", "Non-Western art", we will analyze the notion of otherness at a particular point in time and critically examine German cultural politics. Thus, we will take a critical view of visual culture, political power and alterity. The course addresses this issue from a diachronic perspective: our discussions will follow a sequence of art exhibition cases from Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, the Cold War Germanys and Unified Germany. While the selection of catalogs and slides from exhibition sites focuses on the German case, the theoretical readings allow a more general introduction to German studies, cultural studies, and visual studies. You may take this course as an introduction to German cultural politics; it may also serve the interests and needs of students who are seeking to expand their knowledge of German culture and politics. This course aims furthermore at broadening your understanding of the place and role of art in society and raising your awareness of diversity issues and questions of representation. Working not only with texts, but also studying displays on site and dealing with visual images, you will be encouraged to formulate descriptions carefully, develop your own interpretations, and critically make use of the readings.

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 25% Discussion, 20% Student Presentation, 5% Field Trips.

Work Load: 70-90 pages reading per week, 12-16 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers, 2 presentations.

Grade: 10% mid exam, 20% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 15% in-class presentation, 15% class participation.

Exam Format: Mid term: open questions/short answers expected; final exam: essay form (take-home-exam).

Instructor:  Wolbert,Barbara | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio

Last Updated:   05/7/2009
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Anth 4047 Anthropology of American Culture

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Description:  What is "American Culture"? Given the diversity of the histories, values, and identities of American people, what, if anything, can be said to draw us together as one culture? This course will seek to answer this question through an exploration of cultural politics in the United States in the 21st century, focusing particularly on racial, ethnic, gender, and class relations and conflicts, and on a variety of sites and situations including the workplace, family, poverty, consumption, immigration, and globalization. Readings will address contemporary issues such as battles over civil rights, the abortion debate, processes through which identities are constructed, and the effects of the global circulation of "America" as idea, image, and global force. For example, we will focus on the transnational and heterogeneous histories and relationships among multiple communities as well as the changing cultural values of the U.S. economy, through an examination of corporate downsizings and the nature of work, postindustrialism, the growing gap between the poor and the rich, and the current socio-economic recession. The course is interdisciplinary in that it draws on research and debates in sociology, history, cultural studies, American studies, and ethnic studies, in addition to those in anthropology. The course takes an ethnographic approach, asking what empirical research can add to our understanding of questions of belonging and exclusion in the United States. The course will be run as an undergraduate seminar, based predominantly upon student-driven discussion of readings, complemented by occasional lectures and videos. The course is meant for premajors, majors, and other interested students; it is suitable for intermediate and upper-level students from all fields.

Class Time: 20% Lecture, 80% Discussion.

Grade: 25% mid exam, 30% final exam, 15% reflection paper, 15% in-class presentation, 15% class participation.

Instructor:  Valentine,David

Last Updated:   03/31/2009
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Anth 4051 Kinship, Gender, and Diversity

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Prereq:   1003 or 1005

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Dean,Diana M

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Anth 4053 Economy, Culture, and Critique

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 8205

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Ho,Karen Z

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Anth 4071 Race, Culture, and Vision

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Prereq:   1003 or 1005 or 3003 or instr consent

Description:  Examines four major orientations in the study of racism. (a). "Liberalists" (Montagu, Benedict) argued that race-beliefs cannot satisfy the test of evidence which scientifically-minded persons would find persuasive. Racism is a psychological phenomenon, and efforts to demonstrate the truth or falsity of race-beliefs are, therefore, beside the point. (b). In agreement with the liberalists, "social symbolists" (Voegelin), maintain that race-beliefs have no basis in fact. Voegelin argued, (1) that race-beliefs are symbolic constructions responsible for the formation and perduring solidarity of the group, and (2) reveal the ways in which the groups collective knowledge of "the other" is organized. (c). In contrast to the symbolists, the "sociodiscussive" approach (Goldberg) shifts the emphasis from "symbol" to "discourse", from idea and image to concrete acts embedded in ways of life which value aggression toward others believed biologically and culturally inferior. Racist discourse is the practice which defines an "other", and the specific manner in which the latter is made vulnerable to political and legal strategies of exclusion. (d). The "phenomenological" approach (Fanon) focuses upon the transfiguring effects of racist practices in everyday life upon a recipient's self-perceptions.

Class Time: 75% Lecture, 25% Discussion.

Work Load: 8-10 pages reading per week, 8-12 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.

Grade: 40% mid exam, 60% final exam.

Exam Format: essay (take home)

Instructor:  Penn,Mischa (Morse Alumni Award; CLA Distinguished Tchg Awd) Open Faculty Award Information

Last Updated:   09/6/2005
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Anth 4990 Topics in Archaeology: Seminar: Archival Analysis for Archaeologists

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Anthropologists and many other social scientists are increasingly turning to the archives as a means to shed more light on contemporary circumstances, in the recognition that our histories, understood from many different perspectives, shape who we are and what we do now. Historical documents, photographs, maps, or other materials found in archives hold the potential to enlighten us on what was thought valuable enough to curate, and that which was used to construct historical narratives, but also a host of embedded and unquestioned values and ideas. For this reason, research in archives on questions of anthropological significance is valuable on two fronts: it can broaden our understanding of past contexts, but it also critically demonstrates history in its dual senses of ?the past? and ?that which is written about the past.? There is no better way to learn to critically read historical narratives and interpretations than to compare them to the process you engage in yourself. In this seminar, you will explore both the practical and theoretical issues involved in doing archival research as an anthropologist asking how these materials can (or cannot) speak to aspects of social experiences of individuals or groups, how such records operated as part of human social worlds, and how they relate to other traces of our past. You will learn methods for deriving meaning and biases in the archives, such as understanding context, source and authorship, assessing preservation issues, and recognizing structural exclusions in the records. Although the class is designated a seminar, it will also focus on practice and method.

Class Time: 10% Lecture, 60% Discussion, 15% Student Presentation, 15% Field Trips.

Grade: 50% reports/papers, 20% written homework, 10% in-class presentation, 20% class participation.

Instructor:  Hayes,Katherine F. H.

Last Updated:   04/12/2009
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Anth 5021W Anthropology of the Middle East

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 3021W

Description:  This course will focus on anthropological methods of analyzing and interpreting Middle Eastern cultures and societies. The study of kinship, tribal structure, social organization and ethnic group relations are all fundamental techniques in the analysis of Middle Eastern society, but these are rarely dealt with in the traditional Middle East studies curriculum. Although Judaic, Christian and Zoroastrian traditions are important for shaping Middle Eastern life, and will be dealt with during the course, the Middle East as a unified culture area is dependent on Islamic civilization. Therefore Islamic culture will be given the greatest emphasis in readings and lectures. In this course, particular emphasis will be placed on the examination of literary elements in Middle Eastern life from pre-Islamic times to the present. The historical development of ritual practice in Islam will constitute a primary focus. This seminar will have a significant research component, with opportunities for the presentation of original research on the topics covered. One principal aim of the course is to help you understand Middle Eastern culture as an ?insider? with all of the normal cultural understandings a person born and raised in the region would have. The Course will be divided into two sections: I. Cultural Heritage of the Middle East II. Traditional Middle Eastern Society and its Modern Forms.

Class Time: 60% Lecture, 20% Film/Video, 10% Discussion, 10% Guest Speakers.

Work Load: 1 exams, 2 papers, 1 special projects. Special project will be the equivalent of a final research paper or the equivalent such as a creative work. Papers will be short papers Examination will be a mid-term exam. there will be no final exam in the course.

Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% reports/papers, 40% special projects, 10% class participation. The course will have a final research paper rather than a final exam. This is the 40% special projects grade reflected above. There will be two short papers, each of which will count for 15% of the grade for a total of 30%

Exam Format: The Mid-term examination will consist of short answers, a geography quiz and three short essays.

Instructor:  Beeman,William O | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio

Last Updated:   08/28/2009
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Anth 5027W Origins of European Civilization

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 3027W

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Wells,Peter S

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Anth 5244 Skeletal Materials for Archaeologists

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 4 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 8244

Prereq:   1001

Description:  This lecture/laboratory course emphasizes core skills in identification of bones to skeletal element and taxon, to the level of major mammalian taxonomic groups including humans, with emphasis on understanding bone biology, functional morphology, human meat-acquisition strategies, prey and predator behavior and archaeological site formation. There are weekly readings on the interpretation of archaeological bone. Students take weekly quizzes on bone identification and on the readings, keep an extensive laboratory notebook, and conduct an original research project on bone assemblages. ANTH 1001 or equivalent is a prerequisite.

Class Time: 20% Lecture, 20% Discussion, 60% Laboratory.

Work Load: 50 pages reading per week, 6-8 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 1 papers. lab notebook and weekly quizzes

Grade: 10% final exam, 40% special projects, 25% quizzes, 25% laboratory evaluation.

Exam Format: short essay, identifications

Instructor:  Tappen,Martha

Last Updated:   04/18/2008
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Anth 5255 Archaeology of Religion

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s)

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Soderberg,John A

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Anth 5401 The Human Fossil Record

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 3401

Prereq:   1001 or instr consent

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Co-Instructor:  Tappen,Martha

Co-Instructor:  McNulty,Kieran P

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Anth 5442 Archaeology of the British Isles

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s)

Description:  The purpose of this course is to examine the archaeology of the British Isles, with an emphasis on Great Britain. The seminar covers the historical development of methodological and theoretical approaches to archaeology, as well as the data and their interpretation.

Class Time: 100% Discussion.

Work Load: 20-40 pages reading per week, 30 pages writing per term, 0 exams, 2 papers.

Grade: 35% special projects, 55% in-class presentation, 10% class participation.

Instructor:  Wells,Peter S

Last Updated:   02/26/2008
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Anth 5980 Topics in Anthropology: The Sociolinguistics of Storytelling

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Szatrowski,Polly Ellen

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Anth 5980 Topics in Anthropology

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Albers,Patricia

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Anth 5980 Topics in Anthropology: Global Migration and Photography

Grading basis/credits:   3 credit(s), max credits 6

Description:  Course description Investigating in particular the significance of photographs in coping with migration, this course touches upon a central feature of photography ? its ability to make present the absent. Rather than as recipients of images produced by mass media we look at immigrants as producers of images: Our point of departure is the socially extremely effective but often-underestimated individual image production. We will focus on private photographs, on photos taken, owned and circulated by migrants. These photographs, which may or may not depict immigrants, refugees or displaced persons open insights into immigrants? lives on multiple levels. Beyond the study of the narratives of those who are in the photo and of those, who took it and who hold on to it, the study of practices of collecting, framing, and displaying of photographs allows us to better understand processes of identification. By comparing earlier photograph collections of migrant families to more recent snapshots - analogue and digital - as well as to migrants? video, internet, and mobile pone practices, we will explore immigrants? changing sense of place and their migratory concepts. We will hence discuss legacies of first generations of immigrants and constructions of neighborhoods, real and virtual. In a second step we juxtapose these visual practices with visual representations of migration in the press and other mass media, using them as a key to public discourses on migration, shaping immigration policies and integration politics. Objectives and Topics The course will enhance the students? sensitivity for the relation between text and images. It will be based on the analysis of images, the discussion of theoretical essays and on students? case studies that aims at analyzing family photographs and their social uses. These case studies are based on individually designed intensive short-term fieldwork projects, conducted and supervised during the semester. Presentations of the results of students? case studies will complete the course work. The case studies will relate to the course readings, they will serve as an individually scheduled training program in the analysis of photographs. The course will thus guide the students in studying vernacular forms of expressive culture and in conducting narrative interviews and encourage them to articulate themselves both through words and the use of images. This course on the social use of photography in the context of global migration thus bridges between migration research and media studies. Concerned with questions of migrants? visual communication, memory, and representation, it covers basic concepts of visual cultural studies and fieldwork techniques.

Class Time: 40% Lecture, 5% Film/Video, 40% Discussion, 10% Student Presentation, 5% Field Trips.

Work Load: 20-70 pages reading per week, 20-25 pages writing per term, 2 papers, 2 presentations, 1 special projects, 10 homework assignments, 2 quizzes. The homework assignments will be part of a journal which may be turned in for extra credit on a voluntary basis

Grade: 55% reports/papers, 10% special projects, 5% quizzes, 15% in-class presentation, 15% class participation. Homework assignments, fieldwork notes and other notes related to the coursework may be submitted for extra credit (-0.5 of final grade)

Instructor:  Wolbert,Barbara | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio

Last Updated:   04/8/2009
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Anth 5990 Topics in Archaeology: International Heritage Mgmt

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 3 credit(s), max credits 9, 3 completions allowed

Prereq:   instr consent

Description:  Our heritage is all around us. It ranges from historic buildings to archaeological sites, from shipwrecks to artifacts, from traditional costumes, music and dance to folktales, myth and language. While these and other cultural resources may have immense personal, social, economic and political value, their disappearance is inevitable. How this process of loss is perceived and dealt with varies from country to country and culture to culture. Increasingly, however, Western approaches to the preservation of archaeological and architectural properties are gaining global preeminence, a development that is not without controversy. This course invites you to critically explore the problems and possibilities of international heritage management in the intellectual, institutional and regulatory context in which it occurs. In discussions ranging from the technical to the philosophical, students will be introduced to key concepts, methods, instruments and properties exemplifying the historical development and contemporary practice of preservation within and between nations. While we will focus primarily on archaeological and architectural remains, students? own disciplinary interests will help to shape the content and direction of the course.

Instructor:  Adams,Jeffrey L

Last Updated:   04/16/2009
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Anth 8001 Ethnography, Theory, History

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 5 credit(s)

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Song,Hoon

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Anth 8244 Skeletal Materials

Grading basis/credits:   A-F only, 4 credit(s)

Equivalencies:   Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for: ANTH 5244

Prereq:   instr consent

Description:  This lecture/laboratory course emphasizes core skills in identification of bones to skeletal element and taxon, to the level of major mammalian taxonomic groups including humans, with emphasis on understanding bone biology, functional morphology, human meat-acquisition strategies, prey and predator behavior and archaeological site formation. There are weekly readings on the interpretation of archaeological bone. Students take weekly quizzes on bone identification and on the readings, keep an extensive laboratory notebook, and conduct an original research project on bone assemblages. ANTH 1001 or equivalent is a prerequisite.

Class Time: 20% Lecture, 20% Discussion, 60% Laboratory.

Work Load: 50 pages reading per week, 6-8 pages writing per term, 1 exams, 1 papers. lab notebook and weekly quizzes

Grade: 10% final exam, 40% special projects, 25% quizzes, 25% laboratory evaluation.

Exam Format: short essay, identifications

Instructor:  Tappen,Martha

Last Updated:   04/18/2008
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Anth 8510 Topics in Archaeology: Archaeology of the British Isles

Grading basis/credits:   3-9 credit(s), max credits 9, 3 completions allowed

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Wells,Peter S

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Anth 8810 Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology: Comparative Race/Ethnicity/Diaspora in the U.S.

Grading basis/credits:   3-9 credit(s), max credits 9, 3 completions allowed

Description:  Our very notions of native citizen was forged against ?aliens ineligible for citizenship,? our ideas of cultural appropriateness were formulated in relation to groups deemed to have ?excessive culture? on the one hand and ?no culture? in the other, and the designation of some groups as ?model minorities? was intended to discipline ?not-so-model minorities.? We thus believe that a serious engagement with the heterogeneous and trans-national histories and relationships among communities such as African Americans, Euro-Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans is necessary for contemporary scholarship of race in general, as well as of any particular community or identity. Even research projects that are not explicitly comparative must think through the various subtexts, shadows, and other categories through which or against which their particular foci was constructed. We believe that by interrogating comparative racial formations both across ?minority? groups as well as between majority and minority groups, this seminar will strengthen a wide-array of interdisciplinary research that engage with questions of race, privilege, power, identity, intersectionality, citizenship, American culture and history, and diaspora. Within this context, the course will also explore how racial formations are inflected and must be understood as articulated through and mutually constituted by other forms of social difference such as class, ethnicity, citizenship, gender, and sexuality. This class is designed for those who have passed their prelim exams. Creating a supportive and rigorous environment in which graduate students learn to both expand their conceptual paradigms and assemble the building blocks of writing a dissertation is a central goal of the course. The design of the course is thus two-fold: it will combine both interdisciplinary readings and discussion in comparative race and ethnic studies and peer feedback workshops. A central theme of the class, then, will be to think through the process and methodology of writing, to develop our writing ? both process and the product ? in conversation with each other. First, by building an interdisciplinary peer writing community, the seminar will require students to present their research topics and questions in a manner that is understandable to those in other disciplines while learning to make explicit the possibilities and limitations of their own scholarship. Second, we will acknowledge and discuss explicitly the very particular process and form of writing a dissertation, and in doing so, we hope to create an enriched learning experience that seeks to demystify the steps of completing a PhD. We realize that the writing process can be painful, isolating, invigorating, frustrating, and inspiring. Through peer workshops and faculty feedback, the hope is that this class will establish an intellectually engaging environment and tackle the specificities of the dissertation format.

Co-Instructor:  Desai,Jigna (Arthur Motley Exemplary Tch Aw) Open Faculty Award Information

Co-Instructor:  Ho,Karen Z

Last Updated:   04/13/2009
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Anth 8810 Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology: Reading Contemporary Ethnography

Grading basis/credits:   3-9 credit(s), max credits 9, 3 completions allowed

Description:  Student may contact the instructor or department for information.

Instructor:  Taussig,Karen-Sue

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Anth 8810 Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology: Readings in Middle Eastern Ethnography

Grading basis/credits:   3-9 credit(s), max credits 9, 3 completions allowed

Description:  Middle East Ethnography This seminar will consist of intensive reading of Middle Eastern ethnographic literature. We will read some of the important classics in the anthropology of the Middle East. Some flexibility will be available to accommodate specific student interests. Students should already have a basic familiarity with the geography and history of the region.

Grade: 80% reflection paper, 20% class participation. Students will be asked to prepare short reflection papers on each of the readings in the course and participate regularly in seminar discussion

Instructor:  Beeman,William O | Instructor Photo | Instructor Bio

Last Updated:   07/21/2009
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