159 courses with the subject ANTH, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ANTH 0814Human Ecology3
The study of human ecology focuses on understanding how ecosystems affect, and are affected by, human biology, behavior, technology and social organization. Students will learn about basic ecological principles, and the way humans have adapted both culturally and biologically to different ecosystems. We will explore ecological models for the origin of human cooperation, human cultural diversity and social complexity - and investigate how limited ecosystem resources ignite competition among humans and human groups. We will review the evidence for significant past environmental changes caused by people living in simple societies; and how ancient civilizations often caused irreparable collapses of their ecosystem. We will conclude by examining modern climate change, and the impact that recent changes have had on resources in different ecosystems, as well as on the sustainability of local indigenous societies and nation states. NOTE: Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed GUS 0814.
How did language come about? How many languages are there in the world? How do people co-exist in countries where there are two or more languages? How do babies develop language? Should all immigrants take a language test when applying for citizenship? Should English become an official language of the United States? In this course we will address these and many other questions, taking linguistic facts as a point of departure and considering their implications for our society. Through discussions and hands-on projects, students will learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret language data and how to make informed decisions about language and education policies as voters and community members. NOTE: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and Individual & Society (IN) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed any of the following: ANTH 0915, Asian Studies 0815, Chinese 0815, CSCD 0815, EDUC 0815/0915, English 0815, Italian 0815, PSY 0815, Russian 0815, or Spanish 0815.
Do you listen to hip hop, spend all your time in Second Life, dress up like a cartoon character and go to anime fairs, or go skateboarding every day with your friends? Then you're part of the phenomenon called youth culture. Often related to gender, race, class and socio-economic circumstances, youth cultures enable young people to try on identities as they work their way to a clearer sense of self. Empowered by new technology tools and with the luxury of infinite virtual space, young people today can explore identities in ways not available to previous generations. Students in this class will investigate several youth cultures, looking closely at what it means to belong. They will also come to appreciate how the media and marketing construct youth identities and define youth cultures around the world. NOTE: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and Individual & Society (IN) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed ASST 0817, EDUC 0817/0917 or SOC 0817.
ANTH 0825Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences4
Our understanding of much of reality relies on statistics. Many claims about our world, our society and other societies, specific organizations (such as Temple University), and even our minds and bodies rest on statistical data. Using examples from anthropology, psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, students will examine how social science methods and statistics help us understand the social world. The goal is to become critical consumers of quantitative material that appears in scholarship, the media, and everyday life. NOTE: This course fulfills the Quantitative Literacy (GQ) requirement for students under GenEd. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed SOC 0825, SOC 0925, POLS 0825, POLS 0925, or PSY 0825.
As a Temple student, you go to school and live in a city full of immigrants. Perhaps your own relatives were immigrants to the United States. But have you ever listened to their stories? With an historical and sociological framework as a basis, we will take an in-depth and more personal look at the immigrant experience as expressed through the immigrants' own voices in literature and film. Topics explored include: assimilation, cultural identity and Americanization, exploitation and the American Dream, ethnic communities, gender, discrimination and stereotyping. NOTE: This course fulfills the Race & Diversity (GD) requirement for students under GenEd and Studies in Race (RS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed any of the following: CRIT 0831, History 0831, Italian 0831/0931, Russian 0831, SOC 0831, or SPAN 0831/0931.
The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most brutal and momentous experiences in human history. Attitudes toward Latino, Caribbean, African, and Asian immigrants in the United States today can only be fully understood in the contexts of slavery and the "structural racism," "symbolic violence" (not to mention outright physical violence), and social inequalities that slavery has spawned throughout the region. Although focusing primarily on the United States, we will also study the present entanglements of poverty and race in Brazil, Haiti, and other selected nations of "The New World," placing the U.S. (and Philadelphia in particular) experience in this historical context. NOTE: This course fulfills the Race & Diversity (GD) requirement for students under GenEd and Studies in Race (RS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed LAS 0833/0933, REL 0833/0933, or SOC 0833.
From classical Greeks and Romans, who saw themselves under siege by the "barbarian hordes," to contemporary America and its war on "Islamic extremism," from "The Birth of a Nation" to "Alien Nation," Western societies have repeatedly represented some group of people as threats to civilization. This course will examine a wide range of representations of non-Western people and cultures in film, literature, scientific and legal writings, popular culture and artistic expression. What is behind this impulse to divide the world into "us" and "them"? How is it bound up with our understanding of race and racial difference? And what happens when the "barbarian hordes" talk back? NOTE: This course fulfills the Race & Diversity (GD) requirement for students under GenEd and Studies in Race (RS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed African American Studies 0834, Africology & African American Studies 0834, Anthropology 0934, Asian Studies 0834, English 0834/0934, or History 0834.
The roots of many contemporary cultures around the globe reach deep into human history. This course examines the evolution of these cultures through the use of paleoanthropological and archaeological data ranging from 2.5 million years ago through the beginnings of written history. Topics include the initial emergence and development of culture, the growth and expansion of human populations, the origins and dispersals of food production (particularly agriculture) and the rise and collapse of early civilizations. In addition we will examine the persistence of hunter-gatherers and other small-scale societies into the 19th and 20th centuries using ethnological data as well as the lessons to be learned from the successes and failures of early civilizations for predicting the future of the modern world. NOTE: This course fulfills the World Society (GG) requirement for students under GenEd and International Studies (IS) for students under Core.
ANTH 0867World Regions and Cultures: Diversity and Interconnections3
What is globalization? Are we now all citizens of a global capitalist economic and truly international political order? Or do we still live mostly under the economic constraints and governmental policies of the nation states of which we are citizens? How do different regions of the world experience and negotiate cultural continuity and change in different ways due to their distinctive historical and political-economic experiences? Focusing on different regions of the world, we will investigate how cultures and societies are connected to each other, how they relate to each other, and how they compare or contrast with each other. In particular, we will examine topics such as economic development, urbanization, immigration, labor, neoliberalism, citizenship, religion, gender, democracy and human rights. NOTE: This course fulfills the World Society (GG) requirement for students under GenEd and International Studies (IS) for students under Core. Duplicate Credit Warning: Students may take only one of the following courses for credit; all other instances will be deducted from their credit totals: Anthropology 0867, 1061, C061, Geography and Urban Studies 0867, or Sociology 0867.
How did language come about? How many languages are there in the world? How do people co-exist in countries where there are two or more languages? How do babies develop language? Should all immigrants take a language test when applying for citizenship? Should English become an official language of the United States? In this course we will address these and many other questions, taking linguistic facts as a point of departure and considering their implications for our society. Through discussions and hands-on projects, students will learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret language data and how to make informed decisions about language and education policies as voters and community members. NOTE: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and Individual & Society (IN) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed any of the following: Anthropology 0815, Asian Studies 0815, Chinese 0815, CSCD 0815, EDUC 0815/0915, English 0815, Italian 0815, PSY 0815, Russian 0815, or Spanish 0815.
From classical Greeks and Romans, who saw themselves under siege by the "barbarian hordes," to contemporary America and its war on "Islamic extremism," from "The Birth of a Nation" to "Alien Nation," Western societies have repeatedly represented some group of people as threats to civilization. This course will examine a wide range of representations of non-Western people and cultures in film, literature, scientific and legal writings, popular culture and artistic expression. What is behind this impulse to divide the world into "us" and "them"? How is it bound up with our understanding of race and racial difference? And what happens when the "barbarian hordes" talk back? NOTE: This course fulfills the Race & Diversity (GD) requirement for students under GenEd and Studies in Race (RS) for students under Core. Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed African American Studies 0834, Africology & African American Studies 0834, Anthropology 0834, Asian Studies 0834, English 0834/0934, or History 0834.
This introductory Anthropology course is designed to introduce students to important scholarly and practical concepts in the study of race and racism historically and across cultures. It builds upon the important contributions of four-field anthropological practice to our understanding of the ways societies have constructed racial categories and meanings and deployed racialized hierarchies. Students will be asked to read a variety of basic materials in linguistics, biological anthropology, ethnology, and archaeology. This will be supplemented with student efforts to analyze popular representations of race to acquire a familiarity with the important debates in contemporary social science and politics. NOTE: This course can be used to satisfy the university Core Studies in Race and Individual & Society (RN) requirements. Although it may be usable towards graduation as a major requirement or university elective, it cannot be used to satisfy any of the university GenEd requirements. See your advisor for further information.
This course traces the story of humans beginning with the fossil evidence for human ancestors and the earliest evidence for cultural behavior, through the spread and adaptation of human populations to almost all parts of the world. We will consider how ancient societies adapted to their environments, and reasons that cultures changed and became more complex over time. We will review the evidence for significant past environmental changes caused by people living in simple societies; and how ancient civilizations often caused irreparable collapses of their ecosystem. We will conclude by examining modern climate change, and the impact that recent changes have had on human societies living in different ecosystems, as well as on the sustainability of local indigenous societies and nation states.
Mobility and inequality are fundamental realities of human life that underlie myriad social processes and institutions. Examining them raises a variety of anthropological questions both old and new: How do people negotiate unevenly distributed resources? Why do people move to new places? As people move, what is lost and what is retained? What effects will large-scale human migration have on prevailing political and economic systems? Is radical social change possible under capitalism? This course considers mobility and inequality as grounded, embodied processes and experiences in order to introduce students to a range of foundational concepts, questions, and problems in anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The museum holds itself to the preserver of cultural memory, yet museums as we know them are a 19th century invention. Their function as shapers of cultural practice and national identity will be explored through this course, which takes us up to the present, when museums have reached out to represent communities that were previously excluded from the elite culture of museums. How museums work as classifiers of knowledge, how they represent culture, as commodity and experience, will also form part of the course. Cross-Listed with AMST 2022. Students may only receive credit for one of the following course numbers: ANTH 2022 or AMST 2022.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 2087Practicum in Curation and Collections Management1
This is an applied course emphasizing acquisition of practical skills in curation and collections management. Students enrolled will participate in a variety of projects (i.e. cataloging archaeological collections, developing digital collections, artifact photography and documentation, developing new exhibits) related to the long-term care and preservation of ethnographic and archaeological collections housed in the Anthropology Laboratory. Because the specific skillsets learned will vary by project and semester, students may enroll in the course more than once.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
1
Credit unit
Credit Hour
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ANTH 2102Frauds, Myths, and Pseudoscience in Archaeology3
This course critically examines pseudoscience, cult archaeology, and creationism from a scientific perspective. We will consider how a strong adherence to scientific investigation can uncover facts about prehistory that are as interesting as the myths, but we will also discuss the appeal and root causes of these myths about human history. We will focus on why it is important to separate pseudoscience from science, and the very different and often complementary roles that are served by faith and evidence. We will specifically address questions about evolution vs. creationism in a cross-cultural context, the archaeology of climate change and climate change skepticism, and how archaeology is sometimes used by nationalist movements to misrepresent the past in the service of controlling narratives in the present.
An introduction to the theories and methods used in archaeological anthropology and the ways in which questions about life in the past are framed and investigated. Topics include the nature of archaeological evidence, the importance of context, excavation techniques, analysis of material remains, and reconstruction of ancient cultural patterns. (Formerly known as "Fundamentals of Archaeology." Students will not receive additional credits for taking this course under the new title.)
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A survey of prehistoric cultures of South America. Concentrates on (1) the initial entry and spread of human populations into South America and the West Indies, (2) origins of tropical and highland agriculture, (3) the rise of urbanism, civilization, and the state in the Andes, and (4) the impact of prehistoric cultures on the environment.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course surveys the cultural development of native peoples from the time of the initial colonization of North America to the historic period and the arrival of European explorers and settlers. Coverage is organized by cultural/geographic regions, or areas, and chronological periods. Common and contrasting themes in cultural development are stressed. The course develops an appreciation of: the debates and data surrounding the initial colonization of North America; the cultural diversity and complexity evident in Native American cultures across space and through time; the interaction of Native cultures with different and changing environments, and the impact that each had on the other; the range of environmental, social, and cultural issues capable of being addressed with archaeological data. Note: Prior to Spring 2025, this course was titled "Archaeology of North America." Students who have earned credits under the original title will not earn additional credits.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Ancient Mesoamerica is a general survey of the pre-Columbian cultures of Mexico and Middle America before the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire in A.D. 1521. In this course we will examine the long history of Mesoamerica beginning with the first peopling of the Americas at least 15,000 years ago and ending with the Spanish Conquest and the creation of "Latin America."
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The course explores popular culture in Italy, starting from the Italian historical awareness of popular culture that emerged in the 19th century foundation of the nation up to the present day. The course focuses especially on popular culture in the 20th century using a variety of approaches, from lectures to readings, from the screening of video material to the study of audio recordings. By the end of the course, students will have attained a significant understanding of the variety of popular culture in modern Italy and will have mastered an analytical framework for understanding these phenomena. The course carries up to contemporary times with an exploration of the impact global trends have had on popular culture, making particular reference to contemporary popular music.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
An anthropological approach to systems of visual communication that are central to understanding Japanese society and culture. Visual sign systems of everyday life such as writing, food, and clothes plus visual aspects of popular culture such as comic books and ads. Ethnographic films, feature films, and network RV programs plus field trips to Japanese cultural sites. Duplicate credit warning: This course is regularly cross-listed with ASST 2238. Students may receive credit for only one course, either ASST 2238 or ANTH 2238.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
An introduction to the basic concepts, methods, and theories of cultural anthropology. Through a variety of case studies from different parts of the world, the course will focus on the connections between culture, power, and representation. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing the process of ethnographic fieldwork and producing ethnographic texts. (Formerly known as ANTH 2396 Fundamentals of Cultural Anthropology; students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.)
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This class will examine the interrelationship of biological, cultural, and historical influences on what we eat and how we eat it. Topics will link biological, ecological, social and symbolic cultural perspectives and examine the dietary implications of foraging, crop domestication, state formation and industrial capitalism. We will look at the sociocultural practices relating to the uses of food in marking social differences, maintaining social relationships, and dealing with cultural constructions of health, illness, and the body. Throughout the class we will examine the impact of globalization on the transformation of food meanings, practices and availability.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This class conceptualizes law from an anthropological and sociological perspective. The course acquaints students with key concepts in the anthropology of law and develops an introduction to theories that continue to guide an ethnographic approach to formal and informal dispute processes. We will learn what qualitative research methods can reveal about why and when people do or do not conform to law. In lectures, discussions, readings, and films, we will explore the critical and complex relationships between culture and law, crime, policing, and punishment. The course provides students with examples of field research in a variety of legal, illegal, and extralegal arenas in our own and in other societies. Note: Prior to Spring 2025, this course was titled "Outlaws, Law and Culture." Students who have earned credits under the original title will not earn additional credits.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course explores both biocultural and sociocultural approaches within the rapidly expanding intersubdisciplinary anthropological field of critical medical anthropology (CMA). Topics addressed include evolutionary approaches to understanding health and disease (including diet and nutrition), as well as sociocultural CMA approaches to such topics as ethnomedicine, medicine and social control, international health development, medical pluralism, science and technology studies, and the anthropology of the body.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Starting in 1492, Native American isolation from Europe and Africa ended in the region of the Americas that became Latin America. Despite five hundred years of colonial and nation-state domination, indigenous peoples in Latin America continue to assert their basic human right to resist cultural hegemony. Not only have indigenous populations survived, they are also growing. Today they constitute a majority in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru and a substantial plurality in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. The focus here is on this remarkable struggle for physical and cultural survival. Attention will be given to the lived experiences of people struggling for human dignity on the lowest strata of regional class structures. Issues of land rights, environmental, health, political, and economic self-determination will be examined.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 2364People and Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa3
This course examines the major aspects of social life in the Middle East and North Africa from an anthropological perspective. Selected topics to be investigated include: kinship, social stratification, urbanization, colonialism, nationalism, migration, the state, violence, gender, sexuality, religious practice, popular culture, and neoliberalism. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the connections between cultural practices and political, economic, and social power. (Formerly titled as "People and Culture of the Middle East"; students may not earn additional credit under the new title.)
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
An introduction to the peoples and cultures of the Indian subcontinent. The course will focus on the indigenous religions of India: Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism as well as Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism as brought to western India by migrants. Note: This course is cross-listed with Asian Studies 2367. Students may only receive credit once for these courses: ASST 2367 or ANTH 2367.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This is an upper level undergraduate course designed to engage students in studying the indigenous cultures of Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. There will be two primary emphases: first, the major issues in cultural anthropology that have been formed and informed by ethnographic data from Pacific societies; and second, the processes of change experienced by Pacific peoples in the last few decades. Specific topics include: (1) How the complexity of kin-based social organization among Australian aborigines influenced anthropological understanding of relationships among individuals and the formation of communities; (2) How and why the traditional sacred art of aboriginal Australia became a valued commodity in the global art market; (3) How the complex ceremonial exchange networks of Melanesia influenced theory in anthropology; (4) The dimensions and range of Melanesian ideas and behavior concerned with gender and sexuality; (5) How class stratification and political hierarchy developed in traditional Polynesian states such as Tahiti, Tonga, and Hawai'i; and (6) How colonialism and post-colonialism has been experienced across the Pacific. The course will be conducted as a seminar with some lectures by the instructor but with proportionately more discussions based on a core of shared readings and students' shared and individual explorations of Pacific cultures.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Introduction to traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Topics covered include: early literature, aesthetic principles as expressed in art and architecture, religion, gender roles, Japan's shifting relationships with the outside world, rural communities and urban centers in the 20th century, and the construction of the self in modern Japan. Note: This course is equivalent to Asian Studies 2373. Students will only receive credit for one of these courses: ANTH 2373, ASST 2373.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course offers an introduction to the culture and society of the contemporary People's Republic of China. The first half of the course provides a historically and ethnographically contextualized examination of the dramatic transformations undergone by Chinese society over the last century, juxtaposing the pre-1949 Republican period against the tumultuous sociocultural and political economic changes in China in the decades immediately following the 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution, and, in particular, examining the impact of Maoist period and post-Mao period political-economic and sociocultural movements on the everyday lives of Chinese people in both rural and urban contexts. During the second half of the course, we will focus on recent ethnographic writings published by China anthropologists which, taken together, encompass such key issues as the contours of China's distinctive narrative of socialist modernity, the profound significance of the rural/ urban divide in the post-1949 PRC; shifting PRC constructions of gender and sexuality and the impact of Maoist and post-Mao transformations on women's status, the statuses and representations of the more than 55 minority peoples who reside in China alongside Han Chinese and the emergence of ethnic tourism, the politics of rural health care, the nature of the relationship between Traditional Chinese Medicine and biomedicine, and the politics of HIV/ AIDS in the PRC. We will also utilize a number of excellent ethnographic films throughout the course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 2409Introduction to the Production of Anthropological Media3
Formerly known as Introduction to Visual Production. Students who have completed Introduction to Visual Production will not receive additional credit for taking Introduction to the Production of Anthropological Media.As the decreasing cost and increasing accessibility to visual technologies, such as DSLR cameras and video cameras, makes their inclusion in research projects a given rather than a rarity, the importance of training in their use increases proportionately. Through a series of lectures and practical exercises, students will gain skills in the uses and techniques of several important visual technologies, such as photography, videography (shooting footage), and video editing. Further, this course will contextualize these techniques within qualitative research (e.g. documentary filmmaking) more generally and anthropological and ethnographic research (e.g. participant-observation) more specifically. As the ethical and disciplinary demands of anthropology necessitate specific aesthetic and technical implementations by the visual anthropologist, the latter aspect is a crucial part of the course and will be of significant benefit to students wishing to conduct ethnographic research integrating visual methods and technologies.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course critically reviews the relationships between ethnographic film and indigenous forms of self-representation in diverse media. Visual texts from several societies will be compared with each other and with examples of visual representation in contemporary Western societies. In the course we will examine pictorial forms by viewing and analyzing films and video programs made by indigenous individuals and associations. Examples will come from North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Through these examples issues of authorship and authority, the politics of representation and autonomy, and the values and limits of indigenous self-representation will be analyzed.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Formerly known as Anthropology in Feature Films. Students who have completed Anthropology in Feature Films will not receive additional credit for taking Anthropology of Feature Films.Students will critically review a series of feature films that include topics, themes, and subject matter often treated within anthropology. It is clear that American feature films usually thought of as "Hollywood films" can be very influential in establishing or reinforcing social and cultural stereotypes of "states of knowledge" about peoples living in various parts of the world. The potential for influence and false senses of familiarity is enormous. In today's globalized community that is influenced by feature films from all regions of the world, this course attempts to incorporate many expressions of the feature film genre to form a composite whole. Japanese, Indian, Indonesian and other national cinemas will be shared, as will the emergent films made by the Naliput peoples of the 4th world. Peoples who are frequently known as natives, aborigine, local, indigenous, primitive, underdeveloped and tribal, are now makers of feature films and bring new dynamism to the genre to foster new perspectives of culture and communication.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course focuses on recent research by leading scholars in linguistic anthropology, examining the crucial role of language in issues of power, representation, and identity. The primary goal is to cultivate critical thinking about the complex relationships among language, society, and culture.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
An introduction to linguistic anthropology, one of the four subdisciplines of American anthropology. This course takes an ethnographically informed approach to the relationships among language, culture, and society. It also examines the diversity of the world's 6,000+ languages as well as the enormously varied ways in which groups of people around the world use language and other communicative resources in their everyday lives. (This course was formerly entitled "Fundamentals of Linguistic Anthropology"; students who earned credit under the original title are not eligible to repeat it for additional credits.)
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and ... either discovered or destroyed America, depending on your point of view. By 1542, Spain had claimed most of the Americas and Lopez de Gomara, the private secretary of Hernan Cortes, wrote, "The greatest event since the creation of the world." Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, both Adam Smith and Karl Marx would make the same claim in their writings. From the very beginning, not only the magnitude but also the meaning of the Conquest of the Americas has been a point of controversy and acclaim. In this class, we will examine the Indigenous societies of the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula on the eve of their cataclysmic encounter, the processes by which the Spanish Conquistadors overran Indigenous territories, the ways in which each of these distinct societies impacted one another, and the hybrid societies that emerged on the other side. DUPLICATE CREDIT WARNING: Students can receive credit only once for either HIST 2522, ANTH 2522, or LAS 2522.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course will introduce students to the language and cultures of the Maya area of Mesoamerica. Students will acquire basic conversational elements of one of the Maya languages, study Maya culture, including the indigenous literature of the area where applicable, and generally gain a deeper understanding of this diverse part of Latin America.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course will examine the role of language in shaping thought and individuals' experiences of reality. We will build on linguistic anthropology, linguistics, and sociolinguistics in order to explore linguistic relativity and various interpretations of the "Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis." Does language shape our habits of thinking and affect our view of reality, our emotions, and our actions? This course will draw on studies of various regions and cultural contexts in order to examine the complex interactions between language, culture, and thought.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the linguistic and cultural diversity of contemporary global cities from ethnographic perspectives. Drawing on the work of anthropologists as well as sociologists, geographers, sociolinguists, and others, we consider such issues as immigration, transnationalism, assimilation, multiculturalism, and the politics of space and place in urban environments, in addition to such classic linguistic anthropological issues as bilingualism and multilingualism, language contact, language socialization, and language maintenance, shift, and revitalization. Seminar participants will conduct small-scale fieldwork in local settings. Note: Formerly known as ANTH 3536 Urban Dialects and ANTH 3536 Language in the City prior to Summer 2018. Students will not receive credit for both courses (ANTH 3536 or ANTH 2536).
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 2666Zombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, and Hollywood3
This course combines several academic disciplinary approaches to explore the intellectual and cultural histories of two highly influential and essentially religious ideas, that of the zombie and that of the apocalypse, and to critically trace their relatively recent merger in popular culture and imagination - as of 1968 - and to investigate that merger's significations about the human condition. The former is a rather modern idea rooted in Haitian Vodou and its African and European religious antecedents, while the latter is an ancient one rooted in Zoroastrianism and the Bible and widely expanded in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and is arguably one of the most influential ideas in world history. In the interim, the zombie has eclipsed the vampire and Frankenstein as the most prolific monster in popular American culture and consciousness, pervading video games, novels, novelties, the silver screen, and the touch screen. As such, the first two-thirds of the course will be comprised of biblical studies, African studies, Caribbean studies, and the sociology and history of religion, while the final third will trace the merger of the two ideas and their manifestation in popular culture, drawing upon readings in cultural studies, literary analysis, critical race theory, and cinema studies. NOTE: Students can only earn credit one time for either ANTH 2666 or REL 2666.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 2705Introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology3
An introduction to evolutionary theory and its applications to understanding the biology of past and present human populations. Includes basic principles of inheritance and molecular genetics, the genetics of human groups, and genetic models used to explain human biological variability and change. Our place in nature is illustrated by comparison with our non-human primate relatives and a consideration of evolutionary changes in human lineage illustrated by the fossil record. Evolutionary aspects of human development and an evolutionary perspective on epidemiology are also covered. NOTE: Students should complete this course before enrolling in any other upper-level biological anthropology course. Formerly known as "Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology." Students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course is designed to acquaint the undergraduate major in Anthropology (especially those in the Human Biology specialization) with the fundamental concepts of population genetics with particular relevance to human genetics. Although the course, as indicated, has a particular emphasis on genetics, the influence of environmental effects will be especially appreciated in this course, as the impact of culture is so dramatic, even with respect to human genetic evolution. Formerly known as "Human Population Genetics". Students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course provides an overview of the social behavior of our closest living relatives, and presents principles and current thinking in the field of behavioral ecology. We review the great taxonomic diversity of living primates, their geographic distribution, general ecology, and conservation status. The course introduces the theoretical approaches used to interpret non-human primate life-ways and social behavior and considers the application of evolutionary theory to interpreting human behavior.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course, presented in lecture/lab format, is designed to train advanced undergraduates to identify all of the components of the human skeleton. Students will learn the uses of the human skeleton in physical anthropology and archaeology and, for those going on to clinical health programs, the course will provide a detailed understanding of the morphology and variation in the human skeleton that will be highly valuable in the gross and dental anatomy courses taught in clinical post-graduate programs. Also included are discussions of bone growth, kinesiology, individual reconstruction, forensic anthropology, and the use of regression analysis and discriminate functions. Some comparative (between-species) skeletal anatomy is also included.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
4
Credits (max)
4
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Linguistic anthropology, one of the four subfields of anthropology, is the interdisciplinary study of the relationships among language, culture, and society. Linguistic anthropology shares many of its basic units of analysis, and some of its working concepts, with linguistics, especially the subfield of sociolinguistics. However, unlike most linguistic approaches, which are mainly concerned with language structure, linguistic anthropology is rooted in ethnography and is primarily concerned with how the everyday use of language structures, and is structured by, socio-cultural forces. In Fundamentals of Linguistic Anthropology, we will pose, and seek to answer, a variety of questions about language and its relationships to culture and society. Possible questions include: Why do children all over the world acquire their first languages at about the same rate and age? How do children learn to use language in culturally specific, culturally appropriate ways? Why do groups of people who apparently share "the same language" speak and use it very differently? Does the language that one speaks affect the ways in which one thinks and experiences the world? How and why does a particular language variety come to be regarded as the "standard" variety, while others are regarded as "non-standard"? How and why does language use relate to important social variables, such as ethnicity, class, gender, age, education, and religion? What is the relationship between language and power? Why and how does cross-cultural miscommunication occur and what are its consequences? Formerly known as Honors Fundamentals of Linguistic Anthropology; students who earned credit for the prior title may not repeat this course for credit.
This course examines the role that museums play in societies all over the world, with a focus on the ethical responsibilities toward source communities, audiences, and objects. We will focus on museums of anthropology, history, and natural history, with occasional references to art museums. Topics of discussion include museum impacts on "source" communities, especially Indigenous and African people whose material culture often forms the basis for large museum collections, the role of museums within their own communities, and inclusivity and diversity in museum audiences, employees, and education. The course will conclude with a discussion of whether museums still have a role to play in society, and how (or if) we can move forward with an improved museum practice. This course is cross-listed with HIST 3153. Students may only earn credit for either ANTH 3153 or HIST 3153.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A series of practical, topical courses that deal with aspects of archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analysis. The topic or focus of the course varies by semester and includes: field methods; pottery analysis; lithic analysis; sediments, soils and stratigraphy. Because the topic changes by semester, students may take Anthropology 3170 more than once.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This comparative analysis of the rise of early civilizations uses archaeological and historical information to examine the development of ancient societies. It focuses on problems of the Neolithic revolution, the autochthonous transformation of kin-based communities into stratified societies and the subsequent formation and development of early class-based societies/states.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The archaeology and prehistory of the native peoples of the Middle Atlantic Region are examined in detail, and in the broader context of cultural developments in the Northeast and Eastern Woodlands of the United States. Although the seminar employs cultural historical periods as a way to present information, cultural diversity across time and space are emphasized. Basic descriptive data dealing with prehistoric cultures are presented, as well as the variety of interpretations of native lifeways upon which they are based. Included in the course is information derived from cultural resource management studies, the results of which are infrequently published.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The United States and other governments of the world have legal mandates to manage cultural resources on behalf of the public. This course focuses on the archaeological component of cultural resources management in the United States and its linkage with environmental and developmental planning. Participants are given a working knowledge of how the system works, and how to work within it as a professional through a series of readings, classroom discussions, and hands-on exercises. Topic coverage includes: relevant legislation; the phased approach to archaeological and historical research; state and federal review procedures; proposal writing; interacting with clients, native peoples, and the public; professional ethics and standards. The nature of heritage management in other countries is considered for comparative purposes and as a way of illuminating the historical, socio-economic, and legal factors that have shaped the practice in the United States. NOTE: This course helps to satisfy topical requirements in the Anthropology major and the Environmental Studies major.
ANTH 3177Approaches to Historical Sites in Archaeology3
Students examine the central questions, values, and goals of historical archaeology, gaining a working knowledge of its basic concepts and methods. A material culture approach is used as archaeological objects are presented in sites where they express a series of concepts related to our understanding of status, wealth, self identity, consumerism, and symbolism. A holistic framework is used to present material evidence together with documentary, oral, and other data. A variety of sites will be examined in order to introduce many important subfields of historical archaeology such as battlefield archaeology, urban archaeology, industrial archaeology, and underwater archaeology. The course will also demonstrate how such evidence illuminates the modern world and its relevance to our own time and place.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A variable topic course that highlights the specialized interests and research of faculty and current trends in archaeological analysis, interpretation, and theory. Some examples of anticipated topics include: Northeastern Native American Prehistory, Origins of Food Production, Battlefield Archaeology, and the Archaeology of Philadelphia.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Techniques and concepts of field archaeology. Students will be expected to spend the greatest part of the session in the field during the excavation of prehistoric and historic sites. During summer sessions this course is taught in conjunction with Methods in Archaeology (Anthropology 3170).
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This course introduces the student to the techniques and disciplines used in conjunction with archaeology to understand the environmental context and paleo-ecology of prehistoric cultures, as well as the nature of the archaeological record itself. Included in this survey are geology, soil and sediment analysis, geomorphology, palynology, ethnobotany and general floral analysis, phytolith analysis, zooarchaeology, and the analysis of blood and other residues found on artifacts. The range of contributions possible from interdisciplinary research will be explored in addition to how to design such research, how to communicate with specialists in other fields, and how to use existing sources of data to solve archaeological problems. Note: Prior to Spring 2025, this course was titled "Methods in Environmental Archaeology." Students who have earned credits under the original title will not earn additional credits.
This course historicizes, contextualizes, and explores the major theoretical schools in anthropology from the mid-19th century up through the present, including social evolutionism, historical particularism, structural-functionalism, cultural materialism, structuralism, symbolic anthropology, political-economy approaches, postcolonial critiques, feminist critiques, the crisis in ethnographic representation, and poststructuralist approaches. Note: Prior to Spring 2025, this course was titled "History of Anthropological Theory." Students who have earned credits under the original title will not earn additional credits.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the anthropology of art and "artworlds." While its emphasis is on non-western art, it maintains a comparative stance between unfamiliar and familiar visual traditions. Thus, by implication it raises questions about western arts and their cultural contexts. Specific topics and cultures vary according to the interests and expertise of the instructor. Topics can include comparative aesthetics, authenticity and "primitiveness," the commodification of art, tourist art, gender in the production and consumption of art, the influence of non-Western art objects and performances on European and North American cultures, conceptual systems and modes of viewing, the circumstance of encounter with objects, the modes of production and how objects are shared and valued, both in the culture in which they are initially made and in the culture they may be in now. Cultural contexts may include people and art from Aboriginal Australia, Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Native America.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course will examine anthropological approaches to political structure, political organization, and political action. We will begin by familiarizing ourselves with some of the basic attributes and cultural commitments of Enlightenment projects as well as liberal political theory. Topics may include anthropological analyses of colonialism, nationalism, state formation, development, corruption, social movements, and human rights. We will consider the culture of politics and the politics of culture in disparate contexts around the world. Throughout the course we will remain attentive to how anthropologists historically have studied politics, and how anthropological notions of politics have changed through time.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Formerly known as Gender Theory.Gender is arguably universally the primary category of social difference into which we (as humans) are socialized. This course takes an historically and ethnographically situated approach to understanding how sociocultural anthropologists have theorized gender, with a particular focus on feminist anthropology approaches to culture, power, and history. Throughout the course we will additionally explore the intersection of gender with such other statuses of social difference as sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, generation, education, and rural versus urban residence in a variety of global contexts.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
As a writing-intensive course focusing on fieldwork methods, this is an important course that contributes to the new theme "Mobility and Global Inequality" by promoting the six program goals. Through written assignments and readings, students learn necessary skills to develop critical analysis, disciplinary knowledge, grasp of sociocultural diversity, communication and problem-solving skills, and technological literacy. Students are assessed through workshops, evaluation of their grasp of ethnographic methods through target projects, and their written assignments.
Formerly known as Anthropological Film. Students who have completed Anthropological Film will not receive additional credit for taking Ethnographic Film.A review of major film styles useful for anthropological film and video in conjunction with an analysis of the role of film/video in anthropology. Topics will include relationships of anthropological and ethnographic films, the significance of historical and ideological contexts, comparisons to indigenous video and feature films, and problems in the communication of anthropological theory and insight through the film/video medium. A broad range of ethnographic films will be screened to illustrate a progression of work and variety in relationships of theory, subject matter, cultural context, production techniques and style, and expected audiences.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course will expose students to the anthropological theory of New Media as well as traditional and newly emerging socio-cultural methodology. Building on long-standing anthropological analyses of media as a vehicle for cultural expression and a means for articulating and defining human culture, this course will train students both to analyze and produce New Media forms. Students will be required to combine the central methodologies of socio-cultural anthropology, such as interviewing and participant observation, with New Media participatory and interactive technologies for producing and analyzing data.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Mass media is a comparatively new topic of study for anthropology, which a century ago focused on supposedly pre-literate, pre-modern, traditional societies. Now, of course, anthropologists study people in cities as well as villages, in the U.S. and Europe as well as on remote islands, and even supposedly "exotic" groups have access to media, as rainforest residents wield video cameras and Africa is the world's fastest-growing cell phone market. Today the social life of media (books, magazines, TV, films, videos, audiocassettes, radio, e-mail, the Internet, telephones, billboards, etc.) is a vibrant and growing topic of interest within anthropology. Some of the questions anthropologists ask: What roles do media play in the circulation, transmission, and contestation of culture? How do media (and new media technologies) affect people's lives, and how do people transform and adapt media to fit their needs? What is the relation of the media to economic and political systems? What can we learn by paying attention to the specific details of how media are produced, used, and talked about? This course provides an introduction to theoretical and methodological tools used by anthropologists in studying media; a forum for critical analysis of media processes in the U.S. and around the world; and opportunities to do ethnographic research of media processes.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 3444Advanced Production of Anthropological Media3
Formerly known as Anthropological Problems in Visual Production. Students who have completed Anthropological Problems in Visual Production will not receive additional credit for taking Advanced Production of Anthropological Media.The introduction of visual recording techniques to a sample of problems in the anthropology of visual communication. Discussions will include ways anthropologists construct problems, develop observational strategies, select appropriate image-making technology, work in field conditions, among others. Strategies of representation connected to the integration of cultural and film theories will be explored in conjunction with a wide range of film examples. Students will be introduced to the department's production facilities and do short exercises in image making, viewing, and interpretation. NOTE: A lab fee may be necessary depending on the extent of each semester's assignments.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 3509Language Socialization and Cultural Reproduction3
This course examines how children and other novices, through interaction with older or otherwise more "expert" persons, acquire the culturally specific forms of knowledge, skills, orientations, and practices that enable them to become competent members of their communities. Topics explored include cross-cultural variation in ways of teaching and learning; socialization of children and of older novices (such as adult immigrants and job trainees) into new identities, roles, and statuses; and socialization processes as sites of cultural reproduction, innovation, and change. Ethnographic case studies from around the world are discussed and compared. Throughout the semester, using the resources of the Linguistic Anthropology Teaching Laboratory, students collect and analyze ethnographic audio-video data from various local settings (schools, churches, community organizations, workplaces, etc.) in which language socialization can be observed.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the role of language in the experiences of immigrant communities across the globe, and the ways in which language issues, broadly constructed, shape cultural politics of representation and everyday life in migration settings, including: how language is inextricably intertwined with identity formation and social belonging; how language is crucial to understanding how migrants are stratified; and how the experience of migrants in society is formed in the course of everyday interactional engagements.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A variably themed seminar dealing with collection, analysis, and presentation of ethnographic data, emphasizing observation and audio-video recording of communicative practices, both verbal and non-verbal. Each seminar participant develops an independent research project involving fieldwork in local settings.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ANTH 3596Research Methods in Culture and Communication3
This course is designed to acquaint the undergraduate majors in Anthropology with the methods of linguistic anthropology. This course satisfies the Methods requirement for the major in Anthropology. This course is designed to expose you to culturally diverse perspectives on how these methodological approaches are used in the research design and development of full-fledged ethnographies. From a programmatic perspective, this is an important class that rests firmly on the line between the two themes: "Evolution and Human Environments" and "Mobility and Global Inequality."
Designed to familiarize students with both theoretical and methodological frameworks for interpreting the human fossil record with a review of the synthetic theory of evolution, socio-biological concepts, and procedures in taxonomy and phylogenetic reconstruction. Attention given to the origin of the human lineage and what the fossils of that lineage tell us about the evolution of anatomical systems that are peculiar to humans. Formerly known as "Human Paleontology". Students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
An investigation of how advances in genomics have shaped the way physical anthropologists approach the study of living human populations. Students are introduced to basic concepts in the regulation of genetic expression and developmental genetics. Concepts from these two fields are discussed within the framework of evolutionary developmental biology, and we explore the implications of this new synthesis for the evolution of modern humans and modern human variation. Variation caused by changes in developmental timing is explored in terms of genetics (using selection and life history models) and non-genetic (epigenetic, phenotypic plasticity) response pathways to environmental conditions.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course surveys classic and contemporary literature on human life history evolution, reproductive physiology, and reproductive ecology. It begins by covering some basic information in life history theory and comparative reproductive biology. Secondly, it surveys key issues in the field organized by the stages and events of the life cycle using the following approach: what is the underlying physiology, how do humans compare to the non-human primates and what explanations have been proposed to account for our differences, what factors modulate the expression of life history characteristics among human populations? Duplicate Credit Warning: Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed ANTH 4797.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Understanding growth and development is essential to many aspects of the study of biological anthropology. In this course we will explore the biological processes that lead to the development of the bony skeleton, teeth, and various aspects of body composition. These measures of human growth and development are used in biological anthropology to understand human biological diversity, as well as to appreciate the influence of the genetics, the environment, and human behavior. Students will learn standard methods of assessment of growth and development used with studies of living and past human populations. After learning the basic principles of growth and development and how to measure them, we will explore specific anthropological applications.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Advanced undergraduate students will have the opportunity to develop individual research projects in biological anthropology, utilizing materials in the department collections and from department expeditions. Students will be introduced to problems in research design, sampling theory, research paper writing, and commonly used statistical techniques in biological anthropology, and will apply them in their project analyses. Note: Prior to Fall 2025, this course was titled "Methods in Physical Anthropology."
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in ANTH 2705.
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a solid grounding in basic statistical techniques/methods as applied to anthropological data. Such data is highly variable in form due, in part, to the diversity of research questions being asked and to the methods of collection. The ultimate goal of this course is to bring together various datasets and methods so that students might better assess the results/interpretations presented in the anthropological literature. New quantitative concepts will be presented each week along with examples/applications of the concepts and practice problems. The problems associated with the texts and other data sets will be solved using SPSS, statistical software which resides on all publically available university machines. Formerly known as "Quantitative Methods in Anthropology". Students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course explores the new field of evolutionary medicine which seeks adaptive explanations for why humans as a species are susceptible to certain diseases that are rare among other mammals. The course also asks why certain human populations are susceptible to disease and illness whereas others are not. In contrast, when physicians and biomedical researchers ask "why" a patient is sick they usually seek an explanation in the effect of a pathogen, the role of anatomical anomaly, a genetic mutation, exposure to an environmental toxin, the cause of physiological disregulation, or other proximate mechanisms including behavioral and cultural causes. Knowledge of how our biological adaptations and patterns of human biological variation contribute to disease susceptibility is beginning to inform therapeutic approaches in biomedicine and sometimes provokes extraordinary controversy and claims of racism or biological determinism. This course will conclude with a series of discussions and debates about the legitimacy of such critiques after students in the course have learned about evolutionary explanations for disease susceptibility.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
There are two interrelated goals to this course. The first is to understand the nature of human physiological responses to environmental extremes. Here, in addition to understanding basic physiological responses to nutritional stress, climactic temperature and high altitude hypoxia, we will examine genetic and environmental causes of population differences. We also will critically evaluate adaptive hypotheses used to explain differences between human populations. The second goal is to write a scientific paper in a format acceptable for publication. To accomplish this, students will learn how to formulate and justify a hypothesis related to human physiological variation, develop an appropriate analytical strategy, test the hypothesis using a population-based data set, and interpret the results.
This course will critically evaluate the ways evolutionary theory has been used to explain human and primate evolution and modern human biological diversity. Included will be lectures on, and discussion of, the history of evolutionary thinking, the sources of variation in human populations, evolutionary processes, behavioral ecology, the levels of selection and problems in phylogenetic reconstruction. Anthropologically relevant models will be used throughout the course. Formerly known as "Evolutionary Biology". Students who earned credits under the original title will not receive additional credits for this course.
A variable topic Honors course. The topic of the course may vary by section number. Be sure to check with the instructor who is offering the given course and section to find out the specific course description in a given semester.
ANTH 4096Capstone in Evolution and Human Environments3
This is a writing intensive capstone course designed for senior anthropology majors or other qualified students who have taken courses (or who are interested) in the theme of "Evolution and Human Environments". With an understanding of how evolutionary and ecological processes influence past socio-cultural and biological change and how they affect modern population bio-cultural diversity, students will identify a research hypothesis and then develop a proposal that could be submitted to a private or public funding agency. This will involve the identification of articles that will be used to write a literature review related to the hypothesis, and then move through the steps of writing a research proposal: explaining the methodology that will be used to test the hypothesis, the type of results that are anticipated, the strategy that will be used to analyze the results, and the ways in which results will be disseminated to the public. The result will be a complete research proposal based on a format from a specific funding agency.
ANTH 4097Capstone in Mobility and Global Inequality3
This writing-intensive course is the capstone requirement for the undergraduate major in anthropology. It is intended for advanced undergraduate anthropology students who are interested in issues of mobility and global inequality. The course will focus on the application of discipline-specific methods and modes of analysis to contemporary problems relating to movements of persons, objects, and ideas, and to inequalities of power and access to resources at multiple levels, from local to global. It is most appropriate for students who are interested in applying ethnographic methodologies to such problems, but it is open to all anthropology students who have completed a methods course in the Department of Anthropology. Advanced students in related fields may take it with the permission of the instructor.
This course provides hands-on, professional level work experiences for Anthropology majors focusing on the study of archaeology. It is designed for students who have already completed basic course work in archaeology, including the department's field school [Anthropology 3189 (0320) & 3170 (0321)]. Students will be placed with one of a number of firms in the region involved in cultural resource management studies where they will be employed in a variety of laboratory and field activities. The intensity and focus of the experience will be tailored to the particular needs or interests of the student, but minimally will involve 8 hours of effort per week.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This is a writing-intensive capstone course in biological anthropology. It is designed to provide students with an opportunity to formulate a data-specific and testable research hypothesis concerning the cause of variation within human populations, or across primate species. Students will have access to a large number of faculty-generated data sets; and can therefore select a research project that fits their interests. Each phase of the research project (the development of hypotheses, the strategy used to test the hypothesis on one of the data sets, the selection of statistics used to analyze data, and the interpretation of results) will coincide with the construction of a section of a scientific paper. After each phase of the paper is written, it will be evaluated, discussed in class, revised, and re-presented. The result will be a final paper based on the research project, in a format that is suitable for presentation at a scientific meeting or publication in a scientific journal.
ANTH 5006Quantitative Analysis of Anthropological Data3
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a solid grounding in basic statistical techniques/methods as applied to anthropological data. Such data is highly variable in form due, in part, to the diversity of research questions being asked and to the methods of collection. The ultimate goal of this course is to bring together various data sets and methods so that students might better assess the results/interpretations presented in the anthropological literature. New quantitative concepts will be presented each week along with examples/applications of the concepts and practice problems. The problems associated with the main course text will be solved using a hand calculator; more complex data sets and problems will require the use of computer statistical software [i.e., SPSS (available on all University machines)].
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the methods, techniques, and theoretical approaches employed in modern archaeological research. Designed as a rotating-focus seminar, Methods in Archaeology centers each semester on a different archaeological theme or subfield - such as field methods, lithic analysis, zooarchaeology, ceramic analysis, paleoethnobotany, geospatial methods, digital archaeology, or heritage science. Students gain both a broad understanding of the principles underpinning archaeological practice and a specialized skillset tailored to that semester's focus. Through readings, hands-on laboratory activities, field exercises, and critical discussions, participants develop the ability to evaluate and apply diverse methodological approaches to real-world archaeological problems. Because topics change, ANTH 5170 may be taken more than once.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This comparative analysis of the rise of early civilizations uses archaeological and historical information to examine the development of ancient societies. It focuses on problems of the Neolithic revolution and the autochthonous transformation of kin-based communities into stratified societies and the subsequent formation and development of archaic states.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The archaeology and pre-contact history of the native peoples of the Middle Atlantic Region are examined within the larger northeastern woodlands region. The broader context of cultural developments in the Northeast and Eastern Woodlands of the United States will chronologically cover over 12,000 years of cultural adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Although the seminar employs cultural historical periods to present information, cultural diversity across time and space is emphasized. Additional discussions will center on the social and cultural organization of pre-contact Mid-Atlantic indigenous peoples and how they played a role within the larger northeastern woodland cultures. Because indigenous groups are not static, this seminar will also provide present day contextual knowledge on those federally recognized tribes that call this region home and discuss the opportunities for professionals and indigenous people to listen, learn, and collaborate.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This advanced seminar provides an in-depth, critical examination of the cultural development of Native peoples from the initial colonization of North America up to the arrival of Europeans. Coverage is organized by cultural and geographic regions as well as chronological periods, beginning with the peopling of North America. Students will engage with the most current debates and data surrounding the initial colonization of North America, explore the extraordinary cultural diversity and complexity of Indigenous societies, and critically evaluate how Native cultures interacted with and transformed their environments over millennia. The course emphasizes the methodological, theoretical, and ethical issues in the study of Indigenous North America, including Indigenous sovereignty over archaeological narratives, decolonizing methodologies, and the use of traditional knowledge. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate expertise in synthesizing archaeological, ethnographic, environmental, and ethnohistorical data to address complex questions about Indigenous lifeways, cultural trajectories, and contemporary relevance.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5177Approaches to Historic Sites in Archaeology3
Students examine the central questions, values, and goals of historical archaeology, gaining a working knowledge of its basic concepts and methods. A material culture approach is used as archaeological objects are presented in sites where they express a series of concepts related to our understanding of status, wealth, self identity, consumerism, and symbolism. A holistic framework is used to present material evidence together with documentary, oral, and other data. A variety of sites will be examined in order to introduce many important subfields of historical archaeology such as landscape archaeology, urban archaeology, industrial archaeology, and underwater archaeology. The course also will demonstrate how such evidence illuminates the modern world and its relevance to our own time and place.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A seminar on the archaeology of sites dating from the colonial period and later periods in American history. Topical focus varies; contact the instructor for details.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Techniques and concepts of field archaeology, including survey and excavation. Students will be expected to spend the greatest part of the session in the field during the excavation of a pre-contact or historic occupation site. The location of field projects shifts from year to year. Previous locations have included coastal Maryland, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Middle and Upper Delaware Valley, and Valley Forge NHP.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This course introduces students to the techniques and disciplines derived from so-called hard sciences that are used in conjunction with archaeology. Included in this survey are geological methods such as soil and sediment analysis; chronological methods such as radiometric and luminescence dating; macrobotanical, microbotanical, and zooarchaeological analysis; molecular and chemical methods; remote sensing methods; and other new methods as they are introduced. The range of contributions possible from interdisciplinary research will be explored in addition to how to design such research, how to communicate with specialists in other fields, and how to use existing sources of data to solve archaeological problems.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course provides an in-depth examination of the principles, practices, and ethics of managing and curating collections within museums, archives, and cultural institutions. Students will explore the lifecycle of collections - from acquisition, documentation, and preventive conservation to storage, access, and deaccessioning - while engaging with current debates surrounding stewardship, repatriation, and the role of digital technologies in collection care. Emphasis is placed on developing practical skills in collections planning, policy development, and legal compliance (including NAGPRA and international conventions), as well as on understanding the evolving responsibilities of curators and collections managers in shaping institutional narratives and community engagement. Through case studies, hands-on exercises, and critical readings, students will gain both the theoretical framework and applied knowledge necessary to ethically steward and interpret material culture in a global context.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the role that museums play in societies all over the world, with a focus on the ethical responsibilities toward source communities, audiences, and objects. We will focus on museums of anthropology, history, and natural history. Topics of discussion include: 1) the origin and history of museums; 2) their impacts on "source" communities, especially indigenous and African people whose material culture often forms the basis for large museum collections; 3) repatriation of museum collections; 4) the role of museums within their own communities; 5) inclusivity and diversity in museum audiences and employees; and 6) museum exhibits, outreach, and education. The course will conclude with a discussion of whether museums, and especially ethnographic museums or divisions, still have a role to play in society, and how (or if) we can move forward with an improved museum practice.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
The United States and other governments of the world have legal mandates to manage cultural resources on behalf of the public. This graduate course focuses on the archaeological component of cultural resources heritage management in the United States and its linkage with environmental and developmental planning. Students are given a working knowledge of how the system works, and how to work within it as a professional through a series of readings, classroom discussions, and hands-on exercises. Topics within the field of cultural resource management include relevant legislation; the phased approach to archaeological and historical research; state and federal review procedures; budget and proposal writing; interacting with clients, native peoples, and the public; professional ethics and standards. The nature of heritage management in other countries is considered for comparative purposes and as a way of illuminating the historical, socio-economic, and legal factors that have shaped the practice in the United States.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the business, administrative, and financial dimensions of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) in the U.S. and globally. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how CRM firms and agencies operate, from proposal development and budgeting to marketing and project delivery. Emphasis is placed on practical skills - project management, contract negotiation, financial planning, staffing, and ethical decision-making - necessary for leadership roles in CRM. Through lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and applied exercises, students will learn to navigate the complex intersection of heritage stewardship and business realities.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course provides graduate students with supervised, professional-level experience in heritage management through internships with museums, government agencies, cultural resource management firms, tribal organizations, or nonprofit institutions. Students apply theoretical and methodological training gained in the classroom to real-world settings, developing practical skills in areas such as collections care, compliance with heritage laws and regulations, community engagement, and project management. The internship is designed to bridge academic study and professional practice, allowing students to build networks, gain specialized expertise, and produce tangible work products (e.g., reports, management plans, or public outreach materials). Students are expected to complete a set number of hours at the internship site, maintain reflective journals, and submit a final report demonstrating their contributions and learning outcomes. Faculty oversight ensures alignment with graduate-level learning objectives and professional standards.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5310Theories and Methods in Cultural Anthropology3
This course examines anthropological approaches to visual and material consumption in social life. Through readings in both classic social theory and contemporary theory and ethnography, we will investigate how images and things acquire meaning, organize social life, and constitute identities through different consumptive processes. Questions to be addressed include: How do people create social identities, hierarchies, or senses of collective belonging through consumption practices? How do images and objects acquire value or significance in different consumption contexts - from gift exchange to internet surfing to shopping? What is the relationship between images, objects, money, and morality in different societies? How can we understand the commodity form ethnographically? What can consumption reveal about processes of state formation and globalization - from the creation of imagined communities to the creation of inequalities? What are the differences between the consumption of visual media versus material objects?
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Economic Anthropology is the study of how economic systems articulate with culture on a variety of scales. This class examines basic paradigms of study in economic anthropology, theories of money and value, and ethnographies of exchange. We will look at how the commodification, production and/or sale of goods in formal, informal and black markets affect people in very different ways. We think through the role of the state, of religion, power struggles and advertising in shaping these markets.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines how both western and non-western societies have defined the domain of "politics." While looking at a range of ethnographies on different forms of politics, we will also attempt to understand how anthropologists historically have studied politics, and how anthropological notions of politics have changed through time.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5326Problems in the Anthropological Study of Religion3
This course examines some of the major themes, methods, and intellectual traditions of the study of religion in anthropology. Considered as a comparative study of religious practice, this course seeks to understand thought and behavior in worship, iconography, pilgrimage, domestic and congregational performance, mythology and cosmology, trance, dance, sacrifice, ritual experience and other dimensions of religious life as well as the way that these facets of religious culture interrelate. The study of religion in a historically complex circumstance will provide the means to examine the processes of accommodation and tension that exist in a multi-religious environment.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This seminar focuses on anthropological analysis of social structures, including kinship, families and households, social networks, voluntary organizations, and bureaucracies
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Examines biocultural and sociocultural approaches to the understanding of multiplex human experiences of health, disease, and affliction. Introduction to the major theoretical schools and critical issues of contemporary medical anthropology. Explores six topical areas: biocultural perspectives on disease and health; ethnomedicine; medical pluralism; medicine and social control; international health development; and the relationships between culture/ society and scientific biomedical representations.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Examines "applied" domain and different ways of "using" anthropological knowledge, ranging from critiques of international and federal social policies as products of the state and private interests to participative anthropology that moves toward political action and empowerment, to working for the state and private corporate centers as a way to make a living. Evaluates the efficacy of different types of work for progressive social change and examines the possibilities of how to make our research matter more in relation to major public issues.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Explores anthropological literature on gender as a means of exposing the hidden assumptions about power, language, and gender that inform anthropological theory. Theoretical critiques of this literature will be used to reassess anthropology and to generate a systematic approach to the study of gender. (Prior to fall 2015, the course title was Gender Theory.)
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
American Culture: Conformity and Diversity. This course focuses on North American ethnographies and their role in the development of North Americanist anthropology. This includes examining dominant debates about the cultural and structural intersection of race, class, gender, and other axes of difference. Other topics include the global spread of North American power, expertise in science and technology, and cultural forms in the twentieth century.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5366Contemporary Perspectives in Urban Anthropology3
Examines the development of urban anthropology from the early debates of the 1970s to redefinitions in the 1980s. The emerging paradigm of intensive studies of local social processes within larger macrostructural contexts is the focus.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This class encourages students to explore the world around them from an ethnographer's perspective; that is, to observe, hear and listen to people and the settings around them with attention to history and the social, political, economic, and ideological structures that provide the context for actors' agency. We will conduct short fieldwork exercises, write fieldnotes and an analytic paper, and conduct an oral history interview. We will also consider what ethical issues fieldworkers encounter as they pursue their research, read classic and more recent examples of ethnographic writing, and engage in debate about different forms of anthropological methods and writing.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Clarifies various intellectual currents in contemporary anthropology, their relationships to intellectual and social developments, and debates in the broader society. Concerned with the development of anthropological thought as it has been shaped by Western society and the emergence of various intellectual tendencies. Surveys the antecedents of anthropology in the major intellectual currents of the early modern era and its crystallization during the Age of Revolution. Focuses in detail on what happened after the social sciences were professionalized in the late 19th century.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5428Theory and Methods in Culture and Communication3
This course explores the history and development of visual culture. Considered are: the history of perception and how mechanical and digital reproduction have had an impact on the sensuousness of the gaze-in-culture; how various intellectual movements in the 20th century effected visual reproduction. The course provides a solid historical foundation with which students can enhance their comprehension of contemporary visual culture.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Students will critically review a series of feature films that include topics, themes, and subject matter often treated within anthropology and related human sciences. It is clear that American feature films usually thought of as 'Hollywood films' can be very influential in establishing or reinforcing social and cultural stereotypes of 'states of knowledge' about peoples living in various parts of the world. Viewership of these materials, either as films shown in movie theaters or as their videotape counterparts seen on home television screens, certainly exceeds the size of audiences in introductory anthropology courses in the U.S. The potential for influence and false senses of familiarity is enormous.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course examines the relationships between various types of media (film, radio, television, Internet, newspaper, telephone, performance) and power relations, control, and cultural representation. We will look at reception studies, and social construction of "news watching," the construction of "others" and the maintenance of "otherness" in media, as well as the international politics of media messages and the power of media in influencing our opinions about the world.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
A critical examination of an anthropological approach to photography. Special attention will be given to a socio-cultural history of photography in the U.S. Examples from documentary, fine art, and commercial photographic genres will be shown, discussed, and compared to ethnographic studies. Field methods, models of analysis, and ethical issues will also be included. Required readings, active class participation. No exams. Students keep a journal and write several short essays. Note: Knowledge of camera technology and darkroom procedures is helpful but not required.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5444Anthropological Problems in Visual Production3
The introduction of visual recording techniques to a sample of problems in the anthropology of visual communication. Discussions will include ways anthropologists construct problems, develop observational strategies, select appropriate image-making technology, work in field conditions, among others. Strategies of representation connected to the integration of cultural and film theories will be explored in conjunction with a wide range of film examples. Students will be introduced to the department's production facilities and do short exercises in image making, viewing, and interpretation.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Explores museums, exhibitions, galleries, and festivals as a form of public culture. Activities include critical reading of relevant literature and an examination of films, CD-ROM's, Internet web sites as well as field trips to local institutions.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This seminar examines the varied ways in which individuals and groups use language in constituting, maintaining, resisting, challenging, subverting, and transforming power relations. These issues are considered at multiple levels of analysis, from face-to-face interactions to performances to the production and circulation of media at national and global levels. A central goal is to develop critical perspectives on the place of language and communicative practice in contemporary social theory.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This seminar examines language use and other communicative practices as forms of action through which individuals and groups create, sustain, and transform their lifeworlds. Drawing largely on ethnographic materials, it considers a broad range of the semiotically, culturally, politically, ideologically, and discursively mediated activities that, taken together, constitute human sociality. The seminar emphasizes the collection, analysis, and presentation of original ethnographic data. Toward these ends, each seminar participant develops an independent research project involving participant observation and naturalistic audio-video recording of communicative practices (both verbal and non-verbal) in local settings.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5509Language Socialization and Cultural Reproduction3
Language socialization research is concerned with the processes whereby children and other novices, through interactions with older or otherwise more experienced persons, acquire the knowledge, orientations, skills, and practices that enable them to function as (and crucially, to be regarded as) competent members of their communities. This seminar examines language socialization and cultural reproduction as both universal and culturally specific phenomena. Topics explored include theoretical and methodological approaches to socialization; cross-cultural variations in ways of teaching and learning; socialization of children and of other novices; the agency of learners; the socialization of identities, roles, and statuses; and socialization processes as a site of innovation and change. Using the resources of the Linguistic Anthropology Teaching Laboratory, seminar participants collect, analyze, and present ethnographic audio-video data from various local settings (schools, churches, community organizations, workplaces, etc.) in which socialization can be observed.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Methodological training for graduate students in physical anthropology and the Biocultural adaptation program. Topics include population genetics and demography, osteology, energy flow models, and human physiology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
ANTH 5796Biocultural Adaptation of Human Populations3
This course explores the manner in which the adaptation concept has been used in cultural and biological anthropology. Evaluations of optimization models, thermodynamic models, evolutionary stable strategy theory, cultural materialism and selection models are conducted in a seminar format. Discussions will focus on the extent to which the behavioral and biological characteristics of human populations can be explained in an "adaptive" context. Students will critique specific models and the way they have been applied to groups living in stressful environments.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 5797Reproductive Biology of Human Populations3
A survey of physiological and biochemical variability in human populations examined as a function of environmental adaptation. Emphasis on the responses of different populations to discernible environmental stresses.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
In-depth review of the synthetic theory of evolution, and special topics in evolutionary theory. Emphasis placed on the history of evolutionary thinking, the sources of variation in human populations, evolutionary processes, behavioral ecology, the levels of selection and problems in phylogenetic reconstruction. Anthropologically relevant models will be used throughout the course.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Mobility and inequality endure as fundamental realities of human life, and underlie myriad social processes and institutions through which, on the one hand, people organize and make sense of the world around them and, on the other hand, seek to change the conditions and circumstances of their lives. They are at once complementary and oppositional, and examining some of the dynamics between them provides perspective into a variety of anthropological questions both old and new: how do people negotiate unevenly distributed resources? why do people move to new places? in what circumstances is social egalitarianism possible, and in which do hierarchy or even tyranny prevail? as people move, what is lost and what is retained? what effects will large-scale human migration have on prevailing political and economic systems? is radical social change possible under capitalism? Such questions lead us inevitably towards the problem of power and governance, both in today's world and the series of regimes and orders that have preceded and shaped it. How and why people move, or are forced to move, is always bound up with projects of control, exploitation, rebellion, oppression, allegiance, and resistance. This course focuses on mobility and inequality as grounded, embodied processes and experiences, by focusing on ethnographic descriptions of people who are both stuck and on the move, subjugated and liberated, in order to introduce students to a range of foundational concepts and questions.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8002Evolution, Human Environments, and the Culture Niche3
Contemporary research in anthropology has become increasingly interdisciplinary and integrative across the 4 traditional subfields. This reflects both expanded theory and emerging themes of inquiry. One important perspective on the human condition is to recall our evolutionary history and the unusual, biologically-based capacity of humans to create our own socioecological niche. The expansion of evolutionary theory in recent years to embrace the importance and relevance of niche construction is a central question in the discipline. This course begins by examining the paleontological and primatological evidence for human uniqueness, particularly the capacity for language and the importance of social learning. Then, through the lens of Evolutionary Biology we introduce, critique and consider the value of an adaptationist perspective to explain Culture. Anthropology has long appealed to the concept of bio-cultural evolution and to the idea that Culture is an adaptation (in the evolutionary sense of the word). This course builds on that history to explore the nature, impact and importance of the culture niche. Several influential approaches to understanding variation in cultural practices and human behaviors are compared: Optimality Theory, Human Behavioral Ecology, Evolutionary Ethnobiology, Cultural Ecology, Dual-Inheritance Theory. The course concludes with a series of Case Studies and consideration of the Culture Niche concept in Applied Anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Examination of the major theoretical debates that have informed cultural anthropology by analyzing how these perspectives have shaped the development of the ethnographic form. Topics include: structural-functionalism, professional and symbolic approaches, political economy, gender theory and post-structuralism.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Linguistic anthropology is concerned with the dynamic inter-relationships among language, culture, and society. This course provides an overview of theoretical and methodological approaches through which language can be studied in its social and cultural contexts as a means of communication as well as a medium of power, a means of production, and a commodity of value. Language is regarded as a cultural resource, and communicative practices are treated as forms of social action that vary significantly from one place and time to another. The role of language in sociocultural processes of reproduction and change are examined, revealing that communicative practices and their social organization are not just reflections of pre-existing social structures and cultural patterns, but are in fact constitutive of society and culture.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Survey of theories and methodologies used in physical anthropology. Development of physical anthropological theory and practice, genetics, hominid evolution, human population variation, primate history and ethnology, ecology, demography, and physiological anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Examines the methods and theories used in archaeological research and provides an overview of human history that has been revealed by archaeological research. Topics covered include the historical development of archaeology, the nature of archaeological evidence, measuring and organizing time, analyzing spatial relationships, interpreting material culture, explanations in archaeology, hunter-gatherers in prehistory, agricultural origins, origins of complex societies, historical archaeology, and current trends in archaeology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course is a workshop on issues in the teaching of anthropology in general and, more specifically, on the teaching of introductory courses in Temple's Department of Anthropology. Weekly meetings will cover general pedagogical issues such as writing a syllabus, evaluating student writing, constructing class assignments, grading and similar matters. Sample syllabi will be collected and reviewed, along with the textbooks that have been used for various introductory classes. Students will interview those who have experience in teaching introductory courses and will create a syllabus of their own for a course relevant to their individual subfield in anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8012Ethical Considerations in Anthropology Research3
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to a large variety of ethical considerations in the field of Anthropology. Because anthropologists work with various aspects of the study of humankind, significant time must be taken to protect all aspects of research including living people, deceased people, descendant communities, model animals, and representations of people, language, and material aspects of culture. This course will challenge graduate students to consider difficult circumstances in anthropological research and encourage them to develop personal, peer group, and professional understandings of their responsibilities as anthropology researchers.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8013Professionalization in Heritage Management1
This course introduces graduate students to professional practices essential for careers in heritage management (cultural resources and museums), including ethical conduct, effective communication, job search strategies, and career development. Students will learn how to build a strong professional identity, develop compelling application materials, and prepare for interviews in public, private, and academic sectors. Special emphasis is placed on networking, ethics, and the professional responsibilities archaeologists hold to communities, employers, and the discipline.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
1
Credit unit
Credit Hour
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
This course provides graduate students with advanced training in writing and communication within heritage management. All students will explore the nuances of preparing scopes of work, proposals and budgets, research designs, and public outreach materials. With guidance from the instructor, students will apply the theoretical, technical, and ethical knowledge they have gained throughout the program to create a portfolio of professional-level writing samples appropriate to their field of interest. This could include, for example, drafting portions of a CRM report from field notes, maps, and artifact datasets. Alternatively, it could include the development of funding proposal for a non-profit organization or an exhibit, from proposal to didactic text. Students are encouraged to use examples from their field school, internship, or other professional experiences, but can also use collections and other resources in the Temple Anthropology Laboratory and Museum.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Reading and analysis of key ethnographic texts. Major topics include: development of ethnography as a genre in the twentieth century; regional patterns in ethnographic data and their relation to theory formation; postmodern critiques of ethnography; the influence of ethnography on other disciplines; and the use of ethnographies in teaching anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Reading and analysis of key ethnographic texts. Major topics include: development of ethnography as a genre in the 20th-century; regional patterns in ethnographic data and their relation to theory formation; postmodern critiques of ethnography; the influence of ethnography on other disciplines; and the use of ethnographics in teaching anthropology.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
This course explores the major anthropological approaches to the relationship between objects and social life, with a particular focus on art as especially illuminating. Using examples from Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, Europe, and the United States, the following themes are analyzed: how and why are objects categorized (e.g., as art objects, ritual objects, or ethnographic objects); the debate over the cross-cultural applicability of "art" and "aesthetics"; the ideologies of the "artist" in different societies; the ways that different objects are used to define groups of people (e.g., according to clan, race, gender, class, nationality); the relationship between the exchange/circulation of objects and social relations between different groups; the commoditization of objects; the international trade in tourist objects and art; and the role of museums and anthropologists in representing cultures through objects.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
In this course, we will develop an anthropological approach to violence, querying the experience of violence and the ways in which it is generative and destructive of social structures and cultural meaning. We will consider violence's relationship to morality, politics, and inequality, as well as the ways in which violence is affirmed or denied as part of collective experience. Throughout the semester, our work will be grounded in political and anthropological theory and ethnographic material from the United States and elsewhere, as well as students' independent research and analyses.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8408Approaches in the Anthropology of Visual Communication I3
The course has a survey approach; the theoretical overview is grounded in a perspective that applies concepts of culture to processes of visual communication.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8409Approaches in the Anthropology of Visual Communication II3
Examination of an anthropological approach to the study of the uses of the body, space, and the built environment, film, photographic, and television theories of construction and reception, art and aesthetics, cyberspace, and museums.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8429Problems in the Anthropology of Visual Communication3
Advanced seminar devoted to problematic aspects of visual media, research, fieldwork, production, exposition of issues central to relationships of anthropology, media, and visual communication. Topics vary by semester.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
ANTH 8550Current Issues in Linguistic Anthropology3
A themed seminar devoted to key areas of contemporary research in linguistic anthropology and allied fields of study. The seminar theme varies according to the instructor's areas of expertise, students' areas of interest, and curricular needs. Contact the instructor for details.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
Credit Hours
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Special study on a particular aspect of anthropology under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. No more than six semester hours can be counted toward degree requirements.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
12
Credit unit
Credit Hour
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Students who are doing research and writing for their M.A. thesis should register for this class. Credit does not count toward either the 24 s.h. requirement for MA or the 48 s.h. requirement for the Ph.D.
Subject
ANTH
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
12
Credit unit
Credit Hour
Type
course
Repeatable
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
