College of Arts & Sciences

Anthropology

Chair Robert P. Weller

Director of Undergraduate Studies Nancy Smith-Hefner

Professors Barfield, Beaudry, Hefner, Norton, Weller, M. White

University Professors Barrand, Lindholm

Associate Professors Haeri, Knott, Korom, Ngom, O’Connor, Shipton, Smith-Hefner, J.White

Assistant Professor DeSilva

Lecturers Arkin, Ferraiuolo, LaPorte, Safizadeh

Research Associate Professor Murowchick

Professors Emeriti Barth, Fleming, Hoben, McCall, Ortiz

The Department of Anthropology offers a well-balanced general introduction to social anthropology, biological anthropology, and linguistics; as well as opportunities for more advanced and specialized studies in these areas. Cross-cultural topical areas include religion, law and politics, ethnicity, gender, history and anthropology, problems of social change and economic development, culture and the environment, cognition and culture, and biological anthropology and human evolution. The faculty has particular strengths in the study of cultures and societies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The department’s courses in these areas are complemented by the facilities of the University African Studies Center; the Department of Archaeology; the Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs; the Center for Remote Sensing; the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations; the International Center for East Asian Archaeology & Cultural History; and many offerings in the Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature and the Department of Romance Studies.

A concentration in anthropology provides a broad comparative overview of the varieties of human thought and action as the basis of a general liberal arts education. The social anthropology track, with its emphasis on cross-cultural comparison, is excellent preparation for a career in law, business, international relations, and related fields. The biological anthropology track, with its focus on human biology, behavior, and evolution, provides an excellent concentration for premedical students seeking broad training relevant to the health sciences. Both tracks may also serve as preparation for graduate study and a professional career in anthropology.

Concentration in Anthropology (2202)

All concentrators (including double concentrators) have an advisor in the Department of Anthropology with whom they must consult regularly in planning their programs of study. The total number of courses required is twelve in the sociocultural track and thirteen in the biological track. Both tracks require a grade of C or higher in all concentration courses. Students take two prerequisite courses, four principal courses, and either six (sociocultural track) or seven (biological track) additional courses.

Prerequisites  CAS AN 101, 102

Principal Courses  Four courses beyond the prerequisites, one from each of the following areas:

• biological anthropology
• linguistics (CAS AN 351, AN 521, EN 511, or LX 250)
• social anthropology
• archaeology (excluding CAS AR 100)

Additional Courses

Social Anthropology Track (six courses)

• CAS AN 461 and AN 462

• two social anthropology courses dealing primarily with a geographical region of the world (one may be in archaeology); the two courses need not deal with the same region. Anthropology courses which meet this requirement are indicated by the parenthetical designation “area” following the course title.

• two additional anthropology or archaeology courses (excluding CAS AR 100)

Biological Anthropology Track (seven courses)

• one course in archaeology (excluding AR 100)
• two 200-level or above courses in biology
• two 300-level or above courses in biological anthropology
• two 400-level or above courses in biological anthropology

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Joint Concentration in Anthropology and Religion (2219)


This joint program offers the student numerous ways to understand how religion works as a dynamic aspect of culture, and how individuals interact with their social environments to create systems of belief and ritual in their efforts to make sense of the world.

Six courses in religion and six courses in anthropology are required with a grade of C or higher, as specified below. Those twelve courses must include Anthropology of Religion (taken either as CAS AN 384 or as CAS RN 387). Candidates for the BA with this joint concentration may not pursue a second concentration in religion (1510) or anthropology (2202). They are, however, encouraged to take courses beyond the required twelve in either or both disciplines. Qualified seniors should consider Independent Work for Distinction, either AN 401/402 or RN 401/402. To ensure the most suitable course of study for the prospective student’s areas of interest, courses should be selected in consultation with Professor Frank Korom, the program advisor. For further information about the joint program, contact the program advisor or either department chairman.

Religion:  CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern or CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western; one course at the 200 level (CAS RN 210–219); CAS RN 495; and three additional courses from among CAS RN 220, 239, 242, 313, 345, 388, 425, 427, 430, 469, and 499.

Anthropology:  CAS AN 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity; CAS AN 384/RN 387 Anthropology of Religion; CAS AN 461 Ethnography and Anthropological Theory I; and two social anthropology courses at the 300 level or above from among CAS AN 307, 312, 319, 320, 326, 340, 344, 355, 371, 379, 525, 547, 568, 570, and 596.

Minor Concentration in Anthropology (2202)

A minor concentration in anthropology consists of six courses: CAS AN 101, 102, and four other anthropology courses, two of which must be at the 300 level or above. Students pursuing a minor concentration develop their programs in consultation with a faculty advisor in the Department of Anthropology. A minimum grade of C must be earned in all courses taken toward the minor concentration. For further information, contact the Department of Anthropology.

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Social Anthropology Courses

Courses with a † satisfy divisional studies requirements.

†CAS AN 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

An introduction to the basic concepts, principles, and problems of cultural anthropology, emphasizing study of both traditional and complex societies. Special attention to the evolution of human societies and culture; the changing organization and meaning of religion, economic life, kinship, and political order; and the problem of cultural variation in the modern world. Arkin, Hefner. 4 cr, either sem. (SS)

CAS AN 220 Urban Anthropology

Survey of urban phenomena in evolutionary perspective using illustrative materials from records of the past and from current description in all world areas; contrasting social processes under different historical, geographical, political, and economic circumstances. J.White. 4 cr, 1st sem.

†CAS AN 240 Legal Anthropology

An introduction to the anthropologist’s approaches to law. Investigation of the relationship among society, culture, and law focuses on how different societies generate and structure competition and conflict. Examines the range of social and symbolic mechanisms for regulating dispute. Haeri. 4 cr, 1st sem. (SS)

CAS AN 250 Understanding Folklore and Folklife

The way individuals, families, and communities express themselves, their beliefs, and their values within their own culture. Emphasis on meaning carried by oral literature, folk arts and crafts, social customs and festivals, and family folklore. Ferraiuolo. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

†CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity

Political and cultural factors underlying ethnic and nationalist sentiments examined through case studies drawn from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Discusses factors underlying ethnic boundaries, as well as such boundary-transcending influences as the media. Arkin. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

†CAS AN 260 Sex and Gender in Anthropological Perspective

Cross-cultural examination of changing gender roles, expectations, and activities. Focuses on economic, social, political, and ideological determinants that structure the hierarchy of power and privileges accorded the thoughts, activities, and experiences of women and men in various societies. J.White. 4 cr, 2nd sem. (SS)

CAS AN 280 English Ritual Dance and Drama

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 285 Coping with Crisis in Contemporary Africa (area)

Prereq: consent of instructor. Explores the ways ordinary Africans are coping with problems of security, environmental degradation, forced migration, economic decline, and disease. Readings and lectures contrast outsiders’ interpretations of these “crises” with the way they are experienced by those they affect. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 290 Children and Culture

Explores the way various cultures shape the lives and social development of children. Topics include cultural concepts of childhood; the acquisition of culture; socialization and moral development; cognition, emotion, and behavior in childhood; children’s language and play; and the cultural shaping of personality. Lindholm. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 307 Turkey and Middle East in Comparative Perspective (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 308 Food, Culture, and Society

Study of foodways, culinary social history, and diet and food ecology with special attention to Asian societies and Boston’s food culture. Examines the use of food and cuisine as a focus for identity, national development, and social change. M. White. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 310 Studies in North American Ethnography (area)

A survey including an appreciation of the traditional background and heritage of native North Americans, and analysis of the history and contact with Europeans and governmental policies, and an examination and evaluation of the contemporary situation. Shipton. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 312 Peoples and Cultures of Africa (area)

Survey of the continent with attention to ethnohistory, traditional cultures, and cultural change. Shipton. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 317 Power and Society in the Middle East (area)

Peoples and cultures of the Middle East from Afghanistan to Morocco and from the Caucasus to Yemen. Focuses on social organization, family structure, the relationship between the sexes, and the development and maintenance of authority. J.White. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 318 Southeast Asia: Tradition and Development (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics (area)

Prereq: CAS AN 101 or another anthropology course is strongly recommended. Examines Muslim societies’ ongoing struggle over the forms and meanings of Muslim culture and politics, as well as its implications for religious authority, gender ideals, and new notions of citizenship, civil society, and democracy. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 320 Women in the Muslim World

A cross-cultural approach to the diversity and complexity of women’s lives in the Muslim world, including the United States. Looks at issues such as gender equality, civil society and democracy, sex segregation and sexual politics, kinship and marriage, and veiling. Haeri. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 326 Oral Traditions as Verbal Art

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 340 Folksongs as Social History

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 344 Modern Japanese Society: Family, School, and Workplace (area)

Approaches contemporary Japanese society through a focus on family, school, and workplace. The readings and lectures treat these institutions historically and in terms of the contexts they provide for the individual. M.White. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 345 Moving Experiences: Cultures of Tourism and Travel

Prereq: CAS AN 101. The movement of people across national boundaries as a cultural, economic, and political phenomenon. Examines voluntary border-crossing in its various cultural and historical meanings as well as in the representations of journals and contemporary accounts. M. White. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 347 Afghanistan

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 350 Asians in America (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 351 Language, Culture, and Society

Introduction to basic concepts, problems, and methods used by anthropologists in the investigation of relationships among language, culture, and society. Topics include language and conceptual systems, language and role, language and social context, and language and thought. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 355 Religious Fundamentalism in Anthropological Perspective

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 360 The Nomadic Alternative

Ethnographic and historical examination of nomads in Africa and Eurasia. Focus on the ecology of pastoralism, nomadic social organization, political relations between nomads and states, the rise and fall of steppe empires, and the future of nomads. Barfield. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 362 Culture and Environment

Examines how the social construction of environment, nature, and culture varies cross-culturally and historically as well as how it influences economic change, environmental movements, nature tourism, and public policy. Primary examples include India, China, Native American cultues, and the West. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 371 Political Anthropology of the Modern World

Examines the concepts of political anthropology and applies them to the analysis of the origins and development of the modern political world. Special attention to nations and nationalism, the state and modern development, comparative political culture, and urban and agrarian political change. Norton. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 372 Psychological Anthropology

Introduces students to some key theoretical perspectives and controversies in the cross-cultural study of psychology. Readings from classic texts and cross-cultural studies of emotion, sexuality, concepts of the person, national character, consciousness, authority, and religion. Lindholm. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia (area)

Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. Korom. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 379 China: Tradition and Transition (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 382 Wealth, Poverty, and Culture

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 384 Anthropological Study of Religion

Prereq: CAS AN 101 or consent of instructor. An introduction to the anthropological study of myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. Korom. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 397 Anthropological Film and Photography

Considers the history and development of anthropoligical, ethnographic, and transcultural filmmaking. In-depth examination of important anthropological films in terms of methodologies, techniques, and strategies of expression; story, editing, narration, themes, style, content, art, and aesthetics. Safizadeh. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 401, 402 Senior Independent Work

Prereq: approval of the Honors Committee. 4 cr each, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS AN 461 Ethnography and Anthropological Theory I

Prereq: CAS AN 101 or equivalent. Discussion and analysis of major concepts, methods, and theories in social anthropology using case studies on ritual, politics, leadership, social control, and kinship belief. Arkin. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 462 Ethnography and Anthropological Theory II

Prereq: CAS AN 461 and completion of principal courses for concentrators or consent of instructor. Required of concentrators. Examines the background and philosophy of current anthropological theory and method. Discussion focuses on current issues in evolutionary, linguistic, and sociocultural theory. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 491, 492 Directed Study in Anthropology

Prereq: concentration in department, junior or senior status, consent of instructor, and approval of the Academic Advising Center. Individual instruction and directed research in anthropology. Variable cr, 1st & 2nd sem.

CAS AN 505 Asian Development: The Case of Women (area)

How women’s lives in China, Japan, and India have been affected by economic development and social change. Women’s education, health, child rearing, and labor force participation are considered in the context of socioeconomic and cultural influences. M. White. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 515 Authenticity and Identity

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 520 Nilotic Peoples: African Culture in Depth (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 521 Sociolinguistics

Introduction to language in its social context. Methodological and theoretical approaches to sociolinguistics. Linguistic variation in relation to situation, gender, socioeconomic class, linguistic context, and ethnicity. Integrating micro- and macroanalysis from conversation to societal language planning. O’Connor. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 525 Ritual and Political Indentity

Prereq: senior standing. Provides a conceptual foundation for interpreting and understanding ritual and its role in shaping political and social identity and worldview. Focuses on cases drawn from the contemporary Muslim world. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 538 Human Ecology of Modern Africa (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 547 Topics in Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 548 Topics in Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations (area)

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 563 Public Religion and Politics Across Cultures

Prereq: junior standing or consent of instructor. The contested role of religion in modern politics and its implications for civil life. Begins with the West and includes Islam in the Middle East and SE Asia. Evangelicalism in Latin American and Africa, Hindu nationalism, and Buddhism in China. Also offered as CAS IR 563. Hefner. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 568 Symbol, Myth, and Rite

Historical overview of ritual behavior, the role of symbolism in the study of culture, and the narrative quality of worldview and belief. Emphasis on verbal performance and public display events in specific cultural contexts. Weller. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 570 Lovers and Leaders: The Anthropology of Romance and Charisma

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 573 The Ethnography of China and Taiwan

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 585 Seminar: Advanced Readings in African Ethnography

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 590 Seminar: Theory, Method, and Techniques in Fieldwork

Prereq: consent of instructor. Grad Prereq: consent of instructor. Traditional and modern methods of ethnographic field research: data collection, research design, and analyses. Lindholm. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 593 Seminar: Topics in Cultural Anthropology

Prereq: concentration in department or consent of instructor. Selected issues and debates in current anthropology. Topic for Fall 2009: TBA. Lindholm. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 594 Seminar: Topics in Cultural Anthropology

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 596 Anthropology and History

Not offered 2009/2010

Biological Anthropology Courses

Courses with a † satisfy divisional studies requirements.

†CAS AN 102 Human Behavioral Biology and Evolution

Biology relevant to the behavioral sciences. Introduces basic principles of evolutionary biology, animal social behavior, primate adaptions, human origins, genetic/hormonal/neural bases of behavior, and issues of human socioecology and adaptions. Discussions highlight nature-vs-nurture issues. DeSilva, Knott. 4 cr, either sem. (NS)

CAS AN 210 Medical Anthropology

Examines the influence of culture on health care beliefs, practices, and institutions. Special topics include cross-cultural approaches to birth, aging, and death; drug use and abuse; health care in developing countries; and socialist models of health-care service. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 331 Human Origins

Prereq: CAS AN 102; or CAS AR 101 and CAS BI 107 or equivalent. Introduction to human paleontology and methods for reconstructing the ancestry, structure, diet, and behavior of fossil primates and humans. Survey of primate and hominid fossils, primate comparative anatomy, radioactive dating, molecular and structural phylogenies, climactic analyses, and comparative behavioral ecology. Cartmill. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 333 Human Population Biology

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 334 Evolutionary Psychology

Prereq: CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107 and one of CAS BI 119 or CAS BI 303. Critical analysis of human behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis placed on viewing humans as products of biological evolution. Topics include evolution of language and intelligence, cultural evolution, sex and reproduction, kinship and family dynamics, cooperation, aggression, warfare, and status. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 335 The Ape Within: Chimpanzees and the Evolutions of Human Behavior

Prereq: CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107 or CAS BI 119 or consent of instructor. Introduction to primate social behavior, focusing on the apes. Examines how chimpanzee behavior can be used to understand human behavior. What is unique about humans, and how did we evolve? Topics include diet, social relationships, sexual behavior, aggression, culture, cognition. DeSilva. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 336 Primate Evolutionary Ecology

Prereq: CAS AN 102. Introduction to the various theoretical approaches to understanding the evolutionary ecology of wild primates. Topics include functional anatomy, genetic approaches to mating systems, demography, behavioral ecology, community ecology, and conservation. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 337 Creation and Evolution

A critical survey of the creation/evolution controversy in its historical, scientific, philosophical, and theological contexts from Augustine down to the intelligent-design movement. Cartmill. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 534 Advanced Topics in Human Behavioral Evolution

Prereq: CAS AN 332 or CAS AN 331, or consent of instructor. Topics in the behavioral evolution of Homo sapiens, including social and sexual behavior, tool traditions, diet and hunting, cognition, language and intelligence, and locomotion. Considers inferred behavioral traditions that characterized the origin of our genus and of our species. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 550 Human Skeleton

Prereq: CAS AN 331 or CAS BI 106, or consent of instructor. Function, development, variation, and pathologies of the human musculoskeletal system, emphasizing issues of human evolution. Basic processes of bone biology and how they are affected by use, age, sex, diet, and disease. Meetings are predominantly lab oriented. Cartmill. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 551 Anthropology and Human Heredity

Prereq: CAS AN 102 and consent of instructor. Surveys the theory and methods of evolutionary genetics as applied to human evolution and human diversity. Emphasizes human evolution as illuminated by genetics, as well as the intersection of human genetics with social issues such as racism, bioethics, and eugenics. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 552 Primate Evolution and Anatomy

Prereq: CAS AN 331, CAS AN 332, or CAS BI 302 or consent of instructor. The evolutionary history of the primate radiation—particularly that of monkeys, apes, and humans—is examined through investigation of the musculoskeletal anatomy of living and fossil primates. Comparative and biomechanical approaches are used to reconstruct the behavior of extinct species. DeSilva. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 558 Human Sex Differences: Behavior, Biology, and Ecology

Prereq: CAS AN 102 and CAS AN 334, or CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 119, and sophomore standing. Why are men and women different? Adopts an evolutionary, adaptive approach to investigate sex differences in human behavior, physiology, and cognition from developmental, mechanistic, and phylogenetic perspectives. Topics include sex differences in aggression, mate choice, parenting, affiliation, and cognition. Knott. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 595 Methods in Biological Anthropology

Not offered 2009/2010

CAS AN 597 Seminar: Special Issues in Biological Anthropology

Prereq: consent of instructor. Special issues and debates in current biological anthropology. Knott. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 598 Seminar: Special Issues in Biological Anthropology

Not offered 2009/2010

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