College of Arts and Sciences

Anthropology

Acting Chair Robert P. Weller

Director of Undergraduate Studies Nancy Smith-Hefner

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

University Professors Barrand, Lindholm

Visiting Professor Levine

Associate Professors Haeri, Korom, Pritchett, Shipton, Smith-Hefner, J.White

Assistant Professors Lawler, Muller, Nelson

Adjunct Assistant Professor Fajardo

Lecturer Safizadeh

Research Associate Professor Murowchick

Professors Emeriti 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, and World Affairs; the Center for Remote Sensing; the University Professors Program; and many offerings in the Department of Modern Languages and 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)

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 210-216, 222, or 250); CAS RN 495; and three additional courses at the 300 level or above, including at least two from among CAS RN 312, 313, 375, 388, 414, 415, 422, 442, 460, 461, and 468.

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 312, 317, 321, 326, 355, 371, 372, 375, 379, 438, 515, 568, 570, 593, and 594.

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. Barfield, Staff. 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 descriptions in all world areas; contrasting social processes under different historical, geographical, political, and economic circumstances. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd 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

Not offered 2007/2008

†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, 1st sem. (SS)

†CAS AN 260 Women and Men: Cultural Expectations and Gender Experiences

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. Smith-Hefner. 4 cr, 2nd sem. (SS)

CAS AN 280 English Ritual Dance and Drama

Not offered 2007/2008

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

Not offered 2007/2008

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 2007/2008

CAS AN 308 Food, Culture, and Society

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS AN 310 Studies in North American Ethnography (area)

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS AN 312 Peoples and Cultures of Africa (area)

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

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

Not offered 2007/2008

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

Provides an in-depth introduction to the cultural traditions and contemporary development of Southeast Asia. Examines the contemporary society and culture through the optic of political and cultural history, so as to understand the "imaginative revolutions" that have shaped this region and are transforming it still today. Smith-Hefner. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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, 1st sem.

CAS AN 326 Oral Traditions as Verbal Art

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS AN 340 Folksongs as Social History

Prereq: sophomore standing or consent of instructor. Anglo-American folk songs and singing styles considered as expressions of personal, social, and cultural history. Topics include finding and using regional and thematic song collections; performance of traditional music; preparation and presentation of song materials in selected projects. Barrand. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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 350 Asians in America (area)

A cultural history of Asian immigrants in the United States from the 1850s to the present, focusing on family structure, gender, generational differences, religion, and education. The implications of the Asian experience for understanding mainstream America. Smith-Hefner. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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. Smith-Hefner. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 355 Religious Fundamentalism in Anthropological Perspective

Anthropological study of the global phenomenon of religious fundamentalism. A product of the modern world, fundamentalism is perceived as counter-cultural and anti-nationalist. Cases drawn from North America and the Islamic Middle East, with special attention to women's interpretation of religion. Haeri. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 362 Culture and Environment

Not offered 2007/2008

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. Staff. 4 cr, 1st 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 in 2007/2008

CAS AN 382 Wealth, Poverty, and Culture

Prereq: CAS AN 101. Explores vital cultural dimensions of production, exchange, and consumption in varied settings. Asks how social ties relate to property, wealth, and poverty. Examines how people classify, control, and allocate resources, and how resources in turn influence people. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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 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. Staff. 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. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 515 Authenticity and Identity

Not offered in 2007/2008

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

Not offered 2007/2008

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. (Formerly CAS LX 520.) 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. Norton. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 538 Human Ecology of Modern Africa (area)

Four themes of twentieth-century change are explored: demographic growth, the redistribution of population through migration and urbanization, the intensification of resource use, and disasters and recoveries. Classic theories of the processes are related to African data. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 547 Topics in Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations (area)

Prereq: junior standing or consent of instructor. Selected issues and debates in current anthropology focusing on contemporary Muslim societies and Islamic civilizations. Barfield. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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

Not offered in 2007/2008

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. Seligman. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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

A comparison of theories of charismatic leadership and romantic love from sociology and psychology. Case studies from literature are discussed for illustration and comparison. Lindholm. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 585 Seminar: Advanced Readings in African Ethnography

Prereq: consent of instructor. Detailed examination of classic and contemporary anthropological writings about Africa. Explores ecological adaptation, kinship, social organization, religious thought and practice, and creative expression. Focus on the history of theory, method, and narrative style in the construction of ethnographies about Africa. Pritchett. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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

Not offered 2007/2008

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 2007: TBA. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 594 Seminar: Topics in Cultural Anthropology

Prereq: concentration in department or consent of instructor. Selected issues and debates in current anthropology. Three topics are offered during the Spring 2008 semester. Students may take one, two, or three for credit. Section A1: Humans Among Animals. Section B1: Social Movements. Section C1: Culture and Emotions. Considers how anthropology has contributed to the understanding of emotions in humans and where its contributions fit in an interdisciplinary field increasingly dominated by neuroscience. Lindholm, Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 596 Anthropology and History

Examines the use of ethnographic materials and models of alternative social or economic organization to interpret historical materials as well as the use of history to provide dynamic models of change in anthropological analysis. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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. Lawler, Muller. 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. Nelson. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 333 Human Population Biology

Prereq: CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 119 or CAS BI 211 or CAS BI 303. Human population biology and ecological adaptations: human demography, life history patterns, population genetics, and physiological adaptability. Topics: population dynamics of human societies, mortality and fertility schedules, evolution and genetics of human life history traits, physiological adaptability, and ecological correlates. Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

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. Lawler. 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. Muller. 4 cr, 2nd 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. Lawler. 4 cr, 2nd 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. Muller. 4 cr, 1st 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; how the skeleton is affected by use, age, sex, diet, and disease. Meetings are predominantly lab oriented. Nelson. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 552 Primate Evolution and Anatomy

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS AN 554 Human Reproductive Ecology

Prereq: CAS AN 102 and CAS AN 333, or CAS BI 303 and CAS BI 111. CAS BI 215 strongly recommended. Considers ecological perspective on human reproduction. Provides a basic understanding of human reproductive biology and discusses current issues about reproduction from a biocultural perspective. Topics: biocultural aspects of sexual behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, and cultural knowledge and practices surrounding reproduction. Muller. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

CAS AN 595 Field Methods in Human Biology

Not offered 2007/2008

CAS AN 597 Seminar: Special Issues in Biological Anthropology

Prereq: consent of instructor. Special issues and debates in current biological anthropology. Two topics are offered Fall 2007; students may take one or both for credit. Section A1: Primate Conservation Biology. Introduction to primary scientific literature of primate conservation biology. Topics focus on the economic, social, and political factors leading to population decline as well as the genetic, ecological, and demographic techniques used to assess the viability of wild primate populations. Section B1: TBA. Lawler, Staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

CAS AN 598 Seminar: Special Issues in Biological Anthropology

Prereq: consent of instructor. Special issues and debates in current biological anthropology. Topic for Spring 2008: TBA. Staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

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