Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS AN 310: Studies in North American Ethnography (area)
    A survey including an appreciation of the traditional background and heritage of native North Americans, analysis of the history and contact with Europeans and governmental policies, and an examination and evaluation of the contemporary situation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS AN 311: Culture and Biotech: Beyond the Nature/Culture Divide
    Organ transplants have blurred the boundaries between individual bodies and selves, making it possible for transplant recipients to talk about living "with" their donors. Quick and cheap genetic tests make it possible for people to discover "family" ties that they never knew they had. Biotechnology seems to be radically challenging the boundaries between what is "natural" and what is "man made," what is "given" and what is "cultured." This class explores some of these innovations, their associated ethical dilemmas, and how they are part of "culture" and "nature" making in different contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS AN 312: Peoples and Cultures of Africa (area)
    Survey of the continent with attention to ethnohistory, traditional cultures, and cultural change.
  • CAS AN 315: Being an Indian in Latin America (area)
    The Indian image in literature and historical accounts; conquerors and Latinos in Indian ritual and mythology. Indian communities and the reality of being an Indian in present-day Latin America: exploitation, discrimination, and class. Indian rebellions and pressure groups. Colonization and lowland Indians.
  • CAS AN 316: Contemporary European Ethnography
    What is Europe's "problem" with migrants? Are old forms of racism and xenophobia returning? Or are contemporary Islamophobia and anti-Semitism new modes of exclusion? What and where is Europe anyway? And what exactly might it mean to be European today? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-intensive Course.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • 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.
  • CAS AN 319: Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics (area)
    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. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • 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. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
  • CAS AN 327: Islam in Africa
    The course examines the Islamization of Africa and the various processes of Arabization and Africanization of Islam. It examines the religious beliefs, cultures, and histories of Muslim communities of Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and the Sudan, among others.
  • CAS AN 330: From Conception to Death: The Evolution of Human Life History
    Why do we grow? Why do we die? How do patterns in the lifespan inform our understanding of human evolution? This course answers these questions and more by examining human life history from an evolutionary perspective. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS AN 331: Human Origins
    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.
  • CAS AN 333: Human Population Biology
    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.
  • CAS AN 335: The Ape Within: Great Apes and the Evolution of Human Behavior
    Introduction to primate social behavior, focusing on the apes. Examines how great ape behavior helps understand what is unique about human behavior and how we evolved. Topics include diet, social relationships, sexual behavior, aggression, culture, and cognition. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning I, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS AN 336: Primate Evolutionary Ecology
    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.
  • CAS AN 337: Creation and Evolution
    A critical survey of the creation/evolution dispute in historical and intellectual context. By discussing key texts and issues, participants will gain understanding of the history of science, its relationship to ethical and religious ideas, and the polarization of American society. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS AN 339: Primate Biomechanics
    An introduction to the physical principles and anatomies underlying primate behavior, especially locomotion. Topics include mechanics, skeletal anatomy, primate locomotion, and the primate fossil record. Emphasis on bone biology and human bipedalism.
  • 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. (Counts towards the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies minor.)
  • CAS AN 347: Afghanistan (area)
    Ethnographic and historical examination of Afghanistan's traditional social and political organization, ecology and economy, and relationship among ethnic groups. Civil wars and foreign interventions over the last thirty years, the current situation in Afghanistan, and prospects for the country's future.
  • CAS AN 348: Contemporary Globalization: An Anthropological Perspective
    Ethnographic and historical investigation of globalization. Special attention to impact of global capitalism on indigenous communities; popular culture and consumerism; transnational populations; women and work; and relationship between novel forms of communication (i.e., Facebook and email) and changing cultural norms. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
    • Social Inquiry I
    • The Individual in Community
    • Critical Thinking
  • 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. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Social Inquiry I
    • The Individual in Community
    • Research and Information Literacy

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