The following courses are offered within the anthropology department. Please see the BU Bulletin for the most up-to-date information regarding course offerings, meeting times, and locations.
CAS AN 331 4 credits. Either sem. CAS AN 102 or CAS AR 101 or 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. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 332 4 credits. CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 119 or CAS BI 302.
Introduction to behavioral biology of the primates. Topics include social behavior, grouping and activity patterns, reproduction, feeding ecology, locomotion, life history, conservation issues, geographic distribution, and evolution. Two field trips required.
CAS AN 333 4 credits. Either sem. (CAS AN102 OR AN233 OR CAS BI108 AND either BI206 OR BI216).
BU Hub Learn More Scientific Inquiry II Quantitative Reasoning II Research and Information Literacy
This course uses human genomic variation as a framework for better understanding our evolutionary history. Using hands-on population genetic analyses, we will analyze real human genomic data from the 1000 Genomes Project to investigate the evolutionary patterns underlying human diversity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 335 4 credits. Either sem. CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107 or CAS BI 119; or consent of instructor.
BU Hub Learn More Scientific Inquiry II Quantitative Reasoning I Research and Information Literacy
Introduction to primate social behavior, focusing on the apes. Examines how great ape behavior helps us understand what is unique about human behavior and how we evolved. Topics include diet, juvenile development, 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.
CAS AN 336 4 credits. CAS AN 102.
BU Hub Learn More Scientific Inquiry II Quantitative Reasoning I Creativity/Innovation
Introduction to the various theoretical approaches to understanding the diversity and evolutionary ecology of wild non-human primates. Using lemurs, marmosets, chimpanzees and more, this course delves into behavioral ecology, genetic approaches to mating systems, foraging theory, community ecology, and conservation. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Scientific Inquiry I, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AN 337 4 credits.
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.
CAS AN 338 4 credits. CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107; or consent of instructor.
This course brings to life the 3.18 million year-old fossil "Lucy." What was life like for one of our oldest female ancestors and how do we know? How did she move? What did she eat? Could she talk?
CAS AN 339 4 credits. CAS AN 102 or CAS BI 107; or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
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. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 341 4 credits. enrollment in the BU Niamey International Development Program.
Topic for Fall 2009: Human Ecology, Identity, and Social Values. Explores Nigeriens' diverse and interdependent relationships with the physical and social world in the urban and rural setting. Examines concepts of identity and social values using inter- and intra-cultural analyses.
CAS AN 344 4 credits. 1st sem. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Contemporary Japanese society examined through social institutions such as family, school and workplace. Looking at social and historical change through critical moments in Japan's modern history, we examine the experiences of individuals through social class, gender, and the impact of globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 345 4 credits. Either sem.
Movement of people carries cultural, personal and political meaning. Ancient Chinese travelers, medieval pilgrims, colonialists, missionaries, women explorers reveal meanings of boundaries and movement through their journals and historical documents, amplified through anthropological studies of tourism and travel.
CAS AN 347 4 credits.
Ethnographic and historical examination of Afghanistan's traditional social organization, ecology and economy, political organization, and ethnic groups. What has happened to this complex world through 50 years of domestic political turmoil and foreign interventions? Whither Afghanistan today? Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AN 348 4 credits. Either sem.
Historical and contemporary ethnographic investigation of globalization. Special attention to impact of global capitalism on indigenous communities; identity and reflexivity; transnational populations; women and work; cultural authenticity, and the relationship between social media and changing cultural norms and experiences. 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.
CAS AN 349 4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Social Inquiry I Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Critical Thinking
Examines imaginings and stereotypes of savagery in change, comparing and contrasting them with real humans. Treats African, Native American, and European civilizations and their interrelations of perception, prejudice, and performance. Links history and human geography; connects culture, society, and psychology. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 350 4 credits. Either sem.
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.
CAS AN 351 4 credits. Either sem.
BU Hub Learn More Social Inquiry I The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways that language both reflects and shapes thought, culture, and relations of power. Particular emphasis is placed on three broad topical areas: language, ethnicity and race; language and the performance of gender; and the linguistic performance of youth identities. 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.
CAS AN 353 4 credits. Either sem.
CAS AN 355 4 credits.
Anthropological study of the global phenomenon of religious fundamentalism. A product of the modern world, fundamentalism is perceived as counter- cultural and anti-nationalist [should be "anti-rationalist". Cases drawn from North America and the Islamic world, with special attention to women's interpretation of religion. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.
CAS AN 360 4 credits. Either sem.
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.
CAS AN 362 4 credits. Either sem.
Examines mutually transformative relations between human societies and their environments. Shows how social constructions of environment, nature, and culture vary cross-culturally. Topics include: political ecology, environmental conservation, agriculture, climate, bioprospecting, relations with other animals, pollution. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II.
CAS AN 363 4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Social Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how people, past and present, have interacted with food and water. Explores multiple causes and consequences of global food and water inequities. Considers the cultural politics of food/water production, consumption, and distribution in different parts of the world. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AN 365 4 credits. enrollment in the Madrid Internship Program or the Madrid Spanish Studies Program.
An overview of the Spanish invasion and colonization of Mexico with emphases on comparative social and historical developments in Iberia and Mesoamerica prior to the encounter and the transformation of indigenous and Spanish lifeways in early New Spain. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 367 4 credits. enrollment in the Madrid Spanish & European Studies Program.
Analysis of migratory flows and their implications for Spain and the European Union from an anthropological perspective. Study of conceptual and theoretical frameworks through which to examine diversity and complexity of migrations and their impact on Spanish society and culture. Conducted in Spanish.
CAS AN 368 4 credits. Either sem.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Focuses on Australia's global and national development as a multicultural nation with European roots, traditional western alliances and an imagined future in the Asia-Pacific region. Themes of continuity and change in relation to the Aboriginal population explored in some detail. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 369 4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Ethical Reasoning Critical Thinking
Introduction to Indigenous archaeology, which seeks to realize a more ethical engagement with Indigenous communities by conducting research "with, for, and by" Indigenous descendant communities. Reviews key theoretical frameworks (e.g., traditional knowledge systems, collaboration, repatriation) and explores the ways this approach is being put into action through case studies. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.