AN 101 – Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology (Sociocultural)

Schwartz:  MWF 10:10 – 11:00 am

Introduction to the basic concepts, principles, and problems of sociocultural anthropology, emphasizing the study of traditional and complex societies. Special attention to the organization and meaning of religion, economic life, kinship and political order; and the problem of cultural variation in the contemporary world. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.

AN 102 – Human Biology, Behavior & Evolution (Biological)

Knott: MWF 11:15 – 12:05 pm

Introduces basic principles of evolutionary biology, human origins, genetics, reproduction, socio-ecology, and the evolution of primate and human behavior and adaptions. Section activities include examination of fossil and skeletal material, and hands-on projects involving human and primate behavior and biology. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.

AN 201 – Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (Archaeology)

Carballo: MWF 1:25 – 2:15 pm

An introduction to the archaeology and Indigenous peoples civilizations of the Americas, with a focus on the precolonial era. Topics progress chronologically as well as comparatively, with cases drawn from Native American cultures of the North America, Mesoamerica, and South America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I.

AN 206 – Ancient Technology (Archaeology)

Runnels: TR 12:30-1:45 pm

Introduction to the emergence of culture and the reconstruction of early lifeways from archaeological evidence. Topics include early humans in Africa, Asia, and Europe; Neanderthals; the first Americans; and the prelude to agriculture. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.

AN 210 – Introduction to Medical Anthropology (Health & Medicine)

Shohet: TR 11 – 12:15 pm

This lecture and discussion-driven course uses ethnographic case materials and active learning strategies to introduce students to socio-cultural anthropological modes of understanding and analyzing health-related experiences and institutions, including political and ethical dimensions of illness and suffering around the globe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.

AN 211 – Humans Among Animals (Sociocultural) 

Shipton: TR: 12:30 – 1:45pm

Examines how humans understand (other) animals and their thought, feeling, and communication and the ways we humans in varied cultures and societies use animals for interaction and self-understanding. Interdisciplinary approach that considers language, aesthetics, ideology, practice, and regulation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills units in the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, and Critical Thinking..

AN 234 – Evolutionary Psychology (Biological)

Hodges-Simeon: TR: 12:30 – 1:45 pm

Can evolutionary theory shed light on human psychology and behavior’ This introductory course explores the evolution of mind: emotion and expression, learning and cognition, sex and reproduction, parenthood and family, cooperation and coalitions, aggression and warfare, mental health, and more. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Social Inquiry I.

AN 235 – Introduction to Primate Senses (Biological)

Garrett: TR 11 – 12:15 pm

This course focuses on the major special senses of primates, and how they have evolved in an ecological context. Students study the major sensory systems including vision, hearing, smell, and taste from a morphological, neurological, behavioral, and evolutionary perspective. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry I, Creativity/Innovation.

AN 252 – Ethnicity and Identity (Sociocultural)

Sum: MWF 10:10 – 11 am

Explores anthropological approaches to community, belonging, and difference using case studies from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Special attention paid to how contemporary economic and political changes impact the ways people think about and belong to communities. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry.

AN 280 – Eating and Drinking in the Ancient World (Archaeology)

Robinson: TR 11 – 12:15 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) or consent of instructor – Survey of the archaeological evidence of the diets of human societies, from earliest humans to the present. Emphasis on the remains of plants, animals, and humans and what they tell us about ancient food and drink within their social contexts. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural.

AN 287 – Slavery and the In-Between (Archaeology)

Cunningham: TR 12:30 – 1:45 pm

Examines the space between freedom and enslavement known as recaptivity. Course discussions focus on conceptions of freedom and their relationship to recaptive status. Reviews recaptivity contexts in both the historical and archaeological record. Also examines the theme of return. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness.

AN 290 – Children and Culture (Sociocultural)

Laporte: MWF 1:25 – 2:15 pm

Cross-cultural exploration of caregiving and child development from infancy to adolescence. Topics include beliefs about infants and children; the acquisition of culture; gender socialization; moral development; and the influence of schooling, nation-making, and media on childhood. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

AN 291 – Peoples of the Arctic (Archaeology)

West: TR 2 – 3:15 pm

People have lived in the Arctic for 40,000 years and continue to thrive in this challenging environment. We use archaeological, oral history, historic, and ethnographic data to examine this long history, and to address the ways in which themes from the past can be used to highlight contemporary issues in Arctic communities. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.

AN 302 – Transforming Life: Anthropology of Gender and Medical Technologies (Health & Medicine)

TBA: MWF 2:30 – 3:20 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). CAS AN 101 and/or AN 210 recommended. – Seminar anthropologically compares the role of science and medicine in society and troubles what is natural and moral, e.g., about gender, personhood, kinship, and community, using case studies of reproductive and end-of- life technologies in Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community, Writing- Intensive Course.

AN 311 – Culture and Biotech: Beyond the Nature/Culture Divide (Sociocultural)

Arkin: MWF 9:05 – 9:55 am

Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). – The class explores some biotechnological innovations and the cultural variability around the ethical dilemmas those innovations provoke. It asks what this variability might mean for thinking about the supposedly fixed dichotomy between “nature” and “culture”? 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. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings.

AN 316 – Contemporary European Ethnography (Sociocultural)

Arkin: MWF 11:15 – 12:05 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASAN 101 and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) – What and where is Europe? Who is European? As authoritarianism rises, this class asks what is happening to belonging across Europe? Are old forms of racism and xenophobia returning? Or are new modes of exclusion appearing? 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.

AN 318 – Southeast Asia: Tradition and Modernity (Area)

Hefner: TR 11 – 12:15 pm

Examines the dynamics of politics, religion, class, and gender across Southeast Asia today. Using both literature and film media, pays particular attention to the forces that have made Southeast Asia one of the most dynamic regions in the world today. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry I.

AN 327 – Islam in Africa (Sociocultural)

Ngom: TR 11 – 12:15 pm

Examines the Islamization of Africa and the processes of adaptation of Islam in the continent. It examines the religious beliefs, cultures, and histories of Muslim communities in Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and the Sudan, among others. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.

AN 335 – The Ape Within: Great Apes and the Evolution of Human Behavior (Biological)

Knott: MWF 1:25 – 2:15pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN102 OR CASBI107 OR CASBI119) or consent of instructor. – 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.

AN 339 – Primate Biomechanics (Biological)

Garrett: TR 2 – 3:15 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN102 OR CASBI107) 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.

AN 347/747 – Afghanistan (Area)

Barfield: TR 9:30 – 10:45 am

Ethnographic and historical examination of Afghanistan’s traditional social, political and economic organization as a basis for understanding an era of political turmoil, civil wars and foreign interventions in that country over the past 50 years and the country’s future. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU HUB area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

AN 351 – Language, Culture and Society (Sociocultural) (Linguistics)

TBA: MWF 11:15 – 12:05 pm

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.

AN 379 – China: Tradition and Transformation (Area) 

Weller: MWF 10:10 – 11 am

Examines daily life in China and Taiwan, tracing how opposed economic and political paths transformed a common tradition. Topics include capitalism and socialism; politics and social control; dissidence; gender relations; religion, arts, and literature; and pollution. 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, Research and Information Literacy.

AN 384 – Anthropology of Religion (Sociocultural)

Hefner: TR 3:30 – 4:45 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN101) or consent of instructor. – 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. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I..

AN 401: Honors Research in Anthropology I 

Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval of an Honors Committee. – Directed studies for seniors doing honors thesis work.

AN 461 – Ethnography and Anthropological Theory I (Sociocultural)

Shohet: TR 2 – 3:15 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing in the major. Required of majors. – Examines foundational social scientific and anthropological theories and methods from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Discussion focuses on precursors to contemporary anthropological thought, including historical materialist, evolutionist, functionalist, structuralist, symbolic, and culture-and-personality theories and approaches. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings.

AN 530 – Global Intimacies: Sex, Gender, and Contemporary Sexualities (Sociocultural)

Smith-Hefner: F 3:30 – 6:15 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing or consent of instructor. – Explores theoretical and ethnographic approaches to gender, sex, and sexuality as linked to globalizing discourses and transnational mobilities. Readings and discussion emphasize intersections of sex, gender, labor, love, and marriage in a globalized world.

AN 532 – Literacy and Islam in Africa (Sociocultural)

Ngom: TR 2 – 3:15 pm

Examines the Islamization of Africa and literary traditions. Students learn about African texts written in the Arabic script (Ajami) and the spread of Islam and its Africanization throughout the continent. Texts written by enslaved Africans in the Americas are examined. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.

AN 533 – Exploring Ethnographic Genres: The Politics and Poetics of Writing Culture (Sociocultural)

Davidson: TR 9:30 – 10:45

This course offers close readings of classic and recent ethnographic texts to ask: what distinguishes ethnography from other disciplinary traditions of writing about culture and human behavior’ How do we see changes in anthropology’s theoretical interests reflected (or not) in ethnographic writing’ What are the different structural conventions, rhetorical tropes, allegorical patterns, and stylistic strategies used by authors considered to be master ethnographers’ Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Social Inquiry II.

AN 550 – Human Osteology (Biological)

Cunningham: TR 3:30 – 4:45 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASAN 102 or CASAN 331 or consent of instructor. – Development and structure of the human skeleton in anthropological and archaeological contexts. Basic processes of bone biology and how they are affected by lived experience. Meetings are lab-oriented and develop skill in whole and fragmentary skeletal identification. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry I.

AN 559 – Evolutionary Endocrinology (Biological)

Hodges-Simeon: TR 3:30 – 4:45 pm

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN102) or equivalent. – Focuses on current research in the field of evolutionary endocrinology. Examines how hormones act as mediators of a variety of fundamental evolutionary phenomena from circadian rhythms to sexuality. Explores how and why natural selection shaped the “inputs” and “outputs” of the endocrine system. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.