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101. Introduction to Anthropology. Primarily
for first- and second-year students. (4). (SS). (R&E).
Section 001. This introductory course exposes and explores the structures
of inquiry characteristic of anthropology and surveys the field's four subdisciplines
(biological, archaeological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology), providing
a first glimpse of the field's overall context, history, present status,
and importance. The principal aim of the course is to help students develop
a coherent view of the essential concepts, structures, and intellectual
methods that typify the discipline. It stresses unifying principles that
link the subdisciplines and thereby create anthropology's comprehensive,
holistic world view. It teaches students various ways of learning and thinking
about the world's many designs for living in time and space. It prepares
them to integrate and interpret information, to evaluate conflicting claims
about human nature and diversity, and to think critically. Topics covered
include: the nature of culture; human genetics, evolution and the fossil
record; the concept of race; primate (monkey and ape) behavior; language
and culture; systems of marriage, kinship and family organization; sex-gender
roles; economics, politics, and religion in global perspective; the cultural
dimension of economic development and contemporary social change, and the
emergence of a world system. Required readings come from two introductory
texts and additional paperbacks. Lectures and discussion-recitation. Two
objective exams (multiple choice and true or false questions) cover the
two halves of the course. The second exam is given on the last day of class.
There is no final exam and no term paper. Section leaders require quizzes
and, perhaps a short paper. Cost:2 WL:1,3,4 (Fricke)
Section 150. Anthropology, from the Greek anthropos (human)
and logos (theory) is the scientific study of humankind. This course
will introduce students to the four major subfields of anthropology: cultural
anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and biological anthropology.
In the process, we will focus on how each of these subfields helps to explain
the cultural, social, and physical aspects of human diversity. The principal
aim of the course is to help students develop a coherent view of the essential
concepts, structures, and intellectual methods that typify the discipline.
It stresses unifying principles that link the sub-disciplines and thereby
create anthropology's comprehensive, holistic world view. It teaches students
various ways of learning and thinking about the world's many designs for
living in time and space. It prepares them to integrate and interpret information,
to evaluate conflicting claims about human nature and diversity, and to
think critically. Topics covered include: the nature of culture; human genetics,
evolution and the fossil record; the concept of race; primate (monkey and
ape) behavior; language and culture; systems of marriage, kinship, and family
organization; sex and gender roles; economics, politics, and religion in
global perspective; the cultural dimension of economic development and contemporary
social change, and the emergence of a world system. Required readings include
an introductory text, course pack, and several short monographs. (Lansing)
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222. The Comparative Study of Cultures.
Students with credit for Anthro. 101 should elect Anthro. 327. (4).
(SS).
This course explores non-Western and Western societies as well as the methods,
poetics, and politics entailed in the representation of cultural difference
and historical change. We will be centrally concerned with the formation
and transformation of cultures in the context of colonizing and globalizing
processes in the modern period. Our goal is to develop a historical anthropological
perspective that will enable us to appreciate the richness of human diversity,
the conditions under which cultures develop, and the human potential for
transformation. Our work will center on the intensive examination of a group
of five or six path-breaking monographs, complemented by articles and movies.
These texts will allow us to study with some depth not only a wide range
of cultural formations in different societies, but also differing methods
and theoretical perspectives used to interpret them. We will pay special
attention to the role of fieldwork and archives in the formation of anthropological
and historical interpretations, to the procedures and theories that serve
to establish scientific claims, and to the effects of power in the formation
of knowledge. Classes will be organized around the discussion of texts,
and will include student presentations. Students will be required to write
short papers about the central texts. (Coronil)
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256(Biol. Anthro. 256)/NR&E 256.
Culture, Adaptation, and Environment. (3). (Excl).
This course provides a wide-ranging introduction to the field of ecological
anthropology, focusing on issues related to the management of common property.
The main goal for the course is to help students acquire an understanding
of the strengths and weaknesses of competing approaches to the question
of the relationship of ecology to the social world. On the natural science
side, the major approaches to be considered are behavioral and systems ecology.
From the social sciences, we will investigate the basic techniques of social
anthropology, as well as evolutionary game theory. Why combine the social
and natural sciences in a single course? Traditionally, social scientists
study social systems, and natural scientists study ecosystems. But many
of the most important problems in environmental studies only come into focus
when we are able to combine both perspectives. This is particularly true
of one of the most pressing issues of our time - the management of common
property (resources that are held in common and utilized by a social group).
Today, the oceans are our common property, and the recent collapse of many
fisheries illustrate the dangers posed by over-exploitation, the so-called
"tragedy of the commons." To investigate systems of common property,
we need to know something about how they function as ecosystems, as well
as how societies relate to them. In this course, we will explore systems
of common property utilized by a wide range of societies, including Native
American salmon fishermen, African nomads, and Asian rice farmers. (Lansing)
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282. Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology.
(4). (SS).
This course combines an introduction to the techniques, methods, and theories
of modern archaeology with a general survey of world prehistory. In the
first half of the course we will consider how archaeologists learn about
the past. In the second half of the term we will take a `greatest hits'
tour of world prehistory. In this tour we will focus on the culture of early
humans, the peopling of the New World, and on the changing character of
culture and society in Europe and North America from the earliest inhabitants
through to the beginnings of recorded history. The course is designed to
be accessible without prerequisites, but students will find previous coursework
in Anthropology useful. There will be three one-hour lectures, plus one
discussion section, per week. Requirements: two one-hour exams plus three
take-home exercises. (O'Shea)
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286. Food in Human Affairs. (4).
(SS).
The course will survey the domestication of plants and animals world-wide.
It will examine (1) the cultural and ecological contexts for the domestication
of each and (2) the genetic and anatomical consequences as they were selected
to become productive food staples. The history of domesticated plants and
animals will be explored including their introduction and the sociocultural
consequences of new plants and animals in the diet of people around the
world. The economic and political consequences of food problems will be
discussed - ranging from maize in the New Word to the Irish potato blight,
population increases in China and Africa, and the consequences of global
change on the food supply. There will be several textbooks and a course
pack. In the lecture there will be a midterm and final. In discussion there
will be quizzes and research reports to prepare (2-4 pages in length) about
different plants and animals. Cost:1
WL:1
(Ford)
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