Fall 2013

Undergraduate Courses (Meet Major Area Requirements)

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ANTH 1010 Introduction to Anthropology [Handler]

TuTh 9:30AM - 10:20AM | This course is an overview of key themes and theory in cultural anthropology. It is meant to provide students with the analytical and methodological tools to critically consider cultural difference, social organization, and social change. Themes include: anthropological methods, kinship, gender, religion, colonization, media, pop cultures, consumption, medicine, media, globalization, and post-modernity. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 1050 Anthropology of Globalization [Armengol]

MoWeFr 9:00AM - 9:50AM | TBA (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2190 Desire and World Economics [Mentore]

TuTh 11:00AM - 11:50AM | Because of the current woeful lack of understanding about the economies of other societies, this course offers an insight into the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services practiced by peoples ignored or unknown to classic Western economics. Its principle focus will open upon the obvious differences between cultural concepts of the self and the very notion of its desire. Such arguments as those which theorize on the “rationality” of the market and the “naturalness” of competition will be debunked through the critical purvey of alternative subjectivities. More substantively the course will present societies of the gift, barter, and monetary exchange; the morality of consumption; the value and ethics of production; to name but a few of the topics covered. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2230 Fantasy and Social Values [Wagner]

TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM | An examination of imaginary societies, in particular those in science fiction novels, to see how they reflect the problems and tensions of real social life. Attention is given to "alternate cultures" and fictional societal models. A "cultural imaginary" allow us to think carefully about implications of gender, technology, and social existence that we, for very good reasons, are not allowed to experiment upon. Three papers, mandatory attendance in lecture. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2280 Medical Anthropology [Nahas]

MoWeFr 9:00AM - 9:50AM | The suffering body is inevitable in human experience, but the meaning of suffering is interpreted differently across cultures and time. Conceptions of the body, notions of health and methods of healing vary considerably. The point of this course, which introduces medical anthropology to undergraduates, is to contextualize bodies, suffering, health and power. The aim of the course is to provide a broad understanding of the relationship between culture (particularly in the U.S.), healing (especially the Western form of healing known as biomedicine), health and political power. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2310 Symbol and Ritual [Douglass]

TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45AM | This course will introduce the student to the social meaning of symbols and rituals. We will look at symbols not only in rituals but also those embedded in “everyday life.” Likewise, we will study rituals not only as recognized ceremonies but also as accepted parts of our normal routines. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2400 Language and Culture [Maceyko]

MoWeFr 9:00AM - 9:50AM | A survey of topics having to do with the relationship between language, culture, and society. We will consider both how language is described and analyzed by linguists and how evidence from language can shed light on a variety of social, cultural, and cognitive phenomena. Topics include: nature of language, origins of language, how languages change, writing systems, use of linguistic evidence to make inferences about prehistory, the effects of linguistic categories on thought and behavior, regional and social variation in language, and cultural rules for communication. Course includes a plus obligatory discussion section. Satisfies the College Non-Western perspectives requirement. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2420 Language and Gender [Contini-Morava]

MoWe 11:00AM - 11:50AM | In many societies, differences in pronunciation, vocabulary choice, and/or communicative style serve as social markers of gender identity and differentiation. We will compare gender differences in our own society with those in other societies including non-Western ones. Topics to be addressed include: the relation between gender difference and gender inequality (in scholarly discussion of language as well as in language itself); intersection of gender, race, and social class in language use; gender and non-verbal communication (including representations of gender in advertising and the media); issues of nature vs. nurture in explaining these differences. Requirements will include a paper based on fieldwork conducted jointly with a working group, an individual paper, participation in the required discussion section, and a take-home essay question exam focusing on the course readings and lectures. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2440 Language and Cinema [Lefkowitz]

MoWe 10:00AM - 10:50AM | This course takes a historical look at the role that speech and language have played in Hollywood movies. We will look at the artistic controversies, aesthetic theories, and technological challenges that attended the transition from silent to sound films as a backdrop to the main discussion of how gender, racial, ethnic, and national identities were constructed and reproduced through the representation of speech, dialect, and accent. This course provides an introduction to the study of semiotics but requires no knowledge of linguistics or of film studies. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2470 Reflection of Exile [Lefkowitz]

MoWe 2:00PM - 3:15PM | Covers Jewish languages Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, and Hebrew from historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives Explores the relations between communities and languages, the nature of diaspora, and the death and revival of languages. No prior knowledge of these languages is required. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2500 The Anthropology of the Caribbean [Lahatte]

MoWeFr 11:00AM - 11:50AM | It has been suggested that the Caribbean serves as a “master symbol” for understanding the processes of the modern world. This course will anthropologically examine this claim by exploring the history of the Caribbean from the time of European colonization to the present day with particular attention to subjects such as slavery and plantation economies, revolution and retribution, creolizaton, globalization, and migration and transnationalism. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2575 Migrants and Minorities [Githinji]

MoWeFr 12:00PM - 12:50PM | TBA (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2590 Internet: Another Country [Alvardo]

MoWeFr 12:00PM - 12:50PM | TBA (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2800 Introduction to Archaeology [Laviolette]

MoWe 10:00AM - 10:50AM | Anthropological archaeology, which is the focus of this class, contributes to anthropology more broadly through the study of past societies very different from our own. Through research, archaeologists (re-)construct the broad sweep of human experience and history, mostly before the advent of written records. Combining often humanistic questions on one hand, and mostly scientific methods on the other, archaeology offers perspectives on such things as daily life, religion, economy, and social relations in the past through the systematic analysis of artifacts, faunal and botanical remains, structures, and landscapes. Archaeology is quite visible to the public, and it is fascinating. But how does it actually work? What are archaeology’s unique contributions to our knowledge of the deep and more recent past? This survey course attempts to provide you with answers to these questions. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 2810 Human Origins [Hantman]

MoWe 3:30PM - 4:45PM | The course provides an overview and assessment of the theory, methods, and data used by anthropologists to reconstruct human physical and cultural evolution. Chronologically, the course spans the time from the initial appearance of distinctly human ancestors (ca 4.5 million years ago) to the period just prior to the rise of plant and animal domestication and early village life (ca 10,000 B.C.). The course is divided into three topical components: 1) a review of evolutionary theory, and the ever-growing American controversy surrounding that theory; 2) an in-depth survey of the data used to support current models of the complex ancestral tree of human evolution, and 3) a study of the origins of uniquely modern human behaviors of the relatively recent past, such as complex language, ritual, religion and art, as well as the question over how, when and where 'modern' humans evolved. Throughout we will examine anthropological perspectives in evolutionary studies as they compare and /or contrast with interpretations of unique (innate?) human behaviors argued for in the literature of evolutionary psychology and biology, as well as how those arguments are represented in the popular media and in public policy debates. The grade for the course is based on two quizzes (40% total) and a mid-term and final exam (60% total). (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3010 Theory & History Anthropology [McKinnon]

TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM | This course is designed for students who are majoring in anthropology. It presents a broad historical outline of major theoretical approaches in the field, from the late 19th century to the present. These approaches will be examined in relation to both evolving debates within the discipline, and the larger historical, cultural and intellectual contexts in which they were produced, and which they to some degree reflect; we will also discuss the enduring relevance of these theories. The course stresses close reading of primary texts and emphasizes in particular the critical analysis of these texts' arguments. The discussion section is obligatory. This is a required course for anthropology majors. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3130 Disease, Epidemics and Society [Shepherd]

MoWe 2:00PM - 3:15PM | Topics covered in this course will include emerging diseases and leading killers in the twenty-first century, disease ecology, disease history and mortality transitions, the sociology of epidemics, the role of epidemiology in the mobilization of public health resources to confront epidemics, and the social processes by which the groups become stigmatized during disease outbreaks. This is a course that seeks to present a holistic view of global health by drawing on work crossing several disciplines, including anthropological demography, epidemiology, public health, disease history, genomic studies of disease pathogens, and medical anthropology. The written work for this course will fulfill the second writing requirement; the requirement is not completed, however, until you submit a completion form with your final paper (the form is available at Monroe Hall or on-line). (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3152 Amazonian Peoples [Mentore]

TuTh 2:00PM - 2:50PM | Analyzes ethnographies on the cultures and the societies of the South American rain forest peoples, and evaluates the scholarly ways in which anthropology has produced, engaged, interpreted, and presented its knowledge of the 'Amerindian.' (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3155 Anthropology of Everyday American Life [Damon]

MoWeFr 10:00AM - 10:50AM | Taking a production and exchange orientation to society, this course uses anthropological models to analyze aspects of the US experience in North America and its extension into the world. The models draw from the anthropological analysis of exchange, rites of transition and sacrifice, and the analysis of mythology. Although introduced by issues from the immediate questions of American culture, the course has a serious historical orientation. It runs from our 18th century foundation up to contemporary crises. Students will write several response papers (2-4 pages/) and one longer paper (10+/_ pages) moving towards a synthesis of the course or a research proposal built out of the response papers but involving modest additional library or ethnographic research. Monday and Wednesdays are lecture days, Fridays devoted to Damon-led discussion. There will be no tests but occasional quizzes. The course should satisfy Second Writing Requirement. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3240 Anthropology of Food [Wellman]

MoWeFr 1:00PM - 1:50PM | By exploring food and eating in relationship to such topics as taboo, sexuality, bodies, spirituality, kinship, and hierarchy, this course will investigate the way that the foods people eat are meaningful across multiple cultural contexts. Students will survey key anthropological approaches to the study of food including food as symbol, food as social boundary, food as nutrition, food as material voice, food as self, and food as political economy. Students will additionally develop and practice basic methodologies for food oriented ethnography. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3320 Shamanism, Healing and Ritual [Turner]

Th 7:00PM - 9:30PM | The course delves into the sources of shamanism and ritual healing. It provides understanding of their different logic, and therefore why they communicate and heal. The class brings to life the reports and experiences of contemporary non-Western shamanic and healing rituals, maintaining respect for native interpretations in order to understand the effectiveness of their rituals. We will emphasize the human, personal experience of the events as living processes, and will use the in-depth studies of scholars who have become more than academics and who sometimes participate as practitioners of the crafts about which they seek knowledge. The experiencing and practicing of shamanism and healing being the actual life of these crafts, we will learn how to approximate a sense of these rituals by enacting them. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3559 Imagining Africa [Igoe]

TuTh 9:00AM - 10:45AM | Africa, as an imagined place, has long fascinated Western scholars, explorers, and samaritans. But Africa is also imagined by Africans themselves, as a place definitive of their experiences and identities. These imaginings are diasporic, challenging constructions of Africa as a clearly bounded continent. This course explores imaginaries of Africa from many perspectives, and particularly those of people who identify as African. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3590-01 Capitalism: Culture Perspectives [Weston]

TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM | Examines capitalist relations around the world in a variety of cultural and historical settings. Readings cover field studies of work, industrialization, "informal" economies, advertising, securities trading, "consumer culture," corporations; anthropology of money and debt; global spread of capitalist markets; multiple capitalisms thesis; commodification; slavery and capital formation; capitalism and environmental sustainability. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3590-02 Anthropology of the Middle East [Wattenmaker]

TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM | This course explores the ways that Middle Eastern ethnographies have contributed to anthropological debates on, and popular understanding of, topics such tribalism, gender and religion, religion and secularism, colonialism, nationalism, nomadism and markets. We will examine the portrayals of Middle Eastern societies in the Western world and consider how this has changed through time. A series of ethnographies (and films) will highlight both the heterogeneous nature of Middle Eastern societies and the anthropological issues confronted by these works. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3590-03 Anthropology of Time & Space [Damon]

MoWe 5:00PM - 6:15PM | All societies position themselves in space and time. This course samples the anthropological discussion of the ways social systems have configured these factors. We will consider both internalized conceptions of time and space and the way an analyst might view space and time as external factors orientating a society’s existence. We will sample classic discussions of spatial-temporal orientations in small and large, “pre-modern” and “modern” societies. What are the differences between these scales and kinds of societies? Students will be responsible for producing up to three short essays (4-5 pages) about texts considered by the class as a whole and then a research paper (approximately 20 pages) devoted to a single society or part of the world. Class time will be divided between lecture format and discussion, increasingly turning to the latter as we move towards the end of the semester and each student concentrates on his or her own project. This course should satisfy the second writing requirement. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3630 Chinese Family and Religion [Shepherd]

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM | Prerequisite: Anthro 101 or equivalent social science or China-related course. This course will introduce students to anthropological analysis of the traditional forms of the Chinese family and popular religion, and their modern transformations. Heavy emphasis is on the ethnography from Taiwan where traditional forms have endured and been studied intensively. Topics to be covered include the dynamics of traditional Chinese marriage and domestic life, gender roles, the religious underpinnings of Chinese family life in ancestor worship and the Chinese cult of the dead, marriage rituals, and the cult of filial piety. The forms of temple worship, the interaction of the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian traditions, and the shamanic tradition will also be covered. Finally, attention will be paid to the changing role of the family and religion in twentieth century Chinese life. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3680 Australian Aboriginal Art [Smith]

Mo 3:30PM - 6:00PM | This class will study the intersection of anthropology, art and material culture focusing on Australian Aboriginal art. We will examine how Aboriginal art has moved from relative obscurity to global recognition over the past thirty years. Topics include the historical and cultural contexts of invention, production, marketing and appropriation of Aboriginal art. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 3700 Globalizing India [Khare]

Th 3:30PM - 6:00PM | Anthropological discussion of selected globalizing forces and processes operating on—and from within—India, showing their diversifying yet constricting and conflicting socio-economic, political and religious-moral trends. The topics under detailed examination will be the adapting (a) Indian family, caste and middle class structures; (b) local/regional bazaar ethos and ethics vs. the global mall culture; (c) Indian religiosity, political protest and activism; (d) the mass media and TV led Indian consumerism. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 4591-01 Archaeology of Virginia [Hantman]

TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM | This course examines 12,000 years of Virginia history through the lens of archaeological research. This span covers the time of earliest human colonization of the region to the nineteenth century. In this vast time frame, and situated in the context of the Chesapeake world more broadly, we will focus on selected topics for which people, events, and sites in Virginia provide a unique perspective. These include: the timing and process of the initial settlement of the Americas, the stability of Native American economies over the seven thousand year Archaic period, and the structure and relatively recent development of distinct regional and hierarchical polities such as the well-known Powhatans and Monacans. The course looks particularly closely at the archaeology of the colonial-era, including indigenous perspectives on early interactions between Virginia Indians, Europeans and Africans, as well as archaeological contributions towards new understandings of slavery and historic African-American culture in Virginia. The course grade is based on three exams (60% total) and one 10-15 page research paper (40%). (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 4591-02 Animals: Good to Think [Douglass]

TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM | Animals: Good to Think will be a seminar on the anthropology of human cultural relations with animals. It is inspired in part by the recent research and theory in animal studies. The seminar will emphasize only a few of many possible themes, such as animals as symbol, animals as spectacle and sport, animals as domesticates, “pets” and food, and animals as scientific object. We will especially emphasize horses. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5420 Theories of Language [Contini-Morava]

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM | We will survey a number of modern schools of linguistics, both American and European, trying to understand each approach in terms of its historical context, the goals it sets itself, the assumptions it makes about the nature of language, and the relation between theory and methodology. Grades will depend on: four or five written homework assignments that ask you to look at some data from a particular theoretical perspective; weekly reading responses, a take-home, open-book final exam; and evidence (from class discussion) that you have been doing the readings, which are an essential part of the course. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5549 Endangered Languages [Dobrin]

Th 4:00PM - 6:30PM | In the early 1990s, dire predictions about the future of linguistic diversity suddenly captured linguists’ attention and galvanized a disciplinary commitment to document and preserve endangered languages before they die out. Where did this movement “to save what can yet be saved” of dying native life ways come from? What makes it so compelling to the diverse participants and stakeholders involved—linguists, members of heritage communities, funding agencies, international organizations? What are some of the challenges that language preservation projects repeatedly encounter, and why do they arise? This seminar explores the western “will to preserve” as a historically situated, cultural phenomenon in which understandings of identity, ethics, and ownership come to the fore. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5559-01 Modernity, Tradition, and Anthropology [Khare]

Tu 3:30PM - 6:00PM | The seminar begins by exploring complicated interrelationships between anthropology and modernity in both colonial and postcolonial disciplinary phases, and follows up alternative anthropological approaches to and representations and analyses of modernity around (a) the “scientific” vs. “humanistic” studies of humans; (b) the religious violence issues; (c) the civil society, the NGOs and the public good; and (d) the mass media, TV and film culture. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5559-02 Mathematical Kinship [Wagner]

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM | TBA (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5808 Method & Theory in Archaeology [Wattenmaker]

Mo 3:30PM - 6:00PM | An intensive investigation of theory and method in anthropological archaeology, with particular attention paid to the evolution of archaeological theory in the last fifty years, and to the diversity of modern approaches in archaeology (sic). (3.0 Units)

Course Number Index

Courses that meet Major Area Requirements:

Prin. of Social AnalysisEthnographyArchaeologyLinguistics

1050, 2190, 2230, 2280, 2310, 2575, 2590, 3130, 3320, 3240, 3590-01, 3590-03, 3680, 5559-01, 5559-02

2500, 3152, 3155, 3590-02, 3630, 3700

2800, 2810, 3603, 4840, 5808

2400, 2420, 2440, 2470, 5420, 5549

Major Requirements
1010, 3010,4591-01,4591-02

Beyond the West
(for the major: note that some of these courses do not meet the College's Nonwestern requirement)

2500, 3152, 3590-02, 3630, 3700

Senior Seminars

4591-01, 4591-02

Graduate Courses

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ANTH 5420 Theories of Language [Contini-Morava]

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ANTH 5549 Endangered Languages [Dobrin]

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ANTH 5559-01 Modernity, Tradition, and Anthropology [Khare]

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ANTH 5559-02 Mathematical Kinship [Wagner]

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM | TBA (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 5808 Method & Theory in Archaeology [Wattenmaker]

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ANTH 7010 History Theory I [Bashkow]

TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM | This course is the first half of the graduate core sequence in the History of Anthropological Theory, covering from (roughly) the beginning of cosmic time until the mid-20th century. By careful reading of classic works we will learn about the philosophical roots of the two great streams of western social theory, prefiguring the conflict between social evolutionism and cultural particularism in the 20th century. We will study different national traditions of anthropology, emphasizing the U.S., France, and Britain, and trace the early trajectory of major approaches and debates in the field. We will be concerned to understand anthropological theories not only as frameworks for understanding other cultures, but also as reflections or commentaries upon the culture of those who produced them. The course stresses close reading, analysis, and discussion of primary texts. This is a required course for entering anthropology graduate students. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 7040 Ethnographic Research Design and Methods [Bashkow]

Tu 4:00PM - 6:30PM | Research is a craft requiring methods fitted to each researcher's unique research situation and questions. This seminar on the craft of research will consider a mix of (a) conceptual issues like what is distinctive to the anthropological practice of ethnography and (b) practical and ethical challenges of fieldwork including getting research permission, choosing where to stay, presenting one's research to the community, reciprocating assistance, anticipating and mitigating research risks, selecting proper equipment, budgeting money and time, negotiating conflicts and power dynamics, recording and transcribing, and preparing to write. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 7130 Disease, Epidemics and Society [Shepherd]

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ANTH 7589 Archaeology of Everyday Life [Laviolette]

Th 7:00PM - 9:30PM | This seminar, restricted to graduate students, will approach the archaeological study of everyday life through a range of theoretical paradigms and literatures, including those related to practice, embodiment, gender and kinship, household production, and taste. (3.0 Units)

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ANTH 7603 Archaeology Approaches to Atlantic Slavery [Neiman]

We 4:30PM - 7:00PM | This course explores how archaeological evidence can be used to enhance our understanding of the slave-based societies that evolved in the early-modern Atlantic world from the 17th through early-19th centuries. We will focus on the Cheapeake, South Carolina, and Jamaica. The course covers recent contributions to the historical and archaeological literatures on the lives of enslaved people, as well as theoretical models of human behavior and basic techniques in archaeological data analysis that jointly are required to make and evaluate inferences about the meaning of archaeological evidence. The course is structured around a series of research projects that offer students the opportunity to use historical knowledge, theoretical grounding, and methodological skills in the analysis of real data from the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (http://www.daacs.org). In each project, you will have an opportunity to make and critically evaluate inferences about the historical meaning of the archaeological record left behind by enslaved Africans and their descendents.he class format combines lectures, discussion, and computer workshops. (3.0 Units)