Undergraduate Courses (Meet Major Area Requirements)
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ANTH 2345 Anthropology of Reproduction [Doberne]
May 13 - June 8 | In this course, we will study human reproduction as a cultural process. Questions include how gender, class, race, and religion shape reproductive ideals and practices around the world. Ethnographic examples will come from around the world, but will emphasize South Asia and the United States. This course examines the perspectives of both men and women and situates local examples within national and global struggles to (re)produce the future. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 2500-01 Nepal: Views from the Rood of the World [Khan]
May 13 - June 8 | This is an introductory survey course on the anthropology of Nepal. Through ethnographic readings and films, students will explore a wide range of anthropological themes, such as religion, kinship, ethnic identity, political systems, development, and globalization, in the Nepali context. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 2500-02 South Asia: Religion and Nationalism [Dennis]
July 8 - August 3 | This course explores the relationship between religion and nationalism in South Asia, focusing closely on how Hinduism and Islam factor into the national identities of India and Pakistan respectively and also looking at Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 2500-03 South Asia: Religion and Nationalism [Wattenmaker]
June 10 - July 6 | This course explores the ways that Middle Eastern ethnographies have contributed to anthropological debates on, and popular understanding of, topics such tribalism, gender and Islam, religion and secularism, colonialism, nationalism, 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 2559 History and Prehistory of the Puebloan Southwest [Most & Leckey]
Special 2-week program (see website) | This course will introduce students to the archaeology and history of the Ancestral Puebloan cultures of the southwestern United States. Combining in-class instruction with exploration of archaeological parks, historical sites, and present-day Native American communities, its goal is for students to learn the fundamentals of southwest archaeology within a framework of cultural enrichment outside the traditional classroom. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 2800 Introduction to Archeology [Holeman]
June 10 - July 6 | The majority human history on this earth is not written down in historical documents. Archaeology is the discipline that helps us understand this unwritten past. Archaeology is the study of human societies of the past. Through the systematic study of material culture, archaeology illuminates the broad patterns of culture change as well as discovering the origins of the human species. In this class we will learn the methodologies and theories archaeologists use to interpret the past. How do archaeologists know what they know? How do bones, stones, plants, and pots tell us about past societies? We will discuss how archaeologists go from material culture remains to the broader questions of past economies, political systems, and religious systems. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 3240 The Anthropology of Food [Starr]
May 13 - June 8 | This course examines the production, distribution, and consumption of food as it is understood and theorized within cultural anthropology. We will look at cross-cultural differences of how food and eating are actively involved in (1) creating and maintaining sociality, (2) constructing and reinforcing identity, and (3) in shaping global relations of power and inequalities. We will inquire into how our own role as consumers reinforces certain global food-ways, impacting many people who remain unseen in the process. It is a course that will not only introduce you to other ways of viewing, experiencing, and understanding food but will also explore avenues through which you can be a conscientious food consumer in today’s world. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 3300 Tournaments and Athletes [Mentore]
July 8 - August 3 | This course will offer you a cross-cultural study of competitive games. Criticizing current theories about the "innocence" of sports while comparing and contrasting various athletic events from societies around the world, it will provide an argument to explain the competitive bodily displays of athletes. The materials will allow you to examine bodily movement, meaning, context, and process, in addition to the relations between athletes, officials, spectators, and social systems. Its general thesis will be that sport brings out the universal morals of community, challenges and tests them in controlled and unthreatening genres, yet never defeats them or makes them appear unjust. Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or contact instructor for permission. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 3340 Ecology and Society [Stanley]
July 8 - August 3 | This course introduces anthropological perspectives to 21st century issues of ecology and society. In both local and global case studies, we will explore topics including parks, energy, overpopulation, food, sustainability and transportation. Student will apply lessons learned to class projects focusing on environmental issues here in Virginia. The course emphasizes the close reading, written analysis, and classroom discussion of primary texts. (3.0 Units)
Course Number Index
Courses that meet Major Area Requirements:
Prin. of Social AnalysisEthnographyArchaeology
2345, 3240, 3300, 3340
2500-01, 2500-02, 2500-03
2559, 2800
Beyond the West
(for the major: note that some of these courses do not meet the College's Nonwestern requirement)
2345, 3240, 2500-01, 2500-02, 2500-03
Swahili Courses
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ANTH 1010 Introduction to Swahili I [Wairungu]
June 10 - July 6 | This is the first part of a two-semester beginning Swahili course. The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to Swahili language and culture. It’s also meant to equip the him/her with the necessary listening, speaking, reading and writing skills so as to understand basic Swahili. Swahili is the national language of Kenya and Tanzania, and Uganda to a lesser extent. It is the first, second or main language of most people in East Africa, and in many parts of Central and Southern Africa. It is also the most widely taught, broadcast and used sub-Saharan African language around the world. (3.0 Units)
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ANTH 1020 Introduction to Swahili II [Wairungu]
July 8 - August 3 | This is the second part of a two-semester beginning Swahili course. It will focus on developing the already acquired Swahili listening, speaking, reading and writing skills so as to understand basic Swahili, and actively participate in day-to-day Swahili cultural activities. Enrollment in the course is subject to Instructor’s Permission as the student is required to have completed SWAH 101 or the equivalent. Upon completion of this course, students will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the acquisition of: a) basic skills in performing day-to-day interactions such as greetings, interpersonal conversations, and comprehension in Swahili; b) use of simple but fairly communicative grammatical constructions; c) appreciation of basic cultural practices of the Swahili-speaking people. Class meetings shall be supplemented by technology sessions where deemed appropriate. (3.0 Units)
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