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Anthropology Course Descriptions
ANT 110 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
An introduction to the perspectives and methods of cultural
anthropology. Topics covered include the nature of culture; the
relation of culture to language; the importance of the
environment for human societies; and a cross-cultural
examination of family structure, social organization, political
and economic systems, religion, arts and folklore, and the
impact of social and cultural change.
ANT 120 Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology
An introduction to major topics
in physical anthropology and archaeology, including studies of
human biological and cultural evolution, conflicting theories
over the genetic and cultural bases of human behavior, history
and methodology of archaeology, and on-going debates and new
directions in these areas of anthropology.
ANT 301/SOC 301 Qualitative Field Methods
An introduction to the
research process. Students are prepared to conduct research,
including fieldwork, to evaluate and present research in a
scholarly manner, and to critically evaluate the research of
others. Basic techniques such as participant-observation,
interviewing, and the use of documents are practiced in the
field and evaluated. Prerequisite: ANT 11 or SOC 11.
ANT 302/SOC 302 Classics of Ethnography
An examination of classic
anthropological field studies, focusing on the works and lives
of key figures in the field. Course readings show how
ethnographic data are gathered and how these findings are
analyzed and interpreted. In this course, the interpretive
search for meaning confronts the scientific quest for truth.
Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110.
ANT 304 History of Anthropological Thought
A critical analysis of the
history of anthropological theory and method, tracing the
development of this Western discipline through its various
understandings of humankind in general, and of non-Western
cultures in particular. Prerequisite: ANT 11 or SOC 11 or
permission of the instructor.
ANT/SOC 305 Research Methods
An introduction to the process of
social research, data collection, and data analysis, with a
focus on survey research methods. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC
110 or permission of the instructor.
ANT 310 Language and Culture
This ethnolinguistic course
examines the relationship between speakers’ communicative
choices (language, dialect, formality, style) and the social
groups to which they claim membership (based on region, gender,
age, social class). Topics include: the ethnography of
communication, language and power, universals and cross-cultural
differences in communicative strategies, and the nature and
consequences of language variation. The linguist’s methods of
studying language and working with language data are introduced,
and field work among regional speakers of English as well as
local non-English-speaking populations are conducted as research
projects. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the
instructor.
ANT 320 The Anthropology of Tourism
The course includes an
examination of the cultural, structural, and psychological
aspects of the phenomenon of tourism, concentrating on its
history, meaning, and growth cross-culturally, and its
relationships to other types of recreation, pilgrimages,
lifestyles, and world views. Other concerns are the social,
cultural, ecological, and economic impacts of tourism on host
communities and consideration in general of the relationships
between tourism and acculturation. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC
110 or permission of the instructor.
ANT 325 Anthropology of Media
This course is a seminar on
the roles played by media in culture and society, focusing on
ethnographic studies of mass media production and consumption.
We will examine media interactions with real people and take an
anthropological approach that sees mass media as grounded in
broader social contexts. From that perspective, we will look at
how mass media may have a homogenizing effect on world culture,
or how it can alternately exacerbate differences among groups.
Topics include indigenous media, cultural globalization,
reception theory, Islamic media, and online communities.
Prerequisite: ANT 110 or permission of the instructor.
ANT 340 Introduction to Folklore
A cross-cultural survey of the
major forms of folklore and a consideration of the
methodological and theoretical approaches used by
anthropologists and folklorists in the study of folklore. Major
genres of folklore are identified, methods for collecting
folklore are discussed and analyzed, and folklore theory of the
19th and 20th centuries is identified and assessed. The place of
folklore in the study of anthropology is explored. Prerequisite:
ANT 110 or SOC 110 or permission of the instructor.
ANT 345 Southeast Asia
This course introduces
students to the history and cultural diversity of Southeast Asia
, from prehistoric to contemporary times. It examines the
distinctive character of the region, its broad range of ethnic
and linguistic groups, and how these have changed over time.
Lectures and discussions focus on the broad themes of unity and
diversity in examining key indigenous cultural groups, and their
ongoing struggles with religious, economic, and political
influences from China, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and the
West. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110 or permission of the
instructor.
ANT 350 Ecological Anthropology
A study of interrelationships
between populations, organization, environment, technology, and
symbols. Established materialist paradigms in anthropology are
critiqued and evaluated. New approaches to understanding issues
of environmental degradation, world hunger, and Third World
development and change are addressed, including historical
ecology, political ecology, the ecology of practice, and remote
sensing analysis. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or ANT 120.
ANT 360 GIS and the Environment
An introduction to the
basic concepts and applications of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) as used in environmental studies. Students in the
course receive hands-on training in the use of ArcView, the
industry-standard GIS software, and the use of Global
Positioning System (GPS) devices. Students also learn how to
integrate data into GIS from sources such as maps, aerial
photographs, and Landsat satellite images.
ANT 380 Archaeology: Theory and Practice
This course integrates the
concepts of both research and cultural resource management, and
prehistoric and historic archaeology. Utilizing classroom and
field experience, new technologies and traditional methods of
archaeological site excavation and interpretation are presented.
Prerequisite: ANT 120.
ANT 381 Archaeology, Prehistory and Ancient Civilizations
An introduction to the
methods and practice of archaeology as one of four subfields of
anthropology, concentrating on world prehistory and the rise of
ancient civilizations. The course includes a brief historical
survey of archaeology as well as an overview of contemporary
archaeological techniques. A focus on archaeological evidence
for the major turning points in human history such as the
domestication of animals and plants, the rise of agriculture and
sedentary life, the relates rise of cities and, ultimately,
ancient civilizations, underlies the organization of the course.
Prerequisite: ANT 110 or 120 or permission of the instructor.
ANT 391 Native Peoples of North America
An introductory cultural survey
of the native peoples of North America from their arrival in the
New World to the present. Focus is on several selected native
groups of the United States and Canada, exploring the complexity
and diversity of their cultures, and their relationships with
the "white" culture. Particular concerns are survival, change,
identity, perceptions of self and others, and the Native
American cultures of today. Prerequisite: ANT 110 and 120.
ANT 393 The Maya
An ethnohistoric,
archaeological, and contemporary survey of Mayan culture.
Emphasis is on the prehistory and history of the Maya, the
traditional culture of the Maya including intensive examination
of Mayan art and architecture, and the vital Mayan culture
present in Mesoamerica today. Prerequisite: ANT 110 and 120.
ANT 394 Peoples of the Middle East and North Africa
A cultural survey of the native
peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the
ethnology and ethnohistory of specific cultural groups as well
as the important influence, sometimes unifying, sometimes
divisive, of Islam on the area. General cultural patterns as
well as specific cultural differences are explored. Theoretical,
cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary issues are raised using a
variety of sources. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110 or
permission of the instructor.
ANT 395 Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa
An introduction to the
history, ethnography, and ecology of the diverse cultures and
societies of sub-Saharan Africa. The course begins with a survey
of the geography, prehistory, and history of the continent, and
proceeds to an examination of the social and economic
organization of small-scale African societies, a discussion of
African thought and religion, and a discussion of gender issues
and social change. Finally, the course focuses on experiences of
ethnographers as they encounter rural African society.
Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110 or permission of the instuctor.
ANT 500/SOC 500 Advanced Seminar
A seminar study of important
works in anthropology and sociology. Topics change with the
instructor; this course may be repeated. Prerequisite: Major or
minor in anthropology/sociology and 15 hours of
anthropology/sociology courses, or permission of the program.
ANT 326 Islam and the Media
This course asks how Muslim
cultures and Islamic practice are represented on evening news
broadcasts, talk radio and in popular film, and also how the
Islamic world has itself been transformed by the advent of new
media technologies. In its first half, the course explores how
news and entertainment media in the U.S. and Europe have
represented the Islamic world as well as Muslims at home and
abroad, including the changing awareness of Islam in Western
nations that followed the September 11 th attacks, and the
subsequent U.S. ‘war on terror. In its second half, the course
explores the rise of mass media in the Islamic world, focusing
on the powerful role that Arabic-language satellite TV channels
have played in the ongoing Iraq war and in shaping perceptions
of the West's confrontation with militant Islam. Attention is
paid to the prominence of Islamic websites and Internet
communication in subverting global media hierarchies. This
course includes a three-day trip to Washington D.C. where
students will tour the studios of U.S.-funded Al Hurra satellite
television and speak with journalists from Arab-language news
media.
ANT 451 Ancient Maya Culture
Students learn the principals and
processes behind the development of universal high culture as
seen among the ancient Maya. The course follows the cultural
development of the Maya prior to their conquest by Europeans in
the sixteenth century. Primary focus centers on understanding
ancient Maya society as being shaped by a combination of
internal cultural processes and interactions with other ethnic
groups of ancient Mexico . The explanation of the ancient Maya
is seen as the result of the events and processes that underlie
the general growth of human culture throughout the world,
particularly those that develop the kind of complexity referred
to as civilization. Offered in Mexico.
Sociology
Course Descriptions
SOC 103 Introduction to Family Life
An introduction to marriage and
family life, focusing on the contemporary United States.
SOC 110 Introduction to Sociology
A survey of sociological
concerns, including explorations of social solidarity and social
conflict at the macro and micro levels, through classic texts
and field research.
SOC 120 Social Structure
The backbone of society is made
by stratified layers of power. The large structures of social
relations, based on race, class, gender, religion, and other
factors, shape the lives of individuals, families, communities
and whole nations. This course studies how society is structured
by these social forces and how leadership groups work within the
social structure to direct society as a whole.
SOC 301 Field Methods
(See ANT 301.)
SOC 302 Classics of Ethnography
(See ANT 302.)
SOC 303 Macrosociological Theory
An examination of the major
theoretical traditions and some classical theoretical texts of
sociology. Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT 110 or permission of the
instructor.
SOC 305 Research Methods
(See ANT 305.)
SOC 306 Microsociological Theory
An examination of the major
microsociological theories in sociology. These theoretical
perspectives attempt to interpret and explain the social
behaviors that arise in face-to-face settings. Prerequisite: SOC
11, ANT 110, or permission of the instructor.
SOC 310 Sociology of Family Life
A study of the structures and
functions of family life as they have changed over time and
varied from culture to culture. Special attention is given to
the role of marriage and of gender relations in family life.
Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT 110 or permission of the
instructor.
SOC 320 Race and Ethnicity
A study of the concept of
"race" and the impact of that concept on the relations of ethnic
groups. Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT 110 or permission of the
instructor.
SOC 341 Calvinism and Modern Culture
Calvinism, the Reformed Christian
tradition that includes Presbyterianism, has had a pivotal role
in shaping modern culture. The “Protestant work ethic” laid the
foundations for modern capitalism. The “revolution of the
saints” of the Puritans promoted a new idea of democratic
citizenship. Reformed scientists sought to read the divine order
in the “book of nature.” The Presbyterian mission to educate the
laity led to the creation of many schools and colleges. This
course explores the several ways in which the Reformed tradition
shaped modern society, including a case study of the history of
Centre College . Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT 110 or REL 120 or
permission of the instructor. (also listed as REL 325.)
SOC 344 Sociology of American Religion
A survey of the main
religions and denominations found in the United States . The
course examines the competition of denominations and religions
in the “religious marketplace.” It further examine how a
generalized Judeo-Christian or Biblical religious tradition, as
well as the idea of the competition of all the “disestablished”
religious institutions itself, becomes part of a broad American
civil religion. Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT 110 or REL 120 or
permission of the instructor.
SOC 350 Criminology
This course provides an
introduction to the field of criminology. The course includes
material on sociological theories of crime, research methods
used to study crime, and empirical research on the predictors of
crime and criminal behavior. Additional course topics include
criminal law, the distribution of crime, explanations for
criminal behavior, and selected types of crime (e.g., robbery,
assault, homicide, white-collar). Prerequisite: SOC 110 or ANT
110 or permission of the instructor.
SOC 351 Sociology of Law
An examination of the
theoretical approaches to understanding law-in-society and a
review of the empirical research on the relationship between law
and society, including research on juries, criminal justice
(e.g., police, courts, prisons), civil justice, and social
change. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110 or permission of the
instructor.
SOC 360 Social Psychology
A study of individuals in their
social and cultural settings. Emphasis is placed on empirical
research into the social factors involved in
perceptual-cognitive processes, attitude organization and
change, intergroup relations, group productivity, the
socializing process, and the effects of culture on personality.
Students perform laboratory and field experiments designed to
investigate basic processes of social psychology. Prerequisite:
PSY 110 or senior standing and permission of the instructor. PSY
210 and 220 are recommended. (Also listed as PSY 360.)
SOC 380 Death and Dying
A sociological overview of
death and dying. Topics include definitions of death, social
epidemiology, the demographics of health and mortality, the
social meaning of death and dying, and survivors' experiences
with grief and bereavement. Prerequisite: ANT 110 or SOC 110 or
permission of the instructor.
SOC 393 Mexican Society And History
This course is planned to provide
the students a compact but relevant knowledge of the more
representative events of Mexican history and the current shape
of Mexican society. The course proposes a chronological view in
order to facilitate a working understanding of Mexico's past, as
well as the ways these events continue to reshape this country.
The course will examine current Mexican social institutions,
including its political parties, economic institutions, class
structure, ethnic mix, religion, and gender relations. Conducted
in Mexico.
SOC 500 Advanced Seminar
(See ANT 500.) |
