Fall 2008 Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate courses include the following. Course offerings vary by semester.
104 Great Sites and Lost
Tribes: The Romantic Element in Archaeology (3)
This course examines the romantic element in archaeology in the great
sites of the world, such as Troy, Olduvai Gorge, Stonehenge, etc. Since
the sites cannot be separated from their discoverers and excavators, we
will also consider the lives of the most famous and romantic archaeologists,
Schliemann, Leakey, Kenyon, etc. LEC
105 Introduction to Anthropology
(3)
Introductory survey of the major subfields of anthropology: archaeology,
physical anthropology, and cultural anthropology. LEC
106 Introduction to Cultural
Anthropology (3)
Survey of important ideas about culture and society that have shaped cultural
anthropology. The principal institutions of culture--language, social
organization, religion, economics, politics, artistic expression, etc.--are
studied in their traditional ethnographic context and as they change through
cultural contact and modernization. LEC
107 Introduction to Physical
Anthropology (3)
For centuries preceding modern times, our uniqueness as a species was
taken as a sign of special creation; we were not seen to be a part of
nature. But as knowledge of human evolution, of our closeness to other
primates, and of our adaptations to specific environments emerged, we
have taken our place in the animal kingdom. Here, we will learn how those
insights developed, and about current methods of understanding human origins
and the natural forces that have shaped us. LEC
108 Introduction to Archaeology
(3)
Development of society from the earliest tools to the advent of history,
analyzed in terms of spatial and temporal diversity, and as people’s
means of adapting to their environment. LEC
161 Heredity and Society
(3)
Contemporary human genetics relevant to families and society as a whole.
Topics include genetic diseases, family planning and demography, genetic
counseling and prenatal diagnosis, genetic engineering, and genetics and
the law. LEC
183 Peoples and Culture
of Latin America (3)
For nonmajors. Modern Latin American nations; cultural history; current
problems of national development; future prospects. LEC
203 Anthropology and Film
(3)
The study of culture through the use of visual materials (films, tapes,
etc.). Emphasis is on learning anthropological concepts, attitudes, and
methodologies, with film as the primary medium for so doing. This is a
class in anthropology, rather than a "films" class. LEC
205 American Norms and
Deviations (3)0
Points out “definitions of the situation” that exclude and oppress
some Americans for the apparent benefit of other Americans; explores categories
of people (“criminals,” “junkies,” “bums,”
“drunks,” etc.) as realities and as stereotypes, and analyzes
their origins in American social history; forces that sustain such categorizing
are also clarified. LEC
210 Musics of the World
(3)
Introduction to ethnomusicology; musical styles in a variety of cultural
contexts. LEC
215 Historic Archaeology
(3)
This course reviews the growth of the unique possibilities of historic
archaeology--a growth that suggests that this subdiscipline can provide
an important perspective on disciplinary goals, as well as on the history
of North American societies.
217 Warfare (3)
This course is intended for students who are interested in learning about
the forms of armed combat, which occur in small-scale societies, and the
causes of such violence. The course content focuses upon the "warfare"
of five different societies, and then explores several anthropological
theories that address the causes and effects of internal violence and
warfare. LEC
226 Human Adaptation
(3)
The theme of the course is human subsistence and reproductive behavior
examined from an evolutionary perspective. The course consists of five
sections: (1) the theory of evolution, natural selection, and adaptation;
(2) what our nearest relatives, the two chimpanzee species, can teach
us about
being human; (3) recent human evolutionary history in the Pliocene and
Pleistocene; (4) hunter-gatherers; (5) special issues related to reproduction.
LEC
245 Survey of the Primates
(3)
An introduction to the field of primatology. Primate taxonomy, ecology,
and evolution. A variety of visual aids used. Primate biology and visits
to the zoo and the Physical Anthropology Laboratory are encouraged. LEC
246 Introduction to Primate
Behavior (3)
Behavior and social organization of nonhuman primates; current theories,
evolutionary processes, and research methods, both in the field and in
the laboratories. LEC
248 Human Genetics
(3)
Contemporary human genetics relevant to families and society. Genetic
diseases; family planning and demography; genetic counseling and prenatal
diagnosis; genetic engineering; genetics and the law. The purpose of this
course is to provide students with sufficient understanding of contemporary
human genetics to intelligently address these issues. LEC
250 Topics in Archaeology (3)
261 Cultural Anthropology Topics (3)
262 Anthropology and Justice
(3)
Comparative studies of justice in the perspectives of local and global
human problems, including analyses of the causes of conflict and dispute:
inequality, poverty, racism, war and aggression, colonialism, sexism,
economic exploitation, etc. Justice will be considered in the context
of related cultural concepts and values (truth, harmony, etc.) and in
a variety of institutional settings (community, workplace, nation, etc.).
In addition, aspects of crime, deviance, punishment and rehabilitation,
and restitution will be investigated. LEC
265 Peoples of Southeast
Asia (3)
History and culture of both mainland and island Southeast Asia emphasizing
kinship, religious, and political systems, as well as art forms. LEC
275 Introduction to Medical
Anthropology (3)
This course uses an ecological and cultural perspective to study human
disease, stress, and adaptation. Topics covered include the ecology and
epidemiology of disease; genetic, physiological, and cultural adaptation;
nutrition; stress; culture change; and health repercussions of economic
development and modernization. While the course is more ecological than
ethnomedical, there are supplementary readings and films on ethnomedical
use of hallucinogens and altered states of consciousness, as well as cooperation
between indigenous healers and biomedically trained personnel. LEC
276 Introduction to Ethnomedicine
(3)
A cross-cultural survey of beliefs and practices relating to health, illness,
and its treatment. Emphasis on understanding the cultural and social foundations
of ethnomedical systems, including ethnomedical systems in the United
States. Examination of contemporary biomedicine as a cultural system.
LEC
280 Topics in Physical Anthropology (3) LEC
283 Peasant Societies and
Cultures (3)
Introduction to anthropological thought on peasants and peasantries in
complex society: the nature of peasant communities; relations between
peasants and non-peasants; agrarian/peasant movements; depeasantization.
LEC
302 Ancient Art and Cities
of Central America and Yucatan (3)
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor
This course consists of field exploration of some of the most important
cities of the ancient Maya. Together with the instructor, students visit
the vast and mysterious ruins of ancient Maya: Tikal, Iximiché
(Guatemala), Copan (Honduras), Tulum, Cobá, Chichén Itzá,
Uxmal, Labná, Kabáh, Sayil, Dzibilchaltún, and Edzná
(Mexico). Students meet and discuss recent investigations at these sites
with Mexican and North American archaeologists who work in the Maya area.
Important museums in Guatemala and Mérida are also visited, along
with contemporary Maya communities. The overseas portion of this course
lasts approximately two weeks and is conducted in January, before the
beginning of spring semester. LEC
309 Social Organization
of Animals (3)
Systems of social organization throughout the animal kingdom; general
principles of social behavior that may have relevance to humans. LEC
310 Early Social Development:
Biological Bases (3)
Overview of ways research on the social development of animals contributes
to current approaches to the study of early social development of humans.
LEC
311 Culture and Personality
(3)
Social scientific, psychological, and psychiatric materials on normal
and abnormal behavior in a variety of cultural settings; social and cultural
change and personality; group functioning; forms of deviancy. LEC
312 Culture and Reproduction
(3)
A cross-cultural and cross-national survey of human reproduction. Patterns
of fertility regulation, pregnancy, birth, and early infant care. Students
will be required to do readings and participate in class discussions,
take exams, and carry out one small ethnographic project. LEC
315 Cross-Cultural Study
of Women (3)
Political, economic, and social systems of various non-Western societies
in relationship to the roles women take as reproducers of cultural values
or as activists working for change. SEM
320 Seminar in Cognitive
Anthropology (3)
Prerequisites: specific prior work in anthropology not assumed, but background
in anthropology, psychology, linguistics, sociology, etc., necessary
This course examines human thinking as a cultural and social, as well
as a psychological (or computational), phenomenon. Cognition is regarded
as closely interconnected with cultural forms, social systems, and everyday
activities. The course also addresses the very concept of "cognition"
as a cultural product whose social and historical origins require investigation.
SEM
323 Anthropology and Education
(3)
This class examines cultural transmission procedures in different cultures
from the point of view of anthropology. Thus, it is concerned with the
educative process (enculturation) at different points in the life cycle
of an individual and in different social contexts. Anthropological methodology
and content will be brought to bear on the subject matter, including analyses
of American schooling. Various issues in education will be probed, as
relevant. LEC
325 Contemporary Afro-Caribbean
Religion (3)
The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the rich
cultural syncretisms of Afro-Caribbean culture from a Latin American perspective,
challenge the miasma of mysticism surrounding the religions as viewed
by developed nations, and provide students with the basic skills necessary
to conduct field research from an anthropological perspective. LEC
328 Biology, Society, and
Culture (3)
The central objective of this course is an exploration of how humans sustain
themselves in difficult conditions. Their successes or failures depend
on a skein of biological variables and on behaviors, which must make the
best of those raw materials. Though our well-being rests on some hereditary
biological features, such as pigmentation (in which behavior has little
role), or on nongenetic patterns, such as social support networks, most
"adaptation" employs some mix of the two. For instance, population
regulation has both social and biological controls. This course will focus
on issues that are genuinely "biobehavioral." The course is
presented primarily in lecture format, strongly supplemented by in-class
laboratory exercises on measurement of human variation, demographic assessment,
growth, body composition, and blood pressure—all central topics in
adaptive human biology. LEC
330 Prehistory of Europe
(3)
European prehistory from the Paleolithic period through the formation
of the earliest states in Europe. LEC
331 Archaeology of the
New World (3)
Prehistoric development of Indian cultures in North and South America,
from the initial aboriginal occupation of the Americas. LEC
332 Archaeology of the
American Southwest (3)
The American Southwest, a striking arid land, is rich in archaeological
remains of mammoth hunters, cave dwellers, and Pueblo Indians. This course
reviews the evidence concerning those ancient people and their migrations,
invasions, droughts, and abandonments. Field and laboratory techniques
also are discussed. LEC
333 North American Archaeology
(3)
Peopling of the continent, landscape evolution, origins and spread of
agriculture, rise of chiefly forms of social organization. Meso-American
influences, effects of European conquest. LEC
338 Field Research Archaeology
(6-8)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Six weeks. Open to undergraduate and graduate students. Archaeological
research participation; techniques of site survey and excavation. May
be taken more than once for credit. Contact the department for further
information. LAB
344 Animal Communication
(3)
A survey of natural communication systems within the animal kingdom. The
structure, functions, development, and evolution of natural communication
systems among animals, including humans. LEC
345 Comparative Primate
Anatomy (3)
Descriptive and functional primate anatomy, with relevance to the origin
and adaptation of groups within the order of primates. LEC
346 Dissections in Comparative
Primate Anatomy (2)
Basic primate gross anatomy learned by dissecting and making comparative
observations of various species of primates. (Students register for lab
of their choice and are automatically registered for AP 345.) LAB
348 Anthropological Osteology
(3)
Through lecture, demonstration, and laboratory work, fundamentals of human
skeletal anatomy will be covered. Procedures and applications in contemporary
and historical human biology and in archaeology will be considered, with
stress placed upon both technical approach and theoretical application.
This lecture and laboratory course demonstrates the fundamentals of human
skeletal biology and anatomy. Procedures and applications used in evaluating
archaeological and contemporary human populations will be stressed. Forensic
applications will be considered. LEC/LAB
350 Human Behavioral Ecology
(3)
Prerequisites: introductory anthropology course required; introductory
biology course recommended
Focus on both subsistence and social behaviors examined from an evolutionary
perspective. Discussion will concern how ecological variation patterns
affect behavioral variability between and within human populations. The
course will appeal to students in human ecology, cultural anthropology,
archaeology, primatology, and human paleontology. Course content will
include lectures, readings, and video. LEC
353 Old World Prehistory
(3)
Archaeology of Africa, Asia, and Europe, from the Paleolithic period through
the appearance of the earliest civilizations. LEC
361 Anthropology of the
Middle East (3)
This course examines Middle Eastern society from a cultural perspective.
Topics discussed include kinship, gender, popular and orthodox Islam,
nationalism, mass media, urbanization, and historical relations with the
West. The course ends with an examination of Arab and Iranian immigration
to North America and the emergence of "Middle Eastern" communities
that are no longer located solely in the Middle East. LEC
362 People and Culture
of Japan (3)
The development of Japanese culture patterns, their relationship to the
Asian mainland, and changes of traditional patterns accompanying modernization
will be examined. LEC
363 Cultural History of
Oceania (3)
Archaeological and ethnographic survey of Oceania, emphasizing Polynesia;
critical review of trans-Pacific migration theories. LEC
364 Peoples of Eastern
Asia (3)
This course deals with the peoples of East and Southeast Asia but not
northeastern peoples (Japanese, Koreans). The main focus is on Southeast
Asia, especially Malaysia, and on social structure, ecology, and literature.
LEC
366 Peoples of Asia
(3)
This course will provide students with an anthropological introduction
to the early periods of Chinese and Indian civilizations through lectures,
audiovisual materials, and discussion. The emphasis will be on comparing
these cultures with the West in terms of religious ideas, archaeological
materials, political forms, family systems, and basic values. LEC
367 Meso-American Archaeology
(3)
Art, iconography, architectures, and archaeology of ancient Mexico, Guatemala,
and Belize; religious, political, and economic development from its beginning,
around 2000 B.C., to its decapitation by the Spaniards in 1521. LEC
368 Theories in Archaeology
(3)
Introduction to archaeological theory and methods; proper design of archaeological
research projects, data analysis, and interpretation of results. LEC
369 Peoples and Cultures
of Sub-Saharan Africa (3)
Cultures of hunting, pastoral, and agricultural societies; history, social
structure, political and economic systems, religion, and aesthetics. Impact
of colonialism, industrialization, urbanism, and political independence
upon African societies and cultures. LEC
371 African American Culture
(3)
Analysis of societies and groups in the Western Hemisphere derived from
Africa; transplanted and emergent institutions, religions and aesthetics,
role of African Americans in broader regional and national societies in
the Americas. LEC
372 Maritime Anthropology
(3)
An investigation of maritime orientations and adaptations in human societies
past and present. We look at the symbolic, cognitive, technological, and
ecological aspects of maritime orientations using materials from ethnography,
archaeology, history, and literature. We study human predation upon marine
ecosystems from subsistence fishing to commercial enterprise. Case studies
from Oceania, Brazil, the Chesapeake Bay, and Japan, the Pacific Coast,
and the Atlantic Ocean. We will study the seafaring traditions of the
world. LEC
(Can be used to satisfy either a Theoretical/Problem Oriented or an Area
Studies requirement)
373 Indians of North America
(3)
Native North American cultures: contact history, impact of political relations
with Euro-Americans, contemporary realities. Revitalization movements,
pantribalism, land claims actions. LEC
374 Anthropology and Health
Careers (3)
Anthropological concepts and methods for students preparing for community
service careers and health professions; application of anthropological
methods to contemporary health concerns of North America. LEC
377 Magic, Sorcery, and
Witchcraft (3)
Understanding the nature of magic and the anthropology of sorcery and
witchcraft beliefs around the world and throughout history offers insights
into some fundamental aspects of human belief and behavior. "Primitive"
beliefs are considered as representative of universal beliefs and as background
to the course’s consideration of "occult" interests and
fears in contemporary America. LEC
380 Myth, Ritual, Symbolism
(3)
The ethnography of symbolic form and process in myth and ritual. Metaphor
and the problem of meaning in the structuralist, dramatistic, hermeneutic,
and semantic approaches of Claude Levi-Strauss, Victor Turner, Clifford
Geertz, Edmund Leach, and others. SEM
382 Indians of South America
(3)
A survey of the indigenous societies of cultures and South America, including
both highland Andean and lowland Amazonian people. The course provides
a perspective on the prehistory, history, and contemporary situation of
native South Americans, examining traditional anthropological topics,
as well as current political issues surrounding indigenous rights, integration
into national societies, and environmental destruction. LEC
383 South American Workers
and Peasants (3)
Development of modern Latin American culture, from aboriginal southeast
European and African roots; attention given to community studies and other
approaches to the study of contemporary people. LEC
393 Anthropology of Religion
(3)
Comparison of religious beliefs, rituals, and organization; relationships
of religion to other aspects of culture and society; religion as a dynamic
system. LEC
396 Methods in Urban Anthropology
(3)
For those with some background in anthropology and, particularly, urban
anthropology. Research projects formulated, planned, and carried out in
the Buffalo area. LEC
401 History of Anthropology
(3)
Growth of anthropology as a scientific discipline. Major anthropological
approaches and theories will be analyzed in detail. SEM
402 Modern Europe: Anthropological
Perspectives (3)
In recent decades Europe has become a major area of investigation for
cultural anthropologists. In this seminar we ask both what an anthropological
perspective can contribute to our understanding of European peoples and
also what a consideration of European peoples can contribute to anthropological
theory and method. Europe is not the kind of place traditionally associated
with anthropology; it is not "non-Western," it is not "nondeveloped,"
it is not "nonliterate," it is most certainly not "without
history," and perhaps most significantly, it is not the exclusive
investigatory turf of anthropologists. Among the topics that have received
the attention of anthropologists, the course will focus on issues of identity,
history, and power as these shape and are shaped by social forms and local
practices. LEC
403 Comparing Cultures
Worldwide (3)
Various comparative methods will be studied in detail, including the cross-cultural
survey method. Students will learn to derive and test hypotheses using
both large and small samples of cultures drawn from the Human Relations
Area Files. LEC
404 Designing Material
Culture (3)
This is a seminar in interpreting the form of material culture. Objectives
include acquainting students with some forms of inferences used in analyses
of material culture, acquainting students with some questions addressed
through analyses of material form, and providing students with an opportunity
to design and implement an analysis of an artifact form. SEM
406 Advanced Social and
Cultural Theory (3)
Traditional and new methodological approaches to the diachronic and synchronic
analyses of societies and cultures. For majors planning graduate study
in anthropology. LEC
407 Ethnographic Field
Methods (3)
SEM
408 Applied Cultural Analysis
(1-6)
Traditional and new methodological approaches to the diachronic and synchronic
analysis of societies and cultures. For majors planning graduate study
in anthropology. TUT
409 Social Organization
of Animals (3)
Systems of social organization throughout the animal kingdom; general
principles of social behavior that may have relevance to humans. LEC
410 Senior Seminar
(3)
Topics will vary. Seniors have registration priority; other majors may
register as space permits. SEM
411 Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse (3)
This course studies the four horsemen in all their guises. It examines
their importance historically and at present. They have been and are religious
icons, symbols of the major processes of warfare, disease, famine, and
death, as well as cultural, literary, and artistic symbols throughout
the generations. The course is a seminar in which the students trace one
of the horsemen through both time and space in the intellectual area of
their choice. SEM
412 Culture and Astronomy
(3)
This course is a cross-cultural and historical examination of a variety
of astronomies focusing on practices and empirical realities. Medieval
Western astronomy, Mayan calendrical astronomy, and Pacific Islanders’
navigational astronomy will be compared in detail. Students will participate
in an in-class workshop dealing with an artifact from each of these systems,
and will research, report, and write on these and other astronomical systems.
Students will have the opportunity to use computer-based planetarium programs
to simulate the sky at other times and places. SEM
416 Human Evolutionary
Ecology I: Reproduction (3)
An examination of human reproductive and social behaviors from an evolutionary
and ecological perspective. Discussion will focus on patterns of behavioral
variability between and within human populations. Topics include sexual
selection, mate choice, life history theory, parenting, and sexual coercion.
The course is for students interested in human ecology, cultural anthropology,
archaeology, primatology, and human paleontology. Seminar is designed
to be one of a sequence that includes AP 417, although students can take
one seminar without having taken the other. SEM
417 Human Evolutionary
Ecology II: Subsistence (3)
An examination of human subsistence behavior from an evolutionary and
ecological perspective. Discussion will focus on patterns of behavioral
variability between and within human populations. Topics include issues
of reciprocity, foraging theory, the sexual division of labor, and evolutionary
economics. This course is for students interested in human ecology, cultural
anthropology, archaeology, primatology, and human paleontology. Seminar
is designed to be one of a sequence that includes AP 416, although students
can take one seminar without having taken the other. SEM
427 Comparative Urbanism
(3)
Origin of the city, starting with Mesopotamia; urban and civilization
defined; the urban environment; the archaeological city and the modern
city compared. LEC
429 Anthropology and Architecture
(3)
This course will study the material culture of Eastern North America from
1620 to the present. The focus will be on the house and its contents as
a means by which the settlers of the North American continent adapted
to their environment. A developmental perspective will be used to organize
the materials. LEC
432 Peoples of the Arctic
and Subarctic (3)
An anthropological survey of arctic and subarctic populations, with a
primary focus on Canada and Alaska, and some comparative coverage of Greenland,
Siberia, and the Lapps of northern Europe. The course will develop multidisciplinary
models using ethnographic, historical, and epidemiological sources to
analyze traditional patterns and contemporary changes in northern communities.
A variety of ecological and cultural systems have emerged in the North
since the period of contact and settlement by Europeans, and students
will be encouraged to do comparative analyses of national, regional, and
ethnic differences and similarities. LEC
433 Archaeology of Eastern
North America (3)
Variety of Native American cultures traced developmentally and regionally
from the earliest occupation through the Early Historic period. LEC
434 Approaches to Archaeology
(3)
Survey of the literature to identify the strategies and techniques of
gathering and analyzing information in archaeology. SEM
435 Archaeological Techniques
(3)
This is a skills course with a practical emphasis on the use of photography
and drawing, both in the field and in illustrating site reports. Intended
primarily for students with an archaeological career orientation, the
course deals with factors in the preparation of art manuscripts: draftsmanship,
work on drawings, maps, and plans, including line work and photography;
artifact drawing; processes of printing and production. SEM
439 Laboratory Techniques
in Archaeology (3)
Individual instruction and guidance in the study of artifacts through
lab projects. SEM
440 History of Archaeology
(3)
Summarizes the history of archaeology, beginning with its classical and
European antecedents. Examines the major trends of seventeenth- through
twentieth-century archaeology. Major archaeologists and sites are explored,
with emphasis on the New World. History of archaeology will be related
to history of science. LEC
441 Anthropological Demography
(3)
Development and demographic characteristics of human populations in the
prehistoric and ethnographic record. SEM
442 Work Anthropology (3)
Work is important because it produces the goods and services that make
our lives possible, including raising children, growing food, producing
knowledge and meaning, and making things. Nothing we strive to understand
is more important, and this is one of those areas of research that is
intuitively understood by those we study. In this course, we will consider
how work output is measured, work as it relates to illness, physical work
capacity, fertility, food, and behavior. Course format is mixed lecture,
laboratory, and seminar. LEC
443 Advanced Physical Anthropology
(3)
Prerequisite: successful completion of APY246 or APY344
Topics will vary. May be taken more than once for credit. SEM
447 Mythology of the Americas
(3)
Close reading of selected myths from the Americas. Will consider not only
myths that come down to us from storytellers, speechmakers, and singers
but also myths that find expression in Native American writing systems.
Requirements include keeping detailed, legible notes on classroom discussions
and presentations, readings, and student’s own observations. Cross-listed
with the Department of English. SEM
448 Human Genetics/Legal
and Ethical Issues (3)
Recent advances in genetic technology have presented the scientific and
lay communities with ethical and legal problems yet to be resolved. The
objective of this course is to provide an opportunity for informed discussions
of such issues relating to contemporary human/medical genetics. SEM
449 Mayan Civilization:
Past and Present (3)
An exploration of Mayan civilization from its earliest beginnings to the
current situation. The seminar will begin with the preclassic roots of
Mayan civilization, then move through classic splendor, postclassic turbulence,
the European invasion, and into the current period of rebellion and ethnic
resurgence. Students will select a particular geographically and linguistically
distinctive Mayan population and trace the group historically through
artifacts, written records, life histories, and ethnographies. Student
activities include active class participation in discussions, preparation
of an annotated bibliography on a key aspect of Mayan civilization. SEM
457 Evolutionary Biology
of Humans (3)
Prerequisite: one course with substantial evolutionary biology content
This course explores the application of evolutionary theory and method
to modern human populations. Among the topics are heritability of biological
and behavioral variables, developmental biology and natural selection,
biological distance, biogeography and race, adaptive theory, adaptation
to environmental change, and such emergent problems as crowding, hunger,
epidemic disease, and global warming. Specific topics may vary depending
on developments within the profession. LEC
474 Urban Anthropology
(3)
Analysis of urban communities in cross-cultural perspective; role of cities
in large social cultural systems; utility of anthropological techniques
in understanding complex communities; contemporary American urban adaptations
and research. SEM
475 Ecology and Cultural
Adaptation (3)
Introduction to ecological anthropology or cultural ecology; interrelations
of social and cultural systems with the biotic and physical environment;
exploitative and subsistence systems: land use, land tenure, settlement
patterns. LEC
476 Health Care in the
United States (3)
This course explores the culture and social organization of health-care
systems in the United States, including mainstream allopathic medicine
and nursing, as well as more "alternative healing" modalities,
such as faith healing, chiropractic, "New Age" healing, etc.
The objective of this course is to give students a specifically anthropological
understanding of health care in American society. This anthropological
perspective draws attention to the many diverse components of health care
in the United States, from high-tech advanced medical science to faith
healing. SEM
477 Topics in Medical Anthropology (3) SEM
480 Collapse of Civilization (3) SEM
482 Peruvian Culture/Society
(3)
The study of a complex society, Peru, as the focus of social anthropological
analysis. History and ethnohistory, economy, organization, development
problems, contemporary violence. No knowledge of Spanish is required.
LEC
488 Kinship and Social
Structure (3)
Kinship and family patterns in simple and complex societies. Role of kinship
in society and the human quality of kinship patterns; plural marriage,
divorce, the incest taboo, gender, clans, lineages, joint families. LEC
490 Economic Anthropology
(3)
The production, distribution, exchange, and consumption systems of non-Western
peoples; the integration of economic systems with other aspects of culture;
problems of underdeveloped areas. SEM
492 Political Anthropology
(3)
Systems of government and control in the non-Western world, emphasizing
tribal organization. The course focuses upon law and warfare, the two
most important political functions or tasks engaged in by a political
community. LEC
497 Supervised Teaching
(var)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. TUT
499 Independent Study and
Teaching (1-6)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. TUT