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Anthropology (ANTH) Courses

Academic Unit: Anthropology

ANTH 2A - Prehist
(5 cr; Student Option)
ANTH 1001 - Human Evolution [BIOL]
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer)
What does it mean to be human? This question, central to the discipline of anthropology, has provided inspiration to scientists, philosophers, and artists for many centuries. In this course, we will begin to answer this question using the scientific study of the biological and cultural evolution of the human lineage. The first half of the term will introduce you to basic concepts in evolutionary theory: natural selection, genetics, behavioral ecology, and comparative anatomy. Using these tools, we will then spend the rest of the semester reconstructing the ecology, diet, anatomy, and behavior of our early ancestors, from the first apes to walk on two legs to the modern humans that conquered the globe. Weekly readings and lectures will provide the theoretical framework for understanding the evolutionary biology of Homo sapiens; laboratory sections will give you an opportunity to apply these theories and evaluate the fossil evidence for yourself. Through this combined approach, we will tackle such important questions as: What features define the human lineage? In what ecological setting did our ancestors become bipedal? What role did global climate change play in our evolution? How did tool use and cultural evolution feedback into our biological evolution? When and where did modern humans originate and what behaviors characterized this emergence? Why were there many species of humans in the past but only one today? Why is it important for the future of humanity for the average citizen to understand the principles of evolution as applied to the human animal? Upon completion of this course, you will have a broad knowledge of the role biological anthropology plays within the discipline of anthropology. More importantly, however, you will acquire a better understanding of the biological heritage of our species and our place among other forms of life on our planet.
ANTH 1003V - Understanding Cultures: Honors [WI SOCS GP]
(4 cr; Prereq-Honors; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 1013 until 05-SEP-00, ANTH 1003W (starting 20-JAN-15, was ANTH 1003 until 05-SEP-00)
Introduction to social and cultural anthropology. Comparative study of societies and cultures around the world. Topics include adaptive strategies; economic processes; kinship, marriage, and gender; social stratification; politics and conflicts; religion and ritual; personality and culture.
ANTH 1003W - Understanding Cultures [SOCS WI GP]
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 1003 until 05-SEP-00, ANTH 1003V (starting 20-JAN-15, was ANTH 1013 until 05-SEP-00)
Introduction to social and cultural anthropology. Comparative study of societies and cultures around the world. Topics include adaptive strategies, economic processes, kinship, marriage, and gender, social stratification, politics and conflicts, religion and ritual, and personality and culture.
ANTH 1101 - Imagining Asian America [SOCS DSJ]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: AMST 1101
What are the histories, cultures, and experiences of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing group in the United States? How do they fit into the U.S.'s history of immigration, race, and citizenship? Is the "model minority" myth really true? This course is an introduction to Asian American Studies, an interdisciplinary field that uses ethnography, literature, histories, films, memoirs, and other texts to study how the history of Asian immigration to the United States has visibly shaped existing Asian American communities and identities, and how ?Asian America? is central to a more general understanding of American popular culture and public life. The course is roughly organized chronologically. We will first begin with an introduction to the field of Asian American Studies by asking the questions: What is Asian America? What is Asian American Studies? We will then examine important concepts, categories, and processes before exploring the rich history of Asian migration to the United States and contemporary issues facing Asian Americans today. One of the core principles of this course is to encourage active and interdisciplinary learning. This means that we will be learning in a variety of ways to explore and understand the material (reading, writing, watching, listening, seeing, discussing, presenting). We will be drawing from a wide range of disciplines (history, law, sociology, education, cultural studies, psychology, etc.). And we will be using a variety of materials (memoir, scholarly articles, historical documents, government records, newspapers, films, photographs, popular culture, etc.) Your active participation in these activities is essential.
ANTH 1905 - Human Evolution in Popular Media
(3 cr; Prereq-Fr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Popular media is filled with portrayals of humanity's past and our potential futures. Diet influencers and cookbooks tell us to follow the paleodiet or eat raw foods assuming that is what our ancestors ate. Movies like Jurassic World depict humans living alongside dinosaurs and suggest that modern technology could bring back extinct species. TV shows like Ancient Aliens tell us that extraterrestrials have influenced our evolution, while comic books like The X-Men and The Incredible Hulk suggest that DNA modification could give humans extraordinary abilities. In this seminar we will explore representations of human evolution in popular media and assess how accurately (or not) these depictions reflect the current scientific consensus. Through critical reading, discussions, and engagement with several forms of media, such as films, documentaries, and tv shows, we will learn how our species arose, which evolutionary mechanisms still impact us today, and how misconceptions about evolution as depicted in popular culture influence our ideas about the present and future of humans.
ANTH 2001V - Being Human - A Comprehensive Introduction to the Four Fields of Anthropology [WI]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 2000H until 03-SEP-19
Whenever you take a trip, do you people-watch and wonder about these interesting humans that surround you? Why they look the way they do? How they know how to behave in different situations? Why they eat really weird foods? Anthropology answers these questions using a holistic, bio-cultural framework. In this course we will explore the relationship between human bodies and human culture, using the five fields of anthropological inquiry: biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics and applied anthropology. We will answer questions such as: How and why did our physiques evolve into the form we see today? What cultural and environmental influences affect human variation throughout the world? What effects do religion, law, and society have on the way people think about, discuss, and use their bodies today? How do we learn about our past from examining human remains? How and why do differences in language use define us as persons? How can anthropological insight lead to great careers in law, medicine, business and public service?
ANTH 2006 - Humans and Aliens: Learning Anthropology through Science Fiction [GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3006
Science Fiction has been one of the most popular genres of literature over the last century and a half. Despite its great popularity, however, many fans of the genre do not realize how much it has in common with the discipline of Anthropology. Anthropology is the study of what it means to be human in all times and places. Science fiction, for its part, explores human existence in equally diverse contexts, except that those imagined contexts frequently have not yet happened. Despite this similarity, anthropology is extremely poorly known compared to science fiction. This course uses the stimulating and entertaining literature of science fiction to expose students to anthropology who, having never been exposed to it in high school, are likely to leave university without learning the power of the discipline?s perspective on humanity. Through individual pairings of anthropology texts and science fiction stories, the course explores the relevance of biological anthropology, social anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology to humanity?s future. The course?s juxtaposition of anthropological literature to science fiction stories is designed to provide students with the ability to see how our future is more dependent on how humanity works (as anthropology understands it), than merely what the next technological invention has to offer us. This course introduces students to the breadth of anthropological topics using the literature of such award-winning science fiction (SF) authors as Isaac Asimov, Elisabeth Bear, Jerome Bixby, Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Catherine Moore, Mike Resnik, Kim Stanley Robinson, Neil Stephenson, James Tiptree, Jr., and Kurt Vonnegut. While the course is not designed to cover the literary criticism of SF literature nor the social analysis of the SF community of readers and authors, the choice of which SF authors to oppose to select anthropological top
ANTH 3001 - Introduction to Archaeology [SOCS]
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Archaeology is the study of humans in the past, primarily through the material remains they left behind. It seeks to answer fundamental questions, such as ?When did humans first become dependent on fire??, ?What factors led to the development of agriculture??, or ?How can we explain the rise and fall of early civilizations?? The study of each of these big questions relies on answering many small questions that are asked in the context of archaeological excavations and laboratory analyses. A common theme underlies them: archaeology aims to reconstruct and understand why past human cultures changed. The goal of this class is to provide an understanding of the methods and techniques used by archaeologists in their investigations. It includes not only hands-on learning of specific analytical techniques, such as faunal and lithic analysis as well as site survey and excavation strategies, but also focuses on the theoretical approaches that guide the questions we ask and the methods we apply to answer them. This class, therefore, prepares students for more upper-level classes in archaeology. It also leads to a new way of thinking. This way of thinking is primarily critical and analytical. It leads one to think about how data are interpreted, and how theoretical frameworks as well as innate biases color these interpretations. Seeking solutions to interpretive problems requires the creative application of multidisciplinary approaches. Therefore, the study of archaeology leads to a new way of thinking about and doing science.
ANTH 3002 - Sex, Evolution, and Behavior: Examining Human Evolutionary Biology
(4 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: EEB 3002 (starting 20-JAN-09)
Methods/theories used to understand humans in an evolutionary framework. What can be known only, or primarily, form an evolutionary perspective. How evolutionary biology of humans might lead to better evolutionary theory. How physiology, development, behavior, and ecology coordinate/co-evolve in humans.
ANTH 3003 - Cultural Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer)
Equivalent courses: GLOS 3003 (inactive, starting 18-JAN-00, was INTR 3003 until 05-SEP-00)
Topics vary. Field research. Politics of ethnographic knowledge. Marxist/feminist theories of culture. Culture, language, and discourse. Psychological anthropology. Culture/transnational processes.
ANTH 3004 - Great Controversies in Anthropology [SOCS GP]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Notable controversies in anthropology: Is human "reason" the same in all cultures? What makes up evidence/truth when we study people? Whose "voices" should be heard? Should anthropologists support contemporary attempts at economic 'development"? Is it possible to agree on a set of universal individual or cultural rights? Can we make qualitative judgments about cultures? What civic/political responsibilities does the anthropologist have at home and with the people whom she or he studies? In-class debates.
ANTH 3005W - Language, Culture, and Power [SOCS WI DSJ]
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3005 until 05-SEP-06
Studying language as a social practice, students transcribe and analyze conversation they record themselves and consider issues of identity and social power in daily talk.
ANTH 3006 - Humans and Aliens: Learning Anthropology through Science Fiction [GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 2006
Science Fiction has been one of the most popular genres of literature over the last century and a half. Despite its great popularity, however, many fans of the genre do not realize how much it has in common with the discipline of Anthropology. Anthropology is the study of what it means to be human in all times and places. Science fiction, for its part, explores human existence in equally diverse contexts, except that those imagined contexts frequently have not yet happened. Despite this similarity, anthropology is extremely poorly known compared to science fiction. This course uses the stimulating and entertaining literature of science fiction to expose students to anthropology who, having never been exposed to it in high school, are likely to leave university without learning the power of the discipline?s perspective on humanity. Through individual pairings of anthropology texts and science fiction stories, the course explores the relevance of biological anthropology, social anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology to humanity?s future. The course?s juxtaposition of anthropological literature to science fiction stories is designed to provide students with the ability to see how our future is more dependent on how humanity works (as anthropology understands it), than merely what the next technological invention has to offer us. This course introduces students to the breadth of anthropological topics using the literature of such award-winning science fiction (SF) authors as Isaac Asimov, Elisabeth Bear, Jerome Bixby, Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Catherine Moore, Mike Resnik, Kim Stanley Robinson, Neil Stephenson, James Tiptree, Jr., and Kurt Vonnegut. While the course is not designed to cover the literary criticism of SF literature nor the social analysis of the SF community of readers and authors, the choice of which SF authors to oppose to select anthropological top
ANTH 3008 - Introduction to Flintknapping
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5008 (starting 20-JAN-15)
Hands-on experience in replication of prehistoric stone tools as basis for archaeological analysis and as art form in itself.
ANTH 3009 - Prehistoric Pathways to World Civilizations [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8009, HIST 3066
How did complex urban societies first develop? This course addresses this question in ten regions of the world including Maya Mesoamerica, Inca South America, Sumerian Near East, Shang Civilization in East Asia, and early Greece and Rome.
ANTH 3016 - Africa and African Diaspora Archaeology [GP HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: AFRO 5016, AFRO 3016, ANTH 5016
Africa and African Diaspora Archaeology (AFRO/ ANTH 3016/5016) examines the evolution of human behavior in Africa and looks at subsequent social, cultural, and technological developments as shown in archaeological records including artifacts, ecofacts, rock art, and structures at archaeological sites. It also discusses methods used to identify archaeological records and how these records can be used to reconstruct past ways of life. Students will obtain hand-on-experience in identifying, classifying, and interpreting archaeological objects. The course covers Africa from around 2.6 million years ago to the recent past, focusing primarily on the last 10,000 years. It examines the development and spread of food production, pottery, metallurgy, trade, and African connections with the Atlantic world dating back to the fifteenth century.
ANTH 3021W - Anthropology of the Middle East [SOCS WI GP]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3021 until 02-SEP-08, RELS 5707W (inactive), ANTH 5021W, RELS 3707W (inactive)
Anthropological methods of analyzing/interpreting Middle Eastern cultures/societies.
ANTH 3027W - Archaeology of Prehistoric Europe [WI HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3027 until 05-SEP-00, HIST 3067W, ANTH 5027W
How archaeologists analyze/interpret artifacts to develop knowledge about formation of European society, from earliest evidence of human occupation to Roman period.
ANTH 3028 - Historical Archaeology
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5028, CHEM 4301 (ending 20-JAN-15)
In this course, we will explore the theories and methods of historical archaeology ? such as material culture studies, landscape perspectives, archival, and oral historical interpretation - as a means of intervening in contemporary discussions of diversity in the United States. Historical archaeology can be a very effective means to challenge some of the standard American narratives about our diverse past. Our aim is to move beyond either a simplistic ethnic pluralism or the superficial ?melting pot? progressive history and instead grapple with the materiality of settler colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism. In learning about this field, we will consider what has distinguished historical archaeology from American archaeology more broadly, and how those differences are parlayed into specific research strengths. This includes several themes: colonialism; the modern world and globalizing economies; intersectional identities (race and ethnicity, class, sex and gender, religion, age, ability/disability) and social movements; public memory and commemoration; landscapes and social space; citizenship and subjectivity. Although historical archaeology until recently has been restrictively defined as addressing the European-colonized New World, the discipline in the past twenty years has significantly broadened its scope and impact on the practice of archaeology as a whole. Throughout the course we will discuss these developments, and what directions archaeology may take in the future as a result. Course work includes both reading/discussion and learning methods through practical exercises, and handling of archaeological material.
ANTH 3035 - Anthropologies of Death [SOCS GP]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Anthropological perspectives on death. Diverse understandings of afterlife, cultural variations in death ritual, secularization of death in modern era, management of death in medicine, cultural shifts/conflicts in what constitutes good or natural death.
ANTH 3036 - The Body in Society
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Body-related practices throughout the world. Readings, documentaries, mass media.
ANTH 3037 - Food Sovereignty in Africa [ENV SOCS]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: AFRO 3015, AFRO 5015, ANTH 5037
"Food Sovereignty in Africa" critically evaluates how the physical environment and historical processes shaped agricultural productivity in Africa, as well as exploring the subsequent relationship the continent has had with the rest of the world. The course uses multi-disciplinary resources to examine historical factors that have contributed to contemporary food security issues, and discusses grassroots food movements that embrace the ethics and values of African societies in their efforts to achieve both food security and environmental sustainability. It also examines the interplay between food security, indigenous knowledge, and environmental sustainability by comparing various standpoints on African food production, scrutinizing the challenges the continent is facing and the unique perspectives it offers in terms of agricultural development in the globalized world. Finally, the course examines how agricultural systems in Africa are affected by the new global land rush. After taking the course, students will have better knowledge of emerging research directions on Africa and will be equipped with sufficient research and practical skills to pursue independent studies beyond the classroom.
ANTH 3043 - Art, Aesthetics and Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Summer Odd Year)
The relationship of art to culture from multiple perspectives including art as a cultural system; the cultural context of art production; the role of the artist in different cultures; methodological considerations in the interpretation of art across cultural boundaries.
ANTH 3046W - Romance and Culture [WI GP]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
Romance, aspects of this kind of love relationships from different perspectives in social/biological sciences. Draws on cross-cultural materials.
ANTH 3047W - Anthropology of Sex, Gender and Sexuality [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3047 until 05-JAN-00, GWSS 3047W (inactive)
This course explores the concepts of "sex," "gender," and "sexuality" through the scholarship of feminist anthropology, queer anthropology, and their antecedents. Students will read ethnographies that grapple with the contingent and shifting formations of these social constructions - when they emerge, disentangle, re-entangle, submerge, etc. The course will highlight the roles of imperialism, (settler) colonialism, capitalism, racism, heteropatriarchy, ableism, and other forms of social power in shaping these formations as well at the social categories - "sex," "gender," and "sexuality" - themselves.
ANTH 3145W - Urban Anthropology [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5045W (starting 21-MAY-18, was ANTH 5045 until 22-JAN-19)
This class explores anthropological approaches to urban life. On one hand, the course examines the ontological nature of the city by looking into the relation between cities and their environment, and asking whether and how people differentiated "urban" and "non-urban" spaces. It uncovers the social practices and behaviors that define urban life; urban-rural distinctions; the material and ecological processes that constitute cities; and popular representations of city and/or countryside. On the other hand, the course investigates the spatial and social divisions of the city, seeking to understand the historical struggles and ongoing processes that both draw together and differentiate the people of an urban environment. It studies how cities influence decision-making, contributing to the uneven distribution of power and resources. It considers: industrialization; urban class conflict; gendered and racialized spaces; and suburbanization. Both of these approaches will also critically consider the city as a social object that we encounter and learn about through our engagement with kinds of media, such as novels and film. Hence, reading for the class will include literature from the social sciences and humanities, as well as critical works of fiction. Students will engege with these broader anthropological issues through an investigation of several global cities, especially Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Paris, Mexico City, Brasilia, and New Delhi. The class mixes lecture, discussion, and guided research. Lectures will introduce the history of urbanism and urban anthropology. Discussions will critically examine the readings, and offer insights and examples to better understand them. By participating in a guided research project, students will uncover hidden aspects of their own city, using ethnography or archaeology to shed light on the urban environment, social struggles over space, or other themes.
ANTH 3147 - Digital Anthropology [GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Recent developments and adoption of new digital technologies, especially smart phones, social media, and gaming, have prompted academic and popular interest in and debates about the relationship of this technology to society. Anthropologists and other social scientists have been discussing in what ways technology in its various forms interacts with human culture for many years. How does it change society? How does society define its uses and meanings? The focus of this course is the multiple ways in which digital technology affects relationships in culture and society. We shall how digital technologies influence identity, labor practices, political strategies, among much else. We will explore ethnographic research on digital cultures, by way of answering this question. For the most part, the course will put an emphasis on anthropological and/or ethnographically informed work, although the readings will also be interdisciplinary, drawing on relevant literature from a variety of academic disciplines in the history of communications.
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: JWST 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19), RELS 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19), MEST 3206, CNRC 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19, was CNES 3206 until 18-JAN-22)
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3221 - Field School
(6 cr; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Summer; may be repeated for 18 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8220 (starting 20-JAN-15)
Field excavation, survey, and research. Intensive training in excavation techniques, recordation, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological materials or prehistoric remains.
ANTH 3242W - Hero, Savage, or Equal? Representations of NonWestern Peoples in the Movies [WI]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3242 until 08-SEP-09
This course will explore images of nonWestern peoples and cultures as they have appeared in the movies and in other popular media. It has four aims: l) to introduce the problem of nonWestern peoples in the West from historical points of view, 2) to discuss the relationship between mass media and issue of representation to the marketplace, 3) to introduce the concept of morality in and through collective representations as developed by Durkheim, and 4) to analyze the problem of moral agency in a series of Hollywood and Independent movies which portray nonwestern peoples and cultures. We will watch movies portraying three different groups of cultures, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and the Japanese. In each unit, we will first read important commentary on Western representations of each of these peoples, such as Bernard Smith on Pacific Islanders and Vine Deloria on images of Native Americans and Gina Marchetti on Hollywood?s Japanese.
ANTH 3306W - Medical Anthropology [WI GP]
(3 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005 or entry level soc sci course recommended; A-F or Audit; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Relations among human affliction, health, healing, social institutions, and cultural representations cross-culturally. Human health/affliction. Medical knowledge/power. Healing. Body, international health, colonialism, and emerging diseases. Reproduction. Aging in a range of geographical settings.
ANTH 3310 - Topics in Biological and Physical Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Topics may include faunal analysis, the human skeleton and osteology, primate and human evolution, and forensic anthropology. Topics vary according to student and faculty interest.
ANTH 3327W - Inca, Aztec & Maya Civilizations [WI HIS]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5327W
This course is an intensive examination of the emergence, growth, and conquest of native civilizations in ancient America, focusing on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca states. Lectures and discussions examine the culture and history of these Native American civilizations, while also introducing students to anthropological theories of the state, religion, aesthetics, and history.
ANTH 3401 - The Human Fossil Record
(3 cr; Prereq-ANTH 1001 or instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5401
Fossil evidence paleoanthropologist's use to reconstruct human evolutionary history. Taxonomy, phylogeny, behavior, ecology, tool use, land use, biogeography. Hands-on examination of fossil casts, readings from primary/secondary professional sources.
ANTH 3402 - Zooarchaeology Laboratory
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
How archaeologists reconstruct past societies, diets, and environments. Bones and bone fragments to skeletal element (e.g., femur, humerus, tibia), side, age, and taxon (e.g., horse, bison, antelope, hyena). Adaptations and functional morphology of animals? anatomy. Tool marks, tooth marks, burning, and types of bone breakage. Past societies' hunting, sharing, cooking practices as well as environmental reconstruction using vertebrates.
ANTH 3405 - Human Skeletal Analysis
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5405
Structure, design, and variability of modern human skeleton. Anatomy, functional morphology, development, evolutionary history. Bone histology/biology, excavation/preservation, taphonomy, pathology, forensic analyses. Differentiating between males/females, adults/sub-adults, and humans/non-humans.
ANTH 3501 - Managing Museum Collections
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5501
This course provides a hands-on and research experience in collections management utilizing artifact, archival, and digital collections. Museum collections, the objects or specimens they contain, the information associated with them, and their care and maintenance are a crucial part of both the sciences and the humanities. While seemingly disparate, many of the issues faced by those responsible for collections are quite similar: how to preserve and care for those collections, legal issues surrounding the materials they contain, how to organize and classify the items, how to facilitate discovery and access, and how to make the information contained in them available to the broadest audience possible. The course includes lectures by museum professionals, hands-on activities and selected readings. Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for ANTH 5501.
ANTH 3601 - Archaeology and Native Americans [DSJ]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3029 until 03-SEP-13, AMIN 3602, AMIN 5602, ANTH 5601
Historical, political, legal, and ethical dimensions of the relationship of American archaeology to American Indian people. Case studies of how representational narratives about Native people are created through archaeology; responses by Native communities; and the frameworks for collaborative and equitable archaeological practice. Professional ethics in archaeology/heritage studies in American contexts.
ANTH 3631 - Islam in America: A History of the Present
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: RELS 3631
From the "Age of Discovery" and the African slave trade, to Malcolm X and the War on Terror, Islam has long been an integral part of the American landscape. In this course, students will examine the history of Islam and social formation of Muslim communities in the United States. We will approach this history in the plural: as histories of Islam in America, paying particular attention to the different local and global dynamics that led to the migration of this racially, ethnically, and class variegated community. This course will explore how racial, national, cultural, and sectarian differences within and between Muslim communities shape and challenge the notion of a singular Islam or Muslim community. We will ask how and why Islam and Muslims have been characterized - both historically and today - as a "problem" in/for America. What does the emergence of terminology like "American Muslim" and "American Islam" tell us about these historical tensions, conceptions of good/bad citizenship, and identity politics more broadly, in the United States today?
ANTH 3896 - Internship for Academic Credit
(1 cr [max 4]; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 4 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
An applied learning experience in an agreed-upon, short-term, supervised workplace activity, with defined goals, which may be related to a student's major field or area of interest. The work can be full or part time, paid or unpaid, primarily in off-campus environments. Internships integrate classroom knowledge and theory with practical application and skill development in professional or community settings. The skills and knowledge learned should be transferable to other employment settings and not simply to advance the operations of the employer. Typically the student's work is supervised and evaluated by a site coordinator or instructor.
ANTH 3980 - Topics in Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ANTH 3993 - Directed Study for Capstone Project Preparation
(1 cr; Prereq-[Jr or sr] anth major, instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3913 until 17-JAN-23
The Anthropology Independent Capstone Project Planning course is the first semester in a two-semester project sequence. In this first semester course, ANTH 3993, students plan their project and carry out preliminary research in consultation with their faculty mentor. Students and faculty mentors meet throughout the semester. The resulting project typically consists of an annotated bibliography, project proposal, Interdisciplinary Review Board application if appropriate , and/or pilot study. A directed study contract between the student and faculty mentor is required for registration.
ANTH 4002 - Epidemics in Human Evolution [HIS]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5002
This course examines the global human experience with health and disease through an archaeological and historical perspective, from the early days of our species to the present. We will survey major infectious and noncommunicable diseases that have affected human societies, including tuberculosis, plague, influenza, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and leprosy. You will learn how humans have responded and adapted to many of these conditions, and how disease organisms have evolved in tandem. Course content examines large-scale disease and health patterns over time with a special focus on global pandemics and major epidemiological transitions such as those brought about by the introduction of agriculture, the Age of Exploration, colonialism, and industrialization. You will become familiar with the methods and approaches used by anthropologists and archaeologists to study disease in the past and how these inferences influence understanding of present-day health. The course will end with a discussion of emerging health challenges such as the rise of antibiotic resistance, novel zoonotic diseases, and the prevalence of health disparities.
ANTH 4003W - Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Anthropology [WI]
(3 cr; Prereq-[1003 or 1005], or instr consent; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 4003 until 05-SEP-00
This course considers issues of race, class, gender, "culture," and globality across multiple genres of writing (ethnography, history, fiction, poetry, memoir). We do this by reading the work of writers who, with an ethnographic sensibility, focus on a particular person whose life is lived in obscurity, at the margins. We ask how such an approach that aims to evoke a world through a life might allow the reader to understand how people move across space and time and through their social worlds, in ways that other kinds of ethnographic or historical writing might not.
ANTH 4007 - Laboratory Techniques in Archaeology
(1 cr [max 4]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3007 until 05-SEP-06, ANTH 4007H (inactive)
Plant remains, material culture, faunal remains, human osteology. Emphasizes lab experience. Instructor consent required.
ANTH 4013H - Capstone Project Writing Seminar (independent study)
(3 cr; Prereq-Sr major, honors student, instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
The purpose of this seminar is to provide Honors students with instructional support and a structured environment in which to develop their research and writing skills within the practical context of writing the Honors Thesis for the Capstone. The thesis is based on original research for the Senior Capstone Project conducted by students in consultation with their advisors, and it is advised that students finish conducting research before enrolling in this course. In some cases it is possible research may continue from the planning course into this seminar. The seminar meets once a week, during which time students engage in active learning exercises, in-class discussions, and peer review as they write their thesis. The goal of this course is to align the writing abilities of students with the writing criteria developed by departmental faculty as part of the Center for Writing?s Writing Enriched Curriculum. This course compliments student?s advisor-advisee relationship for the Senior Capstone Project, and it is required that students set up regular meetings with their advisors to discuss their progress in the course in addition to consulting about the content of their projects.
ANTH 4013W - Capstone Project Writing Seminar [WI]
(3 cr; Prereq-sr major, instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 4013 until 17-JAN-23
This seminar is designed for students participating in the Anthropology Senior Capstone Project. The purpose of this seminar is to provide students with instructional support and a structured environment in which to develop their research and writing skills within the practical context of writing a senior thesis for the Capstone. The thesis is based on original research for the Senior Capstone Project conducted by students in consultation with their advisors, and it is advised that students finish conducting research before enrolling in this course. In some cases, it is possible research may continue from the planning course into this seminar. The seminar meets once a week, during which time students engage in active learning exercises, in-class discussions, and peer review as they write their thesis. The goal of this course is to align the writing abilities of students with the writing criteria developed by departmental faculty as part of the Center for Writing?s Writing Enriched Curriculum. This course compliments student?s advisor-advisee relationship for the Senior Capstone Project, and it is required that students set up regular meetings with their advisors to discuss their progress in the course in addition to consulting about the content of their projects.
ANTH 4019 - Symbolic Anthropology
(3 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005 or grad student or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8211 (inactive)
Pragmatic/structural aspects of social symbolism cross-culturally. Focuses on power, exchange, social boundaries, gender, and rituals of transition/reversal.
ANTH 4025 - Studies in Ethnographic Classics
(3 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall)
Five types of explanations employed in ethnographic research: diffusionism and theory of survivals; functionalist response; British structuralists; French structuralism; interpretive turn. Problems in ethnographic practice, analysis, and writing. Focuses on several classic monographic examples and associated theoretical writing.
ANTH 4029W - Anthropology of Social Class [WI]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3049W until 07-SEP-21
This course is divided into three parts, each of which has different, but related, purposes. The initial part has general and theoretical goals. First, differences between cultural anthropology and sociology with respect to the study of class difference will be introduced. Secondly, the major theories about hierarchy in pre-state society will be examined. Third, central theories and concepts in the study of stratification in complex societies will be surveyed. In particular, attention will be paid to the relationship between class and individual taste in the work of Pierre Bourdieu. The second part will focus on attitudes about class difference in N. American society. Topics will center on class in everyday life, with special reference to the domains of education, consumption and romantic love. The third part of the course will concern class in nonWestern and/or developing countries, specifically in the Pacific and India. Throughout the course, in addition to readings and lectures, use will be made of representations of class in popular culture, such as magazines and the movies.
ANTH 4031W - Anthropology and Social Justice [WI CIV]
(4 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005 or 4003 or grad student or instr consent; Student Option; offered Spring Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 4031 until 17-JAN-06
Practical application of theories/methods from social/cultural anthropology. Issues of policy, planning, implementation, and ethics as they relate to applied anthropology.
ANTH 4035 - Ethnographic Research Methods
(3 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005 or grad student; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
History of and current issues in ethnographic research. Research projects, including participant observation, interviewing, research design, note taking, life history, and other ethnographic methods.
ANTH 4043 - Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: Archaeology of Northern Europe
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring; may be repeated for 4 credits)
Equivalent courses: MEST 4043
Archaeology of the British Isles, Scandinavia, and northern continental Europe, from the Romans through the Viking Period. Themes to be examined include social and political organization, cross-cultural interaction, art and symbolism, and religion and ritual.
ANTH 4047 - Anthropology of American Culture [SOCS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Anthropological approaches to contemporary American society/culture. Tensions between market and family. Unity, diversity. Individualism, community.
ANTH 4049 - Religion and Culture
(3 cr; Prereq-1003 or 1005 or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 3045 until 22-JAN-02, RELS 4049 (inactive)
Religious beliefs and world views cross-culturally. Religious dimensions of human life through theories of origins, functions, and forms (e.g. myth, ritual, symbolism) of religion in society.
ANTH 4053 - Economy, Culture, and Critique [SOCS GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8205
Systems of production/distribution, especially in nonindustrial societies. Comparison, history, critique of major theories. Cross-cultural anthropological approach to material life that subsumes market/nonmarket processes.
ANTH 4069 - Historical Ecology & Anthropology of the Environment
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
This seminar course discusses current approaches to historical ecology, the study of human-environmental relationships over time. The course draws on and combines perspectives from the four subdisciplines of anthropology (archaeological anthropology, bioarchaeological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology), and similar disciplines, to understand the varying ways that scholars have analyzed and defined ecologies and environmental problems. It places particular emphasis on theories that define human relationships to the environment as recursive and interdependent. These theories stand in contrast to common Western theological suppositions that see the environment as a framework to which human societies adapt or a set of resources for human communities to exploit. Rather, historical ecologists argue that the environment is a true ecology with humans in it. They contend that human communities are fundamentally and inextricably intertwined with the life cycles and needs of other species, and consequently they study how human-environmental interactions emerge through distinct historical processes and cultural circumstances.
ANTH 4077 - Neanderthals: Biology and Culture of Humanity's Nearest Relative
(3 cr; Prereq-1001 or 3001 or 3002 or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Paleontological/archaeological record. Students reconstruct behavioral similarities/differences between Neanderthals and modern humans. Why humans alone survived end of Pleistocene.
ANTH 4093 - In-Class Capstone Project
(1 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Course that fulfills the senior capstone requirement as an add-on directed study in association with an upper-level 4xxx-5xxx-level ANTH course. Instructor or department consent required.
ANTH 4101 - Decolonizing Archives
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Archives are not neutral. In order to decolonize them, scholars in anthropology and other disciplines must first understand the ways in which Western settler values have structured them. Who decides acquisition policy? How are items indexed, described, and related to one another? Who has access, and under what conditions? And who is structurally excluded? In this course we decolonize by recontextualizing both the archives as institutions and their contents. In other words, we use methods appropriate for contemporary anthropological archival research. We will consider preservation, curation, organizational bias in archives, analytic scale, voice, and how historical texts are material culture. Students engage in original archival research.
ANTH 4329 - Primate Ecology and Social Behavior
(3 cr; Prereq-BIOL 1009 or BIOL 1951 or BIOL 3411 or ANTH 1001 or instr consent; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: EEB 4329 (starting 20-JAN-15)
Primates as model system to explore animal/human behavior. Factors influencing sociality/group composition. Mating systems. Prevalence of altruistic, cooperative, and aggressive behavior. Strength of social bonds in different species. Evolution of intelligence/culture.
ANTH 4344 - Europe and its Margins
(3 cr; Prereq-One course in [ANTH or GLOS]; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: GLOS 4344
This course explores some of the forms of human imagining (literary, artistic, political, social scientific) engendered by the notoriously hard to define entity known as "Europe." It does so by focusing on regions and populations that have been thought of at various times as marking Europe's inner and outer cultural and/or geographical limits. Topics addressed include: the relationship between physical geography, cultural memory, and the formation (or subversion) of identity claims; the reconfigured political landscapes of post-socialism and European integration; immigration, refugee flows, and the rise of far-right ethno-nationalisms; and the effects of pandemics past and present.
ANTH 4980 - Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 6 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ANTH 4991 - Independent Study
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Under special circumstances and with the approval of the instructor, qualified students may register for a listed course on a tutorial basis.
ANTH 4992 - Directed Readings
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Allows students to pursue special interests in anthropology through reading materials under the guidance of a faculty member.
ANTH 4993 - Directed Study
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Allows students to pursue special interests in anthropology under the guidance of a faculty member.
ANTH 4994W - Directed Research [WI]
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 4994 until 05-SEP-00
Qualified students may conduct a well-defined research project under the guidance of a faculty member.
ANTH 5002 - Epidemics in Human Evolution [HIS]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 4002
This course examines the global human experience with health and disease through an archaeological and historical perspective, from the early days of our species to the present. We will survey major infectious and noncommunicable diseases that have affected human societies, including tuberculosis, plague, influenza, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and leprosy. You will learn how humans have responded and adapted to many of these conditions, and how disease organisms have evolved in tandem. Course content examines large-scale disease and health patterns over time with a special focus on global pandemics and major epidemiological transitions such as those brought about by the introduction of agriculture, the Age of Exploration, colonialism, and industrialization. You will become familiar with the methods and approaches used by anthropologists and archaeologists to study disease in the past and how these inferences influence understanding of present-day health. The course will end with a discussion of emerging health challenges such as the rise of antibiotic resistance, novel zoonotic diseases, and the prevalence of health disparities.
ANTH 5008 - Advanced Flintknapping
(3 cr; Prereq-Exclude fr or soph 5000 level courses. Take ANTH 3008 or ANTH5269 or Instructor Permission.; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3008 (starting 02-SEP-08)
Hands-on experience in replication of prehistoric stone tools, as basis for archaeological analysis and as art form in itself.
ANTH 5009 - Human Behavioral Biology
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
In-depth introduction to, and critical review of, human behavioral biology, examining the approaches in anthropology and related fields. Classic texts/recent empirical studies of humans and other species. Theoretical underpinnings of this new discipline/how well theoretical predictions have been supported by subsequent research.
ANTH 5016 - Africa and African Diaspora Archaeology [GP HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3016, AFRO 5016, AFRO 3016
Africa and African Diaspora Archaeology (AFRO/ ANTH 3016/5016) examines the evolution of human behavior in Africa and looks at subsequent social, cultural, and technological developments as shown in archaeological records including artifacts, ecofacts, rock art, and structures at archaeological sites. It also discusses methods used to identify archaeological records and how these records can be used to reconstruct past ways of life. Students will obtain hand-on-experience in identifying, classifying, and interpreting archaeological objects. The course covers Africa from around 2.6 million years ago to the recent past, focusing primarily on the last 10,000 years. It examines the development and spread of food production, pottery, metallurgy, trade, and African connections with the Atlantic world dating back to the fifteenth century.
ANTH 5021W - Anthropology of the Middle East [SOCS WI GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: RELS 5707W (inactive), ANTH 3021W (starting 07-SEP-04, was ANTH 3021 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3707W (inactive)
Anthropological field methods of analyzing/interpreting Middle Eastern cultures/societies.
ANTH 5027W - Archaeology of Prehistoric Europe [WI HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 5027 until 05-SEP-00, ANTH 3027W, HIST 3067W
How archaeologists/historians analyze/interpret artifacts to develop knowledge about formation of European society, from earliest evidence of human occupation to Roman Period. Interpreting archaeological evidence from specific sites to understand broad trends in human past.
ANTH 5028 - Historical Archaeology
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3028 (starting 02-SEP-08), CHEM 4301 (ending 20-JAN-15)
In this course, we will explore the theories and methods of historical archaeology ? such as material culture studies, landscape perspectives, archival, and oral historical interpretation - as a means of intervening in contemporary discussions of diversity in the United States. Historical archaeology can be a very effective means to challenge some of the standard American narratives about our diverse past. Our aim is to move beyond either a simplistic ethnic pluralism or the superficial ?melting pot? progressive history and instead grapple with the materiality of settler colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism. In learning about this field, we will consider what has distinguished historical archaeology from American archaeology more broadly, and how those differences are parlayed into specific research strengths. This includes several themes: colonialism; the modern world and globalizing economies; intersectional identities (race and ethnicity, class, sex and gender, religion, age, ability/disability) and social movements; public memory and commemoration; landscapes and social space; citizenship and subjectivity. Although historical archaeology until recently has been restrictively defined as addressing the European-colonized New World, the discipline in the past twenty years has significantly broadened its scope and impact on the practice of archaeology as a whole. Throughout the course we will discuss these developments, and what directions archaeology may take in the future as a result. Course work includes both reading/discussion and learning methods through practical exercises, and handling of archaeological material.
ANTH 5037 - Food Sovereignty in Africa [ENV SOCS]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3037, AFRO 3015, AFRO 5015
Food Sovereignty in Africa critically evaluates how the physical environment and historical processes shaped agricultural productivity in Africa, as well as exploring the subsequent relationship the continent has had with the rest of the world. The course uses multi-disciplinary resources to examine historical factors that have contributed to contemporary food security issues, and discusses grassroots food movements that embrace the ethics and values of African societies in their efforts to achieve both food security and environmental sustainability. It also examines the interplay between food security, indigenous knowledge, and environmental sustainability by comparing various standpoints on African food production, scrutinizing the challenges the continent is facing and the unique perspectives it offers in terms of agricultural development in the globalized world. Finally, the course examines how agricultural systems in Africa are affected by the new global land rush. After taking the course, students will have better knowledge of emerging research directions on Africa and will be equipped with sufficient research and practical skills to pursue independent studies beyond the classroom.
ANTH 5045W - Urban Anthropology [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was ANTH 5045 until 22-JAN-19, ANTH 3145W
This class explores anthropological approaches to urban life. On one hand, the course examines the ontological nature of the city by looking into the relation between cities and their environment, and asking whether and how people differentiate "urban" and "non-urban" spaces. It uncovers the social practices and behaviors that define urban life; urban-rural distinctions; the material and ecological processes that constitute cities; and popular representations of city and/or countryside. On the other hand, the course investigates the spatial and social divisions of the city, seeking to understand the historical struggles and ongoing processes that both draw together and differentiate the people of an urban environment. It studies how cities influence political decision-making, contributing to the uneven distribution of power and resources. It considers: industrialization; urban class conflict; gendered and racialized spaces; and suburbanization. Both of these approaches will also critically consider the city as a social object that we encounter and learn about through our engagement with kinds of media, such as novels and film. Hence, reading for the class will include literature from the social sciences and humanities, as well as critical works of fiction. Students will engage with these broader anthropological issues through an investigation of several global cities, especially Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Paris, Mexico City, Brasilia, and New Delhi. The class mixes lecture, discussion, and guided research. Lectures will introduce the history of urbanism and urban anthropology. Discussions will critically evaluate the readings, and offer insights and examples to better understand them. By participating in a guided research project, students will uncover hidden aspects of their own city, using ethnography or archaeology to shed light on the urban environment, social struggles over space, or other themes.
ANTH 5112 - Reconstructing Hominin Behavior
(3 cr; Prereq-Previous coursework in Biological Anthropology or Archaeology; A-F or Audit; offered Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8112
Major hypotheses regarding evolution of human behavior. Combine evidence from realm of biological anthropology as we consider link between bone biology/behavior. Archaeological record. Hypotheses about biocultural evolution regarding tool-use, hunting, scavenging, food sharing, grandmothers, cooking, long distance running.
ANTH 5113 - Primate Evolution
(3 cr; Prereq-Anthropology major, junior or senior; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8113
Evolutionary history of primates. Particular focus on origin/diversification of apes/Old World monkeys.
ANTH 5128 - Anthropology of Education
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Spring Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: OLPD 5128 (starting 18-JAN-00, was EDPA 5128 until 17-JAN-12, was ANTH 5128 until 02-SEP-03, was EDPA 5128 until 18-JAN-00, was ANTH 5128 until 18-JAN-00, was EDPA 5128 until 07-SEP-99)
Cross-cultural perspectives in examining educational patterns. Implicit/explicit cultural assumptions. Methods/approaches to cross-cultural studies in education.
ANTH 5221 - Anthropology of Material Culture
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall)
The course examines material culture as a social creation, studied from multiple theoretical and methodological perspectives (e.g., social anthropology, archaeology, primatology, history of science). The course examines the changing role of material culture from prehistory to the future.
ANTH 5244 - Interpreting Ancient Bone
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 4 credits)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 8244
To Interpret Ancient Bone we must sharpen observational skills, read about observations and analysis by previous workers, and learn to record and analyze complex information. The class combines seminar/discussion formats, in which we read literature about how to best accomplish this type of research, and laboratory time, to give students the opportunity to observe and record modifications to bones that form the basis of archaeological and forensic observations. Students analyze different kinds of tool marks on bone, weathering, carnivore modifications, eco-morphology, ages of death, bone tools, and bones from archaeological sites to infer the "life history" of a bone. We recommend you take the Human Skeleton or Zooarchaeology Laboratory before you take this class, but it is not absolutely required.
ANTH 5269 - Analysis of Stone Tool Technology
(4 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Even Year)
The course offers practical lab experience in analyzing archaeological collections of stone tools to learn about human behavior in the past. Students gain experience needed to get a job in the cultural resource management industry.
ANTH 5327W - Inca, Aztec & Maya Civilizations [WI HIS]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3327W
This course is an intensive examination of the emergence, growth, and conquest of native civilizations in ancient America, focusing on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca states. Lectures and discussions examine the culture and history of these Native American civilizations, while also introducing students to anthropological theories of the state, religion, aesthetics, and history.
ANTH 5401 - The Human Fossil Record
(3 cr; Prereq-ANTH 1001 or instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3401
Fossil evidence paleoanthropologists use to reconstruct human evolutionary history. Taxonomy, phylogeny, behavior, ecology, tool use, land use, and biogeography. Examination of fossil casts, readings from primary/secondary professional sources.
ANTH 5402 - Zooarchaeology Laboratory
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
How archaeologists reconstruct the past through the study of animal bones associated with artifacts at archaeological sites. Skeletal element (e.g., humerus, femur, tibia), and taxon (e.g., horse, antelope, sheep, bison, hyena) when confronted with bone. Comparative collection of bones from known taxa.
ANTH 5403 - Quantitative Methods in Biological Anthropology
(4 cr; Prereq-Basic univariate statistics course or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Quantitative methods used by biological anthropologists. Applying these methods to real anthropometric data. Lectures, complementary sessions in computer lab.
ANTH 5405 - Human Skeletal Analysis
(4 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3405
Structure, design, and variability of modern human skeleton. Anatomy, functional morphology, development, evolutionary history. Bone histology/biology, excavation, preservation, taphonomy, pathology, forensic analyses. Differentiating between males/females, adults/sub-adults, and humans/non-humans. Quizzes, exams, research paper, project..
ANTH 5412 - Comparative Indigenous Feminisms [GP]
(3 cr; Student Option No Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: CHIC 5412 (starting 05-SEP-17), AMST 5412, CHIC 3412 (starting 05-SEP-17), GWSS 3515, AMIN 5412
The course will examine the relationship between Western feminism and indigenous feminism as well as the inter connections between women of color feminism and indigenous feminism. In addition to exploring how indigenous feminists have theorized from 'the flesh' of their embodied experience of colonialism, the course will also consider how indigenous women are articulating decolonization and the embodiment of autonomy through scholarship, cultural revitalization, and activism.
ANTH 5442 - Archaeology of the British Isles
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall)
Have you ever wondered how archaeologists interpret the vast amount of archaeological evidence from the British Isles, one of the most studied and best documented parts of the world? And how do archaeologists and governmental agencies protect the heritage of Britain, from major monuments such as Stonehenge, Roman forts, and Shakespeare?s theaters, to the minor products of craft industries such as personal ornaments and coins? This course teaches you about the archaeology of the British Isles, in all of its aspects. You learn how archaeologists study the changing societies of Britain and Ireland, from the first settlers about a million years ago to modern times. You learn about the strategies that public institutions employ to preserve and protect archaeological sites, and about the place of archaeology in tourism in the British Isles and in the formation of identities among the diverse peoples of modern Britain.
ANTH 5444 - Archaeological Ceramics
(4 cr; Prereq-3001 or instr consent; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
Ceramics as material, technology, and cultural/social trace. Methods of assessing technology/use. Research, design, and interpretation of ceramic analyses. Students work with collections and propose/answer a research question about a ceramic assemblage. Readings, discussion.
ANTH 5448 - Applied Heritage Management
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
Contexts of cultural heritage applicable to federal/state protection. Approaches to planning/management. Issues of heritage/stakeholder conflict.
ANTH 5501 - Managing Museum Collections
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3501
This course provides a hands-on and research experience in collections management utilizing artifact, archival, and digital collections. Museum collections, the objects or specimens they contain, the information associated with them, and their care and maintenance are a crucial part of both the sciences and the humanities. While seemingly disparate, many of the issues faced by those responsible for collections are quite similar: how to preserve and care for those collections, legal issues surrounding the materials they contain, how to organize and classify the items, how to facilitate discovery and access, and how to make the information contained in them available to the broadest audience possible. The course includes lectures by museum professionals, hands-on activities, and selected readings. Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for ANTH 3501.
ANTH 5601 - Archaeology and Native Americans [DSJ]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: AMIN 3602, AMIN 5602, ANTH 3601 (starting 07-SEP-10, was ANTH 3029 until 03-SEP-13)
Historical, political, legal, and ethical dimensions of the relationship of American archaeology to American Indian people. Case studies of how representational narratives about Native people are created through archaeology; responses by Native communities; and the frameworks for collaborative and equitable archaeological practice. Professional ethics in archaeology/heritage studies in American contexts.
ANTH 5980 - Topics in Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 6 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ANTH 8001 - Ethnography, Theory, History
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Fall)
Introduction to foundational concepts, methods, and ethnographic work. Emphasizes theories that have shaped 20th-century thinking in cultural anthropology. Connection of these theories to fieldwork and contemporary issues.
ANTH 8002 - Ethnography: Contemporary Theory and Practice
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Concepts/perspectives in anthropology. Emphasizes American cultural anthropology. Rrecent work in semiotic, psychological, and feminist anthropology.
ANTH 8004 - Foundations of Anthropological Archaeology
(3 cr; Prereq-8001, 8002; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Theoretical foundations of anthropological archaeology in historical and contemporary perspective.
ANTH 8005 - Linguistic Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Introduction to literature of anthropological linguistics.
ANTH 8009 - Prehistoric Pathways to World Civilizations
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3009 (starting 07-SEP-10), HIST 3066
How did complex urban societies first develop? This course addresses this question in ten regions of the world including Maya Mesoamerica, Inca South America, Sumerian Near East, Shang Civilization in East Asia, and early Greece and Rome.
ANTH 8014 - Molecular Anthropology
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Spring)
This graduate seminar examines how DNA is used to trace the evolutionary history of humans and our hominin relatives. We will examine how genetic evidence has informed understanding of human evolution, the peopling of the world, human adaptation, animal domestication, disease and health, forensics, and the embodiment of the lived experience. Students will review important concepts of molecular and population genetics and become familiar with current methodologies and datasets used in molecular anthropology?including those used in fields paleogenomics and epigenetics research. Lastly, we will discuss how molecular anthropologists engage with the ethical issues posed by genetic technologies, especially as it pertains to research with Indigenous and underrepresented communities, discussions of race and identity, commercial genetic testing, and forensic genetic genealogy. Course discussions will highlight how genetic findings are integrated with other lines of evidence such as archaeology, cultural anthropology, and traditional knowledge sources, to reconstruct the complexity of the past and present human experience. Course meetings will be a mix of lecture, discussion sessions and practical data analysis training sessions. Students will be assessed based on participation in class discussions, in-class practical exercises, and a term paper representing a thorough literature review of a topic related to the course.
ANTH 8111 - Evolutionary Morphology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Basic foundation of diverse anatomical adaptations of living/fossil primates. Principles of evolutionary theory. Stages of embryogenesis/fetal development. Morphological diversity. Evolutionary morphology. Body size, allometry, heterochrony. Primate evolution.
ANTH 8112 - Reconstructing Hominin Behavior
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5112
Consider major hypotheses regarding evolution of human behavior. Evidence/arguments used to support or reject hypotheses. Consider link between bone biology/behavior. Archaeological record for more holistic understanding of evidence.
ANTH 8113 - Primate Evolution
(3 cr; Prereq-Anthropology doctoral student; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5113
Evolutionary history of primates, with particular focus on origin/diversification of apes/Old World monkeys.
ANTH 8114 - Biological Anthropology Graduate Program Seminar: Behavioral Ecology of Primates
(3 cr; Prereq-Anthropology graduate student or instr consent.; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Odd Year)
Course focuses on the behavioral ecology of primates, including humans, with a focus on how the evolution of social behaviors relates to ecology. The course serves as one of three Biological Anthropology Graduate Program Seminars, which provide training in the foundations of biological anthropology. For Biological Anthropology graduate students, the take-home exam for this course will stand as one of the three required Preliminary Papers. Students outside of Biological Anthropology are welcome to enroll pending permission of the instructor.
ANTH 8120 - Problems in Culture Change and Applied Anthropology
(3 cr [max 6]; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 6 credits)
Comparative studies of change in cultural systems. Impact of global processes on local cultures. Roles of anthropology and anthropologists in policy, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
ANTH 8201 - Humans and Nonhumans: Hybrids and Collectives
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Social life as consisting of relationships not only among human beings, but also between humans and nonhumans: animals, plants, environments, technologies, etc. Focuses on figure of hybrid, its role in formations of collective life.
ANTH 8203 - Research Methods in Social and Cultural Anthropology
(3 cr; Prereq-Grad anth major or instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Classic and current issues in research methodology, including positivist, interpretivist, feminist, and postmodernist frameworks. Methodology, in the broadest sense of the concept, is evaluated. Students conduct three research exercises and set up an ethnographic research project.
ANTH 8205 - Economic Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 4053
Theoretical foundations of economic anthropology examined through critical readings of traditional, classical, and contemporary authors. Ethnographic puzzles of material life and issues of ecological degradation, development, market expansion, gender, and transglobal processes.
ANTH 8207 - Political and Social Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Western concepts of politics, power, authority, society, state, and law. Cross-cultural approaches to these concepts in historical perspective. Major theoretical frameworks and current problems and positions in social and political anthropology. Ethnographic classics and new directions.
ANTH 8213 - Ecological Anthropology
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Seminar on method, theory, and key problems in ecological anthropology and human ecology. Examines approaches in light of human practices, interactions between culture and the environment, global environmental change, and our understanding of human dimensions of ecosystem-based management.
ANTH 8215 - Anthropology of Gender
(3 cr; Prereq-Grad anth major or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Comparative, cross-cultural approach to gender. Focuses on various theories (e.g., feminist, postmodernist, psychoanalytic) of power, gender, authority, and femininity and masculinity. Gender ambiguity and issues of sexuality.
ANTH 8219 - Grant Writing
(2 cr; Prereq-Grad anth majors preparing to submit research grant proposals next academic yr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Students draft a research proposal in their area of interest. Seminar involves reading and evaluating proposals, learning about funding and process of submitting proposals, nuts of bolts of composing a proposal, and ethics of research in anthropology.
ANTH 8220 - Field School
(6 cr; Student Option; offered Every Summer)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 3221 (starting 20-JAN-15)
Advanced field excavation, survey, and research. Intensive training in excavation techniques, recordation, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological materials or prehistoric remains.
ANTH 8223 - Anthropology of Place & Space
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
This course asks questions about the meaning of place, the relationship of space to place, the relationship of identity to place, and the relationship of place to environmental change in the event of industrial pollution, development projects, natural disasters and climate change. Theories of and ethnographic accounts of space and place in Cultural Anthropology and Geography will be discussed. In addition to foundational texts in the topic, we will also be reading contemporary accounts of nonwestern places.
ANTH 8230 - Anthropological Research Design
(3 cr; Prereq-Anth grad student or instr consent; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; 1 financial aid progress units; may be repeated for 6 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Training seminar on research development, coordination, grant management, field/laboratory research management, fundraising.
ANTH 8244 - Interpreting Ancient Bone
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 4 credits)
Equivalent courses: ANTH 5244
To Interpret Ancient Bone we must sharpen observational skills, read about observations and analysis by previous workers, and learn to record and analyze complex information. The class combines seminar/discussion formats, in which we read literature about how to best accomplish this type of research, and laboratory time, to give students the opportunity to observe and record modifications to bones that form the basis of archaeological and forensic observations. Students analyze different kinds of tool marks on bone, weathering, carnivore modifications, eco-morphology, ages of death, bone tools, and bones from archaeological sites to infer the "life history" of a bone. We recommend you take the Human Skeleton or Zooarchaeology Laboratory before you take this class, but it is not absolutely required.
ANTH 8310 - Topics: Biological Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Seminar examines particular aspects of method and/or theory within the biological anthropology discipline. Topics vary according to student and faculty interests.
ANTH 8333 - FTE: Masters
(1 cr; Prereq-Master's student, adviser and DGS consent; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; 6 academic progress units; 6 financial aid progress units)
(No description)
ANTH 8444 - FTE: Doctoral
(1 cr; Prereq-Doctoral student, adviser and DGS consent; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; 6 academic progress units; 6 financial aid progress units)
(No description)
ANTH 8510 - Topics in Archaeology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 9 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Seminar examines particular aspects of archaeological methods and/or theory. Topics vary according to student and faculty interests.
ANTH 8555 - Master's Project Credits
(3 cr; S-N only; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer)
Student may contact the department for more information.
ANTH 8666 - Doctoral Pre-Thesis Credits
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-Doctoral student who has not passed prelim oral; no required consent for 1st/2nd registrations, up to 12 combined cr; dept consent for 3rd/4th registrations, up to 24 combined cr; doctoral student admitted before summer 2007 may register up to four times, up to 60 combined cr; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
tbd
ANTH 8777 - Thesis Credits: Master's
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-Max 18 cr per semester or summer; 10 cr total required [Plan A only]; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 50 credits; may be repeated 10 times)
(No description)
ANTH 8810 - Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 9 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Seminar examines particular aspects of method and/or theory. Topics vary according to student and faculty interests.
ANTH 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral
(1 cr [max 24]; Prereq-Max 18 cr per semester or summer; 24 cr required; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 100 credits; may be repeated 10 times)
(No description)
ANTH 8980 - Anthropology Graduate Workshop (Topics course)
(1 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 3 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Seminar examines aspects of the discipline that transcend traditional subfield boundaries.
ANTH 8990 - Topics in Anthropology (Topics course)
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 9 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Seminar examines aspects of the discipline that transcend traditional subfield boundaries.
ANTH 8991 - Independent Study
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 18 credits)
Under special circumstances and with instructor approval, qualified students may register for a listed course on a tutorial basis.
ANTH 8992 - Directed Reading
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 54 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
tbd
ANTH 8993 - Directed Study
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 18 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Directed Study
ANTH 8994 - Directed Research
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 18 credits)
N/A

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