College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts Matters

Anthropology

AN 102 - Introduction to Anthropology ~ View Section Statements

AN 102 - Introduction to Anthropology - Kenyon ~ View Section Statments

Sue Kenyon

Anthropology is about human beings: the study of humankind. Humans are unique among the animals in that our major mode of adaptation to our surroundings is culture. While we may lack the physical advantages of other creatures (such as fur coats or sharp teeth), we have extensive technologies, ranging from tools and clothing to dollar bills and birthday cakes, which facilitate our survival. Inventions such as these are part of a vast symbolic net which we humans, by virtue of our evolved complex brain, have cast over our world and are in turn embedded in. They are the basis of contemporary human societies.

This interplay of biology and culture, which characterizes human existence, is at the core of the discipline of anthropology, which has been described as "the most scientific of the humanities and the most humane of the sciences". Anthropology is grounded firmly in the western Liberal Arts tradition, drawing on that rich intellectual heritage of inquiry, observation and analysis. As an organized and independent discipline, it emerged in the rapidly changing colonial world of the late nineteenth century when western intellectuals tried to make sense of human difference and cultures. Since that time it has become a global field of study, enriched by its cross-cultural bases and providing a distinctive perspective on ourselves and our world.

AN 102 - Introduction to Anthropology - Shahrokhi ~ View Section Statements

Sholeh Shahrokhi

Anthropology is an academic discipline that allows us to ponder on what defines us and how alliances and distinctions are constructed among human populations. This introductory course to anthropology positions it as a discipline with key concepts for understanding the study of human behavior from a comparative, cross-cultural perspective. As designed this class allows students to explore theoretical, methodological and ethical issues; the focus of our readings and discussions is primarily a socio-cultural one, while addressing archaeology, physical anthropology and linguistics. Together we will consider diverse ways of life, with special insights into our global contemporary situations.

Human society is constantly being destabilized and re-formed through engagements with diverse flows of populations, commerce, mass culture, technology, and politics. No country or culture is cut off from transnational links and influences. In an increasingly shrinking world, this class stresses the picture of humanity in a global perspective, wherein inter-dependent "nations of immigrants" rather than competing "stand-alone sovereignties," form the norms. In the tradition of Liberal Arts scholarship, we will explore the workings of the human mind and body and strive to understand the value of difference - in beliefs and practices - and to explore multiplicity of human experience.

Where possible, recent work in the discipline and relevant readings from across the disciplines will be used to illuminate the transnational nature of contemporary problems of living in diversity. Key anthropological concepts of kinship, gender, ethnicity, race, and class - as ideas and as practices - will be explored in overseas and American communities.

AN 280 | BI 407 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology or to Primatology ~ View Section Statements

AN 280 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology ~ View Section Statments

Anneke DeLuycker

Who are we, as human beings? Where do we come from? Where are we going? These are major questions that will be examined in this course, which concerns the study of human biological evolution and variation, and focuses on the relationship between human biology and culture. We will explore all aspects of the human condition, using a holistic approach: What is our place in nature? How are we related to other living beings? How are we unique? What are our origins? How were our earlier ancestors similar to or different from us? What causes the patterns of human variation that we see? Is race meaningful? Are we still evolving? Rather than provide a dogmatic approach stating various "truths," this course is intended to explore the evidence and allow for critical evaluation, synthesis, and hypothesis testing.

AN 280 | BI 407 - Introduction to Primatology ~ View Section Statements

Anneke DeLuycker

This course gives an introduction to the biology of nonhuman primates. Nonhuman primates (prosimians, monkeys, and apes) represent our closest living ancestors and with them humans share a place in the evolutionary tree. Primates make excellent models from which to identify our ancestral traits. Thus, primatology is deeply connected with an anthropological perspective. Primates are also a diverse group of long-lived, socially complex animals that provide insights into evolutionary and ecological processes that affect variation of traits. Primatologists attempt to understand the environmental and social conditions under which certain physical or behavioral traits evolved and which may help to explain those variations. Primatology is also rooted in biology and the natural sciences, deriving its methods of study, means of classification, and much of its theory from these fields. By examining the ways in which primates are similar to or different from other mammals and primates, including humans, we can gain a more insightful understanding into primate evolution. Primates can be studied from diverse perspectives and from within numerous fields. The relevance of primatology extends beyond scientific endeavors. Primates represent flagship species in endangered habitats and their study contributes to conservation efforts in their home countries. And finally, their biological similarities to humans have challenged our own sense of what it means to be human.

AN 302 - Body and Society ~ View Section Statements

Sue Kenyon

Theoretical and empirical studies of the body, both cross-culturally and interdisciplinary, have become increasingly popular in the last two decades. Ranging from phenomenological studies of embodiment to the social history of medicine, from feminist studies of gender construction to the anthropology of violence and suffering, from religion of the body to the power of the body politic, there has been growing interest in questions concerning embodiment. There is even a new journal, Body and Society, devoted to critical writings on the body.

This course looks at some of the ways in which the human body is defined, controlled, modified, celebrated, healed and transformed by culture and society. A multi-faceted concept and phenomenon, "the body" provides a significant focus for investigating the diverse ways in which human cultures give shape and meaning to life itself. As such, it brings us to the core of understanding key values, events and processes within human societies as well as learning more about our individual selves. While much of the reading focuses on issues in our own society, we shall also be considering these from a cross-cultural, human perspective.

This course is designed not only for students who have some backgrounds in the social sciences but also, for example, for those pursuing careers in the health sciences, religion, international studies, theater or performance. Our readings are grounded in the liberal arts tradition, where knowledge of the world in its broad interdependence is the goal: an effort to see the inter-relatedness of phenomena. Thus while we approach our topic from the perspective of anthropology, particularly medical anthropology, we draw on historical, political, literary, religious and psychological discussions of the body as we seek to ground our understanding in cross-cultural and global terms. Although no prior background is presumed, I hope that you will talk with me if you find any of the material inaccessible. However I also expect that all of us will bring a variety of personal and academic perspectives to the course and anticipate that we can all learn from each other.

AN 354 - Urban Studies: The American City ~ View Section Statements

Bruce Bigelow & Ken Colburn

This is a course in the liberal arts. Liberal education, rooted in a vision of the common good and the inherent value of community and the individual, has long been a cornerstone of higher education in the United States. As such the skills of oral and written communication, analysis of data, and critical thinking are nurtured. In addition, values which support democratic citizenship including knowledge of social problems, tolerance and understanding of ethnic and cultural diversity, and lifelong learning are encouraged.

A liberal arts perspective focuses on such critical questions as: What is the good life and how can individuals attain it? What is a good society, that is, what are the requirements for a just and vibrant collective life? And how are these two matters connected--does the possibility of attaining a good life for the individual necessarily require the existence of a good society?

AN 360 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa ~ View Section Statements

Sue Kenyon

Africa has long represented primitive mystery to the West, an impenetrable "Dark Continent" populated by exotic people, gigantic animals and extreme climates. Even today, people in the U.S. learn little of life in Africa, beyond occasional horror stories of famine and civil war. What, then, are the daily lives of Africans really like, lived in the many varied rural and urban settings across this vast continent? What are key features of the diverse cultures of Africa? What historical processes have shaped the lives of contemporary Africans? How far do the popular stereotypes held about Africa fit those lives? This is a course grounded in the liberal arts tradition, where knowledge of the world in its broad interdependence is the goal: an effort to see the inter-relatedness of phenomena. Thus while we approach our course from the perspective of anthropology, we draw on historical, political and literary accounts of African life as we seek to know African cultures in their own terms, while at the same time understanding the role of African peoples and nations in the broader world. In doing so, the course aims for the following goals:

  • To gain an overview of contemporary life on the African continent, and the historical processes which have shaped it.
  • To gain an in-depth understanding of specific African cultures, and consider the role anthropology has played in our understanding of those cultures.
  • To consider critically the ways in which Africa has been represented, and continues to be represented. What are the stereotypes about Africa and African? Who creates these stereotypes and why? What are theconsequences of these stereotypes?
  • To gain an understanding of specific domains of African life-such as religion, aesthetics, gender systems-and examine them within specific cultures of Africa.

AN 380 ~ View Section Statements

AN 380 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa ~ View Section Statements

Anneke DeLuycker

This course will examine the major issues and views of human evolution. The main focus will be on the fossil evidence, and how this evidence is interpreted in modern paleoanthropological research. Instead of simply listing the "bare bones" of evidence, we will delve into the dynamic tension of the nature of human evolution, by placing the evidence into anatomical, temporal, and paleoenvironmental contexts. Students will critically examine different models for human origins, and examine the history of controversies and current debates in various theories of human evolution and human variation. I hope that this course leaves students with a desire to explore the many avenues still open for debate in the exciting field of paleoanthropology.

AN 380 - Primate Behavior and Ecology ~ View Section Statements

Anneke DeLuycker

In this course, we will explore fundamental concepts related to the study of primate behavior and ecology. Primates are highly social animals and most primates live in groups structured by age, sex, and kinship. Living in groups with complex social relationships and diverse ecologies poses unique challenges to the individual. This course explores the diversity of primate social organization, with emphasis on the benefits and costs of group living. Students will obtain an understanding of evolutionary pressures influencing primate social behavior in an ecological context. By examining complex social relationships such as these, we may be able to better understand the evolution of human social behavior and our relationship to the world around us. We will focus on the theoretical frameworks that influence primate behavioral studies and students will critically evaluate established beliefs and popular assumptions, namely in the field of sociobiology. The focal point of our approach will be on how we know what we think we know.

AN 380 - Primate Conservation ~ View Section Statements

Anneke DeLuycker

Nearly a third of all nonhuman primate species are threatened with extinction. Because primates are found mostly in the southern tropics, this means that primates live in countries with underdevelopment and rampant poverty. The examination of the threats to primates and solutions for their conservation not only requires a biological and environmental understanding but also involves a comprehension of human-primate interconnections, including social, economic, and political factors. This course will cover the concepts, practices, and ethics of primate conservation, in a broad context over a variety of cultures and different levels of society. Because of their relatedness to humans, nonhuman primates have long been a focal point in our mythologies, subsistence patterns, and scientific paradigms. We will explore the reasons underlying the exploitation of primates and we will critically examine the political, cultural, and ethical solutions to these issues, and allow you to think about your own personal solutions to these problems. A continuing focus throughout the course is: "What sacrifices would you make and what would be the costs?"

AN 380/HS 372 - History of Vietnam ~ View Section Statements

Xiaorong Han

This seminar course examines the different perspectives of Vietnamese history and the diverse cultures of Vietnam with a focus on the modern period. It will explore such themes as Chinese and French colonialism in Vietnam, Nationalism and Communism, tradition and revolution, and peasants and revolutionaries. It covers the Vietnam War (or the America War) as a part of Vietnam's long history and will locate the war in a broad historical, political and cultural context. In so doing it aspires to contribute to acquiring a fuller view of human experience, nurturing an understanding and appreciation of a unique cultural tradition, and challenging some of the established beliefs and assumptions, which are among the goals of liberal arts education.

AN 390 - The Development of Anthropological Theory ~ View Section Statements

Sue Kenyon

This course inquires into the emergence and development of anthropological thought, theories, methods and generalizations in the context of western social and cultural milieux. Grounded firmly in the western Liberal Arts tradition, the discipline of anthropology draws on that rich intellectual heritage of inquiry, observation and analysis, while in its organization and content matter, anthropology is relatively new, emerging as a distinct field only in the expanding colonial world of the late nineteenth century. Our particular emphasis is on the changing shape of the academic discipline of anthropology over the past century and a half. What is anthropology? How and where did the discipline emerge and what are some of the key issues that its practitioners have attempted to answer in the course of its history? Over the semester, we take an in-depth look at the intellectual currents that have shaped anthropology as a discipline, which should help us better understand how our own perspectives are being shaped and defined.