Anthropological Perspectives

This course studies innovative, timely and often interdisciplinary topics that are not a formal part of the sociology and anthropology curriculum. Often these courses apply anthropological perspectives and insights to issues that we either take for granted or study in other disciplines. Topics may include Anthropology of Time and Space; Anthropology of the Body; Power and Violence; Men and Masculinity; Judaism and Bible; and other topics. Prerequisite: ANTH 151, sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. The course may be repeated for credit with different topics.

Current Semester Information

290A: Persp:Evolution/Everyone

Persp:Evolution for Everyone

Evolution for Everyone is an exploration of how the most powerful framework for explanation in the sciences offers new insights to vast areas of human understanding and experience beyond what we learn in biology alone. Current studies in literature, history, art and philosophy as well as studies in anthropology, psychology, political science, and economics are discovering new and original insights from an evolutionary framework not limited to the life sciences. What do Jane Goodall's chimpanzees tell us about human behavior? What is intelligence? Why is gossip important? Why do we cooperate as well as compete?

Insights from David Sloan Wilson's book on Evolution for Everyone have revolutionized our understandings of life and behavior. New explorations underscore the critical importance of cooperation as an evolutionary force. This course offers an overview of the most exciting recent discoveries in life and behavior, and it will also encourage us to link with students and faculty throughout the country who are part of a consortium in Evolutionary Studies (EvoS).

290B: Persp:AnthMidEastNAfrica

Persp:Anthro of the Middle East and North Africa

This course is intended to serve as an introduction to a huge and unwieldy body of scholarship on a huge and unwieldy conceptual swath of the world. People in the West often find it convenient to use the term 'the Middle East' to summarize the thought, religion, and cultural practices of a massive number of people living across several continents and in very different circumstances. Such a vast collection of societies and communities cannot be addressed programmatically in a single course, but only thematically. We will therefore approach this material through thematic units designed to explore concepts important in the anthropological study of these places, rather than geographical terrain.

290C: Persp:Caribbean Anthro

Caribbean Anthropology

This course explores the diversity of the peoples and cultures of the Caribbean, by examining the influences and intersections of slavery, colonialism, politics, migration, and other factors on the development and social climate of the region. We will discuss basic anthropological concepts, theories, and methods and use them as a framework for examining practices and themes that are common to most societies, including subsistence, politics and power, class, family and kinship, religion, ritual, race and ethnicity. We will also explore the ways that societal factors, such as economic, political, and historical forces, shape people's lives and identities and influence their view of the world around them. Additionally, we will examine the ways that politics, religion, music, and other cultural values are reinterpreted in transnational Caribbean communities in urban areas, such as New York City. This class draws on ethnographic research data, written texts, and audio and visual media to facilitate our understanding of the Caribbean. The assignments for this course include short response papers, an annotated bibliography, and an analytical term paper.