CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY MAY, SUMMER I & II, 2012: (Please see the Master Schedule for times, days & location of the following courses.)   ANTH 517M.001 / An Anthropological View of Blacks in Film Professor: Kimberly Simmons (3 credits) CROSS LISTED WITH AFRO 517M Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement OR Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major Course Description: This course examines the historical and contemporary images and representations of Black people in film, in the United States, from an anthropological perspective.  We will focus on early images as well as some of the more recent depictions of Blacks in both films and sitcoms.  What do these images suggest and convey about African American culture and about Black people in the United States?  How have the images changed?  How have they remained the same?  What are some of the gendered, color, and class dimensions of these representations? This course will consist of lectures, readings, and films.  Group discussions, reaction papers, and individual projects will be assigned to explore the images and representation of African American people, culture, and life over time. Anthropology 302.001 / Multicultural Perspectives in American Society Instructor: Seo Yeon Park (3 credits) Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement OR Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major   Course Description:  This course is designed to encourage critical understanding of multiculturalism in the United States of America and other parts of the world through readings, films and discussion. The goals of this course are to understand issues of class, ethnicity, race and gender, and how they are constructed and displayed in our everyday lives. This course allows students to expand their knowledge and critical thinking on social issues with regard to multiculturalism in our society.  ANTH 358.001 / Gender & Culture Instructor: Christy Kollath (3 credits) Cross-listed with WGST 358 Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement OR Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major Course Description: In our society gender is often assumed to be a “natural” category but in this course we will examine the ways gender is culturally constructed and culturally variable.  Through analyzing a broad variety of cultural case studies in gender, we will explore how gender can shape kinship and marriage patterns, how labor is divided, and how resources are allocated.  Therefore another important concept in this course will be considering how understandings of gender are connected to power, stratification, and inequality.  Other course themes will include connections between gender and: health, reproduction, globalization, and development. ANTH 314.001 / Caribbean Cultures Instructor: Colin Townsend (3 credits) Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement OR Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major Course Description: This course takes an ethnographic approach to the study of Caribbean cultures and societies.  Beginning with the “discovery of the New World” and continuing through today, the Caribbean region has been shaped culturally, politically, and economically by indigenous, African, and European influences and legacies that have had lasting effects on local populations.  This has resulted in an area rich in cultural diversity and extremely varied in its economic and political positioning within an increasingly globalized world.  Topics addressed include colonial histories and experience, the African diaspora, and gender and race relations; beliefs and religious life; verbal and performing arts; and literature and creole language.