Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
AND
Fulfills Cultural Awareness Requirement, Part A: Foreign Language for Arabic
OR
Fulfills Cultural Awareness Requirement, Part C: World Cultures
Course Description:
This course will introduce students to some of the peoples/cultures of the present-day Middle East, to several central issues facing the region, and especially to anthropological approaches to the study of this area. Rather than attempting a wholesale survey of the Middle East, we will take a thematic and microscopic approach, and focus on the daily lives of people in this diverse part of the world ranging from secularist Turkey to liberalizing Egypt to Islamist Iran to the conflict-torn Israeli-Palestinian territories. Particular attention will be paid to historical issues such as European colonization, and to ethnographic concerns such as family life and gender relations, religious beliefs and practices, media and popular culture, and reformist movements.
ANTH 317.001 / North American Indian Cultures
Professor: Adam King
(3 Credits)
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
AND
Fulfills Cultural Awareness Requirement, Part B: North American Studies
Course Description:
While there is a trend in the popular media to speak of Native Americans as if they are one people, the reality is that the native cultures of North American are as varied as those found on any continent in the world. In this course students will have the opportunity to survey the cultural variability of the continent through a review of existing ethnographic data. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on understanding not just the ethnographic record of Native Americans, but also on the current state of Native America and the historical circumstances that created it.
ANTH 352.001 / Anthropology of Magic and Religion
Professor: Jon Leader
(3 credits)
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
Cross-listed with RELG 360
Course Description:
This course will introduce the student to the anthropological study of magic and religion. Classic concepts and articles will be discussed in class for their enduring insights, temporal connections, and areas of blindness. Contemporary studies from within and without western societies will be used to illustrate the breadth and current concerns within the sub‑discipline. By the end of class the student will have acquired a basic understanding of this field of endeavor and have mastered the terminology.
Course Presentation:
Lectures, class discussion, and films.
ANTH 391P.001 / Special Topic: Culture, Pregnancy & Birth
Professor: Erica Gibson
(3 credits)
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
Course Description:
Pregnancy and childbirth are human universals, but the way women experience this life- altering time is shaped in large part by their culture. This class will explore the similarities and differences in the way pregnancy and birth is experienced in the United States and cross-culturally using an anthropological perspective. This class is suited to students of anthropology, women’s and gender studies, sociology, psychology, nursing, pre-med, public health, and anyone interested in learning more about one of the great community, especially doulas and other women-centered birth advocates.
ANTH 513.001 / Anthropological Ethnobotany
Professor: Gail Wagner
(3 credits)
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
OR
Fulfills the Lab, Practicum, or Methodology for DURT
Course Readings:
Readings will focus on articles in journals and chapters in books. Education majors are required to purchase Cultural Uses of Plants: A Guide to Learning About Ethnobotany (2000) by Gabriell DeBear Paye (NY Botanical Garden Press), but this inexpensive book is optional for others.
Course Description:
Survey of the research in each anthropological subfield (cultural, biological, linguistic, archaeological) on the interrelationships between plants and peoples, with an overall emphasis on cultural anthropology. Students participate in the Knowing Nature/Botanical Knowledge project, which provides experience in and application of research methods, including interviewing and data analysis. Students take the on-line certification course for human subject research, conduct interviews and share their data with the entire class, then write individual hypothesis-driven papers on the corpus of data the class collects. The ways in which anthropology intersects with ethnobotany are featured, including folk taxonomy (linguistics); biological studies such as those concerning humans and medicines, toxins, and diabetes; ethnographies; and paleoethnobotany or study of archaeological plant/human relationships. Other special topics covered in the class include biotechnology, genetic diversity, and plant medicinal discovery.
Evaluation:
Grades hinge primarily on written assignments and will approximately be based as follows: Exercises 20%; essays 20%; assignments 20%; research project and paper 40%.
Graduate student additional requirements: Complete and report on extra readings, complete more interviews, write longer research paper (if an MAT student, prepare and present two lesson plans).
Course Presentation:
This is a lecture/seminar course, with some hands-on components and experiences such as making twine and paper from plant fibers, dyeing with indigo, and conducting interviews.
Learning Objectives:
By the conclusion of this course, students will be able to: (1) Answer the question: what is ethnobotany? (2) Summarize how each subfield in anthropology intersects with the field of ethnobotany; (3) Give examples of ethical responsibilities in human subject research; (4) Be certified for Human Subject Research; (5) Apply the scientific method by stating a testable hypothesis, researching the topic, compiling data, and evaluating the findings; (6) conduct an oral interview; (7) Follow a professional style guide for submission of writing; (8) summarize the linkages between genetic diversity, biotechnology, law, and economics.
Audience:
This course is an excellent choice for science students who would like a social science course, for education students in science or social studies, or for those who want to gain experience in hands-on ethnography or ethnobotany. No prior knowledge of anthropology or botany is required for this course. This course provides a well-rounded introduction to the four subfields of anthropology, with an emphasis on cultural anthropology.
ANTH 515.001 / Tradition & Transformation in Islamic Cultures
Professor: Maimuna Huq
(3 credits)
Cross-listed with RELG 551
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
AND
Fulfills Culture Awareness Requirement, Part A: Foreign Language for Arabic
OR
Fulfills Cultural Awareness Requirement, Part C: World Cultures
Course Description:
This course will explore contemporary Muslim cultures through the analytical lens that anthropological studies of Muslim peoples provide. The anthropological approach to Islam values the study both of texts and practices as they are locally understood in Muslim societies across the world and in different historical contexts. Our aim in this course is to clarify what it means to be a Muslim in various parts of the world today by comparing research on the daily lives of Muslims in different historical, cultural, and national settings including the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States. We will focus on specific practices such as interpretations of sacred texts; religious beliefs, practices, and experiences; familial relations and gender roles; education and media; and national identities and religio-political activisms. Particular attention will be paid to women’s participation in contemporary Islamic movements.
ANTH 580.001 / Culture & Identity of the African Diaspora
Professor: Terry Weik
(3 credits)
Fulfills 3 hrs. of the 9 hr. Social Science Distribution Requirement
OR
Fulfills the Cultural Requirement for the Anthropology Major
Course Readings:
Course packet will be available and a small number of articles will be available on Blackboard.
Simms Hamilton, Ruth. 2007 Routes of passage: rethinking the African diaspora. ADRP series. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press
Course Description:
This course examines the experiences, material culture, and sociocultural processes involving people of African descent in order to understand the complexity and substance of the African Diaspora in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Various forms of evidence, disciplinary approaches, and intellectual concepts will be surveyed in order to gain a better understanding of the African Diaspora. This course is an introduction to theories which have had the greatest impact on scholarly explanations of human relations and identities, such as culture, creolization, race, class, gender, Africanism, heritage, and ethnicity.
Method of Evaluation:
Grades are based on student performance on literature analyses, presentations, film critiques, discussions, and a final paper. The final paper will result from graded writing and planning exercises (e.g. abstract, annotated bibliography, outline) that take place over the semester and culminate in the presentation of the paper at the end of the semester. Graduate students assignments will differ from those of undergraduates in some cases. For example, graduate students will presentations of their book reviews, while undergraduates will do a news briefing of a current event.
Course Presentation:
Lectures, films, class discussions, guest speakers, and texts constitute the main learning media.
