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Graduate Courses Fall 2006-07General Anthropology | Bioanthropology | Ethnography and Ethnology | Linguistics | Archaeology General Anthropology
The Museum Practicum (1-4 cr.) provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience in museums while earning academic credit through Indiana University 's Department of Anthropology. Practica require prior agreement and must be arranged with museum personnel and the course instructor, Professor Geoffrey Conrad, director of the William Hammond Mathers Museum (conrad@indiana.edu or phone 812-855-6873). Practica may be arranged at any museum. If you wish to arrange a practicum at a museum other than the Mathers Museum , you must obtain written permission from a designated supervisor at that institution. General guidelines require that you and your supervisor agree upon the number of credit hours to be awarded, the number of hours to be worked per week, and the specific work schedule. Your designated supervisor will be responsible for assessing your performance and assigning a grade. Please bring a copy of the supervisor's statement of permission to Professor Conrad when you request authorization to enroll. Students interested in arranging practica at the Mathers Museum should visit www.iub.edu/~mathers/new/edu/a408.html for detailed information regarding a specific practicum. Practica may involve collections research, conservation, education/programs, the museum store, exhibits, and photography. To apply for a practicum at the Mathers Museum, please review the information on the website, then contact the appropriate departmental supervisor (noted at the top of each listing) to request an application and arrange an interview. Acceptance of students is limited. The required number of practicum hours worked per week at the Mathers Museum varies according to the number of credit hours of A408 the student is enrolled in, and the semester of enrollment
Above section for Master's students only who have enrolled in 30 or more hours of graduate coursework applicable to the degree and who have completed all other requirements of the degree except the thesis or final project or performance.
Bioanthropology
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic research techniques used by biological anthropologists through hands-on experience and an introduction to the literature of the field. The course is divided into two main sections. The first focuses on human skeletal anatomy, and the second covers methodologies used in forensic anthropology, paleontology, primatology, human growth and development, and population genetics. This course counts for the NMNS distribution requirement.
This course explores the differences among human groups and individuals in such characteristics as physique, color, appearance, blood type, DNA, etc. We will survey the theories accounting for these differences, including historical influences of disease, environment, time and chance. Also discussed are the implications of anthropological data and theories for current and future human biological and social problems. This is a lecture course with a significant amount of reading from both textbook and research articles, a midterm and final, and a 7-10 page research paper (2 exams and paper each worth 1/3 of grade). Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This course will examine physiological within and between human population in reference to ecological and evolutionary principles such as adaptation and evolution by natural selection. The course will provide introductions to life history theory and reproductive ecology, which will allow us to critically analyze the genetic and environmental cources of physiological variation in contemporary human populations. Although the foci of this course are based on evolutionary biology, readings are selected to reflect the general interests of natural and social scientists alike.
Above class meets 1st eight weeks only This course consists of laboratory and field work related to the study of prehistoric human skeletal biology. You will have an opportunity to practice skills learned in B301, as well as to learn new skills appropriate to your interests. The course will have two phases. While we are in Bloomington, we will review human osteology and aspects of faunal osteology relevant to the identification problems we will encounter in the field. Each student will inventory two burials from Chau Hiix or another site related to his or her individual research project in the lab in order to practice the fundamental skills of the bone specialist in anthropology: identifying fragments, determining age and sex, and describing morphology and pathology. We will do a number of curatorial tasks, including cleaning, sorting, labeling and making catalog entries. Readings and lecture in this segment of the course will explore the physical anthropology and mortuary site archaeology of Mesoamerica. Short essays on readings will be required in this first phase of the course. For students who are participating in the field school at Chau Hiix, the second phase of the course will consist of burial excavation, documentation, and field curation at Chau Hiix. Techniques that aim at optimal recovery of bone and at observation of aspects of the archaeological important in the reconstruction of mortuary practices will be stressed. Each student will prepare a short descriptive report on the burials he or she excavates. For students who are not enrolled in the field school, the second half of the course will be devoted to a research paper on a topic in physical anthropology. GRADES: Lab participation and quizzes: 50% Field write up or final paper due by May 4: 50%
Prerequisite ANTH B200 and instructor's permission This course is designed to fulfill a requirement within the bioanthropology graduate program pertaining to research methods. As such, it will cover basic methodologies associated with research investigations that relate genetics to bioanthropology. Principle areas include the theory and practice of Mendelian genetics, human/medical genetics, forensic genetics, molecular genetics, and human population genetics. The particular field within bioanthropology referred to as anthropological genetics will be stressed. This means that there will be an emphasis on microevolutionary processes that serve to explain current and recent past gene distributions and genetic structure of human populations. This course is organized into both seminar discussions of assigned readings and exercises, some of which will be carried out in class, in addition to wet laboratory work, to be carried out in the anthropology department's genetic anthropology teaching lab. Grading: Exercises (both take-home and in class): 25% Laboratory Analysis: 25% Out-of-Class Assignment: 25% Take-Home Final Exam: 25% Text: There will be no textbook for this course. Rather, the readings will be excerpted from existing textbooks and will also include published research papers. These readings will be available on electronic reserve. In addition, there will be a laboratory notebook with directions for and explanations of the wet laboratory procedures used in this course, as well as hints for the exercises.
The Evolution of Primate Social Behavior has two principal aims. (1) We will become familiar with the variety of primate social organizations. Primate societies will be parsed into 5 basic systems, after which variations on these themes will be explored. You will learn that nonhuman primates vary from solitary, positively antisocial species, to animals that gather in groups of up to 300. (2) We aim to understand the theoretical underpinnings of primate social behavior. We will investigate the evolutionary and ecological bases of sociality, intense affiliation within groups (bonding), group transfer, territoriality, aggression, primate intelligence, communication, tool use, mating strategies, and parenting strategies. Readings include scientific articles on reserve and a textbook, The Natural History of the Primates. There are 11 pages of reading per meeting. The class will view three short films, and two hour-long films. There will be three exams.
Required Text: Frisancho, A.R. 1993 Human Adaptation and Accommodation. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. Course Description: Human Adaptation is a seminar designed to provide the participants with an understanding of the concept of adaptation as it is utilized within Bioanthropology. Initially, we will be examining the variety of meanings and usages of this concept that are invoked in other aspects of Anthropology and other disciplines. Once this groundwork has been established, we will be discussing a number of stresses that humans encounter and focus on both individual and population responses to these stresses. Participation in discussion as well as the presentation of oral and written reports will be emphasized throughout the course. Goals and Objectives: The primary goal of this course is mentioned above, i.e. to foster an understanding of the concept of adaptation as it applies to humans. Secondary goals include an appreciation of the methodologies used in bioanthropological research, an increased ability to read and understand the primary sources used by bioanthropologists, the development or enhancement of seminar skills, and improvement in both oral and written presentations of research results on a topic. Course Requirements: Because this is a seminar, no exams will be given, but a premium will be placed on participation in class discussions, timely submission of required materials and oral presentations in class. Undergraduate class members, working individually, will be required to find and abstract 5 articles during the course of the semester. Graduate students, working as a team, will be required to find and abstract 10 articles. In addition, discussants for each abstract may be named. A research paper will be required (8-10 pages for undergrads and 12-15 pages for grads). This paper must synthesize the research literature on a topic, approved in advance, that has some relationship to the material covered in the class.
Above class meets 1st eight weeks only This course is a seminar in the anthropology of mortuary ritual and the disposal of the dead. We will concentrate equally on ethnographic accounts of the great variety of mortuary practices and on applications of this body of information to interpreting the archeological record. Grades are based on class participation (50%), and on a final paper (50%). A seminar depends on consistent, thoughtful participation each week from each person. You must come to class prepared to discuss the material we are reading. If participating in discussion is difficult for you, it can help to make notes in advance on issues you wish to raise. Each of you will be responsible for discussing sources that the other seminar members have not read. When we do individual reading assignments, each person will prepare a written summary of the item he or she has presented for distribution to other seminar participants. You will find that your colleagues in the seminar are quite helpful in finding resources for your research. Expect approximately 100 pages of reading per week for the first eight weeks of class. The second eight weeks will devoted to the research project. Your final paper should aim at a substantial, original review or analysis suitable for submission to an appropriate journal. Please meet individually with me to discuss a topic for the final paper before our third class meeting. A one-page prospectus of your project is due at our last meeting before spring break. Each seminar participant will present a summary of the project at our final class meeting. REQUIRED TEXT Laderman, G. 1996 The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes toward Death, 1799-1883. Yale U. Press.
Ethnography and Ethnology
This course is designed to introduce students to the diversity of cultures in Native America north of Mexico. It focuses on culture patterns from the time of earliest European contact until the mid-nineteenth century, but also considers traditional culture among contemporary Native Americans. Readings provide a general orientation to the study of Eskimo and American Indian life ways as well as a series of case studies. Lectures include discussion of the methods used by anthropologists for studying Native American cultures and societies. Fundamental concepts of cultural and social anthropology are presented throughout the course to serve as the means for understanding native peoples. Grades will be based on short quizzes and two examinations designed to test the students' knowledge of information about Native American peoples as well as their comprehension of and ability to use the theories and methods of anthropology presented in class lectures and readings. Prior course work in anthropology is not required.
General Overview: This course surveys major conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of culture change. It does so primarily through the medium of broad, topical lectures and with the aid of a few "classic" monographs. The lectures and the readings have been selected to illustrate a particular school of thought, an exemplary line of reasoning, a general ascription of cause that accounts for change, as well as methods and techniques appropriate to the study of culture change. Although primarily a lecture course, the format has been designed to allow time each week for questions and discussion. There will be additional opportunities to discuss specific readings in small groups moderated by the instructor. In this way the themes covered in the readings and in the lectures can be explored further and related one to the other. If there are texts in this course they are: Return to Reason by Stephen Toulmin, The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert Simon, Understanding the Process of Economic Change by Douglas North, and The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber. Embedded in this quartet of works are a series of monographs that can be related to one another through intellectual filiations and strongly expressed differences. They are: The Poverty of Historicism by Karl Popper, The Road to Serfdom by Frederick Hayek, The Great Transformations by Karl Polanyi. Plow, Sword, and Book: The Structure of Human History by Ernst Gellner; The Eclipse of Reason by Max Horkheimer, and Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. Assignments: All participants in this course--registered students and auditors alike--are required to complete the readings on or before the dates specified in the class schedule. Each student who is registered in the course for credit will be required to complete four small (ca. 5-8 page) papers on the causal arguments offered for culture change by Popper, Polanyi, Horkheimer, and Gellner and then apply what has been learned to a critical analysis of Diamond that will be the topic of the final paper (8-12 pages).
Above section graduate standing or permission of instructor This is a required course for all incoming graduate students in sociocultural anthropology, and is highly recommended for bioanthropologists, archaeologists, and linguists who desire familiarity with the current concepts and issues in the study of culture. This course is also open to graduate students in other disciplines who seek to understand the ethnographic approach so characteristic of modern sociocultural anthropology. E500 will cover the major writers and theories in sociocultural anthropology starting in 1970 and working up to the present. Our goal is the classic one of a survey course; to get students familiar with the intellectual currents of the discipline. This means reading some major works, but it also means that sometimes we will take shortcuts and have you read about theories and writers instead of reading all the original sources.
This course is devoted to the analysis and discussion of one of the major global processes observed in human behavior in modern times. The focus will be on international migration. Why do people migrate? Where do they go and why? How do they migrate and how do they integrate into the host societies? How do the mainstream societies welcome them? By which social, economic, cultural, and political processes? These are the questions students will have to explore and try to answer. The course takes both a theoretical and an ethnographic approach. We shall cover a large number of situations and geographical areas of migration, in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia. Students will have an opportunity to deal with a variety of social and cultural forms of expression of the migrants' condition, in family organization, religious practice, collective memory, the arts, associations. They will have a unique opportunity to conduct a fieldwork project here in Bloomington, under the instructor's direction and methodological support. This is intended to encourage students to have a practical understanding of migration and diaspora. Requirements Undergraduate: mid-term examination (20%); fieldwork project (35%); Reading review (25%); class participation (20%) Graduate: reading review (30%); 2 class presentations (35%); fieldwork project (35%) Readings - Brah A., 1996, Cartographies of Diaspora, Routledge. - Bretell C., 1995, We Have Already Cried Many Tears, Waveland Press. - Cohen R., 1997, Global Diasporas, U. of Washington Press. - Malkki L., 1995, Purity and Exile, Univ. of Chicago Press. - Bretell C., & Hollifield J.(eds.), Migration Theory, Routledge. - Sassen S., 1999, Guests and Aliens, The New Press
Anthropologists have been increasingly concerned with the conflict between "cultural relativist" respect for local culture and the notion of "universal" human rights. With this key issue in mind, "The Anthropology of Human Rights" investigates the discipline's theoretical and practical engagements with global social justice. The course examines a number of documents and theoretical texts central to the development of the notion of human rights. In light of these works, it explores several studies oriented around such historical and contemporary human rights issues as colonialism and imperialism; refugees' experiences; indigenous people's, women's and children's rights; genocide; and development and corporate transnationalism. The course supplements assigned readings with interdisciplinary, documentary, and other material.
The unprecedented terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 aimed at targets within the United States prompted the coalition "War on Terrorism" against the Taliban controlled Afghanistan- regarded as the virtual headquarters of global terrorism led by Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda terrorist network who have been implicated in carrying out the attacks. The war on global terror has been waged now for well over four years in Afghanistan, has spawned into the invasion of Iraq and greater instability in the Middle East and beyond without an end in sight. Why the attacks on New York city, Pentagon and Pennsylvania? Who did it and Why? Why and how did Afghanistan become a Global Terrorism Inc.? Is the rise of Taliban movement in Afghanistan, as a contemporary phenomena unique? How is the problem of terrorism conceptualized and explained by the government officials and media experts in the U.S.? What are the root causes of the problem of terrorism? What role, if any, does religion/civilization, especially Islamic "fundamentalism" play in the current tensions? Has the "War on Terrorism" worked? Why or why not? What are some alternative solutions to the problem of terrorism which are not being considered and why? What lessons are learned from the war on global terror so far? Will continuation of the war make America and the world more secure? If not, how can we re-conceptualize our concept of security in a manner that could be obtained? This course will critically examine these and related questions by focusing on the history, society, economy and political culture of Afghanistan as a multi-ethnic modern nation-state which has been ravaged by a century of internal colonialism, and most recently by foreign invasions, proxy wars and global terrorism. Required Texts (Some titles may vary): Gabriel Kolko Another Century of War?. The New Press Peter Marsden, The Taliban: War and Religion in Afghanistan (Revised Edition). Zed Books Steve Coll, Ghost Wars: the secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bib Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001. Course Requirements (may vary a little): There will be two examinations. All exams will be of the essay type, consisting of short-answer questions and longer essays. Each examination will be worth 50 points and course grade will be based on 100 cumulative points. Graduate students are also required to write a 10-15 pages (double-spaced type written) long term paper.
Because we are socialized into speaking at an early age, we are often unaware of gender differences in the use of language. Yet scholars have noted, for example, that in many cultures women are more expert in the use of politeness forms. Does this make a difference when women and men go to court? It has been noted that in many societies men display more expertise in speaking with authority. Does this matter in court? Does a male judge speak with more authority than a female judge? What role does narrative play in a courtroom? What language is spoken in courts? How and why do certain everyday forms of speaking come to seen as criminal offenses? In this class we focus on the ways in which gender roles intersect with language in legal settings. We will consider studies that focus on language as performed by men and women in courts, by lawyers and litigants. We will also be investigating how different societies regulate men's and women's use of taboo language, jokes, insults, threats, and other types of speech. In order to develop a broader, cross-cultural understanding of the issues we will be examining and comparing a diverse set of cases including: insults and curses heard in customary courts in Ghana, men's and women's oratory in indigenous Mexican communities, gender and land tenure in Aboriginal Australia, taboo speech in its many forms, the role of narrative in social life and in courts around the world, and speech associated with sexual harassment and in sexually threatening situations in American courts and elsewhere.
This seminar offers a critical survey of past and recent debates in the study of exchange, to understand its relevance for research on the politics of sociocultural difference. Readings range from classical theoretical and ethnographic materials to recent reformulations that use exchange, and more recently circulation, to explore the dynamics of history, social reproduction and power. Topics covered may include the production and circulation of cloth and other objects of value in colonial, post-colonial and global contexts as well as capitalism and commodification. The course will draw on materials from Africa, Oceana and India. Through seminar presentations, a book review and a seminar paper, students will participate in addressing the central questions of this course and turn these questions towards their own research.
Ethnobotany focuses on past and present, dynamic and interactive relationship between people and plants: how plants are used, their social, economic, and cultural values are among important questions in ethnobotany. The course combines classes on the historical development of the field, its intersection with related fields in anthropology and ecology, issues of intellectual property rights, and methods and fieldwork techniques used for ethnobotanical research. Instead of focusing on a particular region or field associated with ethnobotany (e.g., such as pharmacology or paleoethnobotany) this course aims at introducing students to theory and baseline comparative methodologies underlying ethnobotany today. The pursuit of specific domains is encouraged as part of students' assignments (research paper) and interest. Individual research papers should be used to expand knowledge on a specific regions or topics. The course has three main parts: Part 1. Introduction: History, scope, and theoretical interfaces; Part 2. Intellectual property rights and traditional botanical knowledge (TBK); Part 3. Multi-level and comparative methods in ethnobotanical research.
This seminar critically examines, from anthropological perspectives, relationships between the development of political institutions and articulations or manifestations of political ideals in Muslim societies in general and those of Central Asia and the Middle East in particular. We will pay close attention to the paradigmatic and historical significance of the formative period of Muslim politics (i .e, the era of the Prophet's rule in Medina and those of his Righteous Khalifs or Khulafa-i Rashidun), and focus on the continuities of styles and strategies of Muslim political discourse (e.g. adaptationism, conservatism, Mahdism, and Islamist modernism) in various historical contexts. In particular, we will discuss 19th and 20th century Muslim responses to encounters with European colonialism, contemporary experiences of "nation-states" building programs in the Muslim Middle East, and prospects for the new post-Soviet Muslim states in Central Asia and post-9-11-01 situation in the region. The first part of the seminar will consist of readings and discussions of essential background materials, and will include critical evaluations of a number of case studies on Central Asia and the Middle East. The second part will involve discussion of student project presentations. Required Readings (some titles may vary): Articles: Asad, T. "Ideology, class and the origin of the Islamic State." Economy & Society. 9(4), 1980 Asad, T. "Anthropological Conceptions of Religion: Reflections on Geertz." Man (NS), 18,1983. Aswad, B. "Social and Ecological Aspects in the Formation of Islam." In Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East, Louise Sweet, ed. 1970. Geertz, C. "Religion as a Cultural System." In The Interpretation of Cultures. 1973 Wallace, A. "Revitalization Movements." American Anthropologist, 58, 1956. Wolf, E. "The Social Organization of Mecca and the Origins of Islam." Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 7(4), 1951. Books: Shoshana Keller To Moscow, Not Mecca: The Soviet Campaign Against Islam in Central Asia 1917- 1941. Mohammad Hashim Kamali Freedom of Expression in Islam. Jenny B. White Islamist Mobilization in Turkey. Esposito, John Islam and Politics. Charles Kurzman Liberal Islam: A Source Book Haghayeghi, Mehrdad Islam and Politics in Central Asia Hajib, Yusuf Khass Wisdom of Royal Glory (Kutadgu Bilig): A Turko-Islamic Mirror for Princes. Madelung, Wilferd The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of Early Caliphate Nizam Al-Mulk The Book of Government or Rules for Kings. Rosen, Lawrence The Anthropology of Justice: Law as Culture in Islamic Society. Roy, Olivier The Failure of Political Islam Watt, Montgomery Islamic Political Thought. Course Requirements: A critical written report of the reading assignments for each week (about 2-3 double spaced typewritten pages) highlighting the most significant points (positive and negative) about the authors' approach in the text(s). These brief weekly review are due in my office by 2:00pm one day before the class meeting. Students are also expected to actively participate in class discussions, lead at least one class discussion, make an oral presentation of the term project, and submit a term paper on the term project. The term project will consist of a review essay consisting of: 1) critical reading, detailed assessment and synthesis of all required readings for the seminar; and 2) serious and reasoned reflection on how the theoretical, conceptual, methodological and substantive issues covered in this seminar will (or will not) be useful to your own specific topics or fields of research interests and why. The essay should be about 20 typed pages (double-spaced).
In this course students will learn about the far-reaching and intersecting environmental, political, social, and health effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Using the lenses of cultural and medical anthropology, students will study the human face of the disaster in a multidisciplinary context. We will interweave discussions of Chernobyl's environmental, social, political, and public health effects as we consider questions of ethics, international law, social welfare, and the subjective experiences of health and disease after Chernobyl. Going beyond Chernobyl as an environmental case study, we will examine the symbolic uses of the accident, local interpretations of nuclear catastrophe, and Chernobyl as an example of globalizing forces. Students will gain access to previously un-translated writings and films, and they will have the chance to interact with experts on Chernobyl via internet and in person. Ultimately, the course will guide students through the labyrinth of Chernobyl effects while highlighting the linkages between ecological, medical, political, and social aftershocks of a techno-environmental catastrophe. Research and writing projects on various aspects of Chernobyl and its effects will allow students to pursue their concrete interests in their respective fields.
This graduate level course explores fundamental issues and approaches in anthropological field research. We will examine social scientists' field experiences as well as ethical, theoretical, and practical problems inherent in the conduct of ethnographic research. Primary topics to be covered include: the genesis of modern ethnography, current ethical dilemmas and proposals for activist approaches, research proposal and design, forms of documentation, archival research, life histories, technology, spatial analysis, survey and interview techniques, multi-sited ethnography, and the ongoing reconceptualization of "the field." Students will carry out research exercises designed to introduce them to the practical realities of operationalizing methodological precepts and to promote reflection on the complexities and dilemmas involved in producing and evaluating field data. This course will be taught primarily in a discussion format in which students bring their experiences of performing research exercises to bear upon course readings. Guest speakers, engaged in ongoing research in a variety of contexts, will provide insights into specific techniques and problems in ethnographic research.
Above class meets 2nd eight weeks only The creation of protected areas has become a principal tool for attempting to conserve endangered natural resources. Yet biosphere reserves, national parks and nature reserves often have unanticipated impacts on indigenous and local populations. In certain cases, failure to consider sociocultural implications has led to rapid environmental degradation rather than conservation. Environmental conservation also carries implications for cultural survival. A majority of the world's indigenous and aboriginal populations live in the world's least degraded environments, but at times park establishment has involved the forcible expulsion of native peoples from their land. As a result, many doubts have been raised over the effectiveness of protected areas. This seminar-style course explores a broad range of questions and debates surrounding protected areas. It considers major theories and approaches to conservation, from "fortress conservation" to community-based and participatory strategies, as well as the potential of ecotourism. It evaluates outcomes and unintended consequences of protected areas, with a special interest in the conundrums posed by growing human demands for increasingly depleted and threatened natural resources. We will debate a range of crucial questions, such as (1) Are cultural survival and environmental conservation competing or complimentary goals? (2) Are protected areas effective? Given the varying goals of different protected areas, how are we to assess effectiveness? (3) How can conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders be met constructively? (4) Can natural resources be managed sustainably to meet competing demands for conservation and development? If so, how? If not, how to prioritize conservation or immediate human needs? Theoretical perspectives will be juxtaposed with actual case studies of parks and reserves from around the world. The seminar is offered during the SECOND EIGHT WEEKS of the semester. It will meet twice a week, once in the evening and once during the day. The evening time will involve formal lectures and films as well as discussion. The daytime meeting will emphasize discussions, informal debates and class presentations. Evaluation: Grades will be based upon participation in discussions, reading responses, and a final project. Prerequisites: Undergraduates must have taken a 300-level course in one of the social sciences or in the biological sciences. Graduate students do not need to fulfill any prerequisites to take this course.
Above class meets 1st eight weeks Do you know someone who collects comic books, prom dresses, postcards or license plates? Ever wonder about the logic of collecting? Nearly one-third of the people in North America collect something in a systematic way. This course will explore the history and social context of collecting in Europe and America. We will examine why people collect, why institutions collect, and how people create and display their collections.
In addition to being a place on the map and large variety of peoples and cultures, Europe is also an idea, an identity and a specific historical consciousness. This course, open to both undergraduate and graduate students, will explore this idea and its meaning in the development of cultural anthropology. Europe has acquired a new status as an object of ethnographic enquiry and has generated major revisions in the discipline. Class discussions will be organized within two dimensions: 1. On the one side we shall attempt to define the cultural and social boundaries of "Europe" as a "cultural area". 2. On the other side we shall discuss the recent developments of the anthropology of Europe in the American and European contexts, and its theoretical contributions to the discipline. Within this perspective, we shall discuss such issues as regional identities, gender and the family religion, politics, ethnicity and nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism, rural vs. urban society. Prerequisites: Previous or current enrollment in a course in social sciences, as well proficiency in at least one European language (in addition to English) are highly recommended. Course requirements: -two mid-term examinations (25% and 30%) -one research paper (40%) Readings Badone, Ellen (ed.), Religious Orthodoxy and Popular Faith in European Society Goody, Jack, The Development of the Family and Marriage in Europe Herzfeld, Michael, Anthropology Through the Looking Glass: Critical Ethnography in the Margins of Europe Loizos, Peter, Papataxiarchis, Evthymios (eds.), Contested Identities: Gender and Kinship in Modern Greece Linguistics
This graduate-level seminar is an intensive introduction to the anthropological study of language. In it we examine language as a cultural system and speech as a socially embedded communicative practice through which social relations and cultural forms are constituted. We pay particular attention to the key concepts of text and context. What exactly is a text? What do we really mean when we talk about sociocultural context or when we claim to be contextualizing ethnographic knowledge? Other topics include the relation of language to other sign systems, speech acts and performativity, speech genres,ritual language, oratory, language and politics, and ideologies of language. This seminar has several goals: (1) to help students develop a critical awareness of the place of language in the constitution of social relations; (2) to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of theory and practice in the field of linguistic anthropology; and (3) to equip them with the analytic tools needed to understand and evaluate contemporary research in this field.
This course is the 4th in a four-semester sequence designed to introduce students to the language and culture of an American Indian people, the Lakota (Western Sioux) of North and South Dakota. Study is designed around an introductory Lakota language textbook, weekly lessons, tape recordings, and readings on Lakota culture. The course requires both oral and written exercises (inside and outside the classroom), and will teach both speaking and reading.
Archaeology
Above class meets 2nd eight weeks only There are two major goals in this class. The first is to understand ceramics by exploring how an analysis is conducted as well as the theory that informs analysis. The second goal is to try to better understand ceramics through experimentation such as making and using simple clay vessels. We will work with an archaeological collection and learn how to record ceramic data, draw rim profiles, and then use that information in order to draw meaningful conclusions about the past. This will require we develop an understanding of how data and theory can work together to produce insights into past life-ways, as well as social and political organization. Our other mission will require students build their own pottery vessels (with supplied wild clays) and experiment with different clay formulas and vessel characteristics. We will process and prepare clay for use, build our vessels and fire them in an open bonfire. Students need to be prepared to schedule a few classes out of the classroom and attend the firings. As part of our experimentation we will also engage in activities such as preparing a meal in traditional ceramic cooking jars and testing ceramic water jugs.
Above class meets 1st eight weeks only This is a course on the history of human beings. For much of the history of western thought, the study of people has been the study of MAN; this was not an inclusive history. Although it has always been stated that the term MANKIND refers to all people, in practice it never has. Any time women or children were included in a study or a history, they were identified as being included. Studies purporting to investigate humans were all investigations of the lives and doings of men, or at least what people thought pertained to men. The study of MANKIND has also always been the study of heterosexual men; like the lives of women, people of alternative gender identities were considered irrelevant or as deviations from the ¿norm¿ with no relation to the history of MANKIND. In this class we will consider how ignorance about gender and assumptions about what it means to be a man or a woman or a homosexual have given us a skewed picture of the human past. Curiously, our vision of the past skewed by the bias of our present world experience is ¿ at the same time ¿ used as a justification for the way things are in the present world. The reality of the past, insofar as we can know it, is much more varied that most people realize, and the implications of this variability for what we know about ourselves as human beings and how we justify our actions in the present day are very important to consider. We will begin with ideas about humans that come from studies of animals that have been used to recreate human ancestors. We will go on to studies of hominids (early proto-people) to see how archaeologists have envisioned our ancestors and what data they use for these purposes. We will then move through human history ending with some discussion of very early civilizations. Much of the discussion will center on the lives of women, because it is the consideration of ancient women that most easily shows what we do not really know about ancient men. Course Requirements Portfolios You will keep a 3 ring binder with a record of everything you do for this class. You will include lecture notes, written assignments, notes on readings, references to sources you use (websites, television shows, books, journals, magazines) and anything you want to add that is relevant to this class. These can be on lined paper or hole punched printed materials and drawings. You may submit hand written notes on lectures, discussions, and readings, but other materials (projects) must be typed. However, since you will be graded on neatness and usability of your notes, you will loose points if your notes are sloppy and unreadable. Your Portfolio will be collected at random to be checked for completeness and quality, so keep it up to date and bring it to class every day. DO NOT combine your Portfolio for this class with notes and assignments for another class, since sometimes I will be reviewing it. Grading Attendance: -3 POINTS FROM FINAL GRADE FOR EVERY MISSED CLASS AFTER 3 Portfolio: 50% Class participation: 25% Final exam: 26%
This course focuses on the critical role of archaeology in the study of culture contact and colonialism. Students will consider research issues, theoretical perspectives, and methodological approaches used for studying indigenous and colonial histories. Since the Columbian Quincentenary, there has been a renaissance in archaeological field projects examining native peoples encounters with multi-ethnic colonial communities established by Spain, Russia, France, and Britain in the Americas. Readings will focus on recent archaeological findings within a diverse range of colonial contexts, including missions, mercantile colonies, presidio/military communities, ranchos, frontier outposts, plantations, and homesteads. Areal coverage will emphasize the Americas, but other regions will be considered depending on the interest of seminar participants. Class discussions will compare and contrast the varied range of colonial policies and practices that were imposed upon native populations, and how indigenous peoples negotiated and mediated these colonial structures through their daily practices. We will also discuss ways that culture contact research challenges interdisciplinary (and sub-disciplinary) boundaries. Grades will be based on seminar participation, oral paper presentation, and a research paper.
Above class meets 1st eight weeks only Lithic analysis has long been used to address issues of mobility, technology, control, activity patterning, economic systems, and ceremonial life. This seminar addresses the role of lithic analysis in archaeology and takes an in-depth look at the theoretical approaches used by archaeologists to understand stone tool production, consumption and exchange. We begin with exploring changes in approaches to stone tools throughout the processual and post-processual periods in archaeology, and work toward a synthesis of lithic analysis for use in the future. Participants will gain some ideas on how to turn stone tools into usable information about the past and how to understand and evaluate what other archaeologists are doing. The first direction for reading and discussion will be historical and critical. The second will focus on theoretical approaches and realms of knowledge or specific topics. The third will look at stone materials in modern contexts. Because of the course breadth, this seminar will be suitable for graduate students in any subfield, from the archaeologist who may need to do lithic analysis, to the cultural anthropologist who wishes to gain perspective on the ways in which people past and present relate to stone. Goals: Participants will gain some perspective on how and why lithic analysis developed, what questions lithics analysts have hoped to answer, and what techniques they employ. Second, and more important, participants should come out of this course capable of evaluating the potential for lithic analysis to contribute to archaeological projects and knowledge. We will look how analysts can better devise creative approaches to archaeological interpretation using those ubiquitous, durable stony bits. Readings Odell, George 2003 Lithic Analysis by. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. It has lots of nitty-gritty stuff about lithic analysis and is a useful handbook for all archaeologists to have. Whittaker, John. 2004 American Flintknappers. University of Texas Press, Austin. Cobb, Charles 2000. From Quarry to Cornfield: The Political Economy of Mississippian Hoe Production, University of Alabama Press. Other specific readings will either be on e-reserve or Oncourse, or will be handed out or assigned each week. Not every student will read all the same materials each week. Students will come to class prepared to summarize, discuss and synthesize the readings. This way we can cover more material, and become more broadly exposed to different perspectives. Evaluation Participants will write a research/grant proposal. This will help you practice doing the things you will be doing as an anthropologist in the real world. Proposals will be due at the end of the semester (so you will have roughly 8 weeks beyond the end of the class meetings to work on them). Everyone will get to read and comment on everyone else's proposal. |
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