How does the life of an American teenager compare with that of young
people in indigenous Mexican communities, the urban centers of South
Asia, or the war-torn southern Sudan? Why does adolescence sometimes
come to be seen as a particularly turbulent stage of life and
adolescents as a source or trouble for a society? How and when do
young people get mobilized to become agents of social and political
change?

This course introduces students to the cross-cultural study of
adolescence and youth. In it we will cover some classic
anthropological concerns such as age sets, generational groups, and
rites of passage. We will also look at current investigations into the
roles that educational institutions and mass media play in the
production and globalization of youth culture. Other topics include:
how certain styles, ways of speaking and behaviors come to be seen as
particularly youthful, the nature of generation gaps, and the impact
that western-style adolescence is having on traditional ways of
conceptualizing how children become adults.