Anthropology Courses
ANTH 111 Introduction to Anthropology: Introductory overview of the major divisions of anthropology: cultural and physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics.
ANTH 204 Archaeology and Prehistory: Introduction to archaeological methods, followed by a survey of world prehistory.
ANTH 205 Human Origins: Examination of the evolution of humans through the investigation of fundamental principles of evolution, human variation, comparative primate behavior, and the fossil record.
ANTH 206 Peoples of the World: General survey of cultural anthropology and cultures of various regions of the world.
ANTH 208 Folklore and Culture: Examination of folk traditions (oral, customary, and material) within their cultural context.
ANTH 432/632 Human Osteology: The analysis of human bones. Areas of study include skeletal anatomy, human biological individualization and interpretation of archaeological and paleontological skeletal material.
ANTH 441/641 Death and Dying: Examination of research, theories, and case studies on the sociocultural dimensions of death and dying across time and societies. Topics include suicide, funerals, hospice practice, disasters, afterlife beliefs, grief, bereavement and memory, organ donation, death in popular culture, end-of-life issues, cemeteries and body disposition, euthanasia, art, film, music and literature, genocide, and war. (Cross-listed with SOC)
ANTH 444/644 Peoples of the Pacific Islands: General survey of cultures, past and present, in Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia.
ANTH 446/646 Current Problems in Paleoanthropology: Critical inquiry and survey of biological anthropology. Allows students to construct our ancestors past using evidence from paleoanthropology, archaeology, geology, ecology, zoology, and comparative primate morphology.
ANTH 450/650 Qualitative Methods in Cultural Anthropology: Focuses on qualitative research methods utilized in cultural anthropology and other social sciences. Instruction and application of ethnographic, discourse-centered, visual anthropology, interview/focus group, extended case study, and other qualitative survey methods and forms of analysis. Covers the ethics of human participant research with training and Institutional Review Board applications. Prereq 450: Anth 111 and junior or senior status; 650: graduate status.
ANTH 452/652 North American Indians: General survey of native North American Indian cultures. Focuses on cultural systems as anthropologists have reconstructed them for the precontact period.
ANTH 453/653 Magic and Religion: Comparative religion, religious concepts, practices, and practitioners. In-depth study of selected religious systems with a focus on shamanic religions. Prereq: Anth 111 or departmental approval. Cross-listed with RelS.
ANTH 458/658 Indians of the Plains: Ethnographic/ethnohistorical survey of major Indian tribes in the Great American Plains region from ancient times to the present.
ANTH 461/661 Germans from Russia: Study of the cultural and historical background of an important ethnic group in the Great American Plains region: German-speaking people from Russia.
ANTH 462/662 Cultural Ecology: Analysis of the systematic relationship between human populations and their ecological surroundings. Prereq: Any Anth course.
ANTH 464/664 Disaster and Culture: Examines human-made and natural disasters through a cross-cultural and historical perspective. Addresses cultural variation across and within relevant communities including those of disaster victims, emergency management systems, and a broad public. Pre-req: junior, senior or graduate standing. (Cross-listed with EMGT)
ANTH 480/680 Development of Anthropological Theory: Focus on major theoretical orientations in anthropology. Emphasis on the ways in which anthropological theories are used to generate explanations for multicultural phenomena. Prereq: Anth 111 or departmental approval.
ANTH 491/690 Seminar: Special topics seminars offered in faculty specializations. Past, present, and future topics include:
- Computer Applications in Human Heritage
- Cultural Dynamics
- Culture Change
- Folklore Research Methods
- Language & Expressive Culture
- Mind and Culture
- Prehistory of Europe
- Prehistory through Virtual Archaeology
- Science in Anthropology
- Theories/Methods in Archaeology
- Visualization in Anthropology
- World Mythology
