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Specific descriptions of the classes that will be offered in Spring 2011. Check them out as you think about registering for your spring classes!
1000 Intro to Sociology (4 sem. Hours) Adopting a cross-cultural and comparative approach, this course provides a comprehensive overview of sociological principles. Using the sociological imagination, students will explore the relationship between individuals and their social environment, as well as the origin, structure, and function of various social institutions. Specific issues include the self and society, marriage and the family, education, religion, popular culture and mass media, class, gender, and race/ethnicity. This class satisfies Core 6 requirements.
1100 Intro to Anthropology (4 sem. Hours) This course introduces cultural anthropology as a way of understanding and studying culture in all its complexity. The class is discussion-driven and relies on ethnographic texts as primary learning resources. Class discussions will encourage students to consider the implications of cultural variability and to ask deep questions about the nature of human experience and social conditions. At the end of the course, students will possess the tools to examine culture much more closely and critically and to evaluate deep-seated assumptions about the way the world works. This class satisfies Core 6 requirements.
1110 Intro to Archaeology and World Prehistory (4 sem. Hours) This class is designed to introduce students to the world's prehistory and to the anthropological field of archaeology. The class begins with the human family's earliest appearance approximately 5-6 million years ago in Africa and, through the course of the semester, travels down winding global paths to the dawn of written history. As the class works together to unravel humanity's complex past, students may also learning something about the present and our future.
2130 Sociology of Childhood and the Family (4 sem. Hours) This course examines the social construction of childhood in the U.S., how such constructions affect the socialization of children, and how issues of race, class, gender, and age affect and shape children's everyday lives. Students will also consider the possibilities for the future of childhood. This course approaches childhood from the current sociological movement to investigate children as active social actors who respond to, create, and change culture through their own cultural styles and social competencies. Throughout the semester, students will participate in a hands-on research project to investigate class themes.
2210 Archaeological Method and Theory (4 sem. Hours) This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of archaeology; i.e. How do we actually DO archaeology and make sense of our results? The main foci will be archaeological method (the doing) and theory (making sense). During the semester, students will spend as much time OUT of the classroom as in it. The class will also prepare students who plan to conduct archaeological field research over the course of the summer. In the latter half of the semester, excavations will be conducted at the Manship House Museum.
3110 Anthropology of War (4 sem. Hours) One of the most contentious questions in anthropology is whether or not humans are inherently aggressive and violent. Are we by nature warlike or peaceful? In this class we will seek to solve this conundrum. This class will bring to bear data from the fields of primatology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, ethnohistory, ethnography, ethology, psychology, and various other scientific disciplines. In the end students must ask themselves whether the anthropological study of war might help create a more peaceful world.
3120-01 Ethnography of East Africa (4 sem. Hours) This seminar-style course will examine the peoples and cultures of East Africa through the lens of ethnography. Students will learn about cultural trends as well as cultural variety within the region and will also be asked to think critically about the practice of ethnography in East Africa. Course materials will include ethnographic monographs and ethnographic articles that range from classics in the field to contemporary work on hip hop and tourism. This course is open to all students who have successfully completed an introductory course in the department. The course is highly recommended for students planning to participate in the summer program in Tanzania.
3120-02 Contemporary Culture and Environment in the Yucatán (4 sem. Hours) This class will explore the different ways that people relate to Yucatan environments, as well as the ways that environments shape contemporary social, political, and economic life in the Yucatán. How do different people understand and use the land and natural resources on the peninsula? In what ways does this impact both culture and environment? How are people's relationships to the Yucatán environment changing? Students will look at the environment defined very broadly to include everything from deforestation to the foods people eat. The course will be divided into three broad topics: food, culture, and sustainability; conservation and communities; and globalization and the changing Yucatec landscape. This class will include local and regional excursions and other experiential activities in addition to lectures and discussion.
3200 Religion, Society, and Culture (4 sem. Hours) This course is cross-listed in Sociology-Anthropology and Religious Studies and examines the intersection of the two disciplines. The primary organizing topic for the class is consideration of how social scientists can and should study religion. Students will be asked to take an active role in learning about various social theorists (from Frazer to Asad) and in engaging ethnographic studies of various religious phenomena. Rather than attempting to survey the religions of the world, the class aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to study and to analyze any particular religion as a social scientist.
4200 Social and Cultural Theory (4 sem. Hours) In this class, students will conduct critical, comparative, and synthetic examinations of historical and contemporary sociological theory, including functionalism, conflict theory, phenomenology, and symbolic interactionism.
4760 Asians in America (4 sem. Hours) This class will examine how Asian Americans' immigrant origin, their class status before immigration, their family structure, and their cultural tradition have influenced their adaptation and success in the US. The readings will include historical research on the experiences of various Asian ethnic groups and on US immigration policies. In addition to a systematic examination of the history and current situations of these groups and their American journey, we will also compare their experiences with the experiences of other racial groups in the US in terms of social mobility and race relations.
4802 Survival Swahili (2 sem. Hours) This two-hour course is designed to give students an introduction to the Swahili language. It is taught as an independent study with language lab requirements and weekly meetings to practice speaking Swahili. This course is intended primarily to prepare students for summer travel to Tanzania.
4850 Internship (4 sem. Hours) Practical experience and field-based training for majors working with selected organizations engaged in social research, human services, or community services.
4852 Internship (2 sem. Hours) Practical experience and field-based training for majors working with selected organizations engaged in social research, human services, or community services.
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