Instructor: George Bey

Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10:00-10:50 AM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 268

Instructor: Bob Nevins

Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10:00-10:50 AM; Wednesday 1:30-3:00 PM

Place: Olin Hall 240 & 265

Instructor: Julian Murchison

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30-3:00 PM

Place: Olin Hall 100

Instructor: Ming Tsui

Time: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:30-3:00 PM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 268

Instructor: Ming Tsui

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00-10:50 AM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 347

Instructor: Julian Murchison

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00-10:50 AM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 269

Instructor: Julian Murchison

Time: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:15-4:30 PM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 368

Instructor: Ming Tsui

Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11:00-11:50 AM

Place: Sullivan-Harrell Hall 347

SOAN 1000: Introduction to Sociology Back to Top
An introductory survey of social structure and human interaction. The course offers an overview of all major sociological concepts, theories, and research methods; explores issues such as socialization, inequality, social order and social change; and examines the roles the family, religion, mass media, and education play in our lives.

SOAN 1100: Introduction to Anthropology Back to Top
An introduction to the basic concepts and approaches of the study of cultural and social patterns of human societies around the world.

At its root, anthropology is about understanding human beings and developing human understanding. This means that anthropology involves the study of people — a study that is defined very broadly. Anthropological questions overlap with questions asked in biological and physical sciences, in social sciences, in humanities, and in fine arts. What sets anthropology apart from these other disciplines is anthropology’s unique focus on “culture.” However, even within anthropology there is a lot of debate about what culture entails. Throughout this course we will examine culture and its many different aspects.

This introductory course focuses on socio-cultural anthropology, one particular subfield of anthropology. Socio-cultural anthropology, also known as cultural anthropology, is distinguishable from the other subfields of anthropology (physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology) primarily through its reliance on ethnography as a means of doing research and collecting data. Ethnography usually involves long-term intensive research with living people in a specific cultural context; this research relies as heavily on participation as it does on observation. Using specific ethnographic research as their basis, anthropologists develop theories that seek to explain similarities and differences in cultural phenomena around the world. This theorizing that builds on specific ethnographic data to develop broader, more generalized theories is called ethnology. In this course, you will encounter a variety of different ethnographic examples in readings, film, and lecture. We will use these examples as an entry point into the theories that socio-cultural anthropologists have developed to try to explain and understand human beings in all their diversity.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 1110: Introduction to World Prehistory Back to Top
 An introductory archaeological survey of the worlds's prehistoric cultures, including those in both the Old and New World.

This class is designed to introduce you to the world’s prehistory and to the anthropological field of archaeology. It is meant to appeal to both non-majors and potential majors alike.

The world’s past is wondrously interesting and exciting (an evening spent watching the Discovery channel is proof of this!), and we will seek to capture that spirit as we tour the Earth’s ancient places and encounter long-dead peoples. We begin with the human family’s earliest appearance approximately 4-5 million years ago in Africa and, through the course of the semester, will travel down winding historical paths to modern times. Along the way we will encounter numerous archaeological mysteries:

What were the Neanderthals like? When did they become extinct and why?

Is there archaeological evidence for a Biblical flood?

How was Stonehenge constructed and for what purpose?

Are the events depicted in the Iliad fact or fiction? Was the Trojan War really fought?

Who built the Egyptian pyramids, and why?

Did ancient peoples practice human sacrifice and cannibalism, and if so, why?

These are just a few of the many questions we will address as we work together to unravel humanity’s complex past, perhaps thereby also learning something about the present and our future.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 1710: Human Evolution Back to Top
 The various lines of evidence about human ancestry will be examined, including population genetics, paleontology, DNA and protein sequencing, "Mitochondrial Eve," chromosome structure, behavior and linguistics. Current literature will be reviewed. This course includes a laboratory.

SOAN 2100: Methods & Statistics Back to Top
 A critical introduction to issues in research design. Types of data analysis and collection covered include field work, interviewing, coding qualitative data, survey design/execution/analysis, and statistical analysis of numeric/coded data. Attention is also given to what inferences can legitimately be made from data.

SOAN 2130: Marriage & Family Back to Top
 The anthropological and sociological study of human families from a cross-cultural perspective. Examines the origin of the human family and the nature of family life in a number of non-western societies and in the United States.

This course investigates the systems of dating, marriage, and family systems in the United States and other societies. It examines social and cultural factors such as tradition, social norms and values, kinship systems, division of labor, women's status as well as the influence of economic and political systems on dating, mate-selection, marriage, and family institutions in different societies.

The course objectives include:

1.Investigate the marriage and family systems across cultures and the relationship between social structure and family systems.

2.Examine, from a comparative and historical perspective, the social and cultural factors that influence the courtship, marital, and family institutions in different societies.

3.Develop in students the ability to analyze the current family relations theoretically and critically.

4.Evaluate research in scientific journals and popular press to enhance overall understanding of what is happening to the family in America.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 2400: Women & Men in Prehistory Back to Top
An examination of cultural evolution from the appearance of homo sapiens until the rise of the first urban civilizations with an emphasis on exploring the contributions made both by women and by men to the process of human development as well as on the nature of gender in the prehistoric past.

The goal of this course is to understand the problems and potential of gender in archaeological research and explore and critically evaluate recent efforts to incorporate questions about sexual division of labor, social constructions of gender, and feminist political perspectives into archaeology. We must deal simultaneously with two kinds of issues: 1) what we know and what we don’t know, what we can and what we can’t learn about women and men and the ideas of male and female in prehistory, and 2) how archaeologists develop and use their array of methods and theories to learn about the past and how politics influence this process. Course readings will include archaeological and ethnographic case studies from the Old and New World and some recent research in biological anthropology. Class discussion will focus on the problems and potential of explicitly (rather than implicitly) considering gender in an analysis of prehistoric (and some historic) societies.

We will explore a broad spectrum of gender-related topics in archaeology. First, we will examine the relationship between changing goals and methods of archaeology and the introduction of gender-related research. We also will review the initial feminist critique of the archaeological literature, as well as the early debates about the origins of gender inequality, which questioned the idea of universal and innate subordination of women in the past. The remainder of the course will focus on recent attempts to engender the past. Most of the readings provide examples of the many ways gender may be included as a variable in archaeological research.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 3110: Maya Archaeology Back to Top
Explores the archaeological record of the prehistoric Maya culture area. Emphasis is on reconstructing ancient lifeways and understanding the processes which create the archaeological record.

SOAN 3120: Native American Literature Back to Top
In this course we explore and discuss Native American ideas and identity through literature. Although focusing to a large degree on Native American texts, the class takes a broad perspective on the term literature. The course takes its cue from David Hurst Thomas' book Skull Wars, which examines Native Americans through the three main conflicted and interconnected "species of American Indian history, mainstream narratives, academic theories, and indigenous ideologies" (Thomas 2000:xxxvii). Here we are using Native American oral and written literature, Anthropological texts, and Popular American Culture. In addition to written documents we will also use film and other media as a method of analysis. All texts are in English. The course focuses on Native America in the area encompassed by the continental United States and Canada.

This course covers the topic over time and space although in a non-linear manner. It touches on a large number of Native American groups under three broad time periods that are in some way fictive- Long Ago, Not-so-long-ago and Now-adays.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 3200: Religion, Society, & Culture Back to Top
An anthropological and sociological investigation through primary texts and field experiences of the relationships among religious institutions and society and culture.

SOAN 3220: Class, Gender, & Race Back to Top
A sociological examination of the theoretical and empirical literature on the impact of social class, gender and race on the life course and life chances of people in selected societies. Prerequisite : Soc-Anth 1000 or 1100 or 1110 or permission of instructor.

One important characteristic of socio-economic inequality in the United States is the interrelated nature of class, race, and gender. This course examines the nature and dynamics of class, race, gender, and explores issues of class, social status, power, and prestige in the United States. We start with an overview of the social stratification system and proceed to analyze several major theoretical perspectives addressing the causes, consequences, and legitimacy of systems of social inequality. We then consider in detail the basic concepts of stratification and factors that are responsible for generating inequality, and the consequences of stratification. Finally we explore impact of race, ethnicity, and gender on the division and the maintenance of social and economic inequality in modern society. Readings and discussions also include issues of public policy in America and the future of American class structure, gender equality/inequality, and race relations.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 3410: Archaeological Field School -- BRCES Back to Top
This course instructs students in the archaeological field methods. Taught at locations off campus. Generally 3-5 weeks. Students participate in the scientific investigation of an archaeological site through application of various survey and excavation techniques.

This course will introduce you to the many techniques employed by archaeologists in locating and excavating sites of past human activity. You will participate in the on-going archaeological survey of the circa 1000 acres administered by the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, founded by Robert and Dee Leggett. Bob Leggett is a Millsaps graduate and a trustee of the college. The main goal of archaeological survey is to identify and systematically document previously unknown (or poorly known) sites of all time periods, both prehistoric (Native American) and historic. Survey is carried out through the careful use, in combination, of USGS maps, compasses, aerial photos, and a Geographic Information System (GIS), all of which you will have opportunity to employ.

Once sites have been discovered, they may then be targeted for more complete investigation. We have already located several abandoned historic (19th-century) farmsteads at the BRCES, as well as a number of landscape features (such as walls, “bunkers,” roads) that may relate to the Civil War defense (by both the Union and the Confederacy) of the heights overlooking Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. One of these farmsteads (the so-called “Mountain View” parcel) was the focus of test excavations during the summer of 2002, with the primary goal of determining who lived there, at what times, and for how long. We will continue our work there in 2003. In conducting these excavations, you will be instructed in the methods necessary to the recovery and scientific interpretation of archaeological materials.

We also spend quite a bit of time investigating the history of the region, through the texts and photographs stored in county courthouses, genealogical libraries, and in museums. The documentary (and is some cases oral) historical information obtained in this way can be powerfully combined with archaeological data to reconstruct the past uses (and, in some cases, abuses) of a given landscape. What did the occupants of the BRCES’ historic homesteads do? How did they earn a living? Were they primarily farmers? If so, what did they grow, and how did their farming practices affect the ecosystem? What were their lives like? What was their ethnic identity? Were they well integrated into the wider American political and social systems, or did they live isolated lives?

While participating in this field school, you will also learn much about the people of this fascinating part of our country. The first to settle in these mountains were, of course, Native Americans. The confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers (i.e. Harpers Ferry) marks the interface of several different tribal groups: Manahoacs (Siouan), Susquehannocks (Iriquoian), and various Eastern Algonquian tribes. In our excavations at the Mountain View site, we have in fact found good evidence for prehistoric (probably Archaic) occupation. Into this not-always-peaceful mix were thrust, during the 18th-19th centuries, various groups of colonists and homesteaders. And, of course, as already mentioned, the region was a hotbed of activity during the Civil War period. We will learn about these various historical periods through bi-weekly, evening class meetings and several field trips, including a weekend excursion to Washington D.C (May 31-June 1). There will also be a small number of mandatory meetings held at Millsaps during the Spring semester, prior to our departure.

Check out the Student Opportunities page for more information about the Millsaps Archaeological Field School in Virginia.

SOAN 3500: Sociology of Law Back to Top
This course explores the relationship between law and society. Subject matter includes a survey of sociological theories of law, a social history of the U.S. legal system, and critical examination of the limits and contradictions of certain areas of law as they pertain to issues of race, class and gender. Prerequisite : Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

SOAN 3710: Social Psychology Back to Top
Integrates current social and psychological theory regarding communication, group dynamics, aggression, and human relations, with its application to real-world settings. Laboratory component. Same as Psych 3170 . Prerequisite : Soc-Anth 1000 or 1100 or 1110 or permission of instructor.

SOAN 4200: Social/Cultural Theory Back to Top
Critical, comparative, and synthetic examinations of historical and contemporary sociological theory, including functionalism, conflict theory, phenomenology, and symbolic interactionism. Prerequisite : Junior standing.

SOAN 4708/4750: Living in the Yucatan Back to Top
For more information about this exciting summer course in Mexico, check out the Student Research Opportunities page.

SOAN 4730: Geographic Information Systems & Archaeology Back to Top
From the Collaboratory for GIS and Mediterranean Archaeology website: "During the past fifteen years, archaeologists in the Mediterranean have accumulated large amounts of computerized data that have remained trapped in localized and often proprietary databases. Few efforts have been made to facilitate ways in which such data might be brought together and shared between researchers, with students, and with the general public. It is now possible to change that situation. Archaeological data always includes an intrinsic geographic component, and the compilation and sharing of geographic data through GIS has become increasingly important during the past ten years. New technologies and the expansion of the Internet now make it possible to share geographic information quickly, widely and effectively. That sort of exchange is required should archaeologists, anthropologists or historians wish to study regional or Mediterranean-wide patterns and draw historical conclusions that are broader than their own study areas.

This web-site is a result of the development of a Collaboratory for GIS and Mediterranean Archaeology (CGMA, pronounced Sigma). The goal of CGMA is to extend the existing ACS Archaeology program in order to provide more students with a chance to learn and practice archaeology while contributing to scholarship. In particular, students can learn about an important new technology, specifically GIS, and how this technology is transforming spatial studies in archaeology. In addition, by combining the efforts of students and faculty, CGMA will begin construction on the first Mediterranean-wide GIS system for archaeology, providing a functional framework for broad studies of the interactions of humans and their environment in antiquity."

For more information about this exciting, high-tech correspondence course, check out the Collaboratory for GIS and Mediterranean Archaeology website.

SOAN 4750: Anthropology of Food and Eating Back to Top
All human beings, with a few rare exceptions, eat food. Food fulfills a basic physical need for humans. Food, however, does much more than that. Human beings in different contexts often eat very different things and in very different ways. In many cases, what we eat and how we eat it is as important, if not more important, than the sustenance that we gain by eating it. Issues of sociological and anthropological concern extend from production to consumption of food.

The study of food and eating has long held a particular fascination for anthropologists and sociologists. They have examined a variety of specific topics, including subsistence strategies, nutritional intake, and food taboos. Cooking and eating often seem like relatively mundane activities due to their everyday regularity. These everyday activities, however, are packed with meaning and import. We will seek to unravel these meanings and to unearth the sociological and anthropological significance of food and eating from a variety of different perspectives.

Reading materials for this course include both classic pieces on food and eating and more recent and particularly innovative takes on these subjects in specific ethnographic contexts. Commensality, coming together at a table to eat, is an important focus in the literature primarily because eating is a social and cultural activity for human beings. We will come together at the seminar table to Afeast@ on ideas, but we will also come together to share food in the hopes that these experiences will provide unique insight for evaluation.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 4750: Shaping of South Africa Back to Top
South Africa has been the focus of much attention in the United States. As Americans, we see that South Africans have dealt with many of the same problems as we have, such as foreign colonization, frontier expansion, and racial segregation. And today, South Africans struggle to redefine their identities and politics, in much the same way as Americans did in the early years of our republic.
There are similarities between the U. S. and South Africa, yet a cursory glance at South African history reveals many differences. In this course we will survey the history of South Africa from prehistory to the present, making global comparisons while remaining conscious of the special geographical and historical circumstances that make South Africa special. The primary objective of the course will be to arrive at a better understanding of South African history by studying the experiences of South Africans themselves. This will also help us to explore a major historiographical issue: what is the role of individuals in history? Can people change their circumstances, or do circumstances have a preponderant influence over people.
To explore the role of individuals, we will read extensively about the lives of South African people, as recorded in primary sources and secondary works. Course lectures and presentations will also explore the role of individuals in history. We will examine the lives of prominent personages and obscure figures, such as:
• Saartjie Baartman, the “Hottentot Venus.”
• Lady Anne Barnard, an English aristocrat who became a Cape Town socialite.
• Shaka, the chief who built a Zulu empire by inventing African traditions.
• Moshoeshoe, who built the Sotho nation partly through westernization.
• Nongqawuse, the teenage Xhosa prophetess.
• Cecil Rhodes, the diamond and gold magnate and ruthless imperialist.
• Khama, the Tswana king who outfoxed Rhodes.
• Kas Maine, an obscure sharecropper whose life spanned the twentieth century.
• Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned resistance leader who became president.

A secondary objective of this course will be to hone our skills as historians. In every class meeting, we will supplement our readings by examining additional primary sources that are available in the Millsaps Library, in our course reader, From the South African Past, and on the Internet. We will interpret primary sources in every class, and we will work on a research essay that is based on a new collection of African source materials in the Millsaps Library. Therefore, this course will be of interest to all students who want to improve their understanding of the historian’s craft.

Click here to see the syllabus for this course!

SOAN 4760: Sociology of Popular Culture: The Blues Back to Top
This course will examine blues history and contemporary expressions of the blues from the framework of the sociology of popular culture. Topics addressed include blues as a reflection of broader cultural patterns (eg. gender roles, socio-economic relations, race relations), blues as secular religion, blues as a commodity in the marketplace, and cultural tourism, particularly as expressed recently in Mississippi.

The readings in this course will be oriented to presenting students with an understanding of the basic mechanisms of popular culture as well as a broad overview of the blues as a musical genre. Students will also have the opportunity to listen to recordings, talk about the blues with local musicians, and attend live performances.

Check out the News article about this interesting summer course!

SOAN 4770: Ethnographic Research & Writing Back to Top
This course will introduce you to the fundamental techniques and challenges of ethnographic research and writing. You will encounter these techniques and challenges through first-hand experiences as you carry out different ethnographic exercises and complete a final ethnographic project. In terms of research techniques and data collection, the emphasis will be on qualitative research methods and design, the hallmark of most ethnographic research. Research design and data collection, however, are only one part of the ethnographic endeavor. Without informed analysis and skillful writing, even the best research design and data collection are only minimally helpful. Therefore, during the course of this semester, we will concentrate on the importance of constructing a complete ethnography. This sort of complete project begins with a research design that allows for productive data collection followed by informed analysis and culminates in a well-crafted final ethnography. We will examine the connections between data collection, analysis, and writing and look to analyze the different components of a good ethnography.

The format for this course will essentially be that of a workshop. Each of us, including myself, will present our work to the other members of the class in order to benefit from the insights and constructive criticism of fellow class members. This sort of feedback will be very helpful as we each work through our own ethnographic projects.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

SOAN 4900: Senior Seminar in Anthropology Back to Top
A seminar in anthropological practice and theory in which students read key texts and reflect on their course of study, as well as their concentration.

SOAN 4910: Senior Seminar in Sociology Back to Top
A seminar in sociological practice and theory in which students read key texts and reflect on their course of study, as well as their concentration.

IDST 1300 -- Blood of our Ancestors:
A Formative History of the Modern Balkans Back to Top
"I hate the corpses of empires, they stink as nothing else."

--Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, 1941

The Balkan peninsula is today—and has always been—a strategic piece of territory, both a gateway to and a defender of continental Europe. Throughout history, outsiders have fought to control it, and from its shores remarkable leaders have launched epic campaigns. Alexander the Great of Macedonia, born in Pella in what is now northern Greece, went on to build one of the largest empires the world has ever known. Later, the Romans occupied portions of the peninsula and divided it into several provinces: Thracia, Moesia, Dacia, Illyricum, Macedonia, Epirus, and Achaea. After the fall of Rome, both the Byzantines and, subsequently, the Ottoman Turks also sought to conquer the Balkan peoples, though, like the Romans before them, they never fully succeeded. This class will trace the history of the Balkan peninsula, paying special attention to the process of empire-building. We will apply methods of comparative analysis, grounded in the fields of history, anthropology, archaeology, art history, literature, and religion, to reveal how both subjugation and resistance have affected the formation of a modern Balkan identity and ethos. We will trace the genesis of the various Balkan ethnic groups, thereby working to unravel the sources for the current Balkan wars. In the end, we will recognize how deeply tied are the modern Balkan nations to the tragedies and triumphs of their ancestors.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

IDST 2400 -- The African Continent:
Arrivals, Departures, and Interactions, 1600-1900 Back to Top
Full-fledged European colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa began at the end of the nineteenth century. The experiences of colonialism on the African continent during the relatively short period prior to the emergence of independent African states were highly influential in shaping contemporary economic, political, and cultural realities on the continent today. However, contemporary Africa is not understandable simply as a product of, or reaction to, European colonialism. In this course, we will primarily examine the period prior to the advent of official, state-sponsored European colonialism, with a specific focus on how the activities and events in this period created historical legacies that continue to affect various aspects of life on the African continent and elsewhere in the world.

Our examination of this period will be structured around a comparison of three areas on the African continent B (1) East Africa, (2) West Africa, and (3) Southern Africa. We will investigate the histories of societies and cultures in these areas, with a specific focus on how economic relationships affected the historical trajectories of different societies and cultures. In each case, the primary economic relationships between Africans and foreigners could be considered to be based on extraction of natural resources B e.g., ivory, gold, and human beings. We will consider how different individuals and groups responded to these economic relationships on different parts of the continent.

This course has a decidedly historical focus. However, this focus does not imply that we will necessarily be considering history in a linear manner or that we will perceive history to be simply an objective set of Afacts.@ We will begin the course with a novel, Heart of Darkness, that provides an example of a particular European author=s perception of the African continent at the beginning of the twentieth century, the end of our primary period of focus in this course. Then we will move to consider each of our geographical areas of focus in turn. For each area, we will read academic, historical analyses, and a relevant novel or play. As the course progresses, we will be building a knowledge basis for doing creative and analytical historical comparisons. Ultimately, each of you will produce a final project that creatively analyzes a specific comparative case.

Active scholarly interaction among all members of the class will be an integral part of the class. This interaction will involve discussion and peer review throughout the semester.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.

IDST 2500-1: Asians in Contemporary America Back to Top
Among various minority racial and ethnic groups in America, Asian Americans stand out. Their outward appearance, their cultures, and their religions have made them outsiders in America and have, to a certain degree, led to prejudice and hostility historically. Since World War II, however, people in the United States have increasingly seen Asian Americans as a part of middle-class, white majority. Indeed, in recent decades, Asian American’s educational and occupational statuses as well as their average family income have surpassed that of whites. How do we account for this rapid upward mobility? What factors have contributed to it? In what way have Asian Americans’ immigrant origin, their class status before immigration, their family structure, and their cultural tradition, influenced their adaptation and success? These are some of the questions our class is going to address. The readings will include historical research on the experiences of various Asian ethnic groups and on US immigration policies. Our main attention will be paid to three major Asian American groups: the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Korean Americans. 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. This class will also count as an elective for a major or minor in Sociology and Anthropology.

Click here to view this course's syllabus.