Anthropology (ANTH)

An introduction to the nature of culture and its relationship to language, economics, politics, kinship and other institutions in diverse cultures. The course also provides an overview of the theories, methods and ethical responsibilities involved in the study of cultural systems and ethnographic writing. May be used for general education credit.

An introduction to the origins, evolution and genetic variability of humans and their relationship to nonhuman primates. Examination of the fossil record, the relationship between biology and culture and human genetics are included. Theories and methods used in the study of biological anthropology are also introduced. This course may be used for general education credit.

This course provides a laboratory-based introduction to biological anthropology, covering topics including the origins, evolution and genetic variability of humans and their relationship to nonhuman primates. It is intended to be taken in conjunction with (or after) ANTH 196. May be used for general education credit.

An introduction to the goals, methods, and theory of anthropological archaeology. The course examines the variety of techniques archaeologists use to reconstruct the past from material remains. Archaeological ethics and the impact of the past on contemporary society are also considered.

This required course introduces students to the subdisciplines of cultural, biological, linguistic and archaeological anthropology and the logic of their integration within the larger discipline of anthropology. Students will be introduced to current research questions within anthropology and how they are addressed from the perspective of the various subdisciplines.

This course takes an archaeological and comparative perspective on the origins of human institutions, including art, architecture, religion, centralized political formations and urban life. The development and collapse of early societies in multiple world regions, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, Mesoamerica and the Andes will be explored. This course may be used for general education credit.

This course examines the development of Southwestern societies from early hunter-gatherers to the Native American communities of today. Major issues of anthropological interest, such as the adoption of agriculture, the development of village life, migration and abandonment, the spread of religious "cults," the extent of Mesoamerican influence and the effects of the Spanish conquest are explored.

Anthropological and historical perspectives on the cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean through such themes as colonialism, nationalism, ethnicity, development, aesthetic traditions, gender, religion and urban and rural resistance movements.

This is an introductory course emphasizing cultural diversity of sub-Saharan African societies. Basic anthropological concepts are used in analyzing African economics, political systems, marriage patterns and family organization, religious beliefs and the impacts of colonialism and post-colonial development practices.

This introductory course examines the peoples and cultures of the core East Asian countries: China, Japan and Korea. The course is organized around anthropological perspectives on topics such as nationalism, consumption, gender, ethnicity and development but also emphasizes the cultural, social and historical characteristics of various groups in these nations, in addition to important cultural flows within region.

This course explores anthropological approaches to food production, distribution, preparation and consumption in the contemporary world. Topics include food preferences and taboos, food and the senses, ritual and identity, technological risks, diet and nutrition, cuisine and class and the political economy of food.

This course examines empires and rebels from an archaeological perspective. Students will survey major empires of the past and how they were challenged by acts of resistance, revolts and rebellions. Some of the major empires covered will include the Inca Empire, the Roman Empire, the Qin Empire, the Assyrian Empire and the Aztec Empire. In this discussion-based course, students will review how archaeologists have uncovered state strategies of control as well as resistance to those forms of control by different groups in those empires.

This course provides an overview of Andean archaeology. The time period ranges from the arrival of the first settlers of the Andes to the mighty Inkas. The Andes contain the highest and densest variety of microclimates in the world, ranging from scorching deserts to humid rainforests. A land of contrasts and extremes, it is also the setting for diverse peoples who eked out a living from the land, developed unique political systems and passed down rich symbolic knowledge from one generation to another. The main purpose of the course is to understand these peoples: how they interacted with one another, how they interacted with their environment and how they made society.

An introduction to linguistic anthropology. Explores the complex relationships between language and culture through topics such as language acquisition and socialization; language, thought and worldview; language and identity; multilingualism; how and why languages change; literacy; and the politics of language use and language ideologies.

This introductory course takes a critical and interdisciplinary approach to exploring Japan. We will apply sociological, anthropological, and demographic perspectives to comparatively understand, analyze, and discuss Japanese society and culture. Students will read and discuss issues related to history, socio-demographic change, gender, work, social class, race/ethnicity, family, health care and aging in Japanese society.

This course explores the implications of climate change for human cultures. The overall perspective will be historical, but the relevance of past experiences to contemporary circumstances will be under constant discussion. A series of case studies drawn from archaeological and historical records will attest to a range of possible human responses, including examples that involve both naturally- and culturally-induced change. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of paleoclimatology, such as basic processes that influence climate change, as well as the sources of long-term climate records. Under an anthropological perspective, students will also become acquainted with the range of documented human reactions to climate change and their ramifications. Each case study will be addressed in three parts over the course of two class sessions: lecture/presentation, discussion and supplemental analysis.

This course serves as an introduction to the field of forensic anthropology through an examination of the methods used by forensic anthropologists to recover human remains, positively identify unidentified human remains, and evaluate trauma and environmental alterations to bone in forensic investigations. Following an overview of forensic anthropology and explorations of past and current definitions of the field, we will discuss topics foundational to forensic anthropology, including the search for forensic scenes, the recovery of the remains in the field, data collection in the morgue, analysis in the forensic anthropology laboratory, the reconstruction of events surrounding the crime scene and the preparation of the final report.

A comprehensive survey of human experience in the Old (Old!) Dominion. Archaeological discoveries in Virginia, ranging from evidence of Ice Age pioneers to colonial-era plantations, will be the basis for charting wider cultural developments in eastern North America. Through these cases, basic archaeological principles, methods and theories will be reinforced. Activities and assignments will involve manipulation of original archaeological data using basic quantitative analysis. The course will also feature profiles of prominent Virginia archaeologists and sites, as well as an overview of the discipline as it is practiced in the state today. ANTH 197 is recommended, though not required.

Discusses the emergence of the hominids as a lineage distinct from other apes. Provides evidence for the evolution of bipedalism, tool use, hunting/gathering, major increases in brain size, language and material culture and the hypotheses that have been developed to explain the emergence of these characteristics.

An exploration of human behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis is placed on the critical evaluation of adaptive hypotheses purported to explain fundamental human behaviors such as survival and mating strategies, reproduction and parenting, kinship and cooperation, dominance and aggression, cultural evolution and religion.

This course explores the interface between an organism and its environment, illustrated with examples from the primates. Behaviors related to feeding, moving, grouping and socializing are considered from an evolutionary perspective. Topics to be discussed include feeding ecology, functional anatomy, the ecology of primate social systems, ranging behaviors, community ecology and the role humans play in shaping primate communities.

A survey of non-human primate sexuality from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of behavioral, anatomical, and physiological aspects of mating and reproduction across the order Primates. Where appropriate, comparisons with human sexuality are made.

An analysis of the individual bones and teeth that comprise the human skeleton. Emphasis is placed on learning individual bones and teeth as well as the numerous osteological and dental landmarks that characterize them. Applied topics such as bone growth and the analysis of age, sex, stature, pathology and geographic ancestry will also be addressed.

Humans have a long history of suffering from and dealing with infectious diseases. This course explores some of the most important infectious diseases in human history, such as COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria and bubonic plague from an anthropological perspective. In addition to exploring the biological and cultural effects that infectious diseases have had on humans, the course focuses on how human behavior has historically affected the emergence, spread and control of disease. The course emphasizes how the study of disease in the past may benefit people today and in the future.

This course provides an examination of current issues in the study of ethnographic film. The course studies the changing role, practice and methods of film in anthropological research and scholarship. Topics include methods and genres of ethnographic film composition; the scientific status of filmed data; cross-cultural visual literacies; narrative form as social scientific inquiry; film and sensory data; sound, subtitles and translations; "indigenous media;" and audience reception.

This course explores the anthropological use of photographic data for the description, analysis, communication and interpretation of human behavior. Topics include phenomenological, cross-cultural and historical understanding of still photography; the social life of photographs; visual cultural production and the consumption of photographs; and still photography after colonialism, globalization, and postmodernity.

Mindfulness provides ways of attending to the world in its present moment in a non-judgmental manner. Students study and practice contemporary mindfulness practices, while applying these techniques to the holistic collection, analysis and presentation of ethnographic data. The course considers recent ethnographic practice and theory in the context of mindfulness, including the anthropology of poetic expression, the senses and embodied experience.

This course studies the emergence of Native American societies prior to historic contact and emphasizes prehistoric developments in the eastern United States.

The course introduces students to the purposes, subject matter, methodology and historical background of the discipline of historical archaeology. Building on research issues and methodologies of anthropological archaeology and history, the multidisciplinary aspects of this field are introduced through field trips, projects, guest lectures, readings and classroom presentations.

This course examines fertility (birth) and mortality (death) and their biological and social determinants in cross-cultural and evolutionary/historical frameworks. It focuses on the exploration of the dynamic between the material constraints on and symbolic significance of reproduction, sexuality and death within a cultural context, and the critical examination of population growth as a global "problem," as well as basic demographic methods.

This course takes an anthropological approach to the study of health, illness, and healing; how do different cultural systems and social institutions influence the experience and interpretation of different bodily states? Material covers critical analyses of Western medicine and ethnomedicine in both specific cultural settings and their global circulation. Topics include disease epidemics, illness narratives, public health, suffering, pharmaceuticals, disability and health care systems.

This course examines the experiences of Latin American migrants to the United States. It stresses the cultural expression of those experiences, globalization and its effects on local communities in Latin America, the U.S. responses to migration and migrants.

This course examines the causes, conduct, and consequences of warfare in non-state societies using both ethnographic and archaeological data. Case studies drawn from throughout the world are used to examine topics such as the co-evolution of war and society, the impact of colonialism on native warfare, the process of making peace and claims about the biological "inevitability" of war.

This course analyzes contemporary American society in relation to popular cultural formations and representations. Cultural expressions found in music, literature, theatre, film, television, cyberspace and sports will be examined with respect to the values, sentiments, identity constructions and lived experiences of differentially situated social actors.

This course examines the many ways in which gender is constructed and negotiated in different historical and social contexts. Topics will vary with the instructor to include both cultural and biocultural perspectives.

This course examines how anthropologists engage with the environment and intervene in urgent matters of environmental and social justice, focusing on the theoretical and methodological tools used to move beyond nature/culture divides and conceptualize elements of the changing environment. The course explores how these approaches can be productively applied to understand and address contemporary environmental problems.

This course introduces the major social theories and debates that inform anthropological analysis. Special emphasis is given to their analytical or explanatory power for understanding human behavior and our cultural and social worlds, the contexts in which they were produced, and their contributions to ongoing debates. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major.

This course provides students with a critical and cross-cultural perspective on human reproduction. Examining how individuals draw on social and symbolic resources to sort out complicated private decisions, we will discuss how reproductive experiences are embedded in local, national and transnational politics. Topics covered may include: cross-cultural perspectives on childbearing and childlessness, kinship, and the globalization of new reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization.

An introduction to social-scientific approaches to space. We will think critically about how people across cultures shape-and are shaped by-the spaces we occupy. Drawing on examples from around the world we examine the intersections of space, culture, and power through such topics as segregation, maps, architecture, prisons, schools, migration politics and more. The course encourages students to think of space-and its intersections with culture and power-in new and sophisticated ways.

This course explores contemporary culture through a "cultural studies" lens, an interdisciplinary perspective interested in using empirical knowledge to encourage more just human relations. Specific topics of investigation will vary by semester, but each course will cover cultural studies' intellectual history and its application to cultural expressions found in everyday life, film, music and text.

Designed to encourage students to enhance their academic programs through studying abroad. Arrangements must be made with a faculty member who will direct the study with preparatory instructions and final requirements. May be repeated up to 12 credits.

This course is an examination of selected topics which are of current importance to anthropology. May be repeated for credit when course content changes.

This course examines current issues in the anthropology of language. Topics vary by semester, but each course will include hands-on analysis of social interaction and/or investigation of contemporary case studies of language policy, ideologies and use.

The course teaches students how to identify and solve anthropological problems with spatial dimensions. Hands-on experience is stressed in the acquisition, analysis and display of spatial data using Geographic Information Systems software. Topics include the mapping of race and ethnicity, the spatial distribution of cultural variables and human modification and use of the landscape.

This course surveys the theory and methods of evolutionary genetics as applied to human evolution and human diversity. It emphasizes human evolution as illuminated by genetics, as well as the intersection of human genetics with social issues such as racism, bioethics and eugenics.

This course explores ethnographic methods and conventions of ethnographic writing through close reading, analysis and production of ethnographic texts. Students develop critical skills in assessing ethnographic practice by examining how ethnographies are shaped by authors' fieldwork experiences, intellectual traditions and theoretical perspectives. Students engage in fieldwork and craft their own ethnographic accounts.

Latin America and the Caribbean were the first and largest parts of the Western Hemisphere to be populated by Africans. Afro-Latin America examines cultural formations Africans brought to these regions. Beginning with an overview of the slave trade, it examines the histories of Africans and African-descent people throughout Latin America, as well as contemporary Afro-Latin American culture(s).

This course explores current research topics and methods in biological anthropology. Students will learn to write scientifically and critically evaluate the peer-reviewed literature and will receive training in data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation.

A review of the nature of inquiry, recent theory, and the means by which archaeologists acquire, analyze and interpret their data. In addition to practical training in methods of analysis used in contemporary practice, students will gain experience in designing, conducting and reporting archaeological research.

Students participate as course assistants in anthropology. Assistantships provide students with a sense of what it is like to teach an anthropology course by allowing them to work closely with faculty members through different phases of course preparation, presentation and evaluation. Assistantships also allow for a deeper understanding of course material by providing opportunities for student assistants to lead discussion and to help their peers review the material outside of the classroom. May be repeated up to six credits; only three credits can count toward the major. A student may only serve as a course assistant to the same course twice.

Designed to encourage students to enhance their academic programs by employing and refining anthropological skills through internships in public or private agencies. Arrangements must be made with a faculty member who will oversee the internship. By permission only. May be repeated up to six credits.

Course offers students an opportunity to do independent study under staff supervision. Admission only by recommendation of the instructor. More than one repeat requires department head approval. Admission only by recommendation of the instructor. More than one repeat requires department head approval.

This course explores the multidisciplinary "field" of material culture studies and the ways of looking at and learning from objects, things, or "stuff," ranging from furniture and teapots to houses and farmyards. It examines how scholars from a variety of disciplines have used material culture in their work. Readings draw from multiple sources, approaches and methodologies, reflecting the interdisciplinarity of the field.

Laboratory course directed at teaching students the basic field techniques and procedures of historic and prehistoric archaeology. Classroom lectures will present techniques and relevant aspects of method and theory.

Students will gather, analyze and interpret archaeological/historical data over two semesters. Students will work on a project that demonstrates theory, research design, data gathering and analysis, culminating in a written thesis. The course meets the capstone requirement for the historical archaeology minor but is also available to students in history and anthropology.

An independent research topic initiated and completed by qualified senior majors who want to graduate with distinction.

An independent research topic initiated and completed by qualified senior majors who want to graduate with distinction.

An independent research topic initiated and completed by qualified senior majors who want to graduate with distinction.