Schedule of Classes

Introduction to field of cultural anthropology and its unique perspective for the study of human culture and societies. Examines modes of social organization and dimensions of culture worldwide. Students are introduced to the diversity of human cultures and to anthropological theories and methods through ethnographic examples drawn from a variety of non-Western cultures. Focuses on processes and institutions of enculturation, including linguistic, economic, kinship, religious, political, and aesthetic practices. Considers the processes of culture change and the effects of colonialism and globalization on these processes.

Introduces students to the anthropology of religion, examining the relationship between culture and belief in a cross-cultural perspective and exploring a variety of religious experiences from different cultures around the world, with an emphasis on small-scale and non-Western societies. The course also examines beliefs in magic, witchcraft, and sorcery; animism; ritual; possession and trance; the intersection of belief and healing; religious syncretism and the impact of colonialism on religious belief.

Examines the cultural and structural features of a particular region of the globe or a specific cultural group. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the processes and institutions of enculturation, and examine the effects of colonialism and globalization on the processes of cultural change. Topics will vary by semester and will be stated in the semester schedule of classes. Geographic foci will include, among others, Asia, Latin America, and indigenous Australia. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 semester hours.

Special study of individual topics in anthropology with faculty supervision.