Anthropology Courses
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Anthropology is the holistic study of what it means to be human. Four subfields are surveyed: biological anthropology (the study of human evolution, diversity, and environmental adaptation), archaeology (the study of prehistory, human migrations, emergence of agriculture, and complex societies), linguistic anthropology (comparative studies of human languages and linguistic behavior and animal communication systems), and sociocultural anthropology (the study of cultures in both complex and small-scale societies; human cognition and behavior in cross-cultural contexts).
Hours:
3
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This class will focus on the archeology of three great ancient cultures of the Americas: the Aztecs, the Classic Maya and the Inca. In each case we will trace the history of the culture in question, and follow it from its earliest beginnings to its political/cultural zenith and eventually to its collapse. We will make considerable use of archaeological reports, cultural anthropological studies and early Spanish histories. Slides, videos, artifact analysis and class discussion will be an integral part of every class period.
Hours:
3
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An introduction to the theories, methods, and basic issues in biological anthropology, emphasizing human origins, evolutionary change, and primatology. Comparisons between traditional archaeological methods and recent molecular techniques of analysis, biological diversity of human populations and their environmental adaptations, and applications of human genetics are investigated.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ENGL 1101 with a grade of C or higher
Hours:
3
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An introduction to the theories, methods, and basic issues in cultural anthropology, stressing comparison and interpretation of case studies (ethnographies) from contemporary small and large-scale societies. Ethnographies are investigated as teaching tools, organizing principles, documentation of ways of life for specific groups of people, and as problem-solving devices for better understanding global perspectives.
Hours:
3
Secondary Title:
(ETHNOLOGY)
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An introduction to the methods, goals, and theoretical concepts of archaeology. Archaeological interpretations of human societies using material remains are explored. Topics include the history of archaeology; developing a research design, field methods, laboratory analyses, chronology, excavation and analytical techniques.
Hours:
3
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Special interest courses, are offered in response to student demand. Among such topics are Archaeology of Georgia, Aztecs and Maya, East Asian Cultures, and Medical Anthropology.
Hours:
1
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Special interest courses, are offered in response to student demand. Among such topics are Archaeology of Georgia, Aztecs and Maya, East Asian Cultures, and Medical Anthropology.
Hours:
2
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Special interest courses, are offered in response to student demand. Among such topics are Archaeology of Georgia, Aztecs and Maya, East Asian Cultures, and Medical Anthropology.
Hours:
3
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Independent readings from selected literature in the field of Anthropology. Although this course may be given through formally organized classes, it may also be given by arrangement under the supervision of a member of the Department of History, Anthropology, & Philosophy. Written or oral reports will be expected of each student in connection with each of the assigned readings. The course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
Hours:
3
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Special interest courses offered in one of the four fields of Anthropology. Course can be repeated for up to nine (9) credit hours.
Hours:
3
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This course explores the history, development, and role of museums in society. Museums are investigated as repositories for history, science, and anthropology collections as part of nineteenth century European-based empires. Museums as manifestations of the "nation" in the nineteenth and twentieth century political movements are considered. Contemporary ideas about museums and the communities they serve are explored. The work of collecting, preserving, and exhibiting cultures, art, and the natural world will be scrutinized. Students will critically analyze marketing materials and scholarly treatises to compare and contrast the place of museums in society in a global context during the past 200 years. Museum visits are included in the course, as are hands-on exercises and readings designed to give students insight into the profession of working in a museum.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102, HIST 1111, or HIST 1112
Hours:
3
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This course introduces students to both theoretical and methodological approaches to the anthropological study of food. Food is never "just food." Its significance in human culture goes beyond nutrition and sustenance. This class will explore how food mediates social relationships, has an agency of its own, serves as a means for social solidarity, and serves as a vehicle for shaping identity and gender construction. Food in the global political economy and its relationship to human ecology and environmental issues will also be explored. This seminar incorporates a variety of different learning experiences from online discussions to field observations, from research into prehistoric food practices to research into the cultural meanings and history of common items found in our kitchens, and finally, to the preparation and consumption of a potluck meal at the conclusion of the semester.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102, HIST 1111, or HIST 1112
Hours:
3
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Anthropology of the Middle East provides students with an understanding of the complexity of contemporary life in a specific world region that has been shaped by millennia of overlapping empires that fostered shared cultural, political, religious, and economic relationships. The region was fragmented during the past 200 years by the rise of competing nationalisms, post-colonial politics, social movements, and religious revitalization. This course explores anthropological approaches, theories, and methodologies utilized in recent ethnographies of the Middle East, as well as the production of knowledge in the construction of place, identity, and agency by its peoples and the scholars who have studied them.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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Biblical Archaeology has its roots in the very first scientific investigations of archaeological sites in the Middle East. In the beginning it was an attempt to "prove" the historic accuracy of the Bible, but as time passed it has become associated with all archaeological research in the region. In this class we will look at most of the significant sites associated with Biblical history in the modern State of Israel as well as some in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Such sites as Hazor, Meggido, Masada and many others will be looked at in detail from an archaeological and biblical prospective. We will also cover the basics of Near Eastern archaeological field methodology to give the students a better understanding of just what is involved in analyzing archaeological data.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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This course examines how the processes of modernity and globalization influence contemporary East Asian societies. Using ethnographic case studies that focus on the lived experiences of individuals belonging to diverse communities living in East Asia, the course will examine patterns of socialization, institutional organization, ethnicity, gender, continuity, change, and future prospects.
Hours:
3
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The course will study ethnographies about East Asian cultures and societies and the processes of conducting fieldwork.
Hours:
3
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The course provides an introduction to the theories, methods, and basic issues in the study of Japanese culture and society. With a primary focus on the post-World War II period until the present, contemporary Japan will be investigated through attention to patterns of socialization, institutional organization, ethnicity, gender, continuity, change, and future prospects.
Hours:
3
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Battlefield Archaeology is a very diverse subdiscipline of traditional archaeology; the goal of which is to develop a better understanding of ancient and modern military battlefields, the participants who fought on them and the artifacts they left behind. In this course we will learn how ancient Roman coins, recovered from archaeological sites can be used to determine Roman military deployment throughout the Roman Empire. We will examine numerous archaeological studies of ancient and modern battlefields and learn how to identify as well as preserve many military artifacts. Parts of this course will be taught in conjunction with Fort Benning's National Infantry Museum or other military museums.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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Special interest courses offered in one of the four fields of Anthropology. Course can be repeated for up to nine (9) credit hours.
Hours:
3
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Seminar on archaeology of the Southeastern United States, examining the cultural evolution of different societies within the region. Students will study major cultures and time periods, and review archaeological methods and theories.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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This course is an overview of South American archaeology, designed to introduce you to the major cultural developments that characterized the prehistory of this diverse continent. These developments will be presented as a series of topics for discussion, and will include such issues as origins and spread of the earliest South Americans, origins of agriculture and herding, emergence of settled village life, origins and diversification of ceramics, and emergence and evolution of cultural complexity.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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A seminar survey of the prehistoric and contact period cultures of the Southeastern United States. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
Hours:
3
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This course presents a detailed analysis of the rise of civilization in the Mediterranean from the Stone Age to the Late Iron Age. The course will be comparative, and focus on the regions of the Balkans, Egypt, Greece, the Levant, and Italy. This class examines the archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean from the first inhabitants to the Iron Age. The focus of this course is to comparatively analyze the rise of civilizations in the Mediterranean basin by examining the archaeological record, particularly that of the last 6000 years. Several key issues will be explored, including: 1) the earliest inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin; 2) Neolithic agriculture, society, and ritual; 3) the spread of metallurgy; 4) political formation, and; 5) urbanism.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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This course presents an overview of North American archaeology, focusing on scientific evidence derived from systematic investigations of archaeological sites. This class explores the theory and methods employed in North American archaeology, utilizing published reports as case-studies to explore cultural, spatial, and temporal diversity among the continent's past populations. Several key issues will be discussed, including: 1) the earliest humans in North America; 2) hunting strategies; 3) the rise of agricultural practices; 4) the development of pottery and it's uses; 5) social contact and interaction among past populations in North America, and: 6) how and why archaeologists scientifically study archaeological materials to understand past populations.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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This course presents a detailed analysis of the study of mortuary behaviors as observed archaeologically. The theory and methods employed in mortuary archaeology will be explored, utilizing published reports as case-studies to examine how culturally, spatially, and temporally diverse populations treated the dead. Several key issues will be discussed, including: 1) the human skeletal system; 2) different ways past populations prepared the body for burial; 3) how mortuary behaviors reflect socially constructed concepts of gender, power, and memory; 4) why funerary monuments were, and continue to be, important symbols, and; 5) how and why archaeologists scientifically study the dead to understand past populations.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102
Hours:
3
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The course will study a range of classic and contemporary ethnographies about Japan and the processes of conducting fieldwork.
Hours:
3
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"The Anthropology of Things" introduces students to both theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of material culture. Museums are concerned with exhibiting materiality and the category of "things" through history. Rather than just asking how people make things, this course will explore how objects mediate social relationships and have an agency of their own. Things have meanings that shift through time, and that give us a window into history and cultures. Theories from semiotics, anthropology, history, social memory and gender studies will be presented to give students the tools to interpret objects in the museum context.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102, HIST 1111, or HIST 1112
Hours:
3
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Anthropology of Religion explores the history, development, and role of belief in the supernatural in human societies. Students are introduced to cross-cultural, comparative perspectives concerning belief systems. A number of case studies are examined, particularly religious traditions of the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Central Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States. The course investigates anthropological debates about the concepts of religion, myth, and ritual. It also explores the use of folk religion in traditional medical practices. Assignments prepare students with preliminary training and first-hand experience in ethnographic research methods.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102, HIST 1111, or ANTHÂ 2020
Hours:
3
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This class will focus on the technical aspects of archaeological/historical mold making. The students will learn how to prepare artifacts for mold making, how to produce the mold itself and finally how to finish the cast to match the original artifact. Most of the material we will be using will come from Fort Benning and will date to WW2 or earlier. The objects we will be casting will range in size from small artifacts such as Soviet stick grenades to possibly a German PzKw V G "Panther" medium battle tank. This class will be a prerequisite for Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students who wish to work with the proposed Fort Benning intern program.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Prerequisite: ANTH 1102, ANTH 2020, or ANTH 2030
Hours:
3
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This course introduces students to practical anthropological field skills through directed field study or field school. The course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
Hours:
1-9
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This course provides students with training and experience in field and/or laboratory research. Students participate, under faculty supervision, in basic research projects. The course may be repeated for a maximum of 3 credit hours.
Hours:
1-3
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This course introduces students to intensive training and experience in the process of conducting archaeological field research on significant cultural resources. While fieldwork is the primary component—including excavation, survey, and various forms of documentation—guest lectures, field trips, and other related activities may also be provided for a holistic experience in archaeological practice. This course may vary in location and is dependent on current active field projects. Course may be repeated for a total of nine credit hours.
Hours:
1-9
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This course provides students with training and experience in field and/or laboratory research methods. Students participate, under faculty supervision, in basic research projects. Course is repeatable for a maximum of 3 credit hours.
Hours:
1-3