Anthropology (ANTH)
ANTH 101. Exploring Anthropology. 1 Unit.
The broad field of anthropology studies "all things human" in ways that stand apart from sociology, psychology, history, and other areas of the humanities and sciences. This course explores anthropologists, study of archaeology, culture, human biology, language and medicine to understand humans in general and in specific contexts. It dispels common myths and misconceptions (for instance, archaeologists like to excavate graves, humans evolved from monkeys, the field deals with primitive people, it is not scientific). The faculty of the Case Western Reserve University Anthropology Department and affiliated anthropologists talk briefly about their field or subfield, its big questions, and their research.
ANTH 102. Being Human: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology. 3 Units.
The nature of culture and humans as culture-bearing animals. The range of cultural phenomena including language, social organization, religion, and culture change, and the relevance of anthropology for contemporary social, economic, and ecological problems. Students will have the opportunity to appreciate the global scope of the human experience, identifying differences as well as commonalities, by exploring examples from societies and cultures from around the world. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 103. Introduction to Human Evolution. 3 Units.
We enjoy speculating about ourselves, our origins, 'how we got here', and 'human nature'. Anthropologists have a great deal of evidence about our biological selves and how we came to be as we are. We also have a powerful conceptual framework -- evolution by natural selection -- for organizing that evidence to identify the processes that forged our bodies, minds, and behavior. Students in this course will learn to apply the framework of evolution by natural selection and adaptation to evaluate and integrate evidence from many sources including human biology, genetics, primatology and the fossil record. We'll talk about what we know, how we know it, and what we would like to learn. The evolutionary perspective helps us understand who we are, where we came from, how, and why. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ANTH 107. Archaeology: An Introduction. 3 Units.
Archaeological concepts and methods of dating and site excavation are discussed, followed by a review of human cultural and biological evolution from earliest beginnings, continuing through later human cultural innovations, including the later innovation of food production, through the development of state organized, complex societies. Geographic scope is worldwide, with special attention given to ecological and cultural relationships affecting human societies through time. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ANTH 215. Health, Culture, and Disease: An Introduction to Medical Anthropology. 3 Units.
This course is an introduction to the field of Medical Anthropology. Medical Anthropology is concerned with the cross-cultural study of culture, health, and illness. During the course of the semester, our survey will include (1) theoretical orientations and key concepts; (2) the cross-cultural diversity of health beliefs and practices (abroad and at home); and (3) contemporary issues and special populations (e.g., AIDS, homelessness, refugees, women's health, and children at risk). Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 225. Evolution. 3 Units.
Multidisciplinary study of the course and processes of organic evolution provides a broad understanding of the evolution of structural and functional diversity, the relationships among organisms and their environments, and the phylogenetic relationships among major groups of organisms. Topics include the genetic basis of micro- and macro-evolutionary change, the concept of adaptation, natural selection, population dynamics, theories of species formation, principles of phylogenetic inference, biogeography, evolutionary rates, evolutionary convergence, homology, Darwinian medicine, and conceptual and philosophic issues in evolutionary theory. Offered as ANTH 225, BIOL 225, EEPS 225, HSTY 225, and PHIL 225.
ANTH 233. Introduction to Jewish Folklore. 3 Units.
Exploration of a variety of genres, research methods and interpretations of Jewish folklore, from antiquity to the present. Emphasis on how Jewish folk traditions and culture give us access to the spirit and mentality of the many different generations of the Jewish ethnic group, illuminating its past and informing the direction of its future development. Offered as ANTH 233, RLGN 233, and JWST 233. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 255. Global Judaism: Diversity Across the Jewish World. 3 Units.
Scattered across the globe over the course of millennia, Jews' diverse histories and environments have given rise to a great range of religious, cultural and social forms. Using ethnographies as our primary texts, we will think critically and comparatively about Judaism and Jewishness in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Along our journey, we examine how Jews have navigated their experiences as minorities in their many diaspora homelands, and how they have they adapted their cultural and religious practices to the various environments in which they have found themselves. In addition to exploring their Jewishness vis-à-vis others, we also examine questions of exclusion and belonging that Jews have faced as they have encountered each another in recent decades through tourism, mass migration, globalization, and the internet. How do the world's varied Jewish groups - who are of different skin colors, who speak different languages, and who carry different historical memories - navigate ethnic divides, race relations, and religious diversity? Should we speak of a single Jewish religion and Jewish people at all? Offered as ANTH 255, ETHS 255, JWST 255 and RLGN 255. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 300. Global Health Design in Uganda. 1 - 3 Units.
The CWRU Anthropology-Engineering Collaborative (AEC) offers this unique course applying social science and engineering skills and expertise to address global health issues in Uganda. The AEC is part of a longstanding collaboration between CWRU and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Students collaborate with students at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and the CWRU student group, Global Health Design Collaborative (GHDC), to design and implement solutions to specific health issues in Luwero, Uganda. Students meet weekly during the semester to learn about global health technology design and anthropology. Students work with GHDC and program faculty on specific projects; activities may include conducting needs assessment, prototype development, design validation and verification, and preparation of a project report. Current projects focus on designing a pediatric pulse oximeter; identifying means to preserve the cold chain for vaccine outreach and improving medical waste disposal. In Uganda, students and their Makerere University counterparts travel together to Luwero district where they visit health centers to collaborate with local staff to review current design prototypes and issues. Activities include: talking to health center staff at different levels of the health care system, observing a community health outreach, and meeting with diverse stakeholders in Luwero and Kampala. Students gain hands-on experience in engineering design, social science methods, and working in transnational, interdisciplinary teams and contribute directly to ongoing efforts to address global health issues in Uganda. Students are encouraged to contribute to the projects through ongoing work with GHDC. The course may be taken as either ENGR 350U or ANTH 300. The course fee covers travel and on-the-ground expenses. The class is open to all majors but enrollment is by application and instructors' consent. Students who enroll in 3 credits may count the class for the CSE humanities/social science requirement and/or the CAS Global and Cultural Diversity requirement. Offered as ENGR 350U and ANTH 300. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 302. Darwinian Medicine. 3 Units.
Darwinian medicine deals with evolutionary aspects of modern human disease. It applies the concepts and methods of evolutionary biology to the question of why we are vulnerable to disease. Darwinian (or evolutionary) medicine proposes several general hypotheses about disease causation including disease as evolutionary legacy and design compromise, the result of a novel environment, a consequence of genetic adaptation, the result of infectious organisms' evolutionary adaptations, and disease symptoms as manifestation of defense mechanisms. It proposes that evolutionary ideas can explain, help to prevent and perhaps help to treat some diseases. This course presents the basic logic of Darwinian medicine and evaluates hypotheses about specific diseases that illustrate each of the hypotheses about disease causation. Recommended preparation: ANTH 103. Offered as ANTH 302 and ANTH 402.
ANTH 303. Interdisciplinary Solutions to Global Health Issues. 3 Units.
This unique course brings together the expertise of engineers and social scientists to address global health issues through a combination of classroom-based learning and experiential learning through team-based design projects and field-based community assessments. Students will experience the process of engineering design by participating in teams organized around solutions to real-world health problems in the developing world. Methods from social sciences will be practiced and brought to bear in the process, including assessment of global health needs, and evaluation of success of interventions. Students will study and discuss current key issues in global health, and ethics surrounding health care, disparity, methods of intervention, and develop skills in how to define and frame problems and communicate effectively across disciplines. The course is organized around ongoing projects that seek to design technical solutions to global health issues, with a focus on Uganda. The teams will also work and learn with students and faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Social Sciences at Makerere University of Kampala (MUK), Uganda. Examples of interactions with MUK will include discussion of common readings, peer-review, and joint planning, implementation, and review of fieldwork. This course is an approved SAGES Departmental Seminar. A student in the Case School of Engineering may use this course to meet an Engineering Core Breadth requirement, either in place of ENGL 398 and ENGR 398, or as a Social Science course (ANTH 303 cross-list). No student may count the course to satisfy both of these requirements. Offered as ANTH 303 and ENGR 397. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ANTH 304. Anthropology of Aging. 3 Units.
Biological aging is a universal reality. However, sociocultural, economic, politically, and technological factors may shape how growing old can be differentially experienced. In this course, we will study the aging experience from a cross-cultural perspective. We will discuss topics such as medicalization of the aging body, elder care and government responses to population aging, political economy of the aging experience, the role of technology in elder care, death and dying, as well as ageism in our society. Beliefs and practices surrounding aging is a fundamental component of every society. Studies of the aging experience offer a valuable lens through which to understand issues such as family and gender relations, social inequality, state governance, and discrimination and social injustice. Offered as ANTH 304 and ANTH 404. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ANTH 305. Public Policy in Child Development. 3 Units.
This course introduces students to issues in public policy that impact children and families. Local, state, and federal child policy will be considered, and topics will include, for example, policies related to child poverty, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and children's physical and mental health. Students will learn how policy is developed, how research informs policy and vice versa, and a framework for analyzing social policy. Recommended preparation: One social sciences course or consent. Offered as ANTH 305, ANTH 405, CHST 301, CHST 401, and POSC 382A.
ANTH 306. The Anthropology of Childhood and the Family. 3 Units.
Child-rearing patterns and the family as an institution, using evidence from Western and non-Western cultures. Human universals and cultural variation, the experience of childhood and recent changes in the American family. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 306 and ANTH 406.
ANTH 307. Experiential Learning in Child Policy. 3 Units.
Focus on state and federal legislative policy impacting children, youth, and families. Course includes an experiential learning component at the state or federal level and a travel experience to either Columbus, OH or Washington, DC to learn firsthand how policy is formed. Students may take this course twice for credit. Offered as ANTH 307 and CHST 302.
ANTH 308. Child Policy Externship. 3 Units.
Externships offered through CHST 398/ANTH 308 give students an opportunity to work directly with professionals who design and implement policies that impact the lives of children and their families. Agencies involved are active in areas such as public health, including behavioral health, education. juvenile justice, childcare and/or child welfare. Students apply for the externships, and selected students are placed in local public or nonprofit agencies with a policy focus. Each student develops an individualized learning plan in consultation with the Childhood Studies Program faculty and the supervisor in the agency. CHST 398/ANTH 308 is a 3 credit-hour course and may be taken twice for a total of 6 credit hours. Offered as CHST 398 and ANTH 308. Prereq: CHST 301.
ANTH 310. Language, Culture and Society. 3 Units.
Language permeates all aspects of the human experience, and the study of language is one of the most interdisciplinary fields of academic inquiry. This course will introduce students to the core concepts, theories and methodologies that form the study of language from an anthropological perspective. Special emphasis will be placed on the contributions of linguistic anthropology to the experience and understanding of language in multicultural environments as well as the development of linguistic and cultural competency. In addition to studying linguistic diversity and change within and across cultural contexts and how languages shape human thought and behavior, this course will also explore the intersections among language, social differentiation and stratification in connection to gender, race, ethnicity, class, and age among other dimensions. Students will explore the work of linguistic anthropologists through a variety of case studies and will consider (and experiment with) the research and analytical strategies by which these studies have been conducted. The significant contributions of linguistic anthropology to the social sciences and its practical applications within specific institutional and professional settings will also be emphasized. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ANTH 312. Ethnography of Southeast Asia. 3 Units.
This course examines the people and cultures of Southeast Asia from an anthropological perspective. From a starting place of the local people we will explore important aspects of life in this region such as agriculture, religion, health, medicine, nation-building, ethnic identity, art, and technology. Additionally, we will examine and question the ideas, traditions, and scholarly modes of study that brought this geographical area together as a region. Offered as ANTH 312 and ANTH 412. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 314. Cultures of the United States. 3 Units.
This course considers the rich ethnic diversity of the U.S. from the perspective of social/cultural anthropology. Conquest, immigration, problems of conflicts and accommodation, and the character of the diverse regional and ethnic cultures are considered as are forms of racism, discrimination, and their consequences. Groups of interest include various Latina/o and Native peoples, African-American groups, and specific ethnic groups of Pacific, Mediterranean, European, Asian, and Caribbean origin. Offered as ANTH 314, ETHS 314, and ANTH 414.
ANTH 316. Current Global Health Events. 3 Units.
This course will introduce students to an anthropological approach to understanding disease, illness, sickness and suffering in a global health context. The course will expose students to biological, socio-cultural, historical, political-economic, and epidemiological assessments of the disease and illness states. Students will be asked to bring a critical focus to the use of ethnographic, population-based, and clinical approaches to addresses global health problems. Additionally students will learn about the key organizations, institutions, and commercial enterprises that come to play in the assessment, prioritizing, and treatment of these health issues. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Prereq: ANTH 102 and ANTH 215.
ANTH 319. Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences. 3 Units.
Statistical description (central tendency, variation, correlation, etc.) and statistical evaluation (two sample comparisons, regression, analysis of variance, non-parametric statistics). Developing an understanding of statistical inference, particularly on proper usage of statistical methods. Examples from the social sciences. Cannot be used to meet the A&S Humanities and Social Sciences requirement. A student may receive credit for only one of the following: ANTH 319, PSCL 282, SOCI 307, or STAT 201. Counts as a CAS Quantitative Reasoning course. Counts as a Quantitative Reasoning course.
ANTH 325. Economic Anthropology. 3 Units.
Economic anthropology is a sub-field of anthropology that examines how people in modern and non-modern societies produce, distribute, exchange, and consume goods, services, and other valued resources. The sub-field seeks to understand how cultures, including our own, organize and structure these activities through institutions, rituals, and beliefs systems. However, unlike the formal approach of the field of economics, the in-depth methods of economic anthropology concentrate on day-to-day experiences of what the economic means, how this is defined, and what we can learn about human behavior through it. This course will introduce students to economic anthropology and some of the major questions and challenges this field addresses. The history of this sub-field, how it relates to economic sociology, and areas where economic anthropology and traditional economics overlap, will also be explored. This class does not present economic anthropology and modern economics as adversaries, instead how and why they are fundamentally different orientations with often seemingly little in common. On this backdrop, this class will survey a number of different topics, including: health commodification; gift exchange; commodity chains; the history of money and debt; why objects have value; how people make ends meet; rational vs. non-rational decision-making; behavioral economic experiments conducted in other cultures; development economics, and why some objects and services have prices while others do not. Offered as ANTH 325 and ANTH 425.
ANTH 326. Power, Illness, and Inequality: The Political Economy of Health. 3 Units.
This course explores the relationship between social inequality and the distribution of health and illness across class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and national boundaries. Class readings drawn from critical anthropological approaches to the study of health emphasize the fundamental importance of power relations and economic constraints in explaining patterns of disease. The course critically examines the nature of Western biomedicine and inequality in the delivery of health services. Special consideration is given to political economic analysis of health issues in the developing world such as AIDS, hunger, reproductive health, and primary health care provision. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 215. Offered as ANTH 326 and ANTH 426.
ANTH 328. Medical Anthropology and Public Health. 3 Units.
Anthropology has a longstanding relationship with the field of public health, which dates back to before the flourishing of medical anthropology as a subfield. Direct participation of medical anthropologists in public health research and practice continues to grow. This course explores the intersection of medical anthropology and public health from the perspective of anthropological history, theory, and methods. Course topics include: the history of anthropological work in public health, medical anthropology theory as a guide to anthropological public health research, and anthropological methods and approaches to public health work. Case studies from around the world will be employed throughout the course. Offered as ANTH 328 and ANTH 428.
ANTH 329. Anthropological Perspectives of Migration and Health. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of anthropological perspectives on transnational migration and health. We will focus particularly on health and health care issues concerning refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. This course will focus on the following topics: the physical and mental health consequences of forced migration; refugee trauma; the intersection of health care and immigration policies; immigration and health care access and utilization. Readings and coursework will consider the sociocultural, political, and economic factors that contribute to migrant health disparities. We will also address issues of medical pluralism among transnational migrants and critically examine the concept of cultural competence in clinical settings. Class readings will comprise a variety of theoretical and ethnographic literature within anthropology and closely related disciplines, drawing on cases from across the globe and in cross-cultural comparison. The class will use lectures, readings, and class discussions to explore these relevant issues in migration and health, with the opportunity to engage in hands on ethnographic work with refugees locally. Offered as ANTH 329 and ANTH 429.
ANTH 331. The Most Ancient Near East. 3 Units.
The Near East, archaeologically, is the most intensely researched area in the world. The research, spanning 150 years, reveals a continuous record of human adaptation spanning two million years, five human species, multiple major environmental changes, and shifts in human adaptive strategies from nomadic hunting and gathering to sedentary village agriculture and the emergence of urban centers "civilization." The archaeological record of this extraordinary period beginning two million years ago until about 4000 BC is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the human response to social and ecological changes. The course examines how the emergence of sedentary settlements, surplus food production, population growth, interregional trade, and social-economically stratified societies fundamentally changed the human condition. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 107. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 333. Roots of Ancient India: Archaeology of South Asia. 3 Units.
Archaeological discoveries in South Asia (modern India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) reveal a continuous record of human habitation from almost two million years ago until the present. Early human populations in the region encountered dramatically changing ecological conditions resulting in various cultural adaptations over this long period. Beginning with the earliest hunter-gatherer populations, archaeological data reveal a diversity of cultural changes/adaptations in South Asia resulting in the indigenous development of sedentary agricultural societies coexisting with hunters and gatherers, and with pastoral nomadic groups interacting over diverse econiches. These cultural developments resulted in the formation of the Harappan (Indus Valley) culture - a unique, ancient (2600-1300 BC) Old World civilization. Archaeological data indicate this Harappan culture provided basic fundamental cultural traits that evolved into the culturally Early Historic Indian Tradition. Special attention is given to theoretical controversies surrounding the cultural continuity issue in South Asian culture history and its significance for understanding Old World archaeology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 107. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 335. Illegal Drugs and Society. 3 Units.
This course provides perspectives on illegal drug use informed by the social, political and economic dimensions of the issues. Framed by the history, epidemiology, and medical consequences of drug use, students will confront the complex challenges posed by addiction. Anthropological research conducted in the U.S. and cross-culturally will demonstrate, elaborate and juxtapose various clinical, public health, and law enforcement policies and perspectives. Topics examined will include: why exclusively using a bio-medical model of addiction is inadequate; how effective is the war on drugs; what prevention, intervention and treatment efforts work; and various ideological/moral perspectives on illegal drug use. Offered as ANTH 335 and ANTH 435.
ANTH 337. Comparative Medical Systems. 3 Units.
This course considers the world's major medical systems. Foci include professional and folk medical systems of Asia and South Asia, North and South America, Europe and the Mediterranean, including the Christian and Islamic medical traditions. Attention is paid to medical origins and the relationship of popular to professional medicines. The examination of each medical tradition includes consideration of its psychological medicine and system of medical ethics. Recommended preparation: ANTH 215. Offered as ANTH 337 and ANTH 437.
ANTH 339. Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Methods. 3 Units.
This is a course on applying ethnographic research methods in the social sciences. Ethnographic research seeks to understand and describe the experiences of research participants (i.e. subjects) through becoming involved in their daily lives. Findings from ethnography are generated through systematic observation within the natural context in which behavior occurs (i.e. fieldwork). Unlike methods that emphasize detachment, distance, and objectivity, ethnography involves developing knowledge by becoming an ad hoc member of the group(s) one is studying. The principal techniques of ethnography, "participant-observation" and "In-depth open ended interviewing," require actively engaging the research process. This class will explore ethnographic research techniques, as well as other qualitative research methods. In addition to addressing how such methods make claims about social phenomena, this class will also explore more practical topics such as: developing questions, entering the field, establishing rapport, taking and managing field notes, coding data, and data analysis. Lectures, readings, and class discussion will be complimented by assignments using techniques. Offered as ANTH 339 and ANTH 439. Prereq: ANTH 102.
ANTH 340. Cultures of the World: Study Abroad. 3 Units.
This course is a vehicle to allow anthropology courses taken during study abroad that have a primary focus on the culture of a specific society or geographic area to be accepted as equivalent to a CWRU course that meets the CAS Global and Cultural Diversity requirement. In order to be accepted as equivalent to this course, a course must (a) be taught in a department of anthropology or by an anthropologist in an allied department; and (b) cover the breadth of a culture. Courses focusing on one aspect of a society (economics, political structure, history, etc.) cannot be accepted as equivalent to this course. In order to verify that a course meets these requirements students must submit a course description and syllabus for the course to the Chair, Department of Anthropology. If a syllabus is not available in advance of the course, approval will be contingent on review of the course syllabus. This course will fulfill the CAS Global and Cultural Diversity requirement, as well as meet the geographic area requirement for Anthropology majors and minors. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 344. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 345. Ethnicity, Gender, and Mental Health. 3 Units.
An overview of mental health status and ethnicity. Analysis of ethnicity in relation to culture, social class, gender, sociopolitical conflict and the world refugee crisis. Consideration of populations at special risk for the development of specific mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, affective disorders, adjustment and stress disorders). Contemporary ethnographic survey of ethnic groups at risk both at home and abroad. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 345 and ANTH 445.
ANTH 347. Cultural Ecology and Sustainability. 3 Units.
Could the quest of modern society for sustainability, in the face of devastating climate change and massive biodiversity loss that threaten life on Earth as we know it, gain from understanding how other past and present cultures around the world have dealt with sustainability challenges? Are there cultural patterns or clusters of ideas underlying the deleterious actions of modern culture towards the natural world that could be clarified through a comparison with indigenous or traditional cultures, some who lived sustainably for thousands of years and even enhanced the biodiversity of their surrounding environments? If cybernetic and semiotic principles that guide living systems were clarified, would this lead to more ecologically robust ways of engaging with the natural world and resolving contemporary sustainability issues? Is it the essential task of our time to develop and globalize an ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable "beyond modern" definition of human being? Is the global environment decay of our earthly home perhaps a clarion call by nature, compelling our species to integrate the wisdom of traditional knowledge along with the spectacular scientific and technological achievements of modernity if we are to survive? This seminar will explore these questions and more, with a primary objective of enhancing student environmental advocacy along with increasing their depth of experience when interacting with the natural world. Offered as ANTH 347 and ANTH 447. Prereq: ANTH 102.
ANTH 349. Cultures of Latin America. 3 Units.
This course is designed as a seminar. It will engage students in the anthropological exploration of diversity and inequality in contemporary Latin America, including the Caribbean (LAC). Students will be introduced to and discuss a wide range of topics including socioeconomic development, political systems, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, social movements, cuisine, expressive cultures, violence, health and the environment. These aspects will be analyzed in connection to Latin America's complex history and current sociocultural processes, institutions, and experiences. In addition to the anthropological analysis of societies and cultures within the region, we will also explore transnational and global processes as well as the multiple connections between Latin America and the United States, including the presence and impacts of Latinx populations in the US as well as representations, attitudes and policies towards Latin America and Latinx populations. Students will have the opportunity to identify relevant and reputable sources about Latin America, discuss anthropological and interdisciplinary research, explore news and audiovisual materials and analyze multiple case studies and examples from various countries, local communities and social groups. Offered as ANTH 349 and ANTH 449. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course. Prereq: ANTH 102.
ANTH 353. Chinese Culture and Society. 3 Units.
This course explores social transformations in China since 1949 from an anthropological perspective. After briefly introducing the history of the People's Republic of China and Confucianism and its impact on Chinese society, the course will delve into the changing family dynamics and gender relations, China's birth-planning policy, education, rural-urban migration, and ethnic diversity in China. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 353 and ANTH 453. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 354. Health and Healing in East Asia. 3 Units.
This course examines the illness experiences and the healing practices in East Asia. After introducing the anthropological approaches to the study of health and illness, this course will explore the practices of traditional medical knowledge, medical ethics, pandemics, HIV/AIDS, mental health, environmental health, and cosmetic surgery. By delving into the illness experiences and the healing practices in East Asia, the course will discuss issues related to medical pluralism, bioethics, political economy of health, and technologies and health. Offered as ANTH 354 and ANTH 454. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 359. Introduction to Global Health. 3 Units.
This course is an introduction to the field of international and global health from the perspective of anthropology. Key health problems in the world are identified and anthropological research on these issues is presented and examined. The course covers current international and global health issues and reviews the history of anthropological engagement in the field. Case studies of current health issues will be discussed. Offered as ANTH 359 and ANTH 459. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 360. Global Politics of Reproduction. 3 Units.
This course offers an anthropological examination of reproductive politics around the world. It explores historical, cultural, socioeconomic, political, and technological factors contributing to reproductive activities. After introducing the anthropological approaches to the study of reproduction, the course will delve into the practice of fertility regulation and sex education in historical and contemporary times, fertility choices, state and institutional control over reproduction, assisted reproductive technologies, and reproductive ethics. Offered as ANTH 360, ANTH 460, and WGST 360. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 362. Contemporary Theory in Anthropology. 3 Units.
A critical examination of anthropological thought in England, France and the United States during the second half of the twentieth century. Emphasis will be on the way authors formulate questions that motivate anthropological discourse, on the way central concepts are formulated and applied and on the controversies and debates that result. Readings are drawn from influential texts by prominent contemporary anthropologists. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 362 and ANTH 462.
ANTH 365. Gender and Sex Differences: Cross-cultural Perspective. 3 Units.
Gender roles and sex differences throughout the life cycle considered from a cross-cultural perspective. Major approaches to explaining sex roles discussed in light of information from both Western and non-Western cultures. Offered as ANTH 365, ANTH 465 and WGST 365. Prereq: ANTH 102 or consent of department.
ANTH 366. Population Change: Problems and Solutions. 3 Units.
The course examines population processes and their social consequences from an anthropological perspective. It introduces basic concepts and theories of population studies and demonstrates the ways in which anthropological research contributes to our understanding of population issues. We will explore questions such as: How has world population changed in history? How does a population age or grow younger? What are the factors affecting population health? Why do people migrate? And what are the policy implications of population change? We will examine the sociocultural, economic, political, and ecological factors contributing to population processes, such as factors affecting childbearing decisions, cultural context of sex-selective abortion, various caregiving arrangements for the elderly, and policy responses to population change. We will explore these issues with cases from across the world, with a special focus on China, the world's most populous country with the most massive family-planning program in modern human history. Offered as ANTH 366 and ANTH 466.
ANTH 367. Topics in Evolutionary Biology. 3 Units.
The focus for this course on a special topic of interest in evolutionary biology will vary from one offering to the next. Examples of possible topics include theories of speciation, the evolution of language, the evolution of sex, evolution and biodiversity, molecular evolution. The graduate level offerings of this course will require a longer, more sophisticated term paper, and additional class presentation. Offered as ANTH 367, BIOL 368, EEPS 367, PHIL 367, ANAT 467, ANTH 467, BIOL 468, EEPS 467, PHIL 467 and PHOL 467. Prereq: ANTH 225 or equivalent.
ANTH 369D. The Anthropology of Nutrition. 3 Units.
Human nutrition is examined from an anthropological perspective. We will briefly cover methods for assessing and evaluating dietary intake and dietary patterns. The remainder of the course will focus on various social, ecological, and genetic factors which influence human nutritional patterns and the causes and consequences of protein-energy malnutrition. The course will be taught in a seminar format and is designed to enhance your skills in critically reading the anthropological literature and in improving your written and oral communication skills. A student may not receive credit for both ANTH 369 and ANTH 369D. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102, ANTH 103. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ANTH 371. Culture, Behavior, and Person: Psychological Anthropology. 3 Units.
Cross-cultural perspectives on personality, human development, individual variability, cognition, deviant behavior, and the role of the individual in his/her society. Classic and contemporary anthropological writings on Western and non-Western societies. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 371 and ANTH 471.
ANTH 372. Anthropological Approaches to Religion. 3 Units.
The development of, and current approaches to, comparative religion from an anthropological perspective. Topics include witchcraft, ritual, myth, healing, religious language and symbolism, religion and gender, religious experience, the nature of the sacred, religion and social change, altered states of consciousness, and evil. Using material from a wide range of world cultures, critical assessment is made of conventional distinctions such as those between rational/irrational, natural/supernatural, magic/religion, and primitive/civilized. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 372, RLGN 372 and ANTH 472.
ANTH 376. Topics in the Anthropology of Health and Medicine. 3 Units.
Special topics of interest, such as the biology of human adaptability; the ecology of the human life cycle health delivery systems; transcultural psychiatry; nutrition, health, and disease; paleoepidemiology; and population anthropology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 103. Offered as ANTH 376 and ANTH 476.
ANTH 379. Topics in Cultural and Social Anthropology. 3 Units.
Special topics of interest across the range of social and cultural anthropology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 379 and ANTH 479.
ANTH 380. Independent Study in Laboratory Archaeology I. 1 - 3 Units.
This course provides an introduction to the basic methods and techniques of artifact curation and laboratory analysis in archaeology. Under the supervision of the instructor, each student will develop and carry out a focused project of material analysis and interpretation using the archaeology collections of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Each student is required to spend a minimum of two hours per week in the Archaeology laboratory for each credit hour taken. By the end of the course, the student will prepare a short report describing the results of their particular project. Recommended preparation: ANTH 107 and permission of department, and prior permission of Department of Archaeology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
ANTH 382. Anthropological and Ecological Perspectives on Preserving and Restoring the Natural World. 3 Units.
Now that the environmentally deleterious effects of modern Western culture on the natural world have reached major proportions it has become crucial to explore innovative solutions to this dilemma. In this course novel perspectives derived from the intersection of anthropology and ecology are discussed. The primary perspective focused upon is the understanding that human culture and the natural world in which it is embedded are essentially communicative, or semiotic processes, which thrive upon diverse interaction and feedback. Preserving and restoring the Natural World thus shifts from protecting individual species and particular cultural practices to enhancing the communicative matrix of life and multiple cultural views of the environment. Through this understanding, students will learn to apply a more elegant, effective, and aesthetically pleasing perspective to the challenging environmental issues facing our contemporary world. An in-depth examination of the North American Prairie, along with a comparison of influences on the landscape by indigenous and modern Western Culture will serve as the particular region of focus. Offered as ANTH 382 and ANTH 482. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ANTH 385. Applied Anthropology. 3 Units.
This class will provide students with an overview of how anthropologists put theories, methods, and findings to use in addressing social issues and problems. Applied projects presented will span a diverse range of topics and fields, including: healthcare and medicine, nutrition, international development, displacement of populations, education, as well projects from business and industry. Class discussion will address orientations of and advantages in applied approaches, as well the ethical questions such projects often encounter. Offered as ANTH 385 and ANTH 485.
ANTH 389. Introduction to Forensic Anthropology. 3 Units.
Forensic anthropology involves using a variety of methods and theories about human biology to answer medical and legal questions. Individuals who work as forensic anthropologists collaborate closely with police officers, lawyers, doctors, medical examiners, and other specialists to identify human remains and analyze skeletal trauma in cases of suspicious and unnatural death. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to the techniques and underlying theory used by anthropologists to recover skeletal remains, reconstruct a biological profile from the skeleton, interpret skeletal trauma, and assist in the identification process. Students will also become familiar with the application of forensic anthropology to issues of human rights and mass fatalities. Prereq: ANTH 103.
ANTH 391. Honors Tutorial. 3 Units.
Prereq: Acceptance into Honors Program.
ANTH 392. Honors Tutorial. 3 Units.
Prereq: Acceptance into Honors Program.
ANTH 396. Undergraduate Research in Evolutionary Biology. 3 Units.
Students propose and conduct guided research on an aspect of evolutionary biology. The research will be sponsored and supervised by a member of the CASE faculty or other qualified professional. A written report must be submitted to the Evolutionary Biology Steering Committee before credit is granted. Offered as ANTH 396, BIOL 396, EEPS 396, and PHIL 396. Prereq: ANTH 225 or equivalent.
ANTH 398. Anthropology SAGES Capstone. 3 Units.
Supervised original research on a topic in anthropology, culminating in a written report and a public presentation. The research project may be in the form of an independent research project, a literature review, or some other original project with anthropological significance. The project must be approved and supervised by faculty. Group research projects are acceptable, but a plan which clearly identifies the distinct and substantial role of each participant must be approved by the supervising faculty. Counts as a SAGES Senior Capstone course. Prereq: Major in Anthropology.
ANTH 398C. Child Policy Externship and Capstone. 3 Units.
Externships offered through CHST/ANTH/PSCL 398C give students an opportunity to work directly with professionals who design and implement policies that impact the lives of children and their families. Agencies involved are active in areas such as public health, including behavioral health, education, juvenile justice, childcare and/or child welfare. Students apply for the externships, and selected students are placed in local public or nonprofit agencies with a policy focus. Each student develops an individualized learning plan in consultation with the Childhood Studies Program faculty and the supervisor in the agency. Offered as CHST 398C, ANTH 398C, and PSCL 398C. Counts as a SAGES Senior Capstone course. Prereq: CHST 301.
ANTH 399. Independent Study. 1 - 6 Units.
Students may propose topics for independent reading and research.
ANTH 402. Darwinian Medicine. 3 Units.
Darwinian medicine deals with evolutionary aspects of modern human disease. It applies the concepts and methods of evolutionary biology to the question of why we are vulnerable to disease. Darwinian (or evolutionary) medicine proposes several general hypotheses about disease causation including disease as evolutionary legacy and design compromise, the result of a novel environment, a consequence of genetic adaptation, the result of infectious organisms' evolutionary adaptations, and disease symptoms as manifestation of defense mechanisms. It proposes that evolutionary ideas can explain, help to prevent and perhaps help to treat some diseases. This course presents the basic logic of Darwinian medicine and evaluates hypotheses about specific diseases that illustrate each of the hypotheses about disease causation. Recommended preparation: ANTH 103. Offered as ANTH 302 and ANTH 402.
ANTH 404. Anthropology of Aging. 3 Units.
Biological aging is a universal reality. However, sociocultural, economic, politically, and technological factors may shape how growing old can be differentially experienced. In this course, we will study the aging experience from a cross-cultural perspective. We will discuss topics such as medicalization of the aging body, elder care and government responses to population aging, political economy of the aging experience, the role of technology in elder care, death and dying, as well as ageism in our society. Beliefs and practices surrounding aging is a fundamental component of every society. Studies of the aging experience offer a valuable lens through which to understand issues such as family and gender relations, social inequality, state governance, and discrimination and social injustice. Offered as ANTH 304 and ANTH 404. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ANTH 405. Public Policy in Child Development. 3 Units.
This course introduces students to issues in public policy that impact children and families. Local, state, and federal child policy will be considered, and topics will include, for example, policies related to child poverty, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and children's physical and mental health. Students will learn how policy is developed, how research informs policy and vice versa, and a framework for analyzing social policy. Recommended preparation: One social sciences course or consent. Offered as ANTH 305, ANTH 405, CHST 301, CHST 401, and POSC 382A.
ANTH 406. The Anthropology of Childhood and the Family. 3 Units.
Child-rearing patterns and the family as an institution, using evidence from Western and non-Western cultures. Human universals and cultural variation, the experience of childhood and recent changes in the American family. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 306 and ANTH 406.
ANTH 412. Ethnography of Southeast Asia. 3 Units.
This course examines the people and cultures of Southeast Asia from an anthropological perspective. From a starting place of the local people we will explore important aspects of life in this region such as agriculture, religion, health, medicine, nation-building, ethnic identity, art, and technology. Additionally, we will examine and question the ideas, traditions, and scholarly modes of study that brought this geographical area together as a region. Offered as ANTH 312 and ANTH 412. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 414. Cultures of the United States. 3 Units.
This course considers the rich ethnic diversity of the U.S. from the perspective of social/cultural anthropology. Conquest, immigration, problems of conflicts and accommodation, and the character of the diverse regional and ethnic cultures are considered as are forms of racism, discrimination, and their consequences. Groups of interest include various Latina/o and Native peoples, African-American groups, and specific ethnic groups of Pacific, Mediterranean, European, Asian, and Caribbean origin. Offered as ANTH 314, ETHS 314, and ANTH 414.
ANTH 425. Economic Anthropology. 3 Units.
Economic anthropology is a sub-field of anthropology that examines how people in modern and non-modern societies produce, distribute, exchange, and consume goods, services, and other valued resources. The sub-field seeks to understand how cultures, including our own, organize and structure these activities through institutions, rituals, and beliefs systems. However, unlike the formal approach of the field of economics, the in-depth methods of economic anthropology concentrate on day-to-day experiences of what the economic means, how this is defined, and what we can learn about human behavior through it. This course will introduce students to economic anthropology and some of the major questions and challenges this field addresses. The history of this sub-field, how it relates to economic sociology, and areas where economic anthropology and traditional economics overlap, will also be explored. This class does not present economic anthropology and modern economics as adversaries, instead how and why they are fundamentally different orientations with often seemingly little in common. On this backdrop, this class will survey a number of different topics, including: health commodification; gift exchange; commodity chains; the history of money and debt; why objects have value; how people make ends meet; rational vs. non-rational decision-making; behavioral economic experiments conducted in other cultures; development economics, and why some objects and services have prices while others do not. Offered as ANTH 325 and ANTH 425.
ANTH 426. Power, Illness, and Inequality: The Political Economy of Health. 3 Units.
This course explores the relationship between social inequality and the distribution of health and illness across class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and national boundaries. Class readings drawn from critical anthropological approaches to the study of health emphasize the fundamental importance of power relations and economic constraints in explaining patterns of disease. The course critically examines the nature of Western biomedicine and inequality in the delivery of health services. Special consideration is given to political economic analysis of health issues in the developing world such as AIDS, hunger, reproductive health, and primary health care provision. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 215. Offered as ANTH 326 and ANTH 426.
ANTH 428. Medical Anthropology and Public Health. 3 Units.
Anthropology has a longstanding relationship with the field of public health, which dates back to before the flourishing of medical anthropology as a subfield. Direct participation of medical anthropologists in public health research and practice continues to grow. This course explores the intersection of medical anthropology and public health from the perspective of anthropological history, theory, and methods. Course topics include: the history of anthropological work in public health, medical anthropology theory as a guide to anthropological public health research, and anthropological methods and approaches to public health work. Case studies from around the world will be employed throughout the course. Offered as ANTH 328 and ANTH 428.
ANTH 429. Anthropological Perspectives of Migration and Health. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of anthropological perspectives on transnational migration and health. We will focus particularly on health and health care issues concerning refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. This course will focus on the following topics: the physical and mental health consequences of forced migration; refugee trauma; the intersection of health care and immigration policies; immigration and health care access and utilization. Readings and coursework will consider the sociocultural, political, and economic factors that contribute to migrant health disparities. We will also address issues of medical pluralism among transnational migrants and critically examine the concept of cultural competence in clinical settings. Class readings will comprise a variety of theoretical and ethnographic literature within anthropology and closely related disciplines, drawing on cases from across the globe and in cross-cultural comparison. The class will use lectures, readings, and class discussions to explore these relevant issues in migration and health, with the opportunity to engage in hands on ethnographic work with refugees locally. Offered as ANTH 329 and ANTH 429.
ANTH 435. Illegal Drugs and Society. 3 Units.
This course provides perspectives on illegal drug use informed by the social, political and economic dimensions of the issues. Framed by the history, epidemiology, and medical consequences of drug use, students will confront the complex challenges posed by addiction. Anthropological research conducted in the U.S. and cross-culturally will demonstrate, elaborate and juxtapose various clinical, public health, and law enforcement policies and perspectives. Topics examined will include: why exclusively using a bio-medical model of addiction is inadequate; how effective is the war on drugs; what prevention, intervention and treatment efforts work; and various ideological/moral perspectives on illegal drug use. Offered as ANTH 335 and ANTH 435.
ANTH 437. Comparative Medical Systems. 3 Units.
This course considers the world's major medical systems. Foci include professional and folk medical systems of Asia and South Asia, North and South America, Europe and the Mediterranean, including the Christian and Islamic medical traditions. Attention is paid to medical origins and the relationship of popular to professional medicines. The examination of each medical tradition includes consideration of its psychological medicine and system of medical ethics. Recommended preparation: ANTH 215. Offered as ANTH 337 and ANTH 437.
ANTH 439. Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Methods. 3 Units.
This is a course on applying ethnographic research methods in the social sciences. Ethnographic research seeks to understand and describe the experiences of research participants (i.e. subjects) through becoming involved in their daily lives. Findings from ethnography are generated through systematic observation within the natural context in which behavior occurs (i.e. fieldwork). Unlike methods that emphasize detachment, distance, and objectivity, ethnography involves developing knowledge by becoming an ad hoc member of the group(s) one is studying. The principal techniques of ethnography, "participant-observation" and "In-depth open ended interviewing," require actively engaging the research process. This class will explore ethnographic research techniques, as well as other qualitative research methods. In addition to addressing how such methods make claims about social phenomena, this class will also explore more practical topics such as: developing questions, entering the field, establishing rapport, taking and managing field notes, coding data, and data analysis. Lectures, readings, and class discussion will be complimented by assignments using techniques. Offered as ANTH 339 and ANTH 439.
ANTH 439B. Applying Anthropological Research Methods. 1 Unit.
This class will provide students with practical experience utilizing the anthropological research methods taught in ANTH 439, Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Methods. With guidance from the instructor, students will plan and implement a preliminary / pilot research project. Prereq: ANTH 439 and Graduate Standing in Anthropology.
ANTH 444. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ANTH 445. Ethnicity, Gender, and Mental Health. 3 Units.
An overview of mental health status and ethnicity. Analysis of ethnicity in relation to culture, social class, gender, sociopolitical conflict and the world refugee crisis. Consideration of populations at special risk for the development of specific mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, affective disorders, adjustment and stress disorders). Contemporary ethnographic survey of ethnic groups at risk both at home and abroad. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 345 and ANTH 445.
ANTH 447. Cultural Ecology and Sustainability. 3 Units.
Could the quest of modern society for sustainability, in the face of devastating climate change and massive biodiversity loss that threaten life on Earth as we know it, gain from understanding how other past and present cultures around the world have dealt with sustainability challenges? Are there cultural patterns or clusters of ideas underlying the deleterious actions of modern culture towards the natural world that could be clarified through a comparison with indigenous or traditional cultures, some who lived sustainably for thousands of years and even enhanced the biodiversity of their surrounding environments? If cybernetic and semiotic principles that guide living systems were clarified, would this lead to more ecologically robust ways of engaging with the natural world and resolving contemporary sustainability issues? Is it the essential task of our time to develop and globalize an ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable "beyond modern" definition of human being? Is the global environment decay of our earthly home perhaps a clarion call by nature, compelling our species to integrate the wisdom of traditional knowledge along with the spectacular scientific and technological achievements of modernity if we are to survive? This seminar will explore these questions and more, with a primary objective of enhancing student environmental advocacy along with increasing their depth of experience when interacting with the natural world. Offered as ANTH 347 and ANTH 447.
ANTH 449. Cultures of Latin America. 3 Units.
This course is designed as a seminar. It will engage students in the anthropological exploration of diversity and inequality in contemporary Latin America, including the Caribbean (LAC). Students will be introduced to and discuss a wide range of topics including socioeconomic development, political systems, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, social movements, cuisine, expressive cultures, violence, health and the environment. These aspects will be analyzed in connection to Latin America's complex history and current sociocultural processes, institutions, and experiences. In addition to the anthropological analysis of societies and cultures within the region, we will also explore transnational and global processes as well as the multiple connections between Latin America and the United States, including the presence and impacts of Latinx populations in the US as well as representations, attitudes and policies towards Latin America and Latinx populations. Students will have the opportunity to identify relevant and reputable sources about Latin America, discuss anthropological and interdisciplinary research, explore news and audiovisual materials and analyze multiple case studies and examples from various countries, local communities and social groups. Offered as ANTH 349 and ANTH 449. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 453. Chinese Culture and Society. 3 Units.
This course explores social transformations in China since 1949 from an anthropological perspective. After briefly introducing the history of the People's Republic of China and Confucianism and its impact on Chinese society, the course will delve into the changing family dynamics and gender relations, China's birth-planning policy, education, rural-urban migration, and ethnic diversity in China. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 353 and ANTH 453. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 454. Health and Healing in East Asia. 3 Units.
This course examines the illness experiences and the healing practices in East Asia. After introducing the anthropological approaches to the study of health and illness, this course will explore the practices of traditional medical knowledge, medical ethics, pandemics, HIV/AIDS, mental health, environmental health, and cosmetic surgery. By delving into the illness experiences and the healing practices in East Asia, the course will discuss issues related to medical pluralism, bioethics, political economy of health, and technologies and health. Offered as ANTH 354 and ANTH 454. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course. Prereq: Graduate Standing.
ANTH 459. Introduction to Global Health. 3 Units.
This course is an introduction to the field of international and global health from the perspective of anthropology. Key health problems in the world are identified and anthropological research on these issues is presented and examined. The course covers current international and global health issues and reviews the history of anthropological engagement in the field. Case studies of current health issues will be discussed. Offered as ANTH 359 and ANTH 459. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ANTH 460. Global Politics of Reproduction. 3 Units.
This course offers an anthropological examination of reproductive politics around the world. It explores historical, cultural, socioeconomic, political, and technological factors contributing to reproductive activities. After introducing the anthropological approaches to the study of reproduction, the course will delve into the practice of fertility regulation and sex education in historical and contemporary times, fertility choices, state and institutional control over reproduction, assisted reproductive technologies, and reproductive ethics. Offered as ANTH 360, ANTH 460, and WGST 360. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course. Prereq: Graduate Standing.
ANTH 462. Contemporary Theory in Anthropology. 3 Units.
A critical examination of anthropological thought in England, France and the United States during the second half of the twentieth century. Emphasis will be on the way authors formulate questions that motivate anthropological discourse, on the way central concepts are formulated and applied and on the controversies and debates that result. Readings are drawn from influential texts by prominent contemporary anthropologists. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 362 and ANTH 462.
ANTH 465. Gender and Sex Differences: Cross-cultural Perspective. 3 Units.
Gender roles and sex differences throughout the life cycle considered from a cross-cultural perspective. Major approaches to explaining sex roles discussed in light of information from both Western and non-Western cultures. Offered as ANTH 365, ANTH 465 and WGST 365.
ANTH 466. Population Change: Problems and Solutions. 3 Units.
The course examines population processes and their social consequences from an anthropological perspective. It introduces basic concepts and theories of population studies and demonstrates the ways in which anthropological research contributes to our understanding of population issues. We will explore questions such as: How has world population changed in history? How does a population age or grow younger? What are the factors affecting population health? Why do people migrate? And what are the policy implications of population change? We will examine the sociocultural, economic, political, and ecological factors contributing to population processes, such as factors affecting childbearing decisions, cultural context of sex-selective abortion, various caregiving arrangements for the elderly, and policy responses to population change. We will explore these issues with cases from across the world, with a special focus on China, the world's most populous country with the most massive family-planning program in modern human history. Offered as ANTH 366 and ANTH 466. Prereq: Graduate standing.
ANTH 467. Topics in Evolutionary Biology. 3 Units.
The focus for this course on a special topic of interest in evolutionary biology will vary from one offering to the next. Examples of possible topics include theories of speciation, the evolution of language, the evolution of sex, evolution and biodiversity, molecular evolution. The graduate level offerings of this course will require a longer, more sophisticated term paper, and additional class presentation. Offered as ANTH 367, BIOL 368, EEPS 367, PHIL 367, ANAT 467, ANTH 467, BIOL 468, EEPS 467, PHIL 467 and PHOL 467.
ANTH 471. Culture, Behavior, and Person: Psychological Anthropology. 3 Units.
Cross-cultural perspectives on personality, human development, individual variability, cognition, deviant behavior, and the role of the individual in his/her society. Classic and contemporary anthropological writings on Western and non-Western societies. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 371 and ANTH 471.
ANTH 472. Anthropological Approaches to Religion. 3 Units.
The development of, and current approaches to, comparative religion from an anthropological perspective. Topics include witchcraft, ritual, myth, healing, religious language and symbolism, religion and gender, religious experience, the nature of the sacred, religion and social change, altered states of consciousness, and evil. Using material from a wide range of world cultures, critical assessment is made of conventional distinctions such as those between rational/irrational, natural/supernatural, magic/religion, and primitive/civilized. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 372, RLGN 372 and ANTH 472.
ANTH 476. Topics in the Anthropology of Health and Medicine. 3 Units.
Special topics of interest, such as the biology of human adaptability; the ecology of the human life cycle health delivery systems; transcultural psychiatry; nutrition, health, and disease; paleoepidemiology; and population anthropology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 103. Offered as ANTH 376 and ANTH 476.
ANTH 479. Topics in Cultural and Social Anthropology. 3 Units.
Special topics of interest across the range of social and cultural anthropology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102. Offered as ANTH 379 and ANTH 479.
ANTH 480. Medical Anthropology and Global Health I. 3 Units.
The first in a sequence of two graduate core courses in medical anthropology and global health. This course focuses on foundational concepts and theories in medical anthropology, as well as topical areas which have been central to the development of the field. Prereq: Graduate Standing in Anthropology.
ANTH 480B. Medical Anthropology and Global Health I Recitation. 1 Unit.
ANTH 480B serves as a complement to ANTH 480 (Medical Anthropology and Global Health I). There are two primary goals. The first goal is to provide additional time to review, discuss, and integrate through discussion and additional readings topics covered in ANTH 480. This will better prepare students for both course exams and the MA Qualifying Exam, as well as meeting stated student interests in expanded opportunities to engage with graduate student colleagues about contemporary anthropological research. The second goal is to support students in building their professional identity as anthropologists and to enhance professional development through specific skill-building. Coreq: ANTH 480. Prereq: Anthropology Graduate Student.
ANTH 481. Medical Anthropology and Global Health II. 3 Units.
The second in a sequence of two graduate core courses in medical anthropology and global health. This course focuses on the application of medical anthropology theory and methods to the study of global health. Recommended preparation: ANTH 480. Prereq: Graduate Standing in Anthropology.
ANTH 481B. Medical Anthropology and Global Health II Recitation. 1 Unit.
ANTH 481B serves as a complement to ANTH 481 (Medical Anthropology and Global Health II). The goal of the course is to provide additional time to review, discuss, and integrate through discussion and additional readings topics covered in ANTH 481. This will better prepare students for both course exams and the MA Qualifying Exam, as well as meeting stated student interests in expanded opportunities to engage with graduate student colleagues about contemporary anthropological research. Prereq: Graduate Standing in Anthropology.
ANTH 482. Anthropological and Ecological Perspectives on Preserving and Restoring the Natural World. 3 Units.
Now that the environmentally deleterious effects of modern Western culture on the natural world have reached major proportions it has become crucial to explore innovative solutions to this dilemma. In this course novel perspectives derived from the intersection of anthropology and ecology are discussed. The primary perspective focused upon is the understanding that human culture and the natural world in which it is embedded are essentially communicative, or semiotic processes, which thrive upon diverse interaction and feedback. Preserving and restoring the Natural World thus shifts from protecting individual species and particular cultural practices to enhancing the communicative matrix of life and multiple cultural views of the environment. Through this understanding, students will learn to apply a more elegant, effective, and aesthetically pleasing perspective to the challenging environmental issues facing our contemporary world. An in-depth examination of the North American Prairie, along with a comparison of influences on the landscape by indigenous and modern Western Culture will serve as the particular region of focus. Offered as ANTH 382 and ANTH 482. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ANTH 485. Applied Anthropology. 3 Units.
This class will provide students with an overview of how anthropologists put theories, methods, and findings to use in addressing social issues and problems. Applied projects presented will span a diverse range of topics and fields, including: healthcare and medicine, nutrition, international development, displacement of populations, education, as well projects from business and industry. Class discussion will address orientations of and advantages in applied approaches, as well the ethical questions such projects often encounter. Offered as ANTH 385 and ANTH 485.
ANTH 504. Anthropological Research Design. 3 Units.
Practical and theoretical issues in the selection of questions for health and aging research in societal settings. Illustration of frameworks and designs for research. Discussion of the problems of collection, analysis, and interpretation of data along with the nonscientific influences on the research process and the use of results. Prereq: Graduate standing in anthropology.
ANTH 511. Seminar in Anthropology and Global Health: Topics. 3 Units.
This course examines the current issues in global health and the emerging anthropological paradigm directed at global health issues. The objective of the course is to provide graduate students in medical anthropology an in-depth examination of global health from several perspectives. The course will feature perspectives from anthropologists as well as others working in the fields of global health. Prereq: Graduate standing in Anthropology.
ANTH 530. Seminar in Medical Anthropology: Topics. 3 Units.
Various topics will be offered for graduate students in medical anthropology, such as "Anthropological Perspectives on Women's Health and Reproduction" and "Biocultural Anthropology." Prereq: ANTH 480.
ANTH 599. Tutorial: Advanced Studies in Anthropology. 1 - 18 Units.
(Credit as arranged.) Advanced studies in anthropology.
ANTH 601. Independent Research. 1 - 18 Units.
(Credit as arranged.)
ANTH 701. Dissertation Ph.D.. 1 - 9 Units.
(Credit as arranged.) Prereq: Predoctoral research consent or advanced to Ph.D. candidacy milestone.