102 ANTHROPOLOGY: HUMAN ORIGINS
AND CULTURE (4 hrs)
Dr. John Polk Office: 188 Davenport Hall PH: 333-3676
Dr. Stanley Ambrose Office: 381 Davenport Hall PH: 244-3504
This class explores the fossil and archaeological evidence for human evolution and the evolution of culture. We examine the fossil and artifact record of the last several million years in order to develop an understanding of why we are interesting animals and a somewhat unique species. The first part of the course considers our biological heritage. We learn the biological bases of human life and carefully evaluate the human fossil record. The second part of the course introduces students to archaeology, the evolution of cultural behavior, and world prehistory.
Required Texts: TBA
APPROVED FOR SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES GEN ED REQUIREMENT.
103
Anthropology in a Changing World (3 hrs)
Dr. Karen Kelsky Office: 2090 FLB PH: 244-5920
This course gives students an introduction to the perspectives, methods, and theoretical tools used by cultural anthropology. Anthropology explores the ways that culture and social organization shape human behavior. Exploring diverse social practices and beliefs in a global context, we will examine the power of symbols, norms, and categories to shape everyday lives. By attempting to see the world through other peoples' eyes, this course helps you to perceive and challenge the cultural assumptions constraining your won view of the world. We will critically examine basic categories such as the self, ethnicity, nationality, race, gender, and sexuality, in a context of global movements, transnational cultural flows, and world-linking technological innovations.
ANTH 103 meets General Education criteria for a UIUC Social Sciences, Non-Western Cultures and Western Comparative Cultures course.
104 TALKING CULTURE (3 hrs)
Dr. Brenda Farnell Office: 209E Davenport Hall; PH: 244-9226
This course provides an introduction to linguistic anthropology, focusing on language as a means to understand self and society; demonstrating the role of language in the development of a person’s concept of self and in the creation and maintenance of society and culture; emphasizing language use within community as key to the analysis of cultural practices. We examine how talk and gestures actually work in different cultural contexts, look at problems of cross-cultural communication, and explore difficulties among people who speak the same language, especially when differences of class, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity are involved.
Texts include the following books plus articles on e-reserve:
Thomas, Linda and Shan Wareing et al. 2004. Language, Society and Power. 2nd Edition. London and New York: Routledge.
Bauer, Laurie and Peter Trudgill (eds.) 1998. Language Myths. London and New York: Penguin.
Schaller, Susan 1991. A Man Without Words. Berkeley: University of California Press.
105 WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY (3 hrs)
TBA Office: PH:
Using archaeological data, this class traces a world of archaeological discoveries and the processes which led to the development of agriculture, settled villages, and civilizations. We touch on archaeology's basic philosophy, methods, and theories in lectures but focus on specific problems, people, and places to get a big picture understanding of ancient world history. Lectures range from the earliest Homo sapiens to ancient Sumeria, Egypt, Mexico, Europe, Peru, China, subcontinental Africa, and the United States. Grades are based on exams, quizzes, and two short papers.
*THIS COURSE FULFILLS THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS GEN. ED. REQ.
143 BIOLOGICAL BASES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
(3 hrs.)
Dr. Kathryn Clancy Office: PH:
What makes us act the way we do? Is our behavior a product more of our biology or our upbringing? In this course, we critically consider current controversies and ideas on the origin and development of human behavior, and the extent to which human behavior is influenced by nature versus nurture. We investigate the bases of human behavior by drawing on evidence from traditional forager populations, psychological studies and our primate relatives. Specific topics include natural and sexual selection, hormones and reproduction, mating, parenting, aggression, and gendered vs. sex-based behavior. The course should be of interest to students in a wide variety of disciplines including biological and social sciences, the humanities, as well as anyone interested in the study of human behavior.
161 THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS MEANINGS (3 hrs.)
Dr. Matti Bunzl Office: 386B Davenport Hall PH: 265-4068
The Holocaust is a defining event of modern history. Its unparalleled brutality and sheer inhumanity have raised existential questions that resonate across the globe. As a result, the Holocaust has become a cultural symbol; it is the separator between good and evil and serves as a crucial reference point for debates on morality, ethics, and the lessons of history. This course explores the cultural dynamics of this process from an anthropological perspective, tracing the Holocaust as a symbol in its historical and cross-cultural dimensions. In this sense, the course is less about the Holocaust as such than it is about its various contexts and representations. In this vein, we will explore such topics as the cultural logics of anti-Semitism, the place of the Holocaust in European-Jewish history, the way the Holocaust has been memorialized cross-culturally, and the changing meaning of the Holocaust in such countries as Germany, Israel, and the United States.
184 ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURES
Dr. Martin Manalansan Office: 387 Davenport Hall PH: 244-3500
This course introduces the ethnographic literature on Asian American communities and experiences. By giving students a solid background on the history, demography, and politics of Asian Americans, this course will provide students with the critical skills necessary to understand and appreciate the cultures and social dynamics of the various groups.
199 YOUTH CULTURE
Dr. Gilberto Rosas Office: 389 Davenport Hall PH: 244-4117
Drawing
on current and classic ethnographic studies and works in the humanities, this
course explores the historically and culturally specific experience of youth in
the Amercias, Great Britain, and other parts of the world. Questions will
include: what is there such anxiety about youth in the contemporary world? How
does the social and cultural construction of youth shift across time and space?
How do certain axes of power such as class, race, gender, and sexuality,
complicate discourses about youth?
199 NATURE RELIGION
Dr. James Treat
treaty@uiuc.edu Office 3072 FLB PH:
This is an introductory survey of religious traditions that locate sacred realities in the natural world. The term "nature religion" is an interpretive construct guiding our exploration of various movements and expressions that have emphasized convergences between the ecological and the spiritual. Assigned readings are drawn from key texts in the fields of religious studies and environmental studies; class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, guest speakers, campus events, and web-based assignments. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the relationship between religion and nature and to develop their critical skills for use in educational, professional, and personal settings.
220 INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY (3 hrs)
Instructor TBA
This course provides an introduction to theory and methods in archaeological research, data collection, and analysis. The objective is to familiarize the student with the strategies that are employed in the investigation of archaeological remains and how these strategies further the aims of an anthropological archaeology. Grades will be based on two in-class exams, two section quizzes, and weekly assignments.
230 SOCIALCULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY (3 hrs)
Dr. Andrew Orta Office: 382 Davenport Hall PH: 333-8423
This course is an advanced introduction to sociocultural anthropology. Through the systematic study of human diversity (and similarity), sociocultural anthropologists study fundamental dimensions of the human condition and their multiple expressions across space and time. We will discuss the basic concepts and analytic approaches of the field through a combination of case studies focused on specific societies and an historical overview of the development of the discipline. We will also discuss the research methods of sociocultural anthropology and engage in some ethnographic exercises of our own. For those students interested in pursuing further work in sociocultural anthropology, this course will provide the key terms and concepts necessary to continue work in the field. For all students, the course will present a glimpse of a range of human societies and the contemporary challenges they confront, and encourage a comparative and critical awareness of other societies, of our own, and of the complex connections and histories that link us together.
243 SOCIALITY OF THE GREAT APES (3 hrs)
Dr. Rebecca Stumpf Office: 189 Davenport Hall PH: 333-8072
This course examines the biology and behavior of our closest living relatives, the great apes. Beginning with an overview of the taxonomic relationship between the great apes and humans, we will then cover the locomotion, feeding ecology, social organization, mating patterns, and behavior of chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. Lecture material focuses on topics such as social cooperation, mating strategies, inter-and intrasexual social interactions, infanticide, tool use, diet, food sharing, reproductive behavior, cognition and conservation. We will evaluate the appropriateness of the great apes as models for understanding human behavior and evolution.
259 LATINA/O CULTURES
Dr. Arlene Torres Office: 383 Davenport Hall PH: 244-3511
In this class, we will examine the cultures of U.S. Latinas and Latinos. We will focus on recent ethnographic studies about AND by Latinos and Latinos. Topics to be discussed include: ethnic and racial identity, language, racial discourse, gender inequality, sexuality, power, class hierarchies, cultural citizenship, and popular culture--all from an anthropological perspective. In the process, we will critically examine the imagined, the intended, and the invented communities constituting the Latina/o population of this country. In particular, we will explore (though not exclusively) the experiences of Mexican Americans, Chicanas/os, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Dominicans in the United States.
266 AFRICAN FILM AND
SOCIETY (3 hrs)
Dr. Mahir Saul Office: 309J Davenport Hall PH: 244-3502
Feature movies produced in African countries is the subject matter of this course. Many of these have won awards in international festivals and competitions. One movie will be screened every week to discuss contemporary issues in Africa, film topics, the current art and literature climate in Africa. Readings will be assigned on Africa, the countries where the films were made, and the themes they deal with. Attendance is extremely important. Weekly quizzes, midterm and final.
Texts:
Vivan Bickford-Smith and Richard Mendelsohn, eds. Black and White in Colour:
African HIstory on Screen. 2007
Ngugi wa Thiog'o, Decolonizing the Mind
270 LINGUISTIC
ANTHROPOLOGY (3 HRS) (meets w/ Anth 271)
271 LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY (ADVANCED COMP. II) (3HRS)
Professor Janet
Keller
Office: 395 Davenport Hall
PH: 333-3529
jdkeller@uiuc.edu
Both courses provide an introduction to linguistic anthropology, and examine
the intersections between language, self, culture and society. We explore
language and identity; language and mind; language and culture; discourse,
power and performance in social interaction, talk and writing. The course
also addresses language in historical and comparative perspective and issues of
language in the contemporary world. We contrast human and nonhuman
communication systems and briefly look at language acquisition. Students
will be introduced to a variety of theoretical approaches; learn basic
analytical procedures, and have opportunities to apply these to problems.
This course may be taken as a standard offering (270) or for COMP II
credit (271) with a focus on writing and composition. Lectures are
shared for both courses. Sections are separate.
Texts will include the following.
Wogan, Peter 2004 Magical Writing in Salasaca: Literacy and Power in Highland
Ecuador.
Ottenheimer, Harriett Joseph 2006 the Anthropology of Language. A text and
associated workbook and reader.
Prerequisites : None, but ANTH 104 recommended.
**270 satisfies the COMP I REQUIREMENT FOR UNDERGRADUATES
**271 satisfies the COMP II REQUIREMENT FOR UNDERGRADUATES
278 CLIMATE CHANGE AND
CIVILIZATION
Dr. Lisa Lucero Office: 191 Davenport Hall PH: 244-7896
This course examines how climate change impacts society at various levels, from communities to political systems, past and present. With the increasing need to understand how climate change and society intersect at present, it increasingly is becoming important that we address critical questions about how lessons from the past can-or cannot-inform on present needs. To accomplish this, case studies from around the world are presented and discussed. The last part of the course focuses on current trends and solutions on how to deal with the consequences of climate change. What are the political and social roadblocks to addressing global climate change? We will, through technology or other means, over come the dramatic changes taking place (e.g., melting glaciers, rising sea levels, increasing drought/flooding, and so on)? Students will come away from this course better informed about the current state of climate change and what it portends for our future. Case studies from around the world will be discussed.
399JD THE CULTURE OF NATURE
Dr. Jane Desmond Office: 385 Davenport Hall; PH: 244-4470
Ideas of “the natural” and “the cultural” underpin many of our beliefs, laws, and social practices. This course examines the relationship between these two mutually-defining concepts with an emphasis on the construction of notions of a “natural world.” We will see how this concept has varied over time and among different social groups .Emphasis will be on cultural groups and practices within the U.S. but students will be encouraged to relate these issues to their work on other parts of the world as appropriate. Topics will include the idea of “landscape” and of “nature” as a resource to be used, appreciated, articulated, or enjoyed. In addition, at least half of the course will be devoted to analyzing our relationships to animals including the use of animals for entertainment, food, sports, science and education, and in the arts, and in the law. We will discuss the rise of zoos, the American humane movement, contentious debates about factory farming and animal rights, and the ubiquitous family pet. Films, local field trips or guest speakers, and activities will supplement in-class discussion and assigned readings. This course is especially useful for students in anthropology, but will also benefit students interested in ecology, environmental studies, cultural geography, public leisure, farming, animal sciences, and cultural studies approaches to literary representation, art, and social history.
399PG SOCIALITY IN LIVING
PRIMATES
Dr. Paul Garber Office: 309K Davenport Hall PH: 333-0075
This course examines the set of ecological and social factors such as predation risk, resource availability and distribution, kinship, mutualism, alliance formation, cooperation, reproductive opportunities, group size, and requirements of infant care that affect the benefits and costs of social group living in wild nonhuman primates. Species and group differences will be discussed, as well as the effects of anthropogenic habitat disturbance on primate conservation and the role of primates in forest ecosystems.
411 METHODS OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
(3 hrs)
Dr. Alma Gottlieb Office: 386C Davenport Hall PH: 244-3515
Fieldwork has long been considered the central ritual of the tribe (of cultural anthropology). Is it art or science? Both or neither? In this course we'll look at field research in cultural anthropology as a continuing process of mutual discovery by researcher and members of the host community.
* Given the uniqueness of each fieldwork experience, what can be learned ahead of time to avoid others' mistakes?
* How do our own identities and roles--as fieldworkers and as people--shape both the questions we ask and the answers we receive in fieldwork?
* What are the (dis)advantages of being a ‘native’/ ‘outsider’ researcher? How ‘native’ is the ‘native anthropologist’? Is it possible-or desirable-to ‘go native’?
* How are classic anthropological techniques--interviews, charting social networks, constructing genealogies, taking surveys--best adapted in the 21st century?
* What ethical challenges can be anticipated, and how can we prepare for them?
* How can we write up our material to reflect most accurately what we've seen and experienced during fieldwork?
This is a "hands-on" course: in exploring the above issues, all students will conduct local research projects during the semester. Small research exercises guided by readings will be followed by other research foci of your choosing. Once you start your field projects, we'll reduce our readings and devote an increasing portion of each class to discussing your field experiences of the prior week, while continuing to read short texts guiding you through issues you may be encountering. The fieldwork that you undertake in this course may be directly related to later research that you plan to undertake (honor's thesis, master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation), but this isn't necessary. The course should help prepare you for whatever research you undertake in the future.
For undergraduate students in cultural anthropology, this class is required for the new Sociocultural/Linguistic Anthropology option.
For grad students in cultural anthropology, this class class fulfills the program's requirement for a Pre-Fieldwork Seminar for the doctoral program in Sociocultural & Linguistic Anthropology.
Prerequisites:
This course is intended primarily for two groups of students: graduate students in cultural anthropology (any year), and undergraduate anthropology majors who've already taken ANTH 103 and/or ANTH 230, plus at least one 300-level course in cultural anthropology.
414 WRITING ETHNOGRAPHY
Dr. Alma Gottlieb Office: 386C Davenport Hall PH: 244-3515
Journal editors and academic publishers increasingly demand manuscripts that tell engaging stories that readers will want to read. In this course, we'll try our hand at writing engaging texts in a variety of genres. Using a body of data from a particular ethnographic context (either from library research, or their own field data), students will experiment with several ethnographic writing styles from among many options (ethnographic fiction, ethnographic memoir, ethnographic play, op ed piece, parody, ethnographic poem, recipe, biography, parodic manual...). At the same time, we'll explore current debates about writing ethnography by reading a selection of contemporary anthropological texts (and some prescient precursors) that boldly experiment with the writing of ethnography. The course thus allows us to engage with important issues relevant to broad interdisciplinary conversations and critical debates about the nature of writing in the social sciences. In short, this course focuses on the ways in which scholars are also authors.
Prerequisites: This course is especially designed for two groups of students:
1. advanced undergraduate students who've already taken at least one 300-level course in cultural anthropology.
2. graduate students in cultural anthropology, writing studies, and education.
423 ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Dr. Mahir Saul Office: 309J Davenport Hall PH: 244-3502
Economic anthropology deals with economic activity in its social and cultural matrix. The course will start will an overview of the field, a sample of its core literature, and then will move on to its current concerns. It will cover themes such as the gift, gender roles, the representations of work, trade and markets, and the impact of colonialism. There will be an emphasis on the diverse approaches within the discipline.
433 CONSERVATION ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
Dr. Tom Gillespie Office 187 Davenport Hall PH: 244-3836
SEE INSTRUCTOR FOR COURSE DESCRIPTION
443 PRIMATE FORM AND
BEHAVIOR (3 or 4 hrs)
Dr. Rebecca Stumpf Office: 189 Davenport Hall PH: 333-8072
This course focuses on
primate social behavior and the classification, morphology, and geographic
distribution of living primate species. This course will review all of
the living primate species and the morphological and molecular bases for their
classification. We will then examine the extensive behavioral and
morphological variation in diet, locomotion and social systems.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the interrelationships between ecology,
behavior, and morphological adaptations.
Prerequisites: ANTH 240 or EEE 246
456 HUMAN OSTEOLOGY (3 or 4 hrs)
Dr. John Polk Office: 188 Davenport Hall PH: 333-3676
Comprehensive knowledge of the human skeleton is central to reconstructing the anatomy, demography, health and evolution of past populations because most of our evidence is derived from preserved skeletal and dental remains.
The primary goal of this course is the identification of isolated and fragmentary skeletal remains given that this is a prerequisite to all subsequent analysis. In addition to identifying the bones and landmarks of the human skeleton, students will learn about the structure and function of bone, understand the growth and development of the human skeleton and be introduced to analytical techniques used in human osteology including paleopathology, paleodemography and forensics.
458 ARCHAEOZOOLOGY (4 hrs)
Dr. Elizabeth Arnold
earnold@shaw.ca Office: PH:
The course will familiarize students with the
identification, treatment, analysis and interpretation of archaeological faunal
remains. A major objective of
the course is to develop an ability to identify animal species from
archaeological remains, and to develop an ability to identify the various bone
elements of vertebrate species. The emphasis will be on mammals but other
groups such as fish and birds will also be included. Other topics to be
addressed include: recovery of fauna from archaeological sites, sampling,
skeletal terminology, quantification, bone measurements, ageing, sexing, butchery,
pathology, seasonality and a
consideration of the various cultural and natural taphonomic factors that
effect archaeological remains. The implications these analyses have for
assessment of social phenomena such as status will also be discussed. The
course will consist of lectures, demonstrations, and practical work with
archaeological and comparative materials.
461 HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY (3 or 4 hours)
Dr. Stanley Ambrose Office: 381 Davenport Hall PH: 244-3504
This course is an undergraduate/graduate seminar on the history of theory in archaeology designed as a "capstone" course for undergraduates and a "foundation stone" course for graduate students in archaeology. We will examine the ascent and decline of theoretical approaches in our sub-discipline within the context of both 1) the specific place and time period during which they emerged, 2) general developments in anthropology at large, and 3) broader intellectual and scientific paradigms. We will critically analyze different theoretical approaches, including antiquarian, evolutionary, historical, neo-evolutionary, functional, processual, ecological, Marxist, structuralist, and post-processual archaeologies (including agency, gender, practice, performance, etc.). We will critically evaluate specific examples of archaeological research done within the framework of each paradigm and theory.
Requirements: The course is divided into two sections -
Part I is devoted to lecture and critical discussion of different theoretical
approaches. Part II is devoted to student presentations of their individual
research projects. Graduate students
will lead weekly discussions of the assigned readings. Students will submit summaries every week on
each of the assigned readings.
TEXTS:
1. Hodder, I. ed. 2001 Archaeological Theory Today. Polity Press.
2. Trigger, B. G. 2006 A History of Archaeological Thought. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press.
3. Additional required and supplementary articles and book chapters will be distributed electronically.
462 MUSEUM THEORY AND PRACTICE (3 or 4 hrs)
Dr. Susan Frankenberg Office: 309A Davenport Hall PH: 244-1984
Museum theory and practice examines the history and development of museums in light of world events and intellectual trends. Topics covered include: Early history of museums; Museums and colonialism; Collecting and exhibiting Africa; Museums and nationalism; Anthropology, science, art and outdoor museums; Issues of inclusion and exclusion in museums; Museums as memory, education and entertainment; Museum politics and controversies; Ethics of collecting and exhibiting; Major issues in contemporary museum studies; and the Future of museums. This is a lecture and discussion course with an extensive reading list (mostly articles and book chapters on E-Reserve), some video presentations, and two independent museum visits outside of class time. Course requirements include class attendance, participation in discussions, and development of an exhibition proposal that includes a critical analysis of the exhibition script and venue, a catalog prospectus and a relevant annotated bibliography.
463 RELIGION AND SOCIETY
Dr. Andrew Orta Office: 382 Davenport Hall PH: 244-7108
For many, the 20th century was expected to bring the gradual erosion of religion in the face of the advance of scientific knowledge and the secularization of social life. Not so. From electoral politics to middle school science classes to the “Global War on Terror,” religion is a key facet of 21st century society. This course examines religion from the perspectives of sociocultural anthropology. We will approach religion as both a window onto the broad array of human cultural forms and as a problematic descriptive and analytic category that may tell us as much about western assumptions about society as it does about any specific society. Our readings will span foundational works in western social science, classical ethnographies on the subject, and current directions and challenges in the anthropology of religion.
476 MAYAN AND AZTEC ARCHAEOLGY (3 or 4 hrs)
Dr. Lisa Lucero Office: 191 Davenport Hall PH: 244-7896
This course explores the archaeology of Classic and Postclassic southern Mesoamerica (Maya) and Postclassic central Mexico (Aztec). Excavation data, iconography, and inscriptions recovered at sites in those areas are used to reconstruct political and social organization, ideology, subsistence activities, and inter-regional interactions. We will also explore similarities and differences between the Maya and Aztecs; both are Mesoamerican societies, yet are found in different places and rose to power in different time periods. The problems of historical preservation, cultural resource management, and national patrimony will be discussed throughout the course. We will also discuss the impact of the Spanish conquest and colonialism in the Maya and Aztec areas.
499FKL MATHMATICAL APPROACHES (4
hrs)
Dr. F.K. Lehman Office: 209H Davenport Hall PH: 244-8423
The course is
really about the formal analysis of detailed anthropological materials, both
algebraic and statistical. It is concerned with both theoretical representation
of data and methods for data management and processing, both to aid in
constructing theoretical analysis and to test such analysis
499FL CULTURE OF SOUTH ASIA (4 hrs)
Dr. F.K. Lehman Office: 209H Davenport Hall PH: 244-8423
This is a survey of issues in the anthropology of India (and also Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). In many ways, professional anthropology ad its start under the British colonial regime there with the establishment of the Anthropological Survey of India. This is intended to be an introduction to the vast anthropological literature of this region, both culture-historical and ethnographical. The purpose is to characterize the region as a domain of anthropological study and to deal with the special issues for cultural and social anthropological theory raise by specifically South Asian sociocultural phenomena. Not least is a re-examination upon rigorous grounds, of the nature of Caste, and of questions about the cultural relativity of notions of Self/Individuality.
499GR CULTURE AND POWER (4 hrs)
Dr. Gilberto Rosas Office: 389 Davenport Hall PH: 244-4117
This graduate and advanced undergraduate course explores how various thinkers conceptualize the relationship between culture and power. A selection of readings from modern, postmodern, feminist, and anti-colonial intellectuals will be read in tandem with certain ethnographies in an attempt to trace how their respective interventions influence anthropology and conversely how the discipline influences their debates. This course is restricted to advanced undergraduate students or graduate students. The class is designed on a model of “encuentro”: a coming together to share thoughts, engage in collective analysis and develop strategies to engage with theoretical and historical issues in an educational space that respects diversity and acknowledges differences.
504 COLONIALISM & POSTCOLONIALISM (4 hrs)