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Undergraduate
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Graduate
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Courses
Anthro 1300 Multiculturalism
In this course, we explore multiculturalism using a decidedly anthropological approach with a heavy emphasis on cross-cultural comparison. Although the central interest is on the United States, numerous examples are drawn from around the world such as Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Topics examined include the historical and contemporary face of multiculturalism in various countries, anthropological theories of race and ethnicity, social and economic stratification, and the range of interethnic accommodations and conflicts. [ syllabus in pdf ]
Anthro 2300 Anthropology of War
An exploration of anthropological approaches to war with an emphasis on "tribal" societies, this course examines the actual practice of war, theoretical positions on the interrelationship between war and society, and evidence and debates about the origins of war. In addition, it deals with war in relation to ecology, kinship, economy, gender relations, value and belief systems, and politics; how indigenous warfare has been transformed historically by the expansion of European and other states; explanations and case studies of contemporary violence around the world; and the waging of peace. [ syllabus in pdf ]
Anthro 2030 Cultural Anthropology
This course introduces the student to cultural anthropology through lectures, films, a collection of short readings, and two ethnographies. Through these materials, we explore the universal aspects of human behavior (such as kinship, cooperation and competition, marriage, and religion) and how different social, ecological, demographic, and historical conditions influence those behaviors. We also examine the importance of social change in both western and non-western contexts. In addition, the readings will allow us to explore differences in subject, method, and analysis among individual anthropologists.
Anthro 3780 Cultures of Southeast Asia*
This course acquaints the student with the peoples and cultures of Southeast Asia, a diverse and fascinating part of the world that is made up of the countries of Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines. We cover a number of topics including the prehistory of the region, the development of complex state societies, and the impact of world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam) prior to European entry into the area, as well as the culture and everyday life of historical Southeast Asians during this period. We also address the great diversity in the region's peasant and tribal societies, with a focus on subsistence economies, social organization, and religious practices, as well as the impact of European colonialism, the Southeast Asian response to colonialism, and the formation of modern nation-states. [ syllabus in pdf ]
*Graduate students interested in Southeast Asia may sit in on this course while enrolled with me in an independent reading course.
Anthro 4300/7300 Comparative Social Organization
This course focuses on the principles and concepts that have been fundamental to social anthropological research; namely, social, political, and kinship organization. Also addressed are the interrelationships of different ecological, economic, and demographic environments and their influences on social organization. These issues are drawn out using ethnographies representing different social, political, and kinship systems in differing ecological situations throughout the world. [ syllabus in pdf ]
Anthro 4320/7320 Ecological and Environmental Anthropology
This course focuses on the relationship between human society and the natural environment. It examines key theoretical developments and current issues in cultural, ecological, and environmental anthropology and explore the wider social, historical, conceptual, and institutional contexts of natural resource use. The emphasis will thus be on a combination of contemporary and historical perspectives as well as symbolic and material approaches. It also makes extensive use of specific ethnographic examples.
Anthro 7010 History of Anthropology
Designed to provide incoming graduate students with a broad background in the many guises of anthropological theory, this seminar course examines the major historical developments in Social/Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology over the last two centuries. (The second semester course, Anthro 7020 History of Anthropology II, covers Archaeological and Biological Anthropology.)
Anthro 8187 Seminar in Ecological Adaptation: Historical Ecology/Environmental History
This seminar is an in-depth examination of anthropological perspectives on the growing fields of historical ecology and environmental history, focusing on the interrelations between culture/society and the environment. An emphasis will be on archaeological and ecological anthropological approaches, covering topics such as "the rat that ate Louisiana," nomadic isolationism, and landscape transformations under colonial cultivation schemes.
Anthro 8687 Seminar in Cultural Dynamics: Warfare
This seminar is an intensive exploration of anthropological approaches to the study of war with an emphasis on "tribal" societies. We examine the actual practice of war, theoretical positions on the interrelationship between war and society, and evidence and debates about the origins of war. In addition, we deal with war in relation to ecology, kinship, economy, gender relations, value and belief systems, and politics; how indigenous warfare has been transformed historically by the expansion of European and other states; explanations and case studies of contemporary violence around the world; and the waging of peace.
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