Anthropology Courses

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  • ANTH 3 / Human Evolution: Biological Anthropology and Archaeology (4) - view
    An introduction to the study of human biological and cultural evolution using the methods and theories of biological anthropology and archaeology. The course surveys some basic principles of evolutionary theory, primatology, the hominid fossil record, origins of modern humans, their physical variation, and archaeological evidence for the evolution of symbolic behavior, agriculture, and civilization. Offered every semester. Fulfills: BNS
  • ANTH 4 / Cultural Diversity: Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics (4) - view
    A comparative examination of the cultural diversity of humanity. Using case studies of peoples in differing contexts, the course presents theories and data on a range of topics for understanding contemporary human conditions, including subsistence strategies, political and economic systems, religion and expressive behavior, language, culture change, and the interdependence of cultures throughout the planet. Offered every semester. Fulfills: BSS DIT
  • ANTH 10 / Culture, Gender, and Family (4) - view
    A comparative, cross-cultural study of social organization with specific attention to kinship, gender, marriage, and family systems. Includes a survey of the basic concepts and traditional approaches used by anthropologists combined with an examination of contemporary issues that challenge basic understandings of gender and family. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 11 / Ecological Anthropology (4) - view
    An interdisciplinary course that draws on data and theory from cultural and biological perspectives in anthropology and from environmental studies to question and examine the relationship of humans and the environment. Through comparisons of human cultural and biological adaptations to physical environments of the past and present, students gain a unique perspective on our impact on, relationship with, and place within the natural world. Recommended: ANTH 3 or 4. Offered fall semester. Fulfills: BI DIT BSS
  • ANTH 12 / Ancient Societies (4) - view
    An introduction to the archaeological reconstruction of human prehistory beginning with the appearance of modern humans and culminating with the development of complex societies. The course focuses on major transitions in human prehistory: Upper Paleolithic developments in art and technology, the transition to agricultural societies, and the rise of stratified societies and urbanized cultures. Prerequisite: ANTH 3. Offered spring semester.
  • ANTH 16 / Folklore (4) - view
    Introduction to myths, legends, folktales, and other verbal arts, folklife, and material culture. Topical focus on African- and European-American folklore. Theories and methods of folklore research. Recommended: ANTH 4. Offered fall semester even-numbered years.
  • ANTH 20 / Economic Anthropology (4) - view
    In this course students learn about the relationships between systems of production and distribution and the social and cultural contexts in which they occur. After discussing some important theoretical approaches that have influenced economic anthropologists over the years, we consider various ethnographic case studies that provide a more nuanced understanding of both the material and symbolic aspects of economic processes. Throughout the course, we pay close attention to the ways in which global economic processes are articulated, and made meaningful, at the local level. We also contemplate the relationships between global capitalism and pressing social problems, including hunger, gender inequities, poverty, war, and environmental degradation. Spring semester in even numbered years.
  • ANTH 25 / Primatology (4) - view
    The study of primate behavior, how it can be understood as environmental adaptation, its evolutionary significance, and how it compares to human behavior. Topics include primate ecology, social behavior, sociobiology, and cognition. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester in even-numbered years.
  • ANTH 28 / History of Anthropological Theory (4) - view
    An examination of the history of anthropology, from its philosophical foundations to contemporary directions and themes. Focuses on the main theoretical approaches in the field. Situates the contributions of major figures with references to intellectual traditions and contemporary problems. Prerequisite: ANTH 4. Offered fall semester.
  • ANTH 30 / Native Arts and Archaeology of Latin America (4) - view
    This course focuses on the development and character of indigenous cultures of Latin America before the arrival of Europeans. Themes of power, economy, religion, ritual, and symbolism that uniquely characterize Latin American native societies are examined primarily through art, architecture and material culture. The course follows a topical and comparative approach drawing on data from archaeology, art history, ethnography and ethnohistory Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or 4 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester in even-numbered years.
  • ANTH 39 / Regional Archaeology (4) - view
    An intensive archaeological study of a selected region, focusing on surveys, specific sites, and ethnohistoric and experimental evidence to derive sequences of human occupation, use, and principles of culture change. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or 4. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 50 / Topics in Cultural Anthropology (2-4) - view
    This course engages in cultural analyses of contemporary social issues. Topics vary in accordance with student interest and faculty, such as public health crises, class inequality, environmentalism, gender politics, and ethnic conflict. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Amount of credit established at time of registration. Prerequisite: ANTH 4. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 51 / Arts of Africa and the Diaspora (4) - view
    A survey of the arts and cultures of Africa and Afro-American peoples. Focuses on the interrelationships of artistic expression and other aspects of culture. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester in even-numbered years. Same as: ART 51 ARTHST 51.
  • ANTH 52 / Native North American Cultures (4) - view
    The study of cultures of native North America immediately prior to the Columbian expansion of Europe and directions and dynamics of culture change to the present. Examines current issues, specifically points of contention with the U.S. and Canadian governments and other peoples now inhabiting Native American space. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 55 / Peoples of Africa: Cultures and Civilizations (4) - view
    An introduction to the cultures, history, art, music, and literature of the peoples of Africa. Explores the evolution of great empires and themes such as community, cohesion, collision, and the impact of outside forces. Examines social and political systems, as well as individual life experiences of specific African peoples. Offered in alternative years. Prerequisite: ANTH 4. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 58 / Museums and Society (4) - view
    Using case studies from museum literature and situations, this course explores the intersection of museums with their public. It will probe the social location of museums, their function, exhibitions, educational role, and ideologies. Controversial matters such as governance, multiculturalism, globalization, the role of government, and artifact theft will be engaged in terms of changing cultural values. Offered spring semester in even years. Same as: ARTHST 58.
  • ANTH 59 / Regional Ethnography (4) - view
    An intensive cultural study of a selected region. Consideration of issues of indigenous development and contact with outsiders leading to consideration of issues of culture change. Topics vary in accordance with student need and faculty expertise. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 101 / Archaeological Method and Theory (4) - view
    Archaeology relies on a body of theories and methods for reading human prehistory from the incomplete record left by past cultures. This course offers a counterpoint to ANTH 12/Prehistory in examining how questions asked by archaeologists are addressed. Topics include techniques of excavation and artifact analysis and the major theoretical approaches to archaeological inference. The course is divided between lecture and laboratory sessions in which students analyze archaeological data. Prerequisite: ANTH 3. Offered fall semester.
  • ANTH 102 / Ethnographic Research Methods (4) - view
    A graduated course offering an introduction to qualitative work in cultural anthropology-participant-observation, ethnographic interviewing, and the roles of surveys and questionnaires. Writing a research proposal and conducting in-situ work on the Drew campus form the core of assignments. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester.
  • ANTH 113 / Psychological Anthropology (4) - view
    A study of the interrelationships of biological, cultural, and psychological factors affecting personality and behavior with emphasis on states of consciousness from the perspectives of ethnopsychology. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 and junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester.
  • ANTH 114 / Archaeology and Sustainable Culture (4) - view
    Through Archaeology scholars reconstruct, examine, query and confront the record of past human-environment interactions. Placing these interactions in an historical context brings a long-term perspective to bear on contemporary issues. This course examines critically this record of human adaptations through time and across the globe with a particular focus on the ancient Americas. The view of archaeology is that the experiences of these ancient societies offer useful lessons about past choices which should affect the choices made today. Enrollment priority: Enrollment priority given to majors and minors in Anthropology and Environmental Studies and to Archaeology minors. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or 4 or permission of the instructor. Offered spring semester in alternate years.
  • ANTH 119 / Religions of Africa (4) - view
    An introduction to the basic themes within the traditional religions of Africa, including the nature of God, the significance of creation myths, the role of ancestors, the importance of religious leaders, and the problem of evil, sickness, and death. Explores the problematic Christian encounter with African religions, the Semitic connection and African Islam, and the role and function of the Independent African-Christian Churches. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 124 / Human Osteology (4) - view
    A study of human skeletal biology and bioarcheology. The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with the bones and anatomical landmarks of the human skeleton and how stress, disease, injury, and lifestyle affect them. The course includes some instruction in paleopathology and forensic anthropology, with laboratory exercises providing direct examination of skeletal material. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or permission of instructor. Offered fall semester.
  • ANTH 125 / Medical Anthropology (4) - view
    The cross-cultural study of health and healing in ecological, evolutionary, and political-economic perspectives. Surveys cultural differences in health, reproduction, nutrition, disease ecology, medical systems, and mortality. Also considers the evolution of human disease and the efficacy of different medical systems. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offered fall semester.
  • ANTH 126 / Evolution and Human Behavior (4) - view
    A study of the basic principles of evolutionary theory as applied to the study of human social behavior. The course examines competing views on the importance of biology for understanding human behavior and considers the relationship between genes and culture. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester in even-numbered years.
  • ANTH 127 / Human Evolutionary Genetics (4) - view
    A study of human genetics in evolutionary perspective. Topics include the structure of the human genome, human-ape comparisons, human genetic diversity, interpreting that diversity, what it tells us about human origins and migrations, effects of population admixture, health implications, and forensic DNA analysis. Prerequisite: ANTH 3 or BIOL 7. Offered spring semester in odd-numbered years.
  • ANTH 130 / Anthropology of Religion (4) - view
    A study of various aspects of religious beliefs and practices among small-scale societies and folk communities within larger human systems. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offered fall semester in odd-numbered years.
  • ANTH 131 / Gender and Culture (4) - view
    A study of the construction of gender across cultures. The course considers how culture influences and shapes gender roles in varying human domains, such as religion, creative traditions, work, scholarship and research, and popular culture. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offering to be determined. Same as: WMST 131.
  • ANTH 133 / Cross-Cultural Management and Education (4) - view
    A concentration on principles and practices in successfully dealing with self and others across cultures and between differing ethnicities. Managing one's body, personality, beliefs, and habits under conditions of culture shock and continuing adaptation. Working with others in cross- ethnic contexts. Pre-departure and re-entry techniques and applications, including simulation, gaming, and role playing are demonstrated and practiced. Prerequisite: ANTH 4 or permission of instructor. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 135 / Selected Topics in Cultural Anthropology (4) - view
    An investigation of one or more major subject areas in cultural anthropology. Topics vary in accordance with student interest and faculty expertise and may include visual anthropology, structural theory, and post-postmodernism. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 136 / Selected Topics in Archaeological Method and Theory (4) - view
    An investigation of one or more major subject areas in archaeology. Topics vary in accordance with student interest and faculty expertise. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Offered spring semester in odd-numbered years.
  • ANTH 137 / Selected Topics in Biological Anthropology (4) - view
    An investigation of one or more major subject areas in biological anthropology. Topics vary in accordance with student interest and faculty expertise and may include intensive courses in primatology, human adaptability, osteology, anthropological genetics or other aspects of human biology. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: ANTH 3. Offering to be determined.
  • ANTH 140 / Archaeological Field Study (4) - view
    This summer field course introduces students to archaeological field methods, including survey, excavation, and artifact recovery and processing. Instruction is through participation in an ongoing research project. Location of the field research site varies annually. Recent offerings include Ecuador and New Jersey. Prerequisite: ANTH 101. Offered annually in summer.
  • ANTH 143 / Museums and Society (4) - view
    This course explores the intersection of the museum and its public with a focus on the rise of the museum in the late eighteenth century and its development up to the present day. Why were museums created, and what purposes do these institutions serve? What values do they project? Such questions are addressed through selected case studies and readings of key theoretical texts in the field. Analysis of current museum and gallery exhibitions, discussion of such issues as the role of government, the interdependence of museums and the art market, and debates over repatriation, restitution and looting or theft will also be addressed. Corequisite: ANTH 143L. Offered spring semester in even-numbered years. Same as: ARTHST 143.
  • ANTH 143L / MUSEUMS AND SOCIETY LAB () - view
    No description is available for this course. Corequisite: Must register for Anth 143. Same as: ARTHST 143L.
  • ANTH 150 / Independent Study in Anthropology (1-4) - view
    A special program of study planned by the student in consultation with a faculty sponsor. Written proposal and permission of a faculty member required for approval. Amount of credit established at time of registration. May be repeated for credit. Signature of instructor required for registration. Offered every semester.
  • ANTH 199 / Senior Seminar in Anthropology (4) - view
    An examination of anthropology as a profession. Discussion of current major issues in the discipline. Prerequisite: Senior standing in anthropology or behavioral science or permission of instructor. Offered spring semester.

Off-Campus Programs

  • ANTH 152 / Introduction to the Cultures of Mali (4) - view
    Students consider both traditional village cultures and the modern national culture that is gradually taking over. Time is divided between the Bamana, Dogon, and Tuareg. The comparison of these and the other peoples of Mali enables students to develop insights into how traditional societies function. Village organization, the nature of authority, the roles of men and women, religion, art, and the patterns of daily work and leisure are considered.

See appropriate departments for the following courses

  • LING 10 / Language, Communication, and Culture (4) - view
    An introduction to the role of language and its various forms of transmission in the construction of individual and cultural identity. Topics include language and gender, language and ethnicity, language and social structures. Recommended: ANTH 4 as a concurrent or prior course. Offered annually.
  • LING 120 / Linguistic Theory and Method (4) - view
    A study of descriptive and prescriptive approaches to language. Synchronic and diachronic linguistics. Phonetics and phonemics. Morphology, syntagmology, and semantics. Recommended: LING 10 or 105 as a prior course. Offering to be determined.

DREW OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS

  • ANTH 140 / Archaeological Field Study (4) - view
    This summer field course introduces students to archaeological field methods, including survey, excavation, and artifact recovery and processing. Instruction is through participation in an ongoing research project. Location of the field research site varies annually. Recent offerings include Ecuador and New Jersey. Prerequisite: ANTH 101. Offered annually in summer.
  • ANTH 152 / Introduction to the Cultures of Mali (4) - view
    Students consider both traditional village cultures and the modern national culture that is gradually taking over. Time is divided between the Bamana, Dogon, and Tuareg. The comparison of these and the other peoples of Mali enables students to develop insights into how traditional societies function. Village organization, the nature of authority, the roles of men and women, religion, art, and the patterns of daily work and leisure are considered.