Next Semester's Courses
FALL 2013
The field of anthropology is concerned with the study of humankind. It includes the evolution of the human species and the development and varied nature of the cultures and societies in which people live. For all students at the College, regardless of their major, anthropology offers a holistic and cross-cultural perspective on human culture that is essential to a liberal arts education.
ANTH 10300-01, 02 BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LA NS 2a
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: TBD
ENROLLMENT: 32 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: This course is for students with an interest in human evolution and diversity and primate behavior and ecology.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the past and ongoing biological evolution of humans. It is divided into three main sections. First, the participants learn the basic principles of genetics and evolutionary theory. Then, we explore the ecology and behavior of extant primates. This includes addressing the diversity of both nonhuman primates and ourselves. Finally, we focus on what we have learned from the fossil record, exploring the behavioral and biological characteristics of our ancestors. The major areas of study within biological anthropology are covered, including: genetics, human biology, primatology, paleoanthropology, and osteology.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion. Casts of skeletal material, powerpoint presentations and video.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: There will be one text plus supplemental readings. Grading based on exams, assignments, and several other criteria.
ANTH 10400-all sections CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY LA SS 1, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS:
Section 01 & 02: David Turkon, Gannett 120, Ext. 4-1782 dturkon@ithaca.edu
Section 03 & 04: Sue-Je Gage, Gannett 130, Ext. 4-3574, sgage@ithaca.edu
Section 05 & 06: Denise Nuttall, Gannett 124, Ext. 4-1682, dnuttall@ithaca.edu
Section 07 & 08: TBD
ENROLLMENT: 32 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Open to students from all areas of the college, and of all years.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Cultural Anthropology explores the diversity of the world's societies, including hunter-gatherer societies, herding pastoralists, peasant agriculturalists, and industrial peoples in rural and urban places. It emphasizes the role of culture in shaping human adaptations and human actions, and promotes understanding of other cultures. This course examines the way anthropologists do fieldwork in varied settings and looks at the contributions anthropology can make to an understanding of modernizations, social change, urbanization, race relations, and cross-cultural communication. Professors of the different sections of this course draw on their own research in such areas as Asia, Africa, Latin America and the United States to illustrate these processes. The course provides an introduction to the field of cultural anthropology and a basis for taking upper level courses in anthropology.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Each professor teaches her/his sections independently, with different emphases, examples, and readings. For each section, the format combines discussions, lectures, fieldwork slides, and films. Grading, readings and specific requirements are set by the professor of each individual section.
ANTH 10700-01, 02 WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY LA SS 1, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Rossen, Gannett 132, Ext. 4-1363, jrossen@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 32 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: The course is for the seriously curious – those who know something about the ancient world but who would like to know more and those who know nothing but would like to learn something.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to archaeology and world prehistory. A basic introduction to archaeological methods will highlight the development of this discipline from a romantic discipline into a science. The origins of humans in Africa and our spread into all parts of the earth will be briefly discussed. Our social development from hunter-gatherers to chiefdoms to complex states will then be considered, focusing on important issues of those changes and what they tell us about ourselves. The issue of why did people all over the world settle down and become farmers and herders will be discussed. The great civilizations of the ancient world will then be individually considered: how were they alike and different? In what ways did they endure or “disappear?" Other issues, like ethics and current controversies, will be addressed throughout the course.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The course will be taught primarily as lectures, with questions and discussion encouraged. Films and images will supplement the class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Book and readings. Grading based on exams, written work and other criteria.
ANTH 24000-01 ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY: HUMAN IMPACT IN THE PAST AND PRESENT LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Paula Turkon, Admin Annex 118, Ext. 4-3280, pturkon@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 (Cultural Anthropology) or ANTH 10700 (World Archaeology).
STUDENTS: This course is cross-listed with Environmental Studies and Sciences (ENVS 24000). Students may not register for both course numbers.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course both directly and indirectly addresses contemporary environmental issues by examining the interrelationship between humans and their environments from a long-term archaeological perspective. Critical to an understanding of environmental change, this course emphasizes archaeological, geological, and botanical methods and analytical techniques used for long-term environmental reconstruction. Through a series of case studies representing a wide range of time periods and geographic locations, the course will stress that human environmental impact is not just a product of modern society, but has always been a factor with which humans have had to contend.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, projects, and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Discussion, small group projects, quizzes, research paper.
ANTH 24100-01 MODERN AFRICA LA SS 1, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: David Turkon, Gannett 120, Ext. 4-1782, dturkon@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 or ANTH 12900 or permission of instructor.
STUDENTS: Open to all interested students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines contemporary social situations found in a variety of African Cultures and societies using conceptual frameworks developed by anthropologists working in Africa over the past century. The first weeks of class will be spent surveying these developments. Anthropological understandings of religious belief systems, kinship patterns, political systems, land use patterns, legal systems, etc. will inform our understandings of continuity and change in a variety of African settings that are experiencing various aspects of globalism and modernization. Background and topical areas will include African pre-history, colonial legacies, language and cultural groupings, geography and environment, ecological adaptations, resistance and liberation movements, urbanization, economic patterns, livelihood security, food security, and health issues (including HIV and AIDS).
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures and discussions with a strong emphasis on student participation. Course materials will include research reports, scholarly articles, news stories and several books including novels. The instructor will draw heavily on his own research in southern Africa in to highlight the usefulness of anthropological understandings for informing development programming. Slides and videos will be incorporated throughout.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Final grade will be based on two exams, a research paper and presentation, regular assignments, attendance and class participation.
ANTH-25500-01 HUMAN EVOLUTION 2A, LA NS 2a
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: TBD
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: One of the following: ANTH 10300, BIOL 12100, BIOL 12200, BIOL 22700.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: How have humans evolved anatomically, biologically, behaviorally, and culturally over the last seven million years? The course tracks major events and evidence for human origins, with an emphasis on the reconstruction of behavior from paleontological and anatomical remains, and reviews recent finds, examines casts of fossils, and discusses the evidence for competing theories concerning our hominid ancestors.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture.
ANTH 26500-01 SOUTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY LA SS 1, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Malpass, Gannett 127, Ext. 4-1363, malpass@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 or ANTH 10700.
STUDENTS: Open to all who have met the prerequisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will explore the prehistory of the South American continent, from the earliest evidence of occupations, until the appearance of the Spanish conquistadores in 1532. Due to the nature of the archaeological work done, emphasis will be placed on the cultural developments of western South America, especially Peru, but an attempt will be made to cover some of the prehistory of the rest of the continent as well. Particular attention will be paid to the mechanisms of cultural adaptation and evolution.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Illustrated lectures and a few films. Discussion is especially encouraged.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: One text and some reserve readings. Grading based on exams, a paper and other criteria.
ANTH 27000-01 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS LA SS 1, h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Mike Carpentier, Gannett G129, Ext. 4-1384, mcarpentier@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces the North American Indian experience (U.S./Canada). We will explore: Native ways of knowing, history from pre-contact to post-contact, interactions with anthropologists and science, and issues in education. Contemporary issues such as identity, land claims, mascots, popular culture and representation, and the lasting repercussions of the colonization process will play a significant role in our discussions. The focus of this course is not a superficial look at the customs and traits of the various tribes, but an examination of the issues and struggles of contemporary American Indians. Our discussions will be framed by a critical approach to Native American Studies.
COURSE FORMAT/ STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Course requirements include written assignments (response papers, media analysis), participation, and attendance.
ANTH-27300-01 THE IROQUOIS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS LA SS 1, h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Rossen, Gannett 120, Ext. 4-3326, jrossen@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400.
STUDENTS: The course is designed for students with an interest in cultural anthropology, archaeology and the interaction between the two. It is also designed for students from a wide variety of majors with an interest in New York history, culture, and current events.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a mid-level course designed to familiarize students with one of the largest groups of Native peoples in northeastern North America – the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), including the Six Nations (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Tuscarora), along with prehistoric and historic neighbors (Tutelo, Susquehannock, Huron, Fort Ancient). We will trace their history from earliest settlement to the present-day. We will explore their prehistory, florescence, the consequences of European colonization, and the struggles and achievements of Haudenosaunee people today in the U.S. and Canada. Covered will be politics, social organization, art, economics and issues such as environmental justice, taxation, gaming, repatriation, nationalism, and land claims. The course will make a special effort to introduce Native voices and perspectives.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Teaching methods will include a mix of lectures, discussions, and supplemental films.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Reading of books and articles; regular attendance. Grading based on class participation, term paper, and exams.
ANTH-32500-01 ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brooke Hansen, Gannett 125, Ext. 4-1735, kbhansen@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 and two courses in the social sciences.
STUDENTS: For anyone interested in the relation between food and culture and the global and local implications of what we eat.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Everybody eats, but our choices about what to eat and how to produce, distribute and consume food reveal profound cultural ideologies in both sacred and secular domains. We examine both ancient and modern foodways to understand the complex role of food in history, nutrition, culture, political economy, nationalism and globalization. Case studies involving Jewish food, African-American cuisine, Native American diets, and more, are highlighted to emphasize anthropological themes and theories.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar style discussion with student facilitation of course topics, small group discussions and guest speakers.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Class participation and presentations, assignments including "follow that food" and local food treasure hunt and a fieldwork/research project.
ANTH 36600-01 ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE U.S. MILITARY LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Sue-Je Gage, Gannett 130, Ext. 4-3574, sgage@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 plus two courses in the social sciences.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: With US military territories in more than 6000 locations around the globe, some scholars feel that the US is an imperial force through this military presence. This course will examine what is meant by the US military as an “empire,” particularly since the 1930s, as well as the individual soldiers who make up this “empire.” We will look specifically at domestic and international governmental policies, gender and “race,” media representations, and the public discourse surrounding the military, wars and us/them dichotomies that “militarize” and “de-militarize” our consciousness.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar-style discussion, PowerPoint presentations, small group discussion, cultural exercises.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Text, supplemental readings, research paper/project, exams, research paper, assignments, participation.
ANTH 37800-01 ANTHROPOLOGY OF MUSIC LA SS 3b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Denise Nuttall, Gannett 124, Ext. 4-1682, dnuttall@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 and two courses in the social sciences.
STUDENTS: This course is designed for anyone interested in anthropology, music, and the relationships between the arts and society.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an introduction to ethnomusicology and explores how music creates and reflects culture and society. Through a variety of case studies, which may include South Asian, African, and North American music, students will explore ethnomusicological theories and techniques and will gain an appreciation for a wide range of musical styles. A few of the issues addressed in the course will include: varied musical aesthetics, relationships between musical and social structures, the relationships between music and culture, music and power, music and religion, transnational and transcultural musics, and music in global contexts.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The class will include lectures, guest lecturers and performers, discussions, listening sessions, and some music participation (though no musical experience is required or expected).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation in discussions, completion of reading and listening assignments and exams.
ANTH 45000-01, 02 ANTHROPOLOGY CAPSTONE LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS:
Section 01: Brooke Hansen, Gannett 125, Ext. 4-1735, kbhansen@ithaca.edu
Section 02: Jennifer Muller, Gannett 128, Ext. 4-3327, jlmuller@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15 per section
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing and major in Anthropology
STUDENTS: Senior anthropology majors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The goals of this course are both theoretical and practical. Students reflect on and discuss their anthropological knowledge and experience and prepare for life after graduation. Anthropology as a holistic discipline is explored in the context of the courses, fieldwork, and other activities (overseas programs, internships, etc.) students have participated in. Career opportunities related to various subfields, including archaeology, medical anthropology, and primatology, are identified. Students will practice professional skills, prepare resumes, letters of introduction, and other formal documents in a way that effectively presents their anthropological skills and background.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar with class discussion, films, exercises, and guest presentations on career choices and preparation.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Requirements include participating in class discussions and role plays, written reviews, a senior comprehensive exam, and preparation of resumes, job letters, and an e-portfolio. Grading based on the assignments and participation in class.
ANTH 45800-01 RESEARCH IN ANTHROPOLOGY NLA
Variable credit (may be repeated up to a maximum of 6 credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 30200, ANTH 30500, or ANTH 30600 and completion of H&S Dean’s independent study/internship form.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Provides students an opportunity to conduct individual research in any of the subfields that are not fieldwork, such as laboratory analysis, text analysis, tape transcription, or library research on a specific topic.
ANTH 45900-01 INTERNSHIP IN ANTHROPOLOGY NLA
Variable credit (may be repeated to a maximum of 6 credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10300, ANTH 10400, or ANTH 10700, permission of instructor, and completion of H & S Dean’s Office internship form.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Provides students an opportunity to conduct individual research that is not fieldwork in any of the subfields and under the supervision of a professional. Internships are arranged individually at the student's request with an instructor and a sponsoring agency.
ANTH 46000-01 ADVANCED READINGS IN ANTHROPOLOGY LA UND
Variable credit
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 and three other anthropology courses and permission of instructor.
STUDENTS: Majors and upper level students who have made prior arrangements with the individual professor for the desired topic.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Arrangements are initiated by the student interested in a topic not covered by regular course offerings.
ANTH-47701-01, 02 FIELDWORK AND RESEARCH: SPECIAL PROJECTS LA UND
Variable credit
INSTRUCTORS:
Section 01: Brooke Hansen, Gannett 125, Ext. 4-1735, kbhansen@ithaca.edu
Section 02: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5 per section
PREREQUISITES: ANTH-30200 or ANTH-30500, and consultation with and permission of instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An alternative to ANTH 47000 and ANTH 47200 for advanced anthropology students with a focus other than archaeology or ethnography whose research plans would benefit from a more individualized approach. The research may be conducted within or away from the Ithaca area under supervision by an anthropology faculty member.
