Download DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY Course Supplement – Fall 2015

DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Course Supplement – Fall 2015
Updated: 03-31-2015
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-all sections BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LA NS 2a SC TIII
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa Corewyn, Gannett G129, Ext. 4-1384, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 32 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: This course is for students with an interest in human evolution and diversity as well as primate behavior
and ecology.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to introduce the student to the study of biological anthropology. This
course will develop an understanding of humans in the context of 1) their evolution and 2) their interactive processes
of human behavior/culture and biology. 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. Topics covered
are mechanism of human evolution; our primate relatives and their evolutionary history; the fossil and artifactual
evidence for human evolution over the past several millions of years; the bio-behavioral and bio-cultural variations
found in our species today and how they reflect our evolutionary past; and explanations for these variations that may
be attributed to evolutionary processes and adaptation to the environment.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Format combines lecture, discussion, powerpoint presentations and video.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Grading based on exams, written work, and other criteria.
ANTH 10400-all sections CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY LA SS 1, g SO TIDE TWOS
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS:
Sections 01: David Turkon, Gannett G120, Ext. 4-1782, [email protected]
Sections 02 & 03: Valerie Foster Githinji, Gannett G131, Ext. 4-1390, [email protected]
Sections 04 & 05: Brooke Hansen, Gannett G125, Ext. 4-1735, [email protected]
Sections 06 & 07: To be determined.
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 crosscultural 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.
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ANTH 10700-all sections WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY LA SS 1, g h SO TIII TWOS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Rossen, Gannett G132, Ext. 4-3326, [email protected]
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, Rothschild Place 118, Ext. 4-3280, [email protected]
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, SO
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: David Turkon, Gannett G120, Ext. 4-1782, [email protected]
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 through interactions between Europeans and Africans over the past
century. During the first weeks of class we survey these encounters and the theoretical perspectives that have shaped
interactions between Africans and Colonizers and the emergence of independent African nations. Out of these
encounters anthropologists developed nuanced ways for understanding cultural dynamics and social systems that help
us to understand the nature of continuities with the past as was as trajectories for change in a globalizing world.
Background and topical areas include African pre-history, colonial encounters, language and cultural groupings,
geography and environment, ecological adaptations, resistance and liberation movements, urbanization, economic
systems, livelihood security, food security, and health issues, alterity and more.
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.
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ANTH 25100-01 PEOPLE, PLANTS AND CULTURE LA SS
4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Rossen, Gannett G132, Ext. 4-3326, [email protected]
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 or ANTH 10700
ENROLLMENT: 20
STUDENTS: All students with an interest in the relationships between plants and people are welcome.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an examination of the present and past interrelationships between people and
plants. Students study plants as food, medicine, materials, and religion throughout the human experience, focusing on
non-Western peoples. Topics include plant domestication and developmental trajectories, ethnopharmacology, Native
American plant use, oral histories, and shaman-hallucinogen complexes. Also explored are the roles plants play in
shaping culture and cultural change, defining social boundaries, and creating status. The final portion of this class
considers important current topics and debates, such as bioprospecting, genetic modification, and intellectual property
rights.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: A mix of lectures, discussions, multimedia presentations.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/GRADING: There will be exams and readings. Each student will do a hands-on project
involving people who work with plants in the local community, which will result in a paper and presentation. Grading
based on participation, paper, presentation, and exams.
ANTH 26900-01 MESOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY LA SS 1, g h
3 Credits
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Malpass, Gannett G127, Ext. 4-1363, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 or ANTH 10700.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the origins and development of the Aztec, Maya, and other civilizations
of Mexico and Central America, from the first human occupation of the region to the Spanish Conquest. The main goal
of this class is to learn something about the magnificent cultures that existed in this part of the world. While you will
only get an introduction to these, I hope to impart a sense of the variety and uniqueness of each as well as some idea
of the commonly held traits that make Mesoamerica distinctive region of the New World. Perhaps you shall also learn
something about why modern Mesoamerican cultures are the way they are.
ANTH 28600-01 Anthropology of the Paranormal LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brooke Hansen, Gannett G119, Ext. 4-1735, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400.
STUDENTS: Open to all students who meet the prerequisite.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Anthropological frameworks are utilized to examine cross cultural beliefs and practices related
to the paranormal or extraordinary. Integral topics to this study include religion, mythology, healing, and ritual.
Emphasis will be given to the cross cultural spirit world, with a focus on India, Africa and Native America, and the
range of beliefs in American culture as it relates to spirits, ghosts and their portrayal in popular culture and within
Christianity. Spiritualism and mediumship, founded in Central New York, will be explored as well as ritual activities
such as dowsing, faith healing, and spirit worship and releasement. We examine how anthropologists have studied,
theorized and debated encounters with the mystical. Course readings include /Extraordinary Anthropology/ by Goulet
and Miller (Eds.), /Shadows in the Sun: Travels to Landscapes of Spirit and Desire/ by Wade Davis, /The Medium and
Her Message: A Study of Spiritualism in Lily Dale, NY/ by Richard and Adato, and works by Edith Turner.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion and guest speakers.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Based on exams, papers, and participation.
ANTH 30800-01 METHODS IN FIELD PRIMATOLOGY LA SS
4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa Corewyn, Gannett G129, Ext. 4-1384, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10300 and one 200-level course in BIOL, ANTH, or ENVS, or permission of instructor
STUDENTS: This course is for senior anthropology majors, but is open to all students in all disciplines interested in the
study of primate behavior.
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COURSE DESCRIPTION: Training in the various stages of the research process used in the study of primate behavior
and ecology. Includes guidance on developing research topics and hypotheses, data collection, analyses, and
presentation of research results. Conduct a research project in primatology. Students cannot receive credit for both
ANTH 30800 Methods in Field Primatology and ANTH 30600 Biological Anthropology Methods and Techniques.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and laboratory; students will be required to purchase a membership at the
Rosamund Gifford Zoo as several field trips are planned as part of required laboratory work. We will also be venturing
into the woods surrounding Ithaca College occasionally during our laboratory hours to conduct ecological
measurements.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Laboratory exercises, exams, final research project
ANTH 37800-01 ANTHROPOLOGY OF MUSIC LA SS 3b, g
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Denise Nuttall, Gannett G124, Ext. 4-1682, [email protected]
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 38300-01 ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE BODY LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Denise Nuttall, Gannett G124, Ext. 4-1682, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 10400 and two courses in the social sciences.
STUDENTS: This course is open to students in all disciplines interested in the study of the body in/as culture.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will trace the development of the earlier ‘Anthropology of the Body’ to the more
recent discourse of a ‘Critical Anthropology of the Body’ emerging out of the discipline in recent years. Because we live
our lives in our bodies, we will examine how an analytic concept of the body and embodiment will necessarily serve as
the ground through which we culturally and socially construct selves and others. Thematic areas may include
theorizing Feminist, Marxist, Phenomenological, Symbolic, Gendered and other bodies. We will draw on a variety of
discourses such as culture and memory, medical anthropology, the anthropology of the senses, performance and
gender studies, body modification and the anthropology of pain, in an attempt to get beyond the Cartesian dualism of
mind/body.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar format requiring students to lead seminars for the class throughout the term. This
is an intensive reading course where students will be required to present their scholarly findings from readings to the
class, discuss concepts found in the readings and attempt to apply these perspectives to various ethnographic and
cultural areas of study.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Students will be graded primarily on their written research and oral
presentations of scholarly areas in the Anthropology of the Body.
ANTH 45000-01 ANTHROPOLOGY CAPSTONE LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS:
Brooke Hansen, Gannett G125, Ext. 4-1735, [email protected]
Jennifer Muller, Gannett G128, Ext. 4-3327, [email protected]
ENROLLMENT: 15 per section
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing and major in Anthropology
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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 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: 10
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: For individual advanced work in topics not covered in regular course offerings.
ANTH 47500-01 ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK AND RESEARCH LA, UND
Variable credit (1 to 6)
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: ANTH 30200 and consultation with and permission of instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An alternative to ANTH 47000 for advanced anthropology students with a focus in cultural
anthropology 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.
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