ANTH 114: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 114-004: Intro to Cultural Anthropology
(Spring 2017)

01:30 PM to 02:45 PM TR

Music Theater Building 1006

Section Information for Spring 2017

This course is a survey of key topics in cultural anthropology—the study of the variety of human practices and beliefs that appear throughout the world. It provides a sense of the general approach that anthropologists take when studying cultures. The course focuses on how to ask intelligent questions and aims to lead you to “think like an anthropologist” as you reflect on other cultures as well as your own. Cultural anthropology endeavors to promote learning about the world’s diverse cultures in a contextual, comparative, and holistic perspective. Through lectures, readings, films, writing exercises, and discussions, this course will cover a range of intriguing topics with cross-cultural examples. We will start by considering the following questions: What is anthropology? What is culture? What research methods do cultural anthropologists use? What ethical issues do anthropologists face? Afterward, we will delve into the history and development of cultural theories and then into a range of themes that anthropologists study, such as kinship, the family, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, health, religion, and the body, looking at case studies from places around the globe. Importantly, in a rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world, anthropology concerns issues of public policy, international development, technology, the media, and globalization. We will end by carefully considering how anthropological knowledge can apply to an understanding of these contemporary issues and discussing some of the future directions of the discipline. 

View 3 Other Sections of this Course in this Semester »

Tags:

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Overview of major ideas and approaches to the study of cultures around the world. Surveys kinship, social organization, political economy, religious beliefs, language and other aspects of non-Western cultures. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.