ANTH 382: Urban Anthropology
ANTH 382-001: Urban Anthropology
(Spring 2026)
01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW
Horizon Hall 4016
Section Information for Spring 2026
With half of humanity now living in cities, and the other half connected to global cultures and economies in one way or another, “the urban” has become a vital way to analyze and think about the world. But what is the urban exactly – a place, a form, an idea? And how do cities add to our understanding of what it means to be human? This course will show how urban anthropology asks the big questions (about inequality, conflict, globalization, citizenship, sustainability, etc.) and answers them through small-scale studies and on-the-ground perspectives. It will also showcase how the ethnographic method itself (participant observation, interviewing, and living among) is an intersection of different worldviews in a global urban landscape. Students will gain an overview of the key themes and theories of urban anthropology, while also reading ethnographic studies of cities to see how anthropologists devise their research questions, implement their methods, and accomplish their analysis. In the second half of the semester, students will undertake their own ethnographic photo projects on a topic of their choice.
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Course Information from the University Catalog
Credits: 3
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
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