Anthropology Course Descriptions

An introduction to the nature of culture, the organization of social relations, and the relationships between values and behavior. Attention to language, kinship, and religion as cultural systems, as well as to forms of social control, stratification and inequality in relation to culture (including gender, race, ethnicity, and class). Social patterns and processes within and across cultures examined through ethnographic cases studies from around the world. PREREQUISITES: Freshman or sophomore standing; consent of instructor required for juniors and seniors

An introduction to the peoples and cultures of the world from 40,000 years ago to 2,000 years ago. Major events in world prehistory, such as the origins of agriculture, the rise of cities, and the spread of states, are examined and discussed. General trends in cultural evolution are proposed and evaluated. This course may not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. PREREQUISITES: Freshman or sophomore standing; consent of instructor required for juniors and seniors

In this introductory course, students will learn basic concepts and theories in linguistic anthropology, begin to understand the complex relationship between language and culture, survey some of the important literature in the field, learn linguistic ethnographic methods, and work on hands-on projects that will demonstrate what they have learned. Classes will be a mix of lecture, discussion, and project work. PREREQUISITES: Freshman or sophomore standing; consent of instructor required for juniors and seniors

The study of humans as biological organisms. Topics addressed include processes of evolutionary change and stasis; primate diversity, ecology, and behavior; morphological, ecological, and genetic perspectives on human evolution; and contemporary human biological variation, including racial variation. PREREQUISITES: Freshman or sophomore standing; consent of instructor required for juniors and seniors

An introduction to biological anthropology, beginning with an overview of basic principles of evolutionary biology, and grounded in anthropological primatology, especially study of the extant great ape species. Students will develop a biological anthropological perspective on modern human diversity, behavior, and culture by studying principles of primate ecology, behavior, and life history and then applying them to Homo sapiens. Lectures, discussions, examinations and short essays. PREREQUISITES: Students who have taken Anth 140 should not take Anth 141

This course is an introduction to biological anthropology and methods of studying hominin fossils, with an emphasis on the evolutionary history of humans. We discuss the intellectual history of the field, evolutionary concepts and how humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor into big-brained bipeds. Included are the history of biological anthropology, human osteology, hominin evolutionary trends, fossil ancestors, and more. Lectures, lab activities, examinations. PREREQUISITES: Students who have taken Anth 140 should not take Anth 142

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Applied work in anthropology arranged and carried out under the direction of an instructor. The academic component of the internship includes readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty supervisor, and a written report appropriate to the discipline. Course grades are based on this academic work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

A study of the development of anthropology as a scholarly discipline and a method of inquiry. Consideration of theoretical perspectives such as evolutionism, historical particularism, functionalism, cultural materialism, structuralism, interpretive and postmodernist approaches, and also the significance of participant-observation and other field research strategies in shaping anthropological knowledge. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110, 120, or 140, 141 or 142, preferably all three. Recommended for anthropology majors in the sophomore year; must be completed by the end of the junior year.

An introduction to the collection and manipulation of quantitative data in anthropological research. Topics include sampling, measurement, and basic nominal and ordinal statistics. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110, 120, or 140, 141 or 142, preferably all three. Recommended for anthropology majors in the sophomore year; must be completed by the end of the junior year.

An introduction to basic assumptions and methods of research in sociocultural anthropology, including participant observation, ethnographic interview, focus groups, cognitive methods, survey, and census. Students gain hands-on experience in research. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110, 120, or 140, 141 or 142, preferably all three. Recommended for anthropology majors in the sophomore year; must be completed by the end of the junior year.

Presents the research process in archaeology and offers an overview of essential data-collection and analysis techniques, including site survey and excavation, settlement pattern analysis, lithic analysis, and ceramic analysis. Students will take part in field research. When this course is scheduled at 8-noon TR, class will dismiss early for scheduled convocations. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 120

Historic preservation endeavors to identify and conserve historic objects, properties, and landscapes. It has become a focal task for many anthropologists today. This course introduces students to the basic theory of historic preservation, the laws guiding practice, and the techniques used by historic preservation professionals.

An examination of a particular topic in contemporary anthropology. The specific topic investigated changes each year or term.

Topic for Fall 2024: Anthropology of Sustainability
PREREQUISITES: None While sustainability science may be a relatively new discipline, the human species has a long history of interacting with the environment in both sustainable and unsustainable manners. Why is this? Why aren’t we always just choosing sustainability – it would be better for everyone, right? In this course we will explore these and more questions around sustainability through an anthropological lens to suggest and identify potential solutions to contemporary global and local sustainability issues.

An anthropological approach to the study of gender and a/sexuality, and how they intersect with other dimensions of social difference such as race, class, and ethnicity. Topical, ethnographic approach to examining these intersections. Focus on issues such as sexual behavior, reproduction, parenting, transgender identity, work, communication, and violence. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or GEST 100

An examination of the relationship between gender, social class, and material culture. Focus on how social roles and statuses are reflected in the archaeological record and on the problems in identifying and determining social roles and statuses in prehistory. Readings include studies from both the Old and New Worlds and modern theoretical approaches. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 120

An introduction to the ancient peoples of North America from the initial colonists to the peoples who encountered European colonists some 13,000 years later. Special emphasis is given to the ancient inhabitants of the Great Lakes region. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 120

Much of the public’s interest in archaeology focuses on “mysteries” of the past or allegedly “unexplainable” phenomena. Since the past is largely impossible to know, it is easy to uncritically fill it with products of the imagination rather than products of ancient peoples. This course examines some of these “imaginary” pasts and the practice of creating them. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 120

An exploration of ethical and legal concerns surrounding archaeology: the ownership and treatment of archaeological remains and relations between archaeologists and descendent communities. Topics include the ethics and legality of collecting looting, and the antiquities market; archaeology and nationalism; repatriation of skeletons and artifacts; and professional responsibilities of archaeologists. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing and ANTH 120, an ARHI course (preferably ancient to Renaissance), or consent of instructor

An introduction to the core concepts of linguistic anthropology, definitions of language, basic methods of linguistic anthropology (observation, transcription, analysis, ethnography), power and language, language discrimination, and language ideology theory. Lectures, discussions, and labs. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or ANTH 130 or LING 150

This course centers Indigeneity by exploring how we may practice and enact decolonization at institutions through ethnographic analyses and studying talk and symbolic practice. We will equip students with the skills to identify and assess how colonialism currently affects them today in an effort to create innovation around systemic structural change. Using an interdisciplinary lens students will investigate the topic through music, art, literature, and ethnographic research. Field experiences and guest presenters from Indigenous communities will be an important component of this course. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing

Students will develop an understanding of modern human biology as the outcome of interactions between evolved genomes and the myriad environments in which we are born, develop and live out our lives. Topics of study will include evolutionary approaches to reproduction, growth and development, health, behavior, adaptation, and life history. PREREQUISITES: PREREQUISITES: ANTH 140, BIOL 150, or consent of instructor

A survey of human biological variation and adaptation. Topics include the geographic distribution of human variation; evolutionary approaches to understanding human diversity; historic and modern concepts of race and ethnicity; human biological adaptations to disease, climate, poverty, and other stressors; and the genetics of simple and complex traits. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 140, 141, 142 or any biology course, or consent of instructor

An introduction to the comparative, cross-cultural study of health, healing, and beliefs about the body and illness. Topics covered include: (1) biocultural approaches to understanding health; (2) social determinants of health (how social inequalities become embodied); (3) medical systems, including biomedicine, as cultural systems of knowledge and practice; (4) the social construction of illness and health; and (5) an introduction to global health. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing, and ANTH 110, 140 or 141

Investigation of diabetes types in their genetic, evolutionary, pathophysiological, cultural, social, and public health dimensions serves as a model for holistic study of human health. Research-based group projects flow from students' interests with an emphasis on achieving interdisciplinary understandings of diabetes. Skill development in information literacy, collaborative inquiry, and effective communication. Weekly assessments, research-based group projects, individual final project; brief lectures, discussion, small group work. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing, one course in Biology

This course provides a basic introduction to human nutrition. It then considers the evolution of human nutrition through the study of primate nutrition and the putative diets of human ancestors. Finally, it considers anthropological approaches to understanding cross-cultural, intracultural, and life-cycle variation in modern human nutrition. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 140, 141 or 142 or consent of instructor

The new science of the mind treats cognition as a distributed process involving the brain, body, and world. This seminar explores the role of material settings and tools, bodily engagement, social interaction, and cultural processes in human reasoning, problem solving, and learning. Students will write short papers examining aspects of cognitive activity in real-world settings. PREREQUISITES: PHIL 105 recommended

This course is an introduction to forensic anthropology and human osteology, including a comprehensive study of the human skeleton and sections on determining ancestry, sex, and age of a skeleton. Further topics include how to approach a crime scene, determining forensic significance, and the postmortem processes of the human body. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing required; ANTH 140 recommended

This seminar explores ethnography as the defining feature of cultural anthropology. Reading a range of articles and booklength works, students survey several ethnographic genres including classic realist, experimental, narrative, self-reflexive, and critical ethnography. Students also gain experience leading discussion and delivering oral reports and presentations. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or sophomore standing

Introduction to the peoples and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, an area of tremendous cultural, religious, linguistic, and economic diversity. Focus on the nature of ethnography as a research method and key areas of inquiry that have concerned anthropologists working in Arab and Muslim societies. Topics include social organization, tribalism, colonialism, gender, religion, nationalism, ethnic and religious minorities, and the politics of identity. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or consent of instructor

A critical and comparative examination of key areas of sociocultural change in present-day East Asia. Focusing on China, we address new areas of research in East Asian anthropology such as demographic change, modernization, urbanization and stratification, gender and the body politic, sexuality, pop culture, consumption, ethnic minorities and national cultural identities. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or sophomore standing

Critical examination of social and cultural (re)presentations of Japan from the postwar to the postmodern. Exploration of diversities of lived reality and social change in contemporary Japan. Topics include: national cultural identity, historical consciousness, family and gender ideologies, the Heisei recession, invisible and visible others, demographic change, sexuality, pop culture, youth culture, multiculturalism, and recovery from calamity. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or sophomore standing

This seminar combines a variety of methods to explore contemporary British culture. In addition to the readings and field trips, students conduct ethnographic fieldwork in London on a topic of their own interest. This may be based in a particular place or, more broadly, focus on a certain group of people. The course provides an introduction to field research methods. Throughout the term, students participate in shorter exercises designed to develop their confidence in the skills of observation, interviewing, description, and analysis. Readings on topics such as neighborhoods, social use of language, class, education, and migration experience provide a framework for understanding the detail of the individual projects. Students are expected to make presentations and participate in discussions. Offered at the London Centre. PREREQUISITES: Must be attending the Lawrence London Centre.

An exploration of similarities and differences in refugee/diaspora communities. Issues explored include relationships between place and identity, memory and identity, notions of home and homeland, gender and class, assimilation versus resistance, social and cultural changes induced by migration and the impact of transnationalism. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing and one course in anthropology or consent of instructor

This course uses ethnographic studies from a range of societies to understand how the experience of aging throughout the life course not only differs cross-culturally, but also within the same society over time in response to increased longevity and biomedical advances. Of particular concern will be cultural constructions of health, well-being, disability, and dependency, including in-depth analysis of aging in Asia. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or sophomore standing

All humans must consume food in order to live, but how "food" is defined, produced, procured, and interacted with is subject to endless variation. This class examines how food becomes more than just sustenance: how food acts as a means of building identities, making meaning, organizing society, and exerting power. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or consent of instructor

Advanced study of selected topics. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Applied work in anthropology arranged and carried out under the direction of an instructor. The academic component of the internship includes readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty supervisor, and a written report appropriate to the discipline. Course grades are based on this academic work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced research. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Students will develop advanced library research skills with a focus on anthropological resources and topics. Each student will write a thematic annotated bibliography based on library research, consider ethical implications of empirical research on the topic they have chosen, and formulate a plan for their senior experience foundation and independent study courses. This course will also explore career development for anthroplogy majors. Seminar. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 200 and junior or senior standing

Applied work in all aspects of archaeological collections management from cleaning and conservation to cataloguing and storage. Students will work with Lawrence's existing archaeological collections and materials generated from ongoing field and laboratory research. Collection projects vary from term to term. Course may be repeated in subsequent terms for no more than a total of 6 units. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 222

This course is part of the Lawrence Francophone Seminar in which students study in French-speaking West Africa for ten weeks. Offered in alternate years. PREREQUISITES: Must be attending the LU Francophone Seminar

An examination of a particular topic in contemporary anthropology. The specific topic investigated changes each year. Students are expected to carry out independent research on the topic, either through a review of relevant literature or through field or laboratory work.

Topic for Fall 2024: Food Justice Movements
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or two courses in anthropology or consent of instructor This course draws upon the theories, methodologies, and cultural knowledge of anthropology to explore food justice movements. It takes a systemic perspective that holistically examines cultural arrangements controlling food production, distribution, preparation, consumption, and food as symbol and meaning in food media & food cultures. It explores what it means to approach the study of food systems through the lens of justice.

An exploration of African culture and history through literature and film by African authors/directors. Issues to be explored include African debates on colonialism, post-colonialism, gender, class, and ethnic stratification, religion, modernization and development. Fictional works will be discussed in tandem with ethnographic monographs and critical essays. PREREQUISITES: Junior or senior standing and at least two other courses in the social sciences

An examination of a particular topic in contemporary archaeological research. The specific topic investigated changes each year. Students are expected to carry out independent research on the topic, either through a review of relevant literature or through field or laboratory work.

Topic for
This course

An examination of a particular topic in contemporary museum studies, focused on anthropological collections and museums. The specific topic investigated changes each year. Students are expected to carry out independent research on the topic, either through a review of relevant literature or through field or laboratory work. Course may be repeated when topic is different.

Presents the research process in archaeology and offers an overview of essential data-collection and analysis techniques, including site survey and excavation, settlement pattern analysis, lithic analysis, and ceramic analysis. Students will take part in field research. When this course is scheduled at 8-noon TR, class will dismiss early for scheduled convocations. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 120 or instructor approval. ANTH 222 is recommended.

An examination of a particular topic in contemporary biological anthropological research. The specific topic investigated changes each year. Students are expected to carry out independent research on the topic, either through a review of relevant literature or through field or laboratory work. May be repeated when topic is different.

This advanced discussion seminar considers applied critical medical anthropology's contributions, in terms of theory, research, and practice, to addressing community and global health concerns. With a political-economic framework, we will focus on the social determinants of health and how both macrostructural forces and local conditions have to be considered for effective health development. Reading response papers, final research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 342 or ANTH 340 or BIET 120; and junior or senior standing

This advanced seminar, for students who have already had an introduction to medical anthropology or to poststructural anthropological theory, draws from critical theory and ethnographic research to study biomedicine as a system of knowledge and social practice, including discussion of the radical societal changes and ethical debates arising from the global application of biomedical technologies. Response papers, final research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 342, 200 or BIET 120,and junior or senior standing

Disability is a social and lived category fundamental to human experience. This advanced discussion seminar draws from experiential, reflexive, phenomenological, and critical approaches in cultural and medical anthropology to cross-culturally explore the subjectivities of perceived disabilities in both local and global worlds. Topics may include: autism, learning disabilities, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, chronic pain, d/Deaf culture, and other categories of social impairment. Papers, research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or ANTH 342, or BIET 120, and junior or or senior standing

Advanced study of selected topics. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Applied work in anthropology arranged and carried out under the direction of an instructor. The academic component of the internship includes readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty supervisor, and a written report appropriate to the discipline. Course grades are based on this academic work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced research. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

An introduction to designing a research project in anthropology. Students will build a conceptual model and design both data collection protocols and analysis strategies that will address the research question they developed in ANTH 501. Seminar meetings will be spent discussing problems and issues raised by individual students’ projects. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 501 and senior standing or consent of instructor.

Advanced study of selected topics. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Applied work in anthropology arranged and carried out under the direction of an instructor. The academic component of the internship includes readings related to the substance of the internship, discussions with the faculty supervisor, and a written report appropriate to the discipline. Course grades are based on this academic work. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.

Advanced research. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms. PREREQUISITES: To register student must complete the Student Initiated Course Form with consultation of supervising instructor.