graduate course descriptions

 

Master of Arts in Anthropology
Master of Applied Anthropology

ANTH 501 Synchronic Methods in Anthropology  A reading-intensive survey of the major issues, methods, and findings relevant to anthropological studies of human societies.  This course will focus on social processes and phenomenon occurring at one time, including human-resource relationships, social, economic, and political organization and decision-making, micro-demographics, and spatial patterning of human groups.

ANTH 502 Diachronic Methods in Anthropology  A reading-intensive survey of the major issues, methods, and findings relevant to anthropological studies of humans.  This course will focus on social processes and phenomenon occurring across time, including basic paleoanthropology, behavioral ecology, human evolutionary biology, and genetics.

ANTH 503 History and Theory in Anthropology  A reading-intensive survey of history and theory in anthropology from classical times through the 20th century.  A review of history and philosophy of science with emphasis upon innovations in 19th and 20th century theory relevant to current issues and debates.

ANTH 504 Quantitative Methods in Anthropology  Methods of multivariate statistics in the analysis of anthropological data.

ANTH 505 Qualitative Methods in Anthropology  An introduction to qualitative methods research and analysis including in-depth interviewing, participant observation, focus groups, and discourse analysis.

ANTH 520 Quaternary Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments  Global to site-specific scale review and evaluation of lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic contexts focusing on the last three million years of human prehistory. Emphasis on integration of chronologic, biotic, geomorphic and isotopic evidence of environmental change on the human time-scale.

ANTH 521 North American Paleoenvironments  Examines the application of physical and biotic evidence to evaluate changing environments and their relationship to prehistoric human populations.  Focus is on past environmental change in western North America placed within continental-scale and global-scale contexts.

ANTH 522 Hunter-Gatherer Ethnoarchaeology  Examination of variability in adaptations by modern hunter-gatherer populations emphasizing, subsistence, mobility, and social organization.  Focus is on examination of lithic technology, faunal analysis, and site structure as sources of archaeological interpretation.

ANTH 523 Advanced Archaeological Field Methods  Emphasis upon developing research designs, decision-making, and in-field project management.  Open to students with previous field experience and graduate work in archaeology.

ANTH 530  Advanced Topics in Evolutionary Anthropology  This course provides the theoretical foundation for testing evolutionary hypotheses about human cultural variation, human physiological adaptations and social behavior, and life-history evolution, marriage, reproduction, inheritance, and subsistence.  The course provides a broad, empirical view of hominid-behavioral evolution and ecology.

ANTH 531 Economic Anthropology  The comparative study of economic behavior in hunter-gatherer, tribal, and complex societies.  The course examines subsistence strategies, craft production and specialization, and exchange, as well as theoretical debates surrounding the economic topic of transition.

ANTH 532 Game Theory and Human Cooperation  Designed as an advanced introduction to the origins and development of human sociality from the perspective of game theory and evolutionary biology.  This course will review and discuss classic and new papers from anthropology, biology, economics, political science, and psychology.  Issues to be explored include widespread pro-social behavior among humans, living in small vs. large groups, rank and status, sexual division of labor, and obstacles to building cooperation and peace on a number of social scales.

ANTH 533 Cross-Cultural Issues in Aging, Death and Dying: An Anthropological Approach  This course is designed as an introduction to the variety of ways in which cultures in the United States and around the world approach the aging process, the treatment of those who are dying, and the various collective responses to death.  The course relies on the examination of published work in the area of cross-cultural health care, gerontology, and ritual.

ANTH 534 Sex and Gender: An Ethnological Approach  This course will explore changing definitions and perceptions of sex and gender within a variety of cultures throughout the world.  Biological determinism, homosexuality, transsexuality, and culturally determined concepts of male and female behavior are placed within the global discussion of gender that includes, but extends beyond, academic social theory.

ANTH 580 Selected Topics in Anthropology  Philosophical and theoretical issues in anthropology. Developments in methodology and technical advances in anthropological research.  Seminar topics will vary.

ANTH 600 Assessment--Preliminary Examination  Based on guidance from their faculty advisory committee, students prepare for and successfully complete their preliminary examination.  Graded pass/fail (P/F) only.