ANTHROPOLOGY COURSES AND
DESCRIPTIONS
Required courses for the major (Ant 110, 114, 290, and 363) are offered
every year. Most other courses, including the anthropology field school (Fiji
and Tasmania), are cycled every two years. Listed below are the courses
offered by the department.
Foundation Courses:
Other Requirements:
Elective Courses:
110. Introduction to Cultural
Anthropology. The basic concepts, methodology, and findings of cultural anthropology.
Examines the similarities and diversity of human societies through
case studies of particular cultures and cross-cultural comparisons.
(Syllabus)
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111.
Ethnographic Film. Examines the findings of anthropology through film. Raises questions about anthropological knowledge and ethics
by looking at how anthropologists and documentary filmmakers have depicted other
cultures. Includes an introduction to the history of ethnographic film.
(Syllabus)
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112.
Crossing Cultures. Deals with the theory and practice of living and
studying in cultures other than your own. Designed to help students understand
the cross-cultural experience, explore learning and coping strategies when
abroad, and give students a better understanding of their own culture so that
they can understand others. Designed for students going on or returning from a
term abroad and for international students.
(Syllabus)
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113. Biological Anthropology.
Biological anthropologists
study the evolution of human
behavior, and the biological bases — past and present — of the things that make
us human. Topics may include the
history of evolutionary thought, the genetic basis of evolution, primate
evolution and behavior, hominid evolution, child development, human variation,
sex and society, and ecology.
(Syllabus)
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114. Language and Culture. Examines the complex
relationship between culture and language. Case materials drawn from societies
in North America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East explore various
theories about how language is shaped by, and in turn shapes, culture and social
relations. Topics include the acquisition of language by children in various
cultures, everyday speech styles, verbal art, and the ways of talking about such
things as emotion and illness.
(Syllabus)
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115. Introduction to Archaeology.
A review of the methods and
techniques used to recover and interpret archaeological data. Students
participate in all stages of archaeological survey work at local sites. Fieldwork is conducted on several weekends during the semester.
(Syllabus)
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125. Childhood in Anthropological
Perspective. The anthropological study of childhood. A historical overview explores how
anthropologists have studied childhood. Other topics include theories of gender
difference, childhood experience as an emotional template for adult conflict,
language socialization, the role of play in channeling the imagination. Also a
comparative look at American child-rearing beliefs.
(Syllabus)
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130. Food and the Self. What is the relationship between food and
the body? What are the boundaries of food and the body? Are you what you
eat or how you eat? This course looks at anthropological approaches to eating,
consumption, identity, the body and food, while also examining current
controversies such as obesity, genetically modified foods, and food taboos.
While much of the course concerns itself with the cultural and historical
construction of the American diet, it also draws examples from other cultures.
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135. Fundamentalism Around the Globe.
This
course examines the defining characteristics of religious fundamentalism and
seeks to answer a wide range of questions. Why is religious fundamentalism
expanding rapidly both in developed countries and in poorer areas of the world?
Does the spread of fundamentalist Christianity erase local cultures or help
people address local concerns? Why are women drawn to fundamentalism in greater
numbers than men? It looks at Christian and Jewish fundamentalism in the U.S.
and Europe; Pentecostal Christianity in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and
the Pacific; and fundamentalisms in other religious traditions including Islam
and Hinduism, and Buddhist Sri Lanka. It concludes by considering whether
fundamentalism has the same characteristics across cultures and religions and to
what extent global fundamentalism movements homogenize world cultures.
(Syllabus)
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139. Family and Kinship. This course
provides an analysis of families in the U.S. and other cultures. The aim is to
develop an appreciation for the variety of ways that family life can be
organized, as well as an understanding of the causes and consequences of
different family and kinship patterns.
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141T. Cultural Ecology. Explores the diversity of human relationships to the environment, ranging
from traditional indigenous communities to the industrialized world. Emphasizes
direct experiences with people who are intimately connected with the land (e.g.,
ranchers, loggers, park rangers, researchers, nature writers, and conservation
activists).
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146. Education and
Culture. Examines theories of learning and education systems across
cultures. How are schools shaped by cultural values? What is the role of
education in reproducing or challenging social systems?
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148. Introduction to World
Music. Introduces students to the musics of
the world and to methodological approaches to the study of music. Surveys the
music of various regions of the world while also considering issues such as the
connection between society and music, the formation of syncretic music,
improvisation vs. composition, and the connection between language and music.
Music is presented as an integral part of culture.
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160. Photographing Culture.
This course examines the various uses
of photography to depict, understand, and influence human behavior, focusing on
the visual depiction of non-western peoples (e.g., in National Geographic,
contemporary advertising, early government and ethnographic reports, in boarding
school and orphanage literature). It also discusses interpretation and the
manipulation of photographic "evidence." Other topics include tourist
photography, the photographic conventions used by different cultures, and the use
of photography as a research method. Emphasis on student projects.
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170.
Myth, Ritual and Magic.
This course examines some of the theoretical issues surrounding myth, ritual and
magic as well as specific examples of their cultural expression. How do people
make sense of themselves, their society and the world through myth and ritual?
How do cosmology and belief systems help them gain and organize knowledge about
the world and themselves? The course will be examining a number of "occult" and
"esoteric" practices, that is, practices that were not commonly known to all
members of society, including sufism, kabbalah, alchemy, and shamanism.
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174. Human Evolution and Prehistory. This course
will provide both a historical perspective on, and our current biological
understanding of, human evolution and early human societies.
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180. North
American Indians. A survey of North American Indians
including their prehistory, the historical changes they have experienced, and a
discussion of their current lifecycles, government policies, and problems.
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182. Anthropology of Mediterranean Europe. Examination of sources of similarity and diversity in the rural and urban
cultures of Mediterranean Europe from Spain to Greece. Emphasis placed on modes
of social relationships such as patronage and on cultural factors such as honor
and shame. Economic development and change in rural communities, urban life and
the urbanization of migrants, and the rise of ethnic and regional movements are
analyzed.
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183. Peoples and
Cultures of Latin America. Examines the peoples and cultures of Latin
America in historical and contemporary perspectives. Uses case studies,
accompanying articles, and a range of media. Themes include: colonialism,
identity politics, expressive culture, religion, gender, race, ethnicity,
nationalism, and political economy.
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183T. Peoples and Cultures of the
Caribbean (Barbados). An investigation of the peoples and cultures
of the Caribbean from an anthropological perspective. Part of Barbados
Anthropology Term Abroad.
(Tasmania Term Abroad is currently being offered instead.)
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184. Contemporary Japanese Society. An
anthropological introduction to contemporary Japanese society and culture.
Provides an historical overview, then explores in greater depth of such topics
as family structure, education, religious traditions, the work place, women, and
contemporary social problems.
(Syllabus)
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185T. Peoples and Cultures of the Pacific
(Fiji).
An overview of the cultures of Polynesia (including Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa),
Micronesia, Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu) and Aboriginal Australia.
Topics addressed include cultural shaping of gender rules, government in
egalitarian societies, and changes in cultures through history. Usually
part of the Fiji Anthropology Term Abroad.
(Syllabus)
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188. Pacific Cultures Through Film. Examines film portrayals of Pacific cultures, novels by Pacific Islanders, and
anthropological accounts of Pacific cultures in order to dispel myths about the
Pacific and to study the effects of American mass media on Pacific identity and
culture.
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189. East Asia
in Motion. East Asia has a long history of constantly shifting
borders, diasporic populations, and unstable identities. Going beyond the idea
of the bounded national cultures such as China, Japan, and Korea, this course
takes East Asian as region in order to examine how cultural forms and people
have changed as a result of globalization forces. The course will cover
anthropological categories such as diaspora, race, gender, identity, tourism,
memory, and sports, but will reconsider them within the East Asian context (s).
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191. Global
Africa. This course will examine the idea of Africa in the world through an
examination of the movement of cultural practices, objects and beliefs into and
out of post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa. The course will consider the
cases of Christianity, art traders, popular culture, food, commodities, and
discourses on identity as a means to gain insight into Africa's role in the
contemporary world. The course will pay particular attention to the
effects and consequences of globalization and diasporas.
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192. African Ethnographies. This
course focuses on the peoples and contemporary cultures of Africa south of the
Sahara. It begins by considering the effects and legacies of colonialism on
Africa. It then explores the diversity of the continent, through a series of
case studies which examine the interconnection of politics, religion, kinship,
economics, ecology, ethnicity and history. The course retains anthropology's
traditional interest in small-small communities, but looks also at wider
contexts, including how representations of Africa shape outsiders' understanding
of the continent.
(Syllabus)
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220. Women's Lives across Cultures. The diversity of women's
social and economic roles, experiences, and self conceptions in different
cultures, primarily in non-Western societies.
(Syllabus)
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223T.
Cultures and Entrepreneurship in Fiji.
This course combines anthropology and
entrepreneurship to promote cross-cultural understanding. By actively engaging
in the endeavors of a Fijian entrepreneur, students gain a sophisticated
understanding of the very different conditions under which Third World
entrepreneurs operate. Through interviewing and observation, they will be
exposed to the intricacies of Fijian kinship and social networks in their home
stay and community. Just as it is not possible to understand a Fijian business
without understanding this complex web of relationships, so is it not possible
to fully understand Fijian culture without learning how it interacts with the
demands of market driven enterprises.
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225. Gender and Society. An interdisciplinary introduction to
the theories and findings of scholarship on gender and women. Focus is
on social and cultural definitions of gender and women's and men's
experiences across class, ethnic, and national lines. Topics include the
relationship between gender and sex, language, economy, social stratification,
and culture change.
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228. Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Race. Does race matter in today's world? Has race always existed as a human
category of difference? Is race just a black and white thing? How do
other cultures outside the U.S. configure race? To address these and other
questions, we will focus on the historical and cultural peculiarities of race.
This course asks students to move conceptually from the era of European
colonialism and the invention of the modern conception of "race" to the U.S.
Civil War period to the ascension of negritude, and, finally, face in
contemporary times. We will investigate the diversity and complexity of "racialization"
in various places, such as Detroit, Rio de Janeiro, Martinique, China, Paris,
and Capetown.
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229. Ruminations on Violence.
Is violence best understood as a set of "random acts" marginal to society?
Or do societies need violence to make culture systematic and to make hierarchy
function? We will address three major issues: the extent to which
"violence" is culturally relative or a human universal; different types of
violence; and the ways social groups turn violence into an aesthetic object and
an artistic project. To accomplish our task, we will adopt both an
ethnographic and theoretical approach.
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230. Medical Anthropology. Beliefs about
illness, healing, and the body across cultures. Materials drawn from North
America, Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Asia. Topics include
distinguishing physical "disease" from cultural understandings of "illness";
ways that cultural conceptions shape the experience of illness; healing rituals
in non-Western societies; alternative healing cults in North America. Looks at
how childbirth, menstruation, menopause and AIDS are influenced by culture and
politics, with case material from Fiji and Haiti.
(Syllabus)
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232. Bombs to Buddhism: Fatalism, Technology, and Modern Japanese Culture. An exploration of Japanese culture through critical reading of a variety of
texts including classic literature, historical accounts, contemporary fiction,
manga (Japanese comics), anime (Japanese animation), and film.
Throughout the course, students will question what religious beliefs, natural
disasters, and historical events have shaped Japanese media, which, in turn,
will deppen our understanding of contemporary Japanese society. The importance
of such disparate phenomenon as Buddhism, the dropping of the nuclear bomb, the
1954 film "Godzilla," and the mega-manga "Akira" will be considered.
(Syllabus)
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236. Youth and Popular Cultures. Over the past decade, anthropologists have become increasingly aware of the
importance of popular culture as a powerful field where people not only express
themselves but an arena that also shapes some of the basic tenets of society.
In this course, we will examine the Internet and other "virtual" community
formations, television, advertising, shopping malls, mobile homes, sports
fandom, spirituality, hip-hop, "grrl" movements, and drug "cultures." This
course provides an opportunity to turn an anthropological lens onto the everyday
life of teenagers and the flavor-of-the-month styles of popular culture and
consumerism.
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240. Culture and Technology. Explores the
interplay between culture and technology in the transformation of society. There
will be an emphasis on recent media and information technologies, but we will
also consider other historical examples as well as a variety of regional
settings around the world (e.g., Easter Island). Using the tools of
anthropological fieldwork and writing, we will examine the social and cultural
basis of the information revolution. Topics include: Internet music, television
news, gossip, privacy and publicity, genetic information, and media domination.
No prerequisites.
(Syllabus)
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241. Environmental Anthropology.
This course begins by examining some classic and contemporary
anthropological approaches to the environment and environmentalism: cultural
ecology, political ecology, environmental history, science studies, and
poststructuralist cultural studies. After reviewing these approaches we will
apply them to understanding the human ecology of particular subsistence
strategies and the environments in which they occur. In the process, we will
see how anthropologists and people they study alike are engaging with
contemporary environmental issues including biodiversity conservation,
deforestation, community-based natural resource management, ecotourism, climate
change, and the spread of toxins and genetically modified organisms. We will
also examine environmentalist movements as cultural phenomena, and their
variations and similarities in different social and ecological settings.
(Syllabus)
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242. Economic Anthropology.
This course is an introduction to the subfield of economic anthropology,
aimed at advanced undergraduates who have taken one or more anthropology
courses. The course explores the social and cultural dimensions of production,
exchange and consumption. We hear every day about “the economy,” an
identifiably separate sphere of human life with its own rules and principles and
its own scholarly discipline (economics). This class starts from the premise
that this “common sense” idea of the economy is the only way to view the way
people produce, exchange and consume in order to meet their basic and
not-so-basic human needs. The course asks some big questions. Do all people
everywhere seek to accumulate property, and to maximize profits? Is
“rationality” the same in every culture? Is there really any such thing as a
“free” gift? Who wins and loses from “globalization”? Why do people value
things? Throughout the course, we’ll take a cross-cultural perspective,
confronting “Western” arguments about economic behavior and human nature with
alternative practices and understandings.
(Syllabus)
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243. Anthropology and International Development.
Faith in twentieth-century development and progress has been severely shaken
by the environmental crisis and the failures of the international development
assistance. What is development? What is the third world? How was it made?
What problems does it face and how is it changing? What are the causes of
failure in development / aid programs? Drawing on a variety of ethnographic
materials and case studies, this course discusses the nature of economic and
social changes in post colonial societies and underdeveloped areas in the West /
North, offers a critical analysis of sustainable development, and introduces the
students to the practices, anthropological and otherwise, of planning policy
interventions. The course shows how anthropological knowledge and understanding
can illuminate “development issues” such as rural poverty, environmental
degradation and the globalization of trade.
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244. Urban Anthropology. Cross-cultural
analysis of urbanization and urban life: the origins and evolution of cities,
rural and urban contrasts in lifestyle, migration, adaptations of migrants, and
other topics relating to life in complex societies. Involves three field
projects in the local area.
(Syllabus)
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245. Sport, Culture, and Society. The comparative study of
the role of sport in society. Topics include the meaning of play and sport, the
evolution of sport, sport and socialization, ritual in sport, sport and gender,
sport and race, sport and education, sport, conflict and violence, and sport and
cultural change.
(Syllabus)
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250. Anthropology of Religion.
A comparative
study of religious behavior and ideology. Examines ritual, magic,
witchcraft, pilgrimage, and other religious phenomena, primarily in non-Western
societies.
(Syllabus)
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251. Anthropology of Aging.
Using anthropology's cross-cultural approach, this course examines both
universal patterns and particular aspects of aging in a variety of cultures,
including the U. S. Attention will be given to creating a future
environment that may better satisfy the cultural and social needs of older
people in the U.S.
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260. Tourists and Tourism. Tourism is a
complex and multifaceted phenomenon. It affects most countries and peoples of
the world, either as "hosts" or "guests." By the year 2020, the number of people
traveling annually as tourists is expected to double. Tourism's impact on
receiving societies is hotly debated. Many poorer nations consider tourism to be
the road to economic development and an improved quality of life. Others see it
as a new form of Western imperialism that is destructive of the environment and
people's cultural identity. Anthropology is uniquely positioned to study tourism
since it adopts a holistic and comparative approach to the study of social
phenomena.
(Syllabus)
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260T. Tourism in Alaska (Mini-Term). This
mini-term focuses on the impact of tourism in Southeast Alaska.
The course looks at the forms tourism takes in the area (e.g., cruise, nature,
cultural tourism) and its benefits and drawbacks from the perspective of local
communities, both Tlingit and non-Native. The class will spend several days in
Juneau, visit Hoonah's tourism complex and talk to Native people, and then
travel by the Alaska Marine Highway to Sitka for the rest of the term. Students
will hear from community members, experience various forms of tourism
themselves, and conduct research.
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265. The Museum: Theory and Practice. This course is designed to
introduce students to the work of museums through an internship at the
Schenectady Museum and accompanying seminar. Articles from anthropology and
history (including art history) expose you to the range of practical (e.g.,
exhibit design, collections policy, planning educational programs) and
theoretical issues scholars study (e.g., intellectual property, commodifying
culture, whose voice and history should be heard). The internship at the
Schenectady Museum gives hands-on experience with museum work and the day-to-day
issues museum staff confront. Several fieldtrips introduce different types of
museums.
(Syllabus)
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272. Psychological Anthropology. A survey of major
developments in the field. Explores how psychoanalysis, ethnopsychology, and the
study of narrative have been used by anthropologists to explain the emotional
force of culture. Topics include socialization, religion, self, gender, and sex.
These issues are addressed in case studies from East Asia, the Amazon, and the
Pacific.
(Syllabus)
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274. Music and Culture.
Introduces students to the discipline of ethnomusicology, with particular
emphasis on ethnographic methods, through readings on the history and
development of the field, considering the major theoretical approaches, and
supplemented by readings on specific world music areas. Students will
conduct an extensive fieldwork project on music-making in the community.
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275. The Biology of Homo Sapiens. A survey of the contributions from
many disciplines (paleontology, physical anthropology, ecology, genetics,
molecular biology and demography) to our understanding of the biology and
evolution of our own species. Topics include both descriptive material and
quantitative analysis; because of the latter, either Math 10 (or Math 13) or
Math 58 is a prerequisite. Fulfills GenEd science with mathematics prerequisite
requirement.
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290. Thinking about Culture.
A broad overview of major anthropological approaches to studying individuals
and societies. Students examine the strengths and weaknesses of
contemporary and historical paradigms through critical reading and through
conducting field exercises.
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363. Research Methods and Design. Research design, techniques of data collection, and analysis. Broad coverage of
qualitative approaches to data gathering. Students apply research methods, such
as participant-observation and interviewing, in a variety of short field studies
in the local area. Topics also include writing up research results.
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373. Self & Life History in Anthropological Research. Studies
how culture affects the way people reflect on their personal lives and think
about who they are. Readings cover life history research, cultural notions of
self, narratives on illness and the body, rhetorics of self-transformation, and
cultural constructions of personal identity. Students do extended interviews
with an informant; satisfies departmental research methods requirement.
(Syllabus)
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490. Independent Study. Tutorial for individual students.
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490T. Independent Study Abroad. Tutorial for individual students.
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Anthropology Field School (Fiji
and Tasmania, alternate years).
The Anthropology Field School is held
alternate years in Tasmania, Australia (winter) and Suva, Fiji (fall). It
provides students with an intensive, first-hand experience studying another
culture. In both Tasmania and Fiji, students live with local families while
carrying out full-time field research. In Tasmania they work with a local agency
(e.g., Parks and Wildlife, Tourism Tasmania) on individual research projects.
They also attend lectures on Tasmanian history and society and go on fieldtrips
to areas of historic and natural significance (much of Tasmania is designated as
World Heritage Wilderness). They are responsible for writing daily field notes
on Tasmanian culture and current events, completing research methods
assignments, and writing a final paper on their independent research. In Fiji
students have internships with local entrepreneurs and study the interplay
between business practices and culture. Through completing a set of structured
assignments, students analyze the way culture shapes the motivations of and
constrains the actions of local entrepreneurs. Students also complete weekly
assignments that analyze local family practices, rituals, economic relations,
religion, and conduct life history interviews. The term also involves weekly
ventures to examine and analyze various kinds of tourism. Depending upon the
particular term and each person’s prior courses, a student will receive credit
for three courses from the following: Ant 363T (Field Research), Ant 185T
(Peoples and Cultures of the Pacific), Ant 223T (Culture and Entrepreneurship in
Fiji), Ant 490T (Independent Study Abroad), or Ant 498 / 499 (Senior Thesis).
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498 & 499. Senior Thesis in Anthropology (two terms).
A two-term senior thesis is required for each anthropology and ID major on a
topic of their choice. The thesis must be based, at least in part, on original
research (e.g., participant observation, interviews, survey or questionnaire,
archival research, or some combination). Weekly meetings are held each term
with the student’s thesis advisor. The first term involves conducting the
background literature review (to find out what research has already been done on
the topic, what questions have been asked, and what gaps may exist in our
understanding of it) and conducting independent research. A written product
must be produced by the end of the term, typically one chapter. The second term
involves finishing up the research and writing the thesis (i.e., the results of
the research). Students must also pass an oral defense of their thesis.
Detailed
senior thesis guidelines
are available online. Students receive a Pass/Not Pass for the first term (Ant 498) and a grade for
the second term (Ant 499) which is then counted twice. An A or A- on the
thesis is required for honors in Anthropology.
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