ANT 102 | CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
An introduction to current anthropological theories and methods for understanding human cultures from a comparative perspective; includes an analysis of human institutions such as religion, politics, and kinship, and the forces that change them in a variety of societies, small and large scale.
ANT 103 | ARCHAEOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
An exploration of the science of archaeology, the study of past human behavior through material remains. Examines the ways archaeologists gather data and the methods used to analyze and interpret these data to learn about the past and how human societies evolved.
ANT 104 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course will examine the biological history of the human species culminating with an exploration of human biological variation in the modern world. Principles of evolutionary theory and genetics will first be presented to provide a framework for the study of human evolutionary biology. The fossil evidence for human evolution will then be considered using comparative data from nonhuman primate ecology to help reconstruct prehistoric lives. Finally, features of biological modernity will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to how human populations utilized biological and behavioral mechanisms to adapt to their environments throughout evolutionary history. The course includes labs.
ANT 105 | ANTHROPOLOGY THROUGH FILM | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology, the sub-discipline of anthropology concerned with contemporary human cultures, through film. The aim is to convey the anthropological perspective on behaviors and systems that people create. The course will emphasize fundamental concepts, methods, and theories used to study culture.
ANT 106 | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Definitions and features of language and communication, and their relationship to thought and culture. Topics include the classification of languages, language acquisition, linguistic variation, language communities, multilingualism, performance, and variability of language use.
ANT 107 | THE CULTURE OF BUSINESS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course asks what role culture plays in business. We will explore the ways in which culture influences consumer decision-making, global business practices, marketing strategies, corporate ethics, and business education and training. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the ideas, values, and concerns that underpin business practices and be able to apply your understanding of culture to the way you interact with the business world.
ANT 109 | FOOD AND CULTURE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores the concept of culture by focusing on people's knowledge of food; it examines the local sameness and global peculiarity of people's food preferences, considering tastes and environmental impacts, health implications, dietary restrictions, and other social impacts.
ANT 120 | SCIENCE OF ARCHAEOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Archaeology spans the academic worlds of the physical sciences and the social sciences. In this course, the physical science qualities of the discipline are introduced. Students explore the various ways archaeologists use model building, statistical inference, and evidence analysis to reconstruct past human experiences. The course includes two hour of lab and two hours of lecture/discussion per week.
ANT 130 | SCIENCE AND PSEUDOSCIENCE IN ARCHAEOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Pseudoarchaeology misuses science, logic, and the archaeological record to create misrepresentations or misinterpretations of the past. While some of these claims capture the imagination or are entertaining, they can also perpetuate conspiracy theories, racist, or nationalist beliefs, leading to misunderstandings of ancient cultures. Most archaeologists, however, see these claims as fringe ideas, labelling them "pseudoscience." This course examines these different viewpoints by using science to assess assertions about extraordinary life forms, such as Bigfoot and "ancient aliens," and claims about lost races of people and civilizations, including Atlantis. We will consider why some people are attracted to these theories, how they originated, "evidence" used to support them, and science used to debunk prevailing beliefs. Students will gain valuable critical thinking and information literacy skills, while also learning how archaeologists think and what constitutes solid archaeological research, and how scientific methods help uncover the past.
ANT 201 | ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH METHODS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course focuses on practicing data collection techniques used by qualitative researchers in the social sciences. Under the supervision of the instructor, students will design and implement a collaborative research project. The techniques to be used may include (but are not limited to) observation, structured and semi-structured interviewing, network analysis, and focused group interviewing. The experience gained in this course prepares students for research activities in future course work, graduate school and professional life. In addition to the practical hands-on training, the course also addresses issues of the relationship of theory to method, ethical concerns in research with human subjects, reflexivity and inter-subjectivity in qualitative research.
ANT 202 | ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD METHODS | 6 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course introduces students to the basic field and laboratory methods used in archaeological research through hands on experience. Students will receive intensive field training in archaeological field methods including excavation, survey, mapping, record keeping, and illustration. The course introduces basic laboratory techniques such as artifact processing, identification, and curation. The methodological training will be integrated through emphases on the place of data collection in the archaeological research process, and the relationship between archaeological data and questions of historical and anthropological importance. This course will provide students with the essential basic field training in archaeology required for both applied work in cultural resource management and continued education in archaeology.
ANT 203 | PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This class explores the many dimensions of what it means to be a professional anthropologist in both applied and academic areas. Students will learn about specialized resources for anthropologists (web resources, library resources, funding resources, career resources), and become familiar with the professional structure of the discipline. A large portion of the course will be devoted to the debate/discussion/exploration of ethical issues that challenge anthropologists through the use of real cases that have confronted researchers in the field, and through an evaluation of the ethical codes of conduct adopted by the primary professional organizations in anthropology.
ANT 204 | LINEAGES OF CULTURE THEORY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides the student with a history of the culture concept tracing the lineages of thought about culture from the nineteenth century to the present. Readings and seminar discussions will present an explicit discussion of how ideas and understanding about culture have changed over time and will introduce students to the main branches of cultural theory. Students will develop the skills and confidence to work with the abstractions and concepts that underlie anthropological research. The course is reading and writing intensive.
ANT 206 | WORLD PREHISTORY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Placing an emphasis on both theory and the latest archaeological and multidisciplinary approaches this overview of world prehistory will look at a series of interesting problems and case studies that provide a taste of the richness of human creativity. Topics include the evolution from foraging lifestyles, through the increased control of nature by early farmers, to the rise of states and empires: this is an examination of the deep and tangled roots of today's societies.
ANT 208 | WHY WE POST: THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF SOCIAL MEDIA | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This is an introduction to cultural anthropology using the specific question of why we post on social media to illustrate the research approaches and analytical practices of this discipline. It is designed from the ground up as an online course. To say that social media is a global technology is an understatement. However, to say that everyone in all the places on the globe use social the same way is a research question. The answer is different depending on what community we are visiting and who in the community we are talking to. The reasons why we might post here in Chicago are not universal. In this course, we will visit five different communities: an impoverished former mining town in Northern Chile, an IT complex in Southern India, a rural village in Central China, an industrial complex in Southern China, and a politically sensitive town in South East Turkey. We will meet the people who live there through text and video. We will survey the social media landscape. We will look at the images and selfies they post and the games they play. They will explain their social lives to us in their own (translated) words. We will hear about their economic, social, and political concerns. Finally, we will draw some tentative conclusions about the realities and the illusions of social media.
ANT 210 | AFRICAN CULTURES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Survey of the people and cultures of Africa. Analysis of beliefs, customs, and social organization of traditional African cultures, and the forces of sociocultural change that have affected traditional patterns of life and are necessary to understand contemporary African societies. Formerly SOC 300.
ANT 215 | ANTHROPOLOGY OF AFRICAN DIASPORAS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Africans have been on the move since the dawn of humanity. Anthropology is one discipline that can inform us about the presence and influence of Africans throughout the world. Topics include: the history of anthropology and its role in the construction of race and modernity; patterns of migration and displacement of African peoples across the world and their socio-cultural implications; and the evolution of the Black anthropological tradition.
ANT 220 | CULTURES OF EUROPE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores the cultural features of the European experience using ethnographic sources. Focuses on European life at the local level, examines the implications of European Community integration on peoples' lives in various countries, and explores causes of conflict within and between national boundaries. (formerly SOC 300 Regional Ethnology: Peoples of Europe).
ANT 224 | MAYA HUMANITIES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Students will read the Popul Vuh within the context of how it is interpreted and understood today by Maya intellectuals -- including but not limited to writers, poets, academics and activists. Readings will include work on the philosophy and ethics embedded in monte/milpa agriculture through study of short story, music, poetry, cuisine and plays. It will also address the intentionality of movement in indigenous voice from object to subject.
ANT 230 | CULTURES OF THE PACIFIC | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores traditional and contemporary cultures of the Pacific. A survey of Oceanic cultures from Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; consideration of the geography and geology of Pacific islands; and analysis of the history of contact between Pacific island peoples with Westerners and the consequences for life in the contemporary Pacific. (formerly SOC 300 Regional Ethnology: The Pacific Islands).
ANT 240 | CULTURES OF THE MIDDLE EAST | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores the cultures and societies of the contemporary Middle East. Focuses on everyday life and practices, such as religion, social organization, art and popular culture. Uses ethnographic sources to examine the historical influence of various civilizations and religions on contemporary Middle Eastern societies from North Africa to Iran.
ANT 250 | MATERIAL CULTURE OF MODERN AMERICA | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course combines historical archaeology and material culture studies to examine how material goods both shape and reflect American identity. The course will take an historical approach beginning in the 17th century when most Americans wore homespun clothing and produced their own food, and continue to the 21st century and a time when Americans wear the national colors of Tommy Hilfiger and eat fast food lunches. Often such changes in material culture are characterized as the process of "modernization," and as such, the course will be centered on the relationship between material culture, American identity and conceptions of modernity. Cross-listed with AMS 370.
ANT 252 | MATERIAL CULTURE AND DOMESTIC LIFE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores the social, and economic dynamics of households through material culture. Specifically, this course looks at how material goods structure domestic life, reflect values surrounding family and kinship, and mediate the relationship between individual households and broader levels of social organization such as community, society, and culture.
ANT 254 | HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHICAGO | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Students will be participating in an archaeological research project focusing on Chicago's past. The course will include an introduction to the concept of an archaeological research design. Students will engage in historical research using primary documents and analyze archaeological data to address specific research questions about Chicago's recent past.
ANT 202 is a prerequisite for this course.
ANT 256 | MUSEUMS AND MATERIAL CULTURE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores and materiality and physicality of objects in their place and the places (museums, cultural, and educational institutions) in which they reside. Museums and material culture includes explorations of collecting, object biography; consumption; materials and materiality; provenance; exhibition and display; museums as civic institutions; object-based research techniques; and the relationship between anthropology, ethnographic practice, and museums.
ANT 270 | HUMAN EVOLUTION | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Principles of evolutionary theory and genetics will first be presented to provide a framework for the study of human evolutionary biology. Beginning with the earliest fossil evidence, the course will trace human evolution. Particular attention will be given to the forces of environment and sexual selection at work at various points in time. Data from nonhuman primate ecology will be used to help reconstruct prehistoric lives.
ANT 272 | INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course explores the interrelationships between culture and human health for the purposes of understanding the biosocial origins of disease, systems of treatment, and the global inequalities that shape disease patterns and access to health care resources.
ANT 274 | FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course separates fact from media fantasy in the application of anthropological knowledge to determining the cause of death. Specific case studies are presented that show the range of situations confronted by anthropologists who consult with law enforcement agencies.
ANT 280 | ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course introduces students to the basic field and laboratory methods used in archaeological research through hands on experience. Students will receive intensive field training in archaeological field methods including excavation, survey, mapping, record keeping, and illustration. The course introduces basic laboratory techniques such as artifact processing, identification, and curation. The methodological training will be integrated through emphases on the place of data collection in the archaeological research process, and the relationship between archaeological data and questions of historical and anthropological importance. This course will provide students with the essential basic field training in archaeology required for both applied work in cultural resource management and continued graduate education in archaeology.
ANT 290 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN REGIONAL ETHNOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Compares the patterns of sociocultural life in different societies within a particular geographic region in order to gain a general understanding of cultural themes, trends, and historical developments. Check current schedule of courses for specific topic. Course may be repeated for credit when title and content change.
ANT 314 | ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course exposes students to a variety of topics that address gender cross-culturally and from an anthropological perspective. We shall explore the cultural processes that shape the lives of men, women and transgendered people across time and space.
ANT 317 | LANGUAGE, POWER AND IDENTITY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores how communication patterns vary cross-culturally. Examines how the language people speak shapes their worldview and their ways of interacting with each other. Students learn basic techniques of analyzing conversations.
ANT 320 | HUMAN VARIATION | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Explores the interrelationships between culture, biology, and the environment in the shaping of social life, including human evolution, sexual differences, skin color, "race," body shape, and other aspects of human variation.
ANT 322 | COMMUNITY-BASED APPLIED PRACTICE | 6 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This laboratory course in the applied anthropology sequence introduces students to the range of anthropological practice in the public and not-for-profit sector. Students will learn about the ways that anthropology has been and can be applied to initiate practical change in communities. In addition to learning the professional and ethical responsibilities of practicing anthropologists, students will also gain a practical experience working on an applied project. Human Subjects Research certification and an ethnographic methods is required for this class.
ANT 201, ANT 203 and senior standing are a prerequisite for this class.
ANT 324 | COLONIALISM TO GLOBAL SOCIETY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course examines long-term trends in the development of capitalist society in terms of both material and social organization from the 15th century to the present. Modeled on the core text, Europe and the People without History by Eric Wolfe, the course seeks to ground students in long-term processes of cultural development and change. These issues will be explored through a combination of archaeological and ethnographic perspectives and evidence.
ANT 326 | TRANSNATIONAL CULTURES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course examines the emergence of transnational culture in the modern world. The focus is on relationships and processes that link communities, such as trade, migration, and tourism, and the local experience of these global processes. While classroom discussion will be structured around critical readings of texts, self reflection and value consciousness will be encouraged. To this end, assignments will combine critical readings and guided experiential activities. Students will be tutored in techniques for giving professional style presentations. The course may vary according to faculty interest. Possible foci include labor migration, media, tourism, and/or global consumption.
ANT 328 | INTERNATIONAL APPLIED PRACTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Examines various processes of sociocultural change, with emphasis on peoples undergoing or emerging from cultural, political, or economic oppression.
ANT 330 | CLIENT-BASED APPLIED PRACTICE | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This laboratory course introduces students to the use of anthropological methods and theories in the private, for-profit sector. Students will learn about the type of work anthropologists are performing in the corporate world such as design and marketing research, product usability studies, and cultural resource management. In addition to learning the professional and ethical responsibilities of practicing anthropologists, students will also gain a practical experience working on an applied project. Formerly ANT 316.
ANT 203 is a prerequisite for this course.
ANT 342 | ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD MOVEMENTS AND PRACTICES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The meaning we attach to the foods we eat changes with the shifts in markets, governmental regulation and commitments to particular diets. This course provides ethnographic observational field studies of these changing movements and practices, leading the student to insights into cultural processes generally, and dietary practices in particular. The field site varies with the instructor and campus.
ANT 346 | URBAN ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Theories and methods of contemporary anthropology and other fields are used to analyze cities and urban life. Cross-culturally explores the processes of urbanization, urbanism (urban culture, subcultures, and ethnic lifestyles), and the notion of images of cities. Recommended for sophomore level or above.
ANT 356 | URBAN ETHNOGRAPHY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Examines the city as a type of human settlement, focusing on the different forms, functions, images, and ideological perceptions of cities over time and across a number of different cultures. Formerly SOC 356.
ANT 358 | ARCHEOLOGY OF CITIES | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This class provides a general overview of the archaeology of urban settlements. We will begin by asking the question "What is a city?" and look at the different theories that address the nature and origins of early urban settlements. To further examine this question we will focus on Cahokia, the largest prehistoric settlement in North America north of Mexico, and the city of Chicago, a well established urban, industrial center. The second portion of the class will take an even broader comparative approach towards the archeology of cities by applying the theories and insights gained in the first portion of the course to different world areas. Through these comparisons students will gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of urban forms across time and space, and consider the possibilities of cross-cultural similarities among prehistoric and early historic urban populations.
ANT 360 | ISSUES IN GLOBAL HEALTH | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course focuses on a specific health issue or set of issues in our world. The interrelationships between culture and health in this issue are examined.
ANT 361 | GLOBAL ISSUES IN WOMEN'S HEALTH | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course provides an overview of several critical issues in international women's health that illustrate the tension between biological/cultural and environmental explanations. We begin the semester by asking the question, "What does it mean to think anthropologically about women's health?" The course has an emphasis on how women themselves define, confront, manage and develop capacity to organize for better health in the face of societal pressures, structural violence and unequal access to resources. Students are also introduced to basic knowledge of epidemiological transitions, evolutionary medicine and situate Western medicine within the medical systems that have formed in the broader story of human history.
ANT 362 | GLOBAL HISTORY OF HEALTH | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course investigates the impact of infectious disease on human societies from the Paleolithic through the present day. Using the framework of the three epidemiological transitions, it examines the changes in human health associated with the origins of agriculture, the development of industrialization, and the processes of globalization. Throughout this vast sweep of human history, emphasis is placed on the influence of both biological and social factors on the manifestations of human disease.
ANT 374 | ANTHROPOLOGY AND MUSEUMS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course examines the evolving relationships between anthropology and museums. From functional, historical, material and aesthetic perspectives, the relationships between the cultural contexts of objects and museums will be explored. Case studies, guest lectures and site visits (virtual and real) will be used to demonstrate evolving theory, practice, law and ethical implications of collecting objects. Many of the logistical aspects of the museum including the laws and mission statements will also be examined.
ANT 378 | MUSEUM EDUCATION | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The specialized role of museum education is integral to developing and strengthening the museum's purpose as a public institution. This course explores the role of education in museums, emphasizing theory and practice. The class will examine concepts such as; the history and development of museum education, current issues, learning theories, techniques, creation of didactic materials, types of outreach, management policy, working with volunteers, and program evaluation.
ANT 380 | INTERNSHIP IN ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course affords credit toward graduation for students involved in department approved internships.
ANT 382 | HERITAGE DISPLAYS AND MUSEUMS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course examines the production and display of "culture" and "heritage" in public places worldwide, including tourist destinations, museums, and historic and commemorative sites. We will focus on the social and political implications of these processes and their relationship to anthropology. Museums were an early locus of anthropology and continue to be key sites for its public expression. In this course we will investigate "culture" on the loose and consider what studying the museum, tourism, and heritage industries can teach us about anthropology. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the concept of culture in anthropology. We will divide our time between reading, field trips to local museums and historic sites, and a hands-on class project.
ANT 384 | ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
The course is an introduction to the analysis of archaeological data, the interplay between the knowledge people have of the world and the remains and traces of their actions in it. We review the relevant culture theory needed to draw distinctions between analytical stances. We examine how the rhetoric of the research report changes as different analytical stances are selected.
ANT 386 | CULTURAL ANALYSIS | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Introduction to cultural analysis, the interplay between the knowledge people have of the world and their actions in it; explores the rudiments of culture theory needed to draw distinctions between analytical stances; examines how the rhetoric of the research report changes as different analytical stances are selected.
ANT 388 | PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH TUTORIAL | 2-4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
This course helps anthropology majors prepare for professional presentations at conferences, research exposition, publications and theses. It uses data collected in another class. The student focuses on developing the communication techniques necessary to meet a professional standard. Honors program students complete the honors program in anthropology with this course. The course is registered using the independent study procedure on Campus Connect. The course is taken normally for 2 credits. Students writing an honors program thesis can take the course for 4 credits.
ANT 390 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Variable topics in anthropology intended for advanced students. Explores special aspects or areas of anthropology based on particular interests and expertise of the instructor; course content and title will vary with the instructor. Check current schedule of courses for specific topic. Course may be repeated for credit when title and content change.
ANT 395 | SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
In-depth examination of selected topics in sociocultural anthropology, based either on a geographic area or theoretical theme. Check current schedule of courses for specific topic. Course may be repeated for credit when title and content change.
ANT 102 is a prerequisite for this course.
ANT 396 | SENIOR CAPSTONE SEMINAR | 4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
A course for senior anthropology majors, which satisfies the Senior Year Capstone requirement of the Liberal Studies Program. Objectives of the course are: to afford students the opportunity to reflect on the influences in their lives (both in and outside of academics) that directed them toward anthropology as a field of study; to formulate ideas regarding the affect anthropology has on their way of viewing themselves in the world around them; and to pursue research on an anthropologist or anthropological topic.
ANT 397 | TRAVEL/STUDY | 2-4.5 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Foreign study tours with lectures and research by special arrangement with sponsoring programs. May be taken for multiple credit when courses are not duplicated.
ANT 399 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | 2-4 quarter hours
(Undergraduate)
Independent Study.