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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
This course will introduce Southeast Asia through close readings of important accounts of some of its peoples. It will examine the region's history, religions, and social organizations tracing themes and variations that give this region its unity and, for all its diversity and its many waves of immigration, make Southeast Asia a field of related cultures.
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3.00 Credits
This course presents a survey of the social structures and forms of expression that make up the complex society of contemporary Japan, using anthropological writings, history, reporting, film, and fiction.
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3.00 Credits
This course introduces students to the complexities of contemporary Chinese society in the context of the past. Topics covered include food, family and gender, political activity, ethnicity and identity, urban and rural life, work and unemployment, economic complexity, multilingualism, arts, religion, medicine and the body, and literature.
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3.00 Credits
This course is a broad introduction to the societies and cultures of Latin America. We will cover the history of the region - from the colonial past, independence movements and revolutions, post colonialism and race relations - as well as the current events, trends, and cultures that have been shaped by this history. The latter will include important present-day issues such as power relations and class, violence and politics, secular and religious ideologies, family and gender relations, migration and transnationalism, ethnic relations, art and literature, and globalization and change. I expect students to understand and appreciate the diversity of cultures in Latin America as well as to explore how the current societies and events have been shaped by the unique histories of the region. Students who have completed the Notre Dame language requirements in Spanish are eligible to register for an additional 1-credit discussion section as part of the Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) initiative in the College of Arts and Letters, ANTH 22360.
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3.00 Credits
Witchcraft and the ritualistic use of magic for shaping the future and controlling the present have been a part of human development from the earliest times. The advent of science and technology has only modified or altered the role and significance of witchcraft in contemporary societies, as witchcraft and magic services and their providers have gone online. Anthropological studies on witchcraft in contemporary societies have pointed out the relationship between the development of witchcraft and the prevailing economy, politics, public health, culture and the environment. This course will explore the role and evolution of witchcraft in modern societies of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Through assigned readings, in-class discussions, movies, documentaries, and ethnographic projects, we will seek to understand why witchcraft and magic and associated beliefs are universal phenomena in human societies and how these practices themselves adapt to the changing world.
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3.00 Credits
Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographically massive territory distinguished by a tremendous diversity of cultures, customs, languages, histories, identities, and experiences. In this course, we explore this wealth of diversity, alongside a survey of some of the broad historical and contemporary trends and movements that have characterized the subcontinent. A brief introduction to African geography is followed by an overview of African history in the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial eras. The remainder of the course is devoted to the study of present-day Africa, including readings on social organization, religion, music, art, popular culture, politics, economics, as well as on the contemporary crises and challenges of warfare, poverty, and HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Readings will include historical, ethnographic, literary, and autobiographical texts, and will be supplemented by a number of African-directed films.
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3.00 Credits
No course description available.
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2.00 Credits
This course explores the public's perception of what archaeologists do and why they do it, and seeks to better understand the broader goals and contributions of the study of archaeology. We will draw on case studies from throughout the world, including examples from North America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.
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2.00 Credits
This class explores the social, cultural and intellectual contexts of ancient technologies. In this class students will learn when and how humans developed critical technologies in the past, and discuss how they have affected the world we live in today.
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3.00 Credits
The general public views archaeologists in a highly stereotyped manner. This course explores the public's perception of what archaeologists do and why they do it, and seeks to better understand the broader goals and contributions of the study of archaeology. We will explore this question through a range of media, including how the public and media stereotype archaeological research through films and novels, such as Indiana Jones. We will also examine the development of alternative / pseudoscientific explanations for ancient phenomena (for instance, the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, the destruction of Atlantis, and the use of the Nasca lines by aliens). Finally, students will investigate the modern social context of conducting archaeology today: how can archaeology help us to understand the world in which we live? We will draw on case studies from throughout the world, including examples from North America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.
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