Intermediate Courses

Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing. 

209. Peoples of Europe. 3 hr.; 3 cr.

Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing. 

210. Peoples of East Asia. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course examines contemporary cultures of East Asia from an anthropological perspective. Primary topics include popular culture, globalization, media/film, gender, social movements, nationalism, history, identity, and power.

 
211. Peoples of Africa. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing. 

 
212. Peoples of the Middle East. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing. This course examines anthropological approaches to the Middle East and North Africa. We will investigate who inhabits this vast geographical area, as well as the region’s diverse traditions, beliefs, histories and practice. We will discuss the cultural changes that have emerged in the wake of social, political and economic transformations from the colonial period to the present. Previous knowledge of Middle Eastern history, geography or anthropology is not required. 

 
213. Peoples of the Contemporary United States. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
What is “American culture”? How is it understood and experienced by Native, white, black, Latino, and Asian Americans, and by persons of different gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, immigrant/citizen status, and economic position? Anthropologists engage these big questions in ethnographic case studies of particular groups and locales, and they interpret their findings within wider cultural, historical, and political economic contexts. Through ethnographies, films, and class lectures drawing on the instructor’s fieldwork in Queens, this course applies anthropological thinking to current debate about race, immigration, family life, sexuality, youth culture, the elderly, religious pluralism, and economic transformation in the contemporary USA.
 
214. Peoples of New York City. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing. 

 
215W. Peoples of the Caribbean. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course addresses the culture and societies of the Caribbean. Because of the Caribbean’s long history of economic exploitation and cultural diversity, it has been a region in which peoples meet. This has generated both innovation and enmity. Consequently, this course will examine relationships of the different groups which inhabit the region, their conflicts and creations, and the influence of global economic and political factors on the region.

 
216. Peoples of Southeast Asia. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Long a crossroads of trade and migration, Southeast Asia is one of the most diverse, dynamic and complex regions of the world. home to inland peasants and coastal traders; Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Animists; economic “miracles” and crushing poverty; fledgling democracies and cruel dictatorships; bustling global cities and remote highlands, Southeast Asia defies easy description. This course will introduce students to this culturally diverse region and to some contemporary themes in the anthropology of Southeast Asia.
 
219. Topics in Cultural Area Studies. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course will focus on a cultural or geographic area that is not covered in one of the standing courses listed above.  The specific area of focus will be announced in the course list published by the department prior to the beginning of each semester.  This course may be repeated for credit provided the topic is not the same.

 
220. Food and Culture. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course introduces students to anthropological concepts and research that bear on the subjects of food, eating, nutrition, and disease. Topics covered include origins of human food-related behaviors; changing dietary patterns as revealed by archaeology and physical anthropology; cultural aspects of diet, disease, and malnutrition; the relationship between diet and social organization, as well as symbolic aspects of human food taboos and preferences. +
 
222. Sex, Gender and Culture. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course will examine the social construction of gender in a wide range of cultures. Beginning with the question of the degree to which gender roles are biologically determined, we will focus our attention on the divergence of gender roles and the nature of gender inequality throughout the world. We will analyze power dynamics between men and women at the household level, the community level, and in the larger context of the state for a variety of societies ranging from foragers in Africa to peasants in China, to professionals in the United States. We will discuss the ways in which women in different cultures obtain degrees of autonomy and power within their cultural contexts. The course will draw on theoretical and ethnographic readings dealing primarily with non-western societies. 
 
224. Religion: Belief and Ritual. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.

 
225. Medical Anthropology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course focuses on the interaction of cultural, biological, and ecological factors that may influence human health. Specific areas to be covered will include the transmission of infectious disease, nutritional deficiencies, and inherited diseases. +
 
232. Photography and the Visual World. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Development of perceptual, interpretive, and technical skills for the use of visual media in ethnographic representation.
 
233. Race, Class and Ethnicity. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Physical differences among human populations are complex, continuous and include many more invisible than visible traits. After brief consideration of human genetic variation around the world, we examine cultural schemes that segment and compress this diversity into a small number of “races.” Racial systems emerge in particular historical and cultural settings, always involve differences in power, and vary from society to society. Readings and lectures focus on inequality and its relationship to concepts of race, ethnicity, and class in different parts of the world. ++
 
236. Culture and Learning. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Sophomore standing and English 110.
This discussion-based seminar focuses on critically examining the concept of learning, as seen from an Anthropological perspective. students will gain an understanding of learning as a dynamic, culturally-framed process by exploring examples of child socialization practices around the world and by considering the continuation of enculturation into adulthood in varied cultural contexts. We wil discuss ethnographic writings and films in order to explore the theoretical and practical processes of learning in childhood and beyond. In addition to regular reading responses on ethnographic material, longer written student projects will provide opportunities for building skills in critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and research.
 
237. Violence. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Violence takes many forms, from the everyday violence of inequality, poverty, and discrimination to more spectacular forms such as war, terrorism, and mass shootings. This course examines how anthropologists use ethnographic methods to explore the many causes and forms of violence, as well as the ways that individuals and communities try to rebuild their shattered worlds in the aftermath of violent conflict.
 
238. Research Design and Method. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in anthropology.
This course shows students how anthropologists go about answering the questions they ask. We look at how research is designed, how data are collected and analyzed, and how empirical results are presented. Students will learn the fundamentals of sampling, descriptive and inferential statistics, and techniques for displaying relationships graphically. 
 
239, 239W. Topics in Cultural Anthropology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course will focus on a topic in cultural anthropology that is not covered in one of the standing courses listed above.  The specific topic will be announced in the course list published by the department prior to the beginning of each semester.   The course may be repeated provided the topic is not the same.  This course is sometimes offered as a Writing Intensive (W) course.

 
240. Essentials of Archaeology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
An examination of archaeological techniques and methods of interpretation that provide the basis for reconstruction of the lifeways of past cultures.
 
241. The Archaeology of Mesoamerica. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
The development of complex societies in Mexico and Central America focusing on the Olmecs, Maya, Aztecs, Mixtecs, and Teothuacan. Pre-16th century development of agriculture, the concept of zero, intricate calendars, writing, political and religious hierarchies, and immense ceremonial architecture in relation to general explanations for the emergence and collapse of complex societies. 
 
242, 242W. Archaeology of Europe. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This lecture course traces the major themes in the cultural development of Europe. From the florescence of Paleolithic art through the spread of Indo-European languages to the impact of the Roman Empire on the Celtic world, this course tracks the changing forms of social integration. 
 
243. Archaeology of North America. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Examines the development of North American cultures from the arrival of humans on the continent, through the impact of European colonization. 
 
245. Archaeology of South America. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Examines the development of cultures from the first peopling of South America to the arrival of the Europeans.
 
246, 246W. Archaeology of the Near East. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
The Near East is considered the locus of many of the world’s most significant sociocultural “firsts,” including the origins of agriculture, the earliest cities, the earliest writing system, and some of the world’s oldest empires. This course reviews the archaeology of the Near East from the Mesolithic (ca. 18,000 BC) to the aftermath of the Bronze Age (ca. 1000 BC), and discusses current academic debates over some of the sociocultural “firsts” attributed to it. In addition, we will look at the history of archaeology in the region and consider its political context in the past and present. 

 
248. World of the Vikings.3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.
This course focuses on early Norse culture, migration, and settlement across the North Atlantic ca. 750 – 1050 A.D. Issues related to Viking raids, shipbuilding, social organization and integration, agriculture, and religion are explored through archaeological evidence and historical references. How we know what we think we know about the Norse is critically examined so as to provide a more nuanced view beyond the received wisdom and popular interpretations of the Vikings in the media.

 
249. Topics in Archaeological Area Studies.3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing or permission of instructor.
This course will focus on a cultural or geographic area that is not covered in one of the standing courses listed above.  The specific area of focus will be announced in the course list published by the department prior to the beginning of each semester. This course may be repeated for credit provided the topic is not the same.

 
250. Field Methods in Archaeology. 250.1-250.6, 1-6 hr.; 1-6 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 103 or 240.
Field training in archaeological survey and excavation in actual selected field sites. Basic archaeological field techniques will be taught and students will develop skills in scientific data-recording procedures. Prehistoric sites will be located, mapped, and described, and cultural materials will be recovered in the field for subsequent laboratory analysis. Course may be retaken, for a maximum combined total of 6 credits.++
 
256. Archaeology of Food. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: ANTH 240.
As an intensely social activity, food plays a central role in our lives. This course focuses on the study of food as a way to understand past prehistoric and historic-period societies. Using case studies, we will examine the origin, development, and cultural significance of the foods we eat, delve into the fole of food in human evolution, follow the development of foodways through time, and learn how archaeologists use a wide range of artifacts, features, plant and animal remains, and biochemical data to recover information about foods.

 
258. Cultural Property, Heritage and the Law. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Sophomore standing.
This course addresses the politics of heritage, the destruction of antiquities, indigenous rights, and control over cultural practices and products. It introduces students to the debates and policies that have developed around these issues over the past 40 years, and it introduces how the U.S. and international legal systems work in the context of cultural policy.
 
259. Topics in Archaeology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 103 or 240.
This course will focus on a topic in archaeology that is not covered in one of the standing courses listed above.  The specific topic will be announced in the course list published by the department prior to the beginning of each semester. The course may be repeated provided the topic is not the same.

 
260. Essentials of Biological Anthropology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 102 or any college biology course.
An in-depth overview of the method and theory of biological anthropology to solidify student understanding of the discipline’s key concepts via in-class discussion and hands-on exercises.
 
262. The Nonhuman Primates. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 102 or permission of department.
A broad survey of the natural history and diversity of our closest relatives, the living nonhuman primates – lemurs, lorises, galagos, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes – focusing on anatomical, ecological, and behavioral differences among primate taxonomic groups and implications of this variation for human biology, behavior, and evolution.

 
264. Faunal Analysis. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 102 or any college biology course.
This course gives students training in the study of animal bones from archaeological and paleontological sites. It will begin with a broad survey of skeletons from a variety of animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish) and then will focus on the bones of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), a medium-sized ungulate commonly found at archaeological sites. The class period is divided between lecture and lab time. Students will be involved in hands-on identification of bones, and will learn how to identify damage on bones made from a variety of processes including weathering, butchery with stone tools, and carnivore feeding. Experiments will be carried out to illustrate the relationship between particular activities and specific types of bone damage.

 
270. Evolutionary Medicine. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Anthropology 102 or any college biology course.
This course is an introduction to the principles and methods used by epidemiologists to determine the causes and study the distribution of diseases in human populations. Cultural aspects of disease are integrated with archaeology and physical anthropology in a broad historical survey to illustrate the impact of disease on historic populations.