201. Essentials of Cultural Anthropology. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
Ethnography – the descriptive study of peoples – is the cornerstone of anthropological endeavor. This course explores the relationship between intensive examinations of small populations and broad interpretations of the human condition. Emphasis is placed on close analyses of ethnographies representing different theoretical positions.
204. Anthropology of Islam. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: ANTH 101 or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to the diversity of Islamic traditions and local practices from an anthropological perspective. The course explores the variety of Islamic practices and beliefs in the world, and focuses on the particular debates and transformations of religion in the modern world.
205. Peoples of Mexico and Central America. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
206. Peoples of South America.3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
This course will foster an ethnographic and historical understanding of the peoples and cultures of South America. It will explore the concept of Latin America and the peoples, institutions, and types of knowledge that have helped produce it. We will review the multiple ethnic and racial groups, social classes, government institutions, and cultural manifestations found within modern South American nation-states, as well as some key historical processes. We will consider South America’s relation to the rest of the world, emphasizing impact on the lives of people, and the importance of Latin American nation-state formations to the theories of the modern polity. We will focus on questions of citizenship, exclusion and belonging through the lens of racial ideologies, battles over land, labor and political autonomy, the concept of indigeneity, gender relations, definitions of community, and family and personhood.
207. Native North Americans. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: Six credits in social science or sophomore standing.
208, 208W. Peoples of South Asia. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
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.
This course focuses on the lifeworlds of the peoples of Africa and African diasporic communities via an examination of the diverse communities, institutions, and practices that constitute Africa as a place and as an imaginary. Topics covered include race, class, law, politics, migration, religion, and gender, with a focus on the various peoples, struggles, and institutions that are integral in the production of Africa in the past, present, and future. We will read a variety of literary and anthropological texts and engage in media examinations of Africa as space, place, and idea.
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.
241. 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.
247. Archaeology of Africa. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: sophomore standing or permission of instructor.
This course examines social developments in Africa through its material culture from the early Pleistocene era until the historical period. Topics covered include human evolution, the emergence and spread of agriculture, the development of complex societies and urbanism, the role of trade and exchange networks in shaping African societies, and the impact of colonialism and post-colonialism on African archaeology. Additionally, the course explores Africa’s contributions to other world civilizations through the Indian and transatlantic ocean trade, and critiques earlier archaeological studies that contributed to stereotypes of precolonial Africa as undeveloped and isolated.
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 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.
282. Linguistic Subjectivities in Latin America.3 hr.; 3 cr.
Prereq.: ANTH 104 or LCD 101, or permission of instructor.
An exploration of the relationship between language and social life in Latin America through ethnographic work. Students will be introduced to some of the most important theoretical discussions in linguistic anthropology and to relevant ethnographic cases that illuminate those discussions. Ethnographic case studies will focus on Indigenous and Black communities and will be divided into the following geographical areas: Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, the Andes and Amazonia, and finally, Brazil and Venezuela.
388 (ANTH/LCD 388). Voices of New York. 3 hr.; 3 cr.
Immigration has brought hundreds of languages to our city, but what happens to these languages and their speakers once they are here and in contact in New York? What effects do they have on the English spoken here? Is the traditional New York dialect dying out? Is it changing? How distinct is the English of Latinos? East Asian Americans? Africans? South Asians? Do people from different neighborhoods or boroughs speak differently? Which heritage languages are being maintained and which ones are disappearing? Why? How are immigrants’ languages changing? What are the effects of peer-culture such as Hip Hop, Skaters, Geeks, etc. on language? Voices of New York is a seminar for students to explore these questions by conducting their own original research. As they answer their questions, students will learn how to design, conduct, analyze, and present data and conclusions. They will thus gain valuable research skills, which can be applied in other classes as well as in academics, science, government service, and business.