SOAN

This course is an introduction to the sub-discipline of linguistics within the broader discipline of anthropology. The course covers methods used and theories formulated in the study of language in anthropology. These include the structure of language; language through history; a comparison between human and non-human modes of communication; the innate human capacity for language; the relationship between language, thought, and culture; and the study of language, power, and identity. A cross-cultural perspective is emphasized in this class.

The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to the forms of difference and inequality reflected, constructed, and reproduced through notions of race and ethnicity. It asks: what are the forms of knowledge, practices, institutions, and values that have informed the nature and meaning of race and ethnic relations in both the U.S. context and globally?

This course examines the sociological dimensions of science and technology.

Measuring students, norming test results, ranking students and schools, and "racing to the top" are endeavors that produce, according to a competitive paradigm, not only triumphant winners, but also deficient losers. Are there better, more inclusive and more socially just ways to envision and carry out the mission of education? How else might stigmatized students--those who are often perceived only as marginalized, "broken," and in need of "fixing"--be seen and positively incorporated in school systems?

This course is designed to introduce students to the field of sociology. Sociology is a broad discipline which, at its core, constitutes the scientific study of society. Students in this course are exposed to basic concepts, theories, and methods used in modern sociology. Upon successful completion of Introduction to Sociology, students have a basic understanding of the sociological perspective and the ways in which the discipline frames human behavior at all levels, from a brief encounter of two strangers to global social systems.

Students focus on visual anthropology in its primary and original form: as a research practice. Specifically, they investigate and practically explore the use of visual media as a tool for anthropological research and presentation. They discuss visual anthropology both as a supplement to textually-focused ethnography, and as an end in itself, in the creation of a visual product that explicates cultural realities.

This course introduces students to the discipline of anthropology, with an intent focus on the sub-discipline of cultural anthropology. Students gain an understanding of the methods, theories, and debates that characterize cultural anthropology through a critical exploration of the concept of culture, the central frame through which anthropologists grapple with gender, ethnicity, politics, economics, religion, tradition, technology, identity, globalization, and much more.

The course has a two-fold purpose: first, to analyze the political, economic, and cultural forces creating interdependence in the world, and second, to adopt a comparative perspective and to investigate in some depth the social systems in a variety of countries.

Archaeology seeks to uncover artifacts and the material culture of human life in order to understand past civilizations and the long-term development of human societies across space and time. This course offers an introduction to the field of archaeology, providing an overview of its goals, theory, methods, and ethics. Students discuss specific archaeological sites in their historical, social, anthropological, economic, religious, and architectural contexts.

Political ecology is an active interdisciplinary framework with foundations in anthropology, geography, environmental studies and the biological sciences. Its central contention is that our understanding of environmental issues and environmental change must include an analysis of the social, political, economic, and cultural context in which they are produced.