ANTH 3000 - Issues in Anthropology

Goals: To introduce students to key theoretical, methodological, and ethical issues within the four subfields of anthropology (biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology). This is a gateway course into the major. Ideally, students should take this course in their sophomore year in conjunction with declaring a major. Recommended for many 3000-level courses.

Content: Department faculty introduce key issues under consideration in their respective subfields. Critical and close reading of representative articles and monograph allows students to engage active debates within the discipline (e.g., the utility of the concept of race; the role of the environment in cultural change; the uniqueness of human language; the responsibilities of anthropologists to the people they study). Writing assignments allow students to practice different styles of anthropological writing.

Taught: Annually.

Prerequisite: ANTH 1160 or consent of instructor. ANTH 3000 is not recommended for first-year students.

Credits: 4 credits