Mar 28, 2024  
Catalogue 2019-2020 
    
Catalogue 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Anthropology Department


Chair: Thomas Porcello;

Professors: Colleen Ballerino Cohena, Martha Kaplan, Thomas Porcello, David Tavárez;

Associate Professors: April M. Beisaw, Candice M. Lowe Swift;

Assistant Professors:  Zachary Cofran;

Visiting Assistant Professor:  Louis Philippe Römer.

On leave 2019/20, first semester

On leave 2019/20, second semester

The field of anthropology seeks to promote a holistic understanding of social life by offering complex accounts of human histories, societies and cultures. Anthropologists undertake ethnographic, archival, and archaeological research on the varied aspects of individual and collective experience in all time periods and parts of the world. The Department of Anthropology offers a wide range of options for majors and for nonmajors in recognition of the broad interdisciplinary nature of the field. Nonmajors from all classes may choose courses at any level 
with permission of the instructor and without introductory anthropology as a prerequisite.

NRO: One introductory course taken NRO may count towards the major if a letter grade is received. If a student receives a PA for an introductory course taken under the NRO option, that student must complete 12.5 courses for an anthropology major. No other required courses for the major may be taken NRO.

Recommendations: The field experience is essential to the discipline of anthropology. Therefore, majors are urged to take at least one Community-Engaged Learning course, to engage in field research during the summer, and/or to undertake independent fieldwork under a study away program.

Anthropological Research Experience: The department also offers students the opportunity for independent fieldwork/research projects through several of its courses and in conjunction with on-going faculty research projects. Opportunities for laboratory research, which is also critical to anthropological inquiry, are available in our Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Language, Culture and History labs.

Advisers: The Department.

Programs

Major

Correlate Sequence in Anthropology

Courses

Anthropology: I. Introductory

  • ANTH 100 - Archaeology

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    Archaeologists use the material remains of past peoples and places to tell new stories of the past, present, and future. This course covers the basic methods and theories of American archaeology to show how that work is done. Then we survey the contributions that archaeologists are making to the social issues of our time such as sustainable cities, poverty and homelessness, and warfare and identity. Every social issue of today has historical roots, and earlier cases that can be examined through material remains. April Beisaw.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 120 - Human Origins

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This course introduces current and historical debates in the study of human evolution. Primate studies, genetics, the fossil record and paleoecology are drawn upon to address such issues as the origins and nature of human cognition, sexuality, and population variation. Zachary Cofran.

    Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 140 - Cultural Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    An introduction to central concepts, methods, and findings in cultural anthropology, including culture, cultural difference, the interpretation of culture, and participant-observation. The course uses cross-cultural comparison to question scholarly and commonsense understandings of human nature. Topics may include sexuality, kinship, political and economic systems, myth, ritual and cosmology, and culturally varied ways of constructing race, gender, and ethnicity. Students undertake small research projects and explore different styles of ethnographic writing. Candice Lowe Swift.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 150 - Linguistics and Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This class introduces students to the multiple senses in which languages constitute “formal systems.” There is a focus on both theoretical discussions about, and practical exercises in, the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of human languages. We also consider the origins of natural languages in various ways: their ontogenesis, their relationship to non-human primate signaling systems, and their relationship to other, non-linguistic, human semiotic systems. Moreover, we examine the broader social and cultural contexts of natural languages, such as their consequences for socially patterned forms of thinking, and their relationship to ethnic, racial and regional variation. The course is intended both as the College’s general introduction to formal linguistics and as a foundation for advanced courses in related areas. Louis Römer, David Tavárez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 170 - Topics in Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)


    Introduction to anthropology through a focus on a particular issue or aspect of human experience. Topics vary, but may include Anthropology through Film, American Popular Culture, Extinctions, Peoples of the World.

    Topic for 2019/20a: Written in Bone: Using Human Skeletons to Understand the Ancient Past. Since the earliest days of archaeology, scholars and the general public have been fascinated by skeletons recovered from ancient sites. However, human remains are more than a physical bridge between the present and a romanticized past—they also encode valuable information about the identities and daily lives of past peoples. Bioarchaeology is the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites. This course draws upon bioarchaeological case studies from multiple regions and time periods to explore the ways in which researchers use skeletal data to deepen our understanding of ancient lives, while also critically evaluating how such discoveries are portrayed in the popular media. In class discussions and written assignments, students engage with debates about how past peoples treated their dead, conceived of personhood, experienced violence and disease, and organized their communities. Over the course of the seminar, students learn how to formulate clear arguments, draw upon scientific evidence, and develop strategies for writing and revising research papers. Class time also is devoted to developing key writing and research skills, such as structuring academic papers, identifying appropriate sources, interpreting and responding to feedback. Overall, this course introduces students to the ways in which bioarchaeologists collect evidence from human skeletons to better understand the lived experiences of past individuals and communities. Jess Beck.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Topic for 2019/20a: Anthropology in the Anthropocene​. The ‘Anthropocene’ is a widely used term to denote the present geological epoch when the Earth has been profoundly altered by human activity.  Such human activity has intensified significantly since the onset of industrialization and has become a geological force by itself.  This course explores the nature of this human activity through readings a from an anthropological angle.  Anthropology is the discipline that has explored human “relatedness” in the greatest empirical and theoretical detail.  How does that archive help us to grasp the depth of the “human” problem in relating to the world?  What kind of alternate “futures” and “reconnections” can we imagine with the help of this knowledge?  Students read a range of authors, genres and sources, including ethnographies, scientific reports, environmental/ activist scholarship, indigenous narratives, poetry, critical essays and philosophy.  Topics and questions include: What are the modes in which industrial society brings about the devastating changes to the Earth System?  How is that different from non-modern ways of being a human in the world?  What does the history of race, colonialism, and conquest of other “humans” and that of “Nature” tell us about the phenomenon of the Anthropocene?  How do we wrench ecology away from the domain of “experts” and start moving towards a democratic form of ecological life?  Since this is a writing course, it  focuses on nurturing the writer in each of us.  Students ”use” the crisis of the “Anthropocene” to develop a portfolio of “ecological” writings. The aim is to help each other develop one’s own style as a writer and intellectually prepare to explore contemporary lives under the sign of environmental devastation or “climate change.” Kaushik Ghosh.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Topic for 2019/20a and b:  Language Facts, Language Fictions. True or false: women talk too much and men refuse to listen; Italian sounds beautiful, while German sounds harsh; double negatives are illogical; television and texting are ruining the English language; there are primitive languages that have no grammar; southerners speak more slowly than northerners; everybody has an accent except where I grew up; language is used primarily to communicate factual information about the world; Eskimos have 17 words for ‘snow’; men interrupt more than women; girls imitate how their mothers talk, while boys imitate how their fathers talk; everyone in Boston says, ‘cah’ instead of ‘car’; if you grow up speaking two languages, you’ll never speak either one perfectly. These statements represent the kinds of judgments many people make about languages and everyday speech. Even as the course provides a solid grounding in linguistic analysis, it explores and explodes such judgments by asking students to assess critically their own ideas and ideologies about language. Thomas Porcello.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Topic for 2019/20b:  From Artifacts to Arguments: Introduction to the Archaeology of Prehistoric Europe.  How did humans survive during the last Ice Age? Who is responsible for the cave paintings of Lascaux? What exactly is a henge? In this course, we explore the answers to these questions and more, covering topics ranging from ancient subsistence systems to exchange networks, mortuary practices, and technology. The class is divided into four units: (1) Introduction to Archaeological Principles and Theory; (2) The Paleolithic; (3) The Neolithic; (4) The Copper Age–Bronze Age. Students learn to evaluate archaeological evidence, assess the importance of theory in reconstructing prehistoric lifeways, and identify key sites, archaeologists and artifacts in European prehistory. In addition to painting a portrait of the economies, exchange networks, social organization and ritual practices of early European communities, this course also emphasizes the utility of different archaeological lines of evidence, describing the complementary information that can be recovered from lithics, ceramics, animal bones, human bones and ancient plant remains. Over the course of the seminar, students learn how to formulate clear arguments, draw upon scientific evidence, and develop strategies for writing and revising research papers. Class time is devoted to developing key writing and research skills, such as structuring academic papers, identifying appropriate sources, interpreting and responding to feedback.  Jess Beck.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

Anthropology: II. Intermediate

  • ANTH 201 - Anthropological Theory

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    In this course we explore the history of intellectual innovations that make anthropology distinctive among the social sciences. We seek to achieve an analytic perspective on the history of the discipline and also to consider the social and political contexts, and consequences, of anthropology’s theory. While the course is historical and chronological in organization, we read major theoretical and ethnographic works that form the background to debates and issues in contemporary anthropology. Martha Kaplan.

    Prerequisite(s): ANTH 140 .

    Corequisite(s): ANTH 140 .

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 210 - The Dead

    Semester Offered: Fall
    0.5 unit(s)
    Directed studies of dead populations and the anthropological information contained within their passing and/or memorialization. The Dead may be those who died from natural or unnatural causes, including genocide, homicide, infanticide, suicide, disease, or accident. Exploration of local cemetery populations are encouraged, as those buried nearby include individuals who died from a variety of causes but whose deaths were memorialized in relatively similar ways. Alternatively, patterns of those who are most susceptible to a specific cause of death can be explored. Weekly meetings bring together students who are pursuing independent research projects. Course readings provide some commonality to the group’s analyses and ground this intensive in anthropological questions and approaches. April Beisaw.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 211 - Virtual Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    The Digital Age opened exciting new possibilities for the study of human evolutionary anatomy. Imaging technologies such as laser scanning and computed tomography (CT) put high resolution physical data in a computer-based environment, allowing powerful visualizations and unprecedented analyses. This Intensive gives students experience with the types of questions, data and methods used in Virtual Anthropology. These methods help shed new light on long-extinct species – what did the brain of 10 million year old monkeys look like? How did the 300,000 year old species Homo naledi grow its teeth? What do the joint surfaces of fossil Australopithecus tell us about how these earliest humans walked? Working from questions like these, students experience directly the pros and cons of computer-based study of recent and fossil human anatomy. Intensive may be taken for up to two semesters. Zachary Cofran.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 212 - Ethnographic Understanding

    Semester Offered: Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    In this intensive, students recently returned from study abroad engage in closely mentored, collaborative work, reviewing and framing their experiences abroad through related ethnographic studies. The ethnographic studies may be regionally or topically focused, and students may use the intensive to develop thinking for a thesis and to gain increased familiarity with the area in which they studied, for example. Engaging with each other, students in this intensive also consider what their cross-cultural experiences suggest regarding policy, global citizenship, ethical and epistemological issues surrounding how we know what we know. This intensive is open to all majors. Students intending to use their study abroad experience as the basis for a senior thesis or for senior independent work are especially encouraged to participate. Anthropology majors must take this intensive in order to count their study abroad experience as one of the two required regional familiarity courses. Colleen Cohen.

    Prerequisite(s): Students have to have studied abroad, or done some other form of study abroad, e.g., a summer study abroad program.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 213 - Indigenous Environmental Activism

    Semester Offered: Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    This intensive experience challenges us to consider who generates knowledge about the environment and how cultural perspectives define what “climate change” and “sustainability” look like. Students research and interact with indigenous environmental activists, review tribal climate action plans, and follow ongoing efforts to change policies and educate publics. Grand Challenges grant funding facilitates one or more field trips and guest lectures that students arrange. Therefore, enrollment is by special permission with preference going to those who are already involved in the Grand Challenges program. Insights gained are shared with the greater Vassar community through a weekly blog and podcast. April Beisaw.

    Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor – open to students who are enrolled in or have taken other courses in the Grand Challenges learning community on climate change.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 231 - Topics in Archaeology


    1 unit(s)


    An examination of topics of interest in current archaeological analysis. We examine the anthropological reasons for such analyses, how analysis proceeds, what has been discovered to date through such analyses, and what the future of the topic seems to be. Possible topics include tools and human behavior, lithic technology, the archaeology of death, prehistoric settlement systems, origins of material culture.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 232 - Topics in Biological Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)


    This course covers topics within the broad field of biological (or physical) anthropology ranging from evolutionary theory to the human fossil record to the identification of human skeletal remains from crime scenes and accidents. Bioanthropology conceptualizes cultural behavior as an integral part of our behavior as a species. Topics covered in this course may include human evolution, primate behavior, population genetics, human demography and variation, or forensic anthropology.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2019/20a: Primate Behavior & Ecology. This class examines the social systems and behavior of our closest living relatives, the primates. This diverse group provides evolutionary background for understanding human society and behaviors. The course begins by outlining questions about primate behavior. In this section, the Order Primates is introduced by examining the biology and behavior of each of the major groups (Strepsirrhines, New and Old World monkeys, and apes). Next, several aspects of primate social systems including spacing, mating and grouping patterns will be discussed. The course concludes by reviewing selected topics of primate behavior, such as vocal communication, cognition and conservation. In addition to the broad overview of Primates, a term paper intimately acquaints each student with a single species.  Zachary Cofran.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 235 - Area Studies in Archaeology

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)


    This course is a detailed, intensive investigation of archaeological remains from a particular geographic region of the world. The area investigated varies from year to year and includes such areas as Eurasia, North America, and the native civilizations of Central and South America.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2019/20b: Historical Archaeology of American Identity. History tells us a version of the past that is knowable through written records. Historical archaeology provides alternative histories based on the things people left behind. This course begins with the archaeological record of colonial America and ends with the archaeology of today. Throughout, we focus on sites and artifacts of those who are often left out of American history books: the young, the poor, the working class, and a variety of marginalized groups. The remains of their lives help us to see how the past continues to function in the present. April Beisaw.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 240 - Cultural Localities

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)


    Detailed study of the cultures of people living in a particular area of the world, including their politics, economy, worldview, religion, expressive practices, and historical transformations. Included is a critical assessment of different approaches to the study of culture. Areas covered vary from year to year and may include Europe, Africa, North America, India and the Pacific.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2019/20a: Atlantic Worlds. (Same as AFRS 240 ) To speak of the Atlantic World is to speak of the peoples who inhabit the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and its marginal seas, and who are interconnected by histories of imperial expansion, enslavement, commerce, and migration. Imperial conquest led to the displacement and decimation of indigenous peoples, while slavery, indenture, and trade led and the creation of African, European, and Asian Diasporas in the Americas. These processes gave rise to the very idea of globalization, as well as the ideals of freedom, decolonization, and universal rights. This course introduces the diasporas, networks, and economic flows that integrate the Caribbean, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Using ethnographies, histories, narratives, music, and film, we explore the processes of migration, imperial expansion, and economic integration that continue to shape the peoples, languages, and cultures of the Atlantic World. We also critically examine the strengths and limitations of concepts and theoretical frameworks used to produce knowledge about the peoples and histories of the Atlantic world. Topics include imperialism and its legacies, (de)colonization, capitalism, slavery, indenture, marronage, piracy, revolution, abolition, creolization, race, class, and gender. Louis Römer.

    Topic for 2019/20b: The Making of Postcolonial India. (Same as ASIA 240 ) The processes which went into the formation of distinct modernities in the Indian subcontinent continue to inform and instigate present societies in that region. The first half of this course is a historical and anthropological introduction to some of the events and imaginations which were crucial to the formation of modern India (approximately the period of 1818-1947).  Central to these were debates about religious reform, nationalism, caste hierarchies and the question of women in modernity. This part of the course uses primary texts (autobiographies, speeches, dialogues) as well as use literary, ethnographic and historical writings and films. The second half of the course brings the understanding of this earlier crucial period to bear on some of the key processes of contemporary India, including the rise of Hindu nationalism, caste and indigenous social movements, environmental challenges and the question of the Indian diaspora. Kaushik Ghosh.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 241 - The Caribbean


    1 unit(s)
    An overview of the cultures of the Caribbean, tracing the impact of slavery and colonialism on contemporary experiences and expressions of Caribbean identity. Using ethnographies, historical accounts, literature, music, and film, the course explores the multiple meanings of ‘Caribbean,’ as described in historical travel accounts and contemporary tourist brochures, as experienced in daily social, political, and economic life, and as expressed through cultural events such as calypso contests and Festival, and cultural-political movements such as Rastafarianism. Although the course deals primarily with the English-speaking Caribbean, it also includes materials on the French and Spanish speaking Caribbean and on diasporic Caribbean communities in the U.S. and U.K. Colleen Cohen.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 243 - Mesoamerican Worlds


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as LALS 243 ) A survey of the ethnography, history, and politics of indigenous societies with deep historical roots in regions now located in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. This course explores the emergence of Mesoamerican states with a vivid cosmology tied to warfare and human sacrifice, the reconfiguration of these societies under the twin burdens of Christianity and colonial rule, and the strategies that some of these communities adopted in order to preserve local notions of identity and to cope with (or resist) incorporation into nation-states. After a consideration of urbanization, socio-religious hierarchies, and writing and calendrical systems in pre-contact Mesoamerica, we will focus on the adaptations within Mesoamerican communities resulting from their interaction with an evolving colonial order. The course also investigates the relations between native communities and the Mexican and Guatemalan nation-states, and examines current issues—such as indigenous identities in the national and global spheres, the rapport among environmental policies, globalization, and local agricultural practices, and indigenous autonomy in the wake of the EZLN rebellion. Work on Vassar’s Mesoamerican collection, and a final research paper and presentation is required; the use of primary sources (in Spanish or in translation) is encouraged. David Tavárez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 244 - Indian Ocean

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AFRS 244 ) This course re/introduces alternative modalities of belonging through a focus on multiple cultures and peoples interacting across the Indian Ocean. Using historical works, ethnographies, travel accounts, manuscript fragments, and film, we explore the complex networks and historical processes that have shaped the contemporary economies, cultures, and social problems of the region. We also critically examine how knowledge about the peoples and pasts of this region has been produced. Although the course concentrates on northern Africa, eastern Africa, southwest India, the Arabian Peninsula, and islands are included in our consideration of the region as a cultural, economic, and political sphere whose coastal societies were especially interconnected. Topics include: imperialism, globalization, temporality, cosmopolitanism, labor and trade migrations, religious identification, and gender. Candice Lowe Swift.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 245 - The Ethnographer’s Craft

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as URBS 245 ) This course introduces students to the methods employed in constructing and analyzing ethnographic materials through readings, classroom lectures, and discussions with regular field exercises. Students gain experience in participant-observation, fieldnote-taking, interviewing, survey sampling, symbolic analysis, the use of archival documents, and the use of contemporary media. Attention is also given to current concerns with interpretation and modes of representation. Throughout the semester, students practice skills they learn in the course as they design, carry out, and write up original ethnographic projects. Louis Römer.

    Two 75-minute periods plus two 75-minute workshops outside of regular class hours.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 247 - Modern Social Theory: Classical Traditions

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as SOCI 247 ) This course examines underlying assumptions and central concepts and arguments of European and American thinkers who contributed to the making of distinctly sociological perspectives. Readings include selections from Karl Marx, Emile Durheim, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, W.E.B. Du Bois and Erving Goffman. Thematic topics will vary from year to year. Diane Harriford, Seungsook Moon.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 250 - Language, Culture, and Society

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)


    This course draws on a wide range of theoretical perspectives in exploring a particular problem, emphasizing the contribution of linguistics and linguistic anthropology to issues that bear on research in a number of disciplines. At issue in each selected course topic are the complex ways in which cultures, societies, and individuals are interrelated in the act of using language within and across particular speech communities.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2019/20a: The Poetics and Politics of Everyday Conversation.  Language is an ever-present part of everyday life, but attention to language tends to be restricted to occasions that feel evidently eventful, important, and consequential. Weddings, funerals, graduations are accompanied by artfully crafted speeches. Meanwhile, the uses of language during the routine activities of everyday life—conversations over a weekday dinner with family, or casual banter with friends while walking from one classroom to the next—are often overlooked. This course focuses on conversations in everyday life in order to reveal the powerful social dynamics that unfold during seemingly uneventful interactions. In fact, these social interactions are all the more consequential because they are taken for granted. Focusing on the forms of talk that accompany caretaking, socializing, and play, this course provides insights into how cultural and social practices are acquired, and into the everyday practices wherein social status, power, group boundaries, and identities are challenged and established. Topics include: the stylistic features of everyday conversations; cultural differences in conversational style; manifestations of racism, sexism, queerphobia, and classism in everyday talk; the performance of politeness and informality; code-switching and bilingual conversation; stance, framing, narrative, and affect in conversation. Students learn how to analyze everyday conversations using theoretical frameworks and methods from conversation analysis, narrative analysis, and ethnomethodology. Louis Römer.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 255 - Language, Gender, and Media

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This course offers a systematic survey of anthropological and linguistic approaches to the ways in which gender identities are implicated in language use, ideas about language, and the dynamic relationship between language and various forms of power and dominance. It is organized as a cross-cultural and cross-ethnic exploration of approaches that range from ground-breaking feminist linguistic anthropology and the study of gender, hegemony, and class, to contemporary debates on gender as performance and on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual/transgender identities. An important topic is the representation of gender identities in various forms of media. However, we also investigate the multiple rapports among gender identities, socialization, language use in private and public spheres, forms of authority, and class and ethnic identities. Students learn about transcription and analysis methods used in linguistic anthropology, and complete two conversation analysis projects.  Thomas Porcello.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 259 - Soundscapes: Anthropology of Music


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as MUSI 259 ) This course investigates a series of questions about the relationship between music and the individuals and societies that perform and listen to it. In other words, music is examined and appreciated as a form of human expression existing within and across specific cultural contexts. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the social life of music, addressing historical themes and debates within multiple academic fields via readings, recordings, and films. Justin Patch.

    Recommended: but not required that students have one unit of the following: Music, Anthropology, Sociology, or Media Studies.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 260 - Current Themes in Anthropological Theory and Method


    1 unit(s)


    The focus is upon particular cultural sub-systems and their study in cross-cultural perspective. The sub-system selected varies from year to year. Examples include: kinship systems, political organizations, religious beliefs and practices, verbal and nonverbal communication.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 262 - Anthropological Approaches to Myth, Ritual and Symbol

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    What is the place of myth, ritual and symbol in human social life? Do symbols reflect reality, or create it? This course considers answers to these questions in social theory (Marx, Freud and Durkheim) and in major anthropological approaches (functionalism, structuralism, and symbolic anthropology). It then reviews current debates in interpretive anthropology about order and change, power and resistance, the enchantments of capitalism, and the role of ritual in the making of history. Ethnographic and historical studies may include Fiji, Italy, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Seneca, and the U.S. Martha Kaplan.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 263 - Anthropology Goes to the Movies: Film, Video, and Ethnography


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as MEDS 263 ) This course examines how film and video are used in ethnography as tools for study and as means of ethnographic documentary and representation. Topics covered include history and theory of visual anthropology, issues of representation and audience, indigenous film, and contemporary ethnographic approaches to popular media. Colleen Cohen.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or Film or Media Studies or permission of the instructor.

    Two 75-minute periods, plus 3-hour preview laboratory.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 266 - Indigenous and Oppositional Media


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as MEDS 266 ) As audiovisual and digital media technologies proliferate and become more accessible globally, they become important tools for indigenous peoples and activist groups in struggles for recognition and self-determination, for articulating community concerns and for furthering social and political transformations. This course explores the media practices of indigenous peoples and activist groups, and through this exploration achieves a more nuanced and intricate understanding of the relation of the local to the global. In addition to looking at the films, videos, radio and television productions, and Internet interventions of indigenous media makers and activists around the world, the course looks at oppositional practices employed in the consumption and distribution of media. Course readings are augmented by weekly screenings and demonstrations of media studied, and students explore key theoretical concepts through their own interventions, making use of audiovisual and digital technologies. Colleen Cohen.

    Two 75-minute periods, plus one 3-hour preview lab.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 268 - Religion, Repression, and Resistance in Latin America

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as LALS 268  and HIST 268 ) What was it like to live in a society where crimes of thought and religious transgressions were prosecuted and punished? How did various populations confront and resist inquisitorial activities? What is the legacy of the Inquisition in the Americas? This course addresses these and other questions through a focus on the Latin American Inquisition and Extirpation (ecclesiastic attempts to reform or destroy Precolumbian indigenous religions). The course tracks the emergence of Inquisition tribunals in Mexico City, Lima, and Cartagena after 1571, and the Catholic Church’s prosecution of indigenous idolatry and sorcery. It focuses both on trends in prosecution, torture, and punishment, and on the dynamic responses of those who were either targets or collaborators: indigenous peoples, Jews, Africans, female healers, people of mixed descent, and Protestants. Towards the end of the course, based on students’ interests, we also review other select case studies of religious control and resistance in Latin America. Students proficient in Spanish or Portuguese are encouraged to work with primary sources. David Tavárez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 281 - Museums, Collections, and Ethics

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AMST 281 ) Collecting Native American objects and human remains was once justified as a way to preserve vanishing cultures. Instead of vanishing, Native Americans organized and asked that their ancestors be returned, along with their sacred objects. Initially, museums fought against the loss of collections and scientists fought against the loss of data. Governments stepped in and wrote regulations to manage claims, dictating the rights of all parties. Twenty-five years after the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) repatriation remains a controversial issue with few who are truly satisfied with the adopted process. This course examines the development of American museums and the ethics of collecting cultures to anchor our study of repatriation. Perspectives of anthropology, art, history, law, museum studies, Native American studies, philosophy, and religion are considered. Recent U.S. cases are contrasted with repatriation cases in other parts of the world, for repatriation is not just a Native American issue.  April Beisaw.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 290 - Community-Engaged Learning

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1.0 unit(s)
    Individual or group field projects or internships. May be elected during the college year or during the summer. Open to all students. The department.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 298 - Independent Work

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Individual or group project of reading or research. May be elected during the college year or during the summer. The department.

    Course Format: INT

Anthropology: III. Advanced

  • ANTH 300 - Senior Thesis

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    1 unit(s)
    The department.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 301 - Senior Seminar

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    A close examination of current theory in anthropology, oriented around a topic of general interest, such as history and anthropology, the writing of ethnography, or the theory of practice. Students write a substantial paper applying one or more of the theories discussed in class. Readings change from year to year. Martha Kaplan.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 305 - Topics in Advanced Biological Anthropology

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)


    An examination of such topics as primate structure and behavior, the Plio-Pleistocene hominids, the final evolution of Homo sapiens sapiens, forensic anthropology, and human biological diversity.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2019/20a: Forensic Anthropology. Forensic anthropology is the application of physical anthropology to medical or legal issues, such as crimes. This course introduces students to the basic methods of forensic anthropology, including how age, sex, race, and height of an individual can be determined from their bones. Recognition of skeletal anomalies can also reveal past health conditions and the cause and manner of death. Students gain experience in applying these methods by working with real and synthetic human bones. Special attention is given to the accuracy of each method and how to develop a biological profile that would stand up in a court of law. April Beisaw.

    Topic for 2019/20b: Human Evolutionary Developmental Biology. What literally makes us human? This class examines how growth and development were modified over the course of human evolution, to create the animals that we are today. Human anatomy is placed in an evolutionary context by comparison with living primates and the human fossil record. The first half of the course focuses on theory, namely evolution, genetics and life history. The second half examines evidence for the development and evolution of specific parts of the body, from head to toe. Through lab activities and a term project, students draw on different types of data to test hypotheses about evolution and development. Zachary Cofran.

    One 3-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 310 - Scholarly Advancement

    Semester Offered: Fall
    0.5 unit(s)
    For students considering a scholarly or research future, this Intensive opens a window onto activities of scholarship including proposal writing, work shopping, scholarly communication and sharing research findings, peer review, and critique. This will be a supportive group for juniors and seniors in Anthropology and related departments and programs to write grant, fellowship applications (for example, Cornelison, Fulbright, Luce, Marshall, Watson) and graduate school applications (for MA and PhD programs) and/or to submit proposals and craft posters and papers for participation in scholarly conferences (for example American Anthropological Association or New York Conference on Asian Studies). Participants become familiar with a range of summer and post-graduate fellowships, conference opportunities and graduate programs and read examples of successful proposals. Faculty and administrators with experience as grant & fellowship reviewers provide group and individualized consultation.  Martha Kaplan.

    Prerequisite(s): Recommended for Juniors and Seniors.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 331 - Topics in Archaeological Theory and Method


    1 unit(s)


    The theoretical underpinnings of anthropological archaeology and the use of theory in studying particular bodies of data. The focus ranges from examination of published data covering topics such as architecture and society, the origin of complex society, the relationship between technology and ecology to more laboratory-oriented examination of such topics as archaeometry, archaeozoology, or lithic technology. April Beisaw.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or Environmental Studies, or permission of the instructor.

    One 2-hour period plus one 4-hour lab.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 351 - Language and Expressive Culture

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)


    This seminar provides the advanced student with an intensive investigation of theoretical and practical problems in specific areas of research that relate language and linguistics to expressive activity. Although emphasizing linguistic modes of analysis and argumentation, the course is situated at the intersection of important intellectual crosscurrents in the arts, humanities, and social sciences that focus on how culture is produced and projected through not only verbal, but also musical, material, kinaesthetic, and dramatic arts. Each topic culminates in independent research projects.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed. Thomas Porcello

    Topic for 2019/20b: Sound. (Same as MEDS 351 ) This seminar centers on the examination of acoustic, perceptual, and cultural dimensions of aural phenomena. Linguistics is one focal area of the course, in which we pursue both qualitative and quantitative analyses of paralinguistic and prosodic features (pitch, intonation, rhythm, timbre, formants), acoustic phonetics, and especially issues of sound symbolism (onomatopoeia, iconicity, metaphor, and synaesthesia). Additional topics of discussion include relationships between sound structure and social structure as investigated by anthropologists and ethnomusicologists, the cultural history of sound (as encoded in regulatory practices such as public noise ordinances, as well as in architectural and technological designs), and the emergent field of “sound studies.”

    Prerequisite(s): ANTH 150  or ANTH 250  or permission of the instructor.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 352 - Indigenous Literatures of the Americas

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AMST 352  and LALS 352 ) This course addresses a selection of creation narratives, historical accounts, poems, and other genres produced by indigenous authors from Pre-Columbian times to the present, using historical, linguistic and ethnographic approaches. We examine the use of non-alphabetic and alphabetic writing systems, study poetic and rhetorical devices, and examine indigenous historical consciousness and sociopolitical and gender dynamics through the vantage point of these works. Other topics include language revitalization, translation issues, and the rapport between linguistic structure and literary form. The languages and specific works to be examined are selected in consultation with course participants. They may include English or Spanish translations of works in Nahuatl, Zapotec, Yucatec and K’iche’ Maya, Quechua, Tupi, Aymara, and other indigenous languages of Latin America. David Tavárez.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 360 - Problems in Cultural Analysis


    1 unit(s)


    Covers a variety of current issues in modern anthropology in terms of ongoing discussion among scholars of diverse opinions rather than a rigid body of fact and theory.

    May be repeated for credit if topic has changed. Kaushik Ghosh

    Topic for 19/20b:  Postcolonialism, Posthumanism, Nature.    Mushrooms and canine companions, thinking forests and technobodies, earth beings and affective states. Such is the cast of characters who populate the stage of Posthumanism, the contemporary body of critical scholarship that aims at a fierce contestation of Humanism, perhaps the most central organizing ideology of the Enlightenment.  Coming from Science and Technology Studies, Feminism and Queer Theory and Ecocriticism, Posthumanism relentlessly invites one to think towards a future beyond the category of the Human (and the Non-Human).  The questioning of Humanism, however, has an important genealogy in an earlier body of critical scholarship, namely Postcolonialism.  How do these two critiques of humanism compare? Given the contemporary relevance of the question of global warming and mass extinctions, Nature emerges as a very important terrain for these two bodies of scholarship to engage each other.  In this seminar, the students read a range of representative works of these two “Posthumanisms,” including those by Frantz Fanon, Donna Haraway, Gayatri Spivak, Bruno Latour and Lauren Berlant.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 363 - Nations, Globalization, and Post-Coloniality


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as INTL 363 ) How do conditions of globalization and dilemmas of post-coloniality challenge the nation-state? Do they also reinforce and reinvent it? This course engages three related topics and literatures; recent anthropology of the nation-state; the anthropology of colonial and post-colonial societies; and the anthropology of global institutions and global flows. Martha Kaplan.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 364 - Travelers and Tourists

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    The seminar explores tourism in the context of a Western tradition of travel and as a complex cultural, economic and political phenomenon with profound impacts locally and globally. Using contemporary tourism theory, ethnographic studies of tourist locales, contemporary and historical travel narratives, travelogues, works of fiction, post cards and travel brochures, we consider tourism as a historically specific cultural practice whose meaning and relation to structures of power varies over time and context; as a performance; as one of many global mobilities; as embodied activity; as it is informed by mythic and iconic representations and embedded in Western notions of self and other. We also address issues pertaining to the culture of contemporary tourism, the commoditization of culture, the relation between tourism development and national identity and the prospects for an environmentally and culturally sustainable tourism. Colleen Cohen.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    One 3-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 365 - Imagining Asia and the Island Pacific


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ASIA 365 ) Does “the Orient” exist? Is the Pacific really a Paradise? On the other hand, does the “West” exist? If it does, is it the opposite of Paradise? Asia is often imagined as an ancient, complex challenger and the Pacific is often imagined as a simple, idyllic paradise. This course explores Western scholarly images of Asia (East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia) and of the island Pacific. It also traces the impact of Asian and Pacific ideas and institutions on the West. Each time offered, the seminar has at least three foci, on topics such as: Asia, the Pacific and capitalism; Asia, the Pacific and the concept of culture; Asia, the Pacific and the nation-state; Asia, the Pacific and feminism; Asia, the Pacific and knowledge. Martha Kaplan.

    Prerequisite(s): Previous coursework in Asian Studies/Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 367 - Indigenous Cultures and Languages of Latin America

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as LALS 367 ) This intensive offering focuses on closely mentored, collaborative work on Mesoamerican, Andean, or Amazonian languages and cultures. Students develop and execute a concise research project based on their own interests, qualifications, and previous coursework. Possibilities include intensive study, work with material culture in Vassar’s museum and rare book collections or elsewhere, and digital humanities projects, including those under development by the instructor. One previous course in Latin American and Latino/a Studies, Anthropology, History or the social sciences is recommended, but not required. David Tavárez.

    NRO allowed for Juniors and Seniors only.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: INT
  • ANTH 376 - Asian Diasporas: from empires to pluralism


    1 unit(s)


    (Same as ASIA 376  and GEOG 376 ) Focusing on Asian Diasporas, this course engages discourses in diaspora studies and pluralism from the Vassar campus to the wider world. Our goal is both to introduce theories of migration, diaspora, cultural transformation, world system, transnationalism, and globalization, and examine some of the complex history of movements of people from Asia to other parts of the world and their integration in diverse communities. Organized chronologically, the course begins by considering the deep history of movement and interconnection in Asia and beyond with particular focus on the Asia-centered world system of the 13th and 14th centuries. We then study the movements and experiences of indentured laborers and of merchants during the era of European colonial domination. Here we engage a range of topics including the role of religion in plantation life, the role of diasporic communities and racial politics in creating post-colonial nations, the emergence, conflicts and coalitions of ethnic identities in the United States and elsewhere, and key political and cultural moments in the history of Asian-America. We then examine recent forms of nationalism and transnationalism of Asian diasporas in the context of post WWII decolonization, late capitalism, disjunctive modernity, and identity politics in the contemporary era. The principal cases are drawn from East Asian and South Asian communities in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and the United States.

    As a seminar, the course material is multi-disciplinary, ranging from political-economic to cultural studies and engages material at a high level of sophistication. We have also tried to include diverse geographical regions. Asia and Diaspora are vast topics and not every topic can be covered in the course. You have further opportunity in your research paper to discuss topics and areas of your interest. Martha Kaplan and Yu Zhou.

     

     

    Prerequisite(s): 200-level work in Asian Studies, Anthropology or Geography, or permission of the instructor.

    One 3-hour period.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 383 - Creolizing the World: Language, Empire, Globalization

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AFRS 383 ) This course focuses on creole languages and the communities who speak them as a window to understand how historical processes—imperial expansion, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, racist domination, the plantation system, anti-colonial resistance, and post-colonial nation-building—impact language genesis, change, and shift. This course also traces how colonial legacies continue to inform dominant attitudes about language in the current global political economy. Themes include multilingualism, language revitalization, the relationship between language and ethnonationalism, the role of language in anti-imperialist social movements, the aesthetics and politics of creolization, the role of language in the upholding and challenging racism, as well as the role of language in creating cosmopolitan and diasporic communities and identities. Louis Römer.

    One 3-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 384 - Native Religions of the Americas


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as  AMST 384  and LALS 384 ) The conquest of the Americas was accompanied by various intellectual and sociopolitical projects devised to translate, implant, or impose Christian beliefs in Amerindian societies. This course examines modes of resistance and accommodation, among other indigenous responses, to the introduction of Christianity as part of larger colonial projects. Through a succession of case studies from North America, Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, the Andes, and Paraguay, we analyze the impact of Christian colonial and postcolonial evangelization projects on indigenous languages, religious practices, literary genres, social organization and gender roles, and examine contemporary indigenous religious practices. David Tavárez.

    Prerequisite(s): Prior coursework in Anthropology, American Studies or Latin American Latino/a Studies or permission of the instructor.

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS
  • ANTH 389 - Identities and Historical Consciousness in Latin America


    1 unit(s)


    (Same as LALS 389 ) This seminar explores in a strategic fashion the emergence and constant renovation of historical narratives that have supported various beliefs and claims about local, regional, national and transnational identities in Latin America and Latinx societies since the rise of the Mexica and Inca empires until the present. An important focus is the study of racial discourses and classifications, and of identities based on cultural practices and territorial origin. Through anthropological and historical approaches, we examine indigenous forms of historical consciousness and new identity discourses under colonial rule, their permutations after the emergence of independent nation-states, and crucial shifts in national, racial, and ethnic identity claims that preceded and followed revolutions and social movements. Students complete an original research project, and the use of original sources in Spanish or Portuguese is encouraged. David Tavárez.

     

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2019/20.

    Course Format: CLS

  • ANTH 399 - Senior Independent Work

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Individual or group project of reading or research. May be elected during the college year or during the summer. The department

    Course Format: INT