*Anthropology 92r. Research Methods in Museum Collections
Catalog Number: 7712
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Special study of selected Peabody Museum collections and/or archives, given on an individual basis, and directly supervised by a member of the faculty and a member of the Collections Management Staff. Will require a specific project involving a Museum collection, developed in consultation with the supervisors. Must be taken for a letter grade. Priority given to students in Anthropology and related departments. To enroll, a student must submit a petition form (available from the Undergraduate Office, William James 452), signed by both supervisors, as well as a proposed research agenda, during the term preceding the anticipated term of enrollment.
Note: Information sheets with Museum contacts available in William James 452.
*Anthropology 97x. Sophomore Tutorial in Archaeology
Catalog Number: 0400
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The sophomore tutorial provides a background in archaeological method and theory, particularly focusing on small-scale societies. Specific topics include the origin of anatomically modern humans, the peopling of the New World, and the nature of small-scale societies in both modern and ancient contexts. Weekly readings (drawn from the current journal literature), discussions, several short writing assignments.
Note: Required of all concentrators.
*Anthropology 97y. Sophomore Tutorial in Biological Anthropology
Catalog Number: 3170
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (spring term). Occasional lectures, W., at 1.
An introduction to the issues and methods of biological anthropology, including evolutionary theory and its application to humans. Focuses on the comparison of primate and human physiology and social behavior as ecological adaptations and their application to understanding human evolution. Weekly readings, discussions, and short writing assignments, with a final research paper and presentation.
Note: Required of and limited to biological anthropology concentrators.
*Anthropology 97z. Sophomore Tutorial in Social Anthropology
Catalog Number: 5832
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (spring term). Th., at 1.
The sophomore tutorial provides an in-depth exploration and critique of major theoretical approaches in social and cultural anthropology, the historical context of their emergence, and their contribution and relation to the discipline as a whole. Seminar members will have a chance to read and discuss selected works by key theorists, and to see how their ideas have shaped ethnographic description and analysis.
Note: Required of all concentrators.
*Anthropology 98xa. Junior Tutorial in Archaeology
Catalog Number: 2959
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The junior tutorial provides a background in archaeological method and theory through critical analysis of selected issues and debates particularly focusing on more complex societies. Specific topics include the origins of agriculture and the domestication of animals, the development of complexity and “civilization” and post-colonial and historical archaeology and related ethical and theoretical issues. Weekly readings (drawn from current journal literature), discussions, several short writing assignments.
Note: Required of all concentrators in archaeology.
*Anthropology 98xb. Junior Tutorial in Archaeology
Catalog Number: 3568
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This individual tutorial for archaeology students intending to write a senior thesis is normally undertaken with a member of the faculty during the second term of junior year. To enroll, a student must submit a petition form (available from the Undergraduate Office, William James 452) with a proposed course plan of study and the tutorial adviser’s signature.
Note: Required of candidates for honors in archaeology.
*Anthropology 98y. Junior Tutorial in Biological Anthropology
Catalog Number: 3923
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Individual tutorial with a member of the biological anthropology faculty for juniors who will be undertaking an honors thesis in senior year. To enroll, a student must submit a petition form (available from the Undergraduate Office, William James 452) with a proposed plan of study and the tutorial adviser’s signature.
*Anthropology 98z. Junior Tutorial in Social Anthropology
Catalog Number: 4503
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Junior tutorials in Social Anthropology explore critical theoretical issues related to a single ethnographic region (eg. South Asia, Africa, Latin America). The issues and areas change from year to year, but the purpose remains the same: to give students a chance to grapple with advanced readings and to experience the ways that ideas and theories can be applied and critically analyzed in ethnographic studies.
*Anthropology 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 5830
David Pilbeam and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Research and writing of the Senior Thesis. Limited to honors candidates. Signature of the faculty adviser required.
Anthropology 101. Introduction to Archaeology
Catalog Number: 8727
John P. Gerry
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
This course is concerned with the actual practice of archaeology: How do archaeologists know where to dig? Why do we did square holes? How do we analyze and understand what we find? These questions and others are discussed in a lecture/lab format that provides an overview of field, laboratory, and interpretive methodology. Among the topics covered are research design, site survey, mapping, sampling excavation strategy, stratigraphy, chronology, artifact classification and data processing. Archaeological method and theory are fully integrated in this course. Peabody Museum collections are used to provide hands-on experience with various methods of analysis.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 100 suggested but not required.
*Anthropology 103. Genes and Human Diversity
Catalog Number: 1841
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30, with weekly section/laboratory to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 12
An introduction to human evolution using genetic evidence. Includes fundamentals of population genetics, genetic diversity of living humans, origins of modern Homo sapiens, genetic reconstructions of human history, and correspondences with linguistic evidence.
Anthropology 104. Language and Culture
Catalog Number: 5844
Steven C. Caton
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 7
Examines the ways forms of speaking can constitute cultural life and vice versa. Though different approaches to this kind of study will be surveyed, an ethnographic one will be emphasized. A comprehensive overview of linguistic theories of structuralism and their criticism will form the basis on which to proceed to this ethnographic approach. Topics will include: the structuralisms of Ferdinand de Saussure, Roman Jakobson, and Edward Sapir; the Sapir-Whorf Relativity Hypothesis and its modern evocations; speech indexicality and pragmatics; performativity; Bakhtinian dialogicality; and poetry and poetics.
Note: No previous knowledge of linguistics or of anthropology is required. Graduate section optional.
Anthropology 105. Food and Culture
Catalog Number: 0206
James L. Watson
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
Food is examined for its social and cultural implications; nutritional or dietetic concerns are of secondary interest. Topics include food taboos and restrictions, gift giving and reciprocity, food exchanges and social boundaries, food symbolism and medical systems, sacrifice and communion rites, the social construction of food, and the world standardization of food preferences. Examples are drawn from China, India, Latin America, Africa, Europe, the Pacific, and the United States.
[Anthropology 106. Primate Social Behavior]
Catalog Number: 4332
Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12, with weekly sections to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 5
A review of the behavioral interactions in natural primate populations, drawing on experimental, observational, and theoretical studies. Discussion of ecological, physiological, and developmental bases of primate social behavior, with special attention to the evolution of patterns of behavioral interactions among individuals of different age, sex, relatedness, and status. Topics include sexual conflict, sexual selection, and mating systems; care of offspring and other aid-giving; manipulative and cooperative aspects of communication; competition, dominance, and territoriality; and the evolution of social relationships.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Introductory biology or Science B-29.
[Anthropology 107. The Conservation Ecology of Tropical Rainforests]
Catalog Number: 1354
Mark Leighton
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 10, and a two-hour laboratory/discussion section weekly. EXAM GROUP: 3
Introduction to the ecological concepts and analytical tools of conservation biology, illustrated by the problem of interpreting, preserving, and managing tropical rainforest habitat, and species and genetic diversity. Emphasis is on the ecological and evolutionary processes that have engendered and maintain biodiversity, the design of protected areas, population viability analysis, and evaluating the impacts of human activities and policies. Research strategies that integrate biological and social science elements of the problem are also examined.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Biological Sciences 2 or an introductory ecology or evolution course is recommended as preparation.
Anthropology 110. Introduction to Social Anthropology
Catalog Number: 8296
Jennifer Schirmer (fall term) and Jennifer Cole (spring term)
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: Tu., Th., 1–2:30; Spring: M., W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 15, 16; Spring: 4
An introductory exploration of anthropological approaches to society, culture, language, and history. Lectures, readings, and recent ethnographic films give an in-depth look at social and cultural diversity. Students are given the opportunity to grapple with the intellectual and ethical challenges that confront all anthropologists in making sense of human difference, experience, and complexity. The instructors bring insights from their own ethnographic fieldwork in other societies and share their theoretical expertise in examining a wide range of topics, including kinship, social and political hierarchy, exchange, subsistence patterns, gender, language, ideology, religion, and global political economic systems.
Note: Open to freshmen.
Anthropology 111. Behavioral Endocrinology
Catalog Number: 2265
Peter T. Ellison
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 9, plus a weekly discussion section to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 2
An introduction to the interaction between the endocrine system and behavior, stressing primates and humans. General principles of the functioning of the endocrine system are presented first, including a survey of major hormonal axes affecting or responding to behavior, hormone production, receptor interactions and signal transduction, and feedback regulation. Subsequent topics include the relationship of the endocrine system to feeding and foraging behavior, learning and memory, acute stress, dominance interactions, and sexual behavior.
Note: This course is a prerequisite for Anthropology 118.
Prerequisite: Science B-29, Science B-17, Biology 1, or Biology 2.
Anthropology 114. Evolution of Human Sexuality: Research Seminar
Catalog Number: 8546 Enrollment: Limited to 10. Preference given to anthropology undergraduates.
Frank W. Marlowe
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examination of human sexuality in evolutionary perspective. Students conduct empirical research projects. Topics may include sexual selection, mate preferences, mating systems, and sexual orientation.
Note: Fulfills the research seminar requirement for anthropology concentrators.
Prerequisite: Science B-29 or permission of instructor.
Anthropology 115. Primate Evolutionary Ecology
Catalog Number: 0571
Mark Leighton
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 11, with weekly laboratory/field sessions to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 4
A survey of interactions between primates and their environments in an evolutionary context. Lectures discuss the influence of competition, predation, and other ecological processes on primate morphological and behavioral adaptations, population distribution and abundance, and coevolutionary relationships with other species in the community. Interspecific comparisons are developed by empirical and theoretical treatment of food resources and feeding patterns, ranging and intergroup spacing, mating systems and sociality, and community structure and niche relationships. Laboratory and field exercises teach some methods of ecological investigation using local vertebrates.
Prerequisite: An introductory course in Biology, or Science B-29, or permission of instructor.
*Anthropology 118. Endocrinology and Behavior: Research Seminar
Catalog Number: 1437 Enrollment: Limited to 12. Preference given to anthropology graduate and undergraduate students.
Susan F. Lipson and Peter T. Ellison
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 1 with laboratory either M. or W. 2-5. EXAM GROUP: 6
An introduction to laboratory techniques and research design in behavioral endocrinology. Students develop and conduct pilot research projects.
Note: Fulfills research seminar requirement for anthropology concentrators.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 111.
[Anthropology 121. Biological Anthropology and Human Affairs]
Catalog Number: 3505
Mark Leighton
Half course (spring term). M., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
A seminar examining issues confronting humans in the 21st century that might be clarified and advised by the ecological and evolutionary perspectives of biological anthropology. Readings, discussions and debates foster critical analysis of arguments influencing international and national public policy.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 122. Japanese Society and Culture
Catalog Number: 6564
Theodore C. Bestor
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
Course examines contemporary Japanese social organization and cultural identity through ethnographic writings about peasant communities, urban families, wholesale markets, baseball teams, bankers, consuming adolescents, and cross-dressing entertainers, viewed through recent developments in anthropological theory and set against classic works of synthetic anthropological analysis that view Japan as a unitary pattern of culture. Forms of hierarchy and egalitarianism in such domains as family, gender, community, class education, workplace, and ethnicity will be one theme of the course. Another will be patterns of individual and collective identity expressed through interpersonal relationships, collective ritual, public culture, and consumption. Both social organization and identity are historical and contemporary formations, and course examines them in light of Japan’s linkages with other East Asian civilizations and its encounters with Western and other societies during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Note: Graduate students may enroll and make arrangements for specialized readings and assignments.
Anthropology 123. Environment and Environmentalism: Anthropological Perspectives: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 0889 Enrollment: Limited to 25
Pauline E. Peters
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
An anthropological exploration of current debates on environment and environmentalism. Through readings on a range of countries and peoples, considers the following themes: the ways in which different groups in different times and places produce cultural constructions of nature, landscape, wilderness, and environment; contestations over the use, knowledge, and meanings of natural resources; movements between the culturalization of nature and the naturalization of culture; environmentalism as discourse; environmental social movements and cults; landscape as commodity.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Anthropology 125. Primate and Human Nutrition: Research Seminar
Catalog Number: 7064 Enrollment: Limited to 6. Preference given to anthropology undergraduates.
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (fall term). M., W., 2–5. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
An introduction to laboratory study in the biochemical analysis of plant and animal foods, and of human and animal digestive physiology and feeding behavior.
Anthropology 126. Self and Emotion in Society
Catalog Number: 9439
Jennifer Cole
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
This seminar provides a basic introduction to the key concepts in psychological anthropology. We will explore the interconnections and construction of self and society in a variety of different situations and historical contexts. Topics covered include the cultural construction of emotion, how we should conceptualize the self and how it is constructed in different contexts, how culture can both hurt and heal individuals, and individual and collective responses to violence.
Prerequisite: Introduction to anthropology or permission of the instructor.
[Anthropology 129. Evolutionary Ecology: Research Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3755 Enrollment: Preference given to anthropology undergraduates.
Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (fall term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
An introduction to analytical issues in evolutionary ecology, focused on primates including humans. Students have the opportunity to develop and conduct pilot research projects. Empirical research is accompanied by a critical reading and discussion of papers on such topics as foraging theory, nutritional ecology, social evolution, and community ecology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Fulfills the research seminar requirement for Anthropology concentrators.
Prerequisite: Science B-29 or Biology 22 or permission of instructor.
Anthropology 137. Human Behavioral Ecology
Catalog Number: 6675
Frank W. Marlowe
Half course (spring term). M., W., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
The behavioral ecology of humans is examined cross-culturally, and in relation to other species. Topics include life history theory, mode of subsistence, parental care, sexual selection, marriage, cooperation, inter-group conflict, and cultural evolution.
Anthropology 138. The Behavioral Biology of Women
Catalog Number: 8721
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
An exploration of female behavior from an evolutionary and biosocial pespective. Focuses on physiological, ecological, and social aspects of women’s development from puberty, through reproductive processes such as pregnancy, birth, lactation, to menopause and aging. Also explores female life history strategies in a variety of cultural settings. Topics include cognitive and behavioral differences between men and women; violence against and by women; and women’s reproductive health choices. Examples are drawn primarily from traditional and modern human societies; data from studies of nonhuman primates are also considered.
[Anthropology 139. Power, Knowledge, and People in Sub-Saharan Africa]
Catalog Number: 9171
Jennifer Cole
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
Course surveys a variety of African cultures South of the Sahara emphasizing African agency and resistance, social change, and historical and contemporary relationships among African peoples and between them and the rest of the world. Topics include tribalism and ethnicity, hunter-gatherers, gender and women’s roles, and the role of ancestors and spirits in fashioning African modernities. Course materials include ethnographies, novels, and films.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 140. The Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture
Catalog Number: 1837
Ofer Bar-Yosef and Richard H. Meadow
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 10, with section to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 3
Introduces and critically evaluates data and ideas concerning strategy changes during the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in different regions of the world. Each regional session includes a brief summary of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the area, the transition to farming, horticultural, or pastoral communities, the domestication of plants and animals, and the major interpretations or explanations for the transition.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 141. Society and History in Island Southeast Asia]
Catalog Number: 7487
Mary M. Steedly
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Focuses on insular Southeast Asia, examining the micropolitics of everyday life as shaped by the interplay of state and local systems of allegiance and authority. The first part of the course moves historically from the emergence of early maritime trading states through colonial incorporation and post–World War II independence movements. Part two explores contemporary social life in the postcolonial nation-state.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Anthropology 144. The Archaeology of Ancient China
Catalog Number: 4731
Yun Kuen Lee
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
Ancient China offers unique opportunities for the study of cultural and social evolution. It presents a long and uninterrupted continuum of development from the appearance of early humanity to the rise of complex civilization. In addition, we have at our disposal an extensive body of archaeological data and textual material, that are seldom available together in the other parts of the world. This course investigates the archaeology of ancient China from an anthropological perspective. Particular attention will be paid to how human groups adapted to natural and social environments.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 145. Imagining India]
Catalog Number: 7188
William F. Fisher
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Using South Asia as its topic, this course examines the poetics and politics of representation. As an exploration of the various ways in which the “other” has been encountered and represented, it considers debates over orientalist, colonialist, nationalist, and ethnographic imaginations. Course materials include ethnographies, colonial tests, novels and films.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 147. West African Cultures]
Catalog Number: 7668
J. Lorand Matory
Half course (spring term). M., W., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Explores the history and lifeways of several West African peoples, including the Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ashanti, Mende, and Wolof, and highlights their ancient participation in international politics and commerce. Special attention given to transformations of ethnic identity, gender relations, religious devotion, and economic production in the 20th century.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 148. Gifts and Goods: Anthropological Approaches to Political Economy]
Catalog Number: 0535 Enrollment: Open only to upperclass and graduate students.
Stanley J. Tambiah and William F. Fisher
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Critically examines a variety of theoretical frameworks or understanding so-called “economic facts” and their placement within larger social, political, and cultural contexts, and for understanding how the production, distribution, and consumption of economic goods and services relate to networks of social relations, structures of exchange, relations of power, and institutions of family, class, caste, etc. The course concludes with an examination of gifts/commodities in late capitalism, the possibilities of alternative development strategies in the post-colonial world, and the nature and consequences of globalization.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 151. North American Prehistory]
Catalog Number: 1421
Carole A. Mandryk
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 10, and laboratory hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 3
An introduction to the archaeology and cultural developments of North America north of Mexico, from first settlement to the arrival of Europeans. Focuses on human adaptation and interaction with the environment, subsistence, settlement patterns, technology, gender and ideology. Reviews major theoretical transformations in North American archaeology; explores some of the major methodological and theoretical problems of selected areas and time periods; examines the archaeological record in specific regions; and examines general trends in cultural evolution on a continental scale.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 155. Ancient Scripts and Their Decipherment
Catalog Number: 7704
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Addresses ancient scripts and their decipherment.
[Anthropology 156. Religions of Mesoamerica]
Catalog Number: 3698
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 14
Examines the religious traditions of ancient and modern Mesoamerican peoples (including the Aztec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya, Teotihuacan and Olmec), integrating archaeological, artistic, documentary, and ethnographic source materials. Topics to be investigated include cosmology and world-view, sacred landscapes, divine rulership, shamanism, ancestor worship, public rituals and festivals, healing, among others, and how these topics were discussed and represented in ancient arts and literatures. The course will also study the religious consequences of Spanish domination as seen up to the present day.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3705.
Anthropology 159. Museums and Representations: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4185 Enrollment: Limited to 12
Rubie S. Watson
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Treats the ethnographic museum as a focus for historical and cultural study. By analyzing one early Peabody Museum collection (containing some of the oldest examples of eighteenth and nineteenth century Native American, Pacific Island, and African artifacts and art), students will consider the different ways in which material culture is collected, housed, and exhibited. Readings and discussions will include issues of art/artifact distinctions, ownership and display, history of collecting and display in anthropology. Students will be asked to work with objects in the Peabody Museum’s collections and archival documentation.
*Anthropology 163. Molecular Evolution of the Primates
Catalog Number: 3359
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–4, with section to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Introduction to the primates, emphasizing their molecular phylogenetic relationships and the forces that mold their genomes. Topics include the neutral theory of molecular evolution, molecular clock concept and its applications, evolution of multigene families, relationships between primate morphological and molecular evolution, molecular convergences, evidence for horizontal gene transfer in primate genomes, and evolution of simian and human immunodeficiency viruses.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 103.
Anthropology 166. Archaeological Science
Catalog Number: 2013
Carole A. Mandryk
Half course (spring term). M., 7–10 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 18
Pressing issues in archaeology as an anthropological science. Stresses the natural science and engineering methods archaeologists use to tackle them. Reconstructing time, space, and human ecologies provides one focus; materials technologies that transform natural materials to material culture provide another. Topics include 14C dating, ice core and palynological analysis, stable isotope chemistry of palaeodietary foodwebs, soil micromorphology and site formation, Pb isotope sourcing of metal artifacts, and microstructural and mechanical analyses of cementitious materials used in ancient monumental buildings.
Note: Meets at MIT. Call 253-1375 for more information.
Prerequisite: One year of college-level chemistry or physics.
Anthropology 172. Sociocultural Space and Time: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6527
Engseng Ho
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Social theory since Durkheim and Mauss has explicitly engaged the dimensions of space and time in confronting the diversity of sociocultural forms. We will begin with the classical sociological impetus which animated interest in the subject, then move on to discrete topical concerns such as landscape, place, travel, built form, memory, genealogy, industrialization, sacrality. The course will end with a consideration of recent works on the cultural politics of space and time. Presentation and research paper required.
Anthropology 176. New Perspectives on Political Anthropology in the Contemporary World: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4698
Jennifer Schirmer
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
This course will examine anthropological approaches to power, domination and resistance. We will consider a number of themes of contemporary political and social importance such as the nature of power, and the state, cultural hegemony, violence, cultures of fear, social movements of resistance and human rights. Ethnographic narratives will be woven into these discussions as a way of grounding the theoretical discussion in everyday practice
[Anthropology 180. The Maya]
Catalog Number: 3176
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
An introduction to the archaeology and history of Maya peoples, beginning with their distant prehistoric origins and continuing with a detailed exploration of the pre-Columbian civilization. Examines the nature and development of sociopolitical organization, economy, and religion, making use of recent archaeological discoveries and new breakthroughs in hieroglyphic decipherment. Also discusses colonial and modern struggles to survive and adapt in the postconquest world.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 184. Ethnicity in the Americas: The Indian Question
Catalog Number: 6872
David H. P. Maybury-Lewis
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
Discusses, from the point of view of political anthropology, the historical developments and regional circumstances that have influenced relations between indigenous peoples and others in the Americas. Considers indigenous efforts to resist assimilation and contemporary indigenous struggles for limited autonomy in Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and the United States. Concludes by showing how these issues are affected by the national agenda of American states and how the indigenous experience in the Americas relates to the problems and prospects of multiethnic societies worldwide.
[Anthropology 185. Archaeological Recording, Illustration, and Publication]
Catalog Number: 7266
William L. Fash
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
The archaeological record should be well represented in the published record, not just through verbal description and insightful analysis, but by thorough, informative, well-conceived, and well-printed illustrations. This course enables students to gain substantive knowledge and practical experience in various classes of recording and illustration necessary for the preparation of first-rate archaeological publications. Topics covered include computer mapping, cartography more broadly, photography, artifact illustration, and publication design and priorities. Substantial laboratory time is vital to the successful completion of the course requirements.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 186. Ceramics and Exchange in Mesoamerica
Catalog Number: 3047
William L. Fash
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Exchange systems in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica were inextricably linked with the evolution of complex society on the local level, and the development of larger sociopolitical units for the cultural area as a whole. We will examine how Mesoamerican ceramics have been collected and analyzed to address issues of exchange, both within and between regions, from the Early Preclassic to the present day. The course will include analysis of some of the Peabody Museum collections from various parts of ancient Mesoamerica.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Anthropology 190. Quantitative Methods In Anthropology
Catalog Number: 3491
Yun Kuen Lee
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3, with laboratory to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Examines the application of quantitative methods in Anthropology. Emphasizes the understanding of statistical inferences from intuitive reasoning and getting meaningful answers to anthropological problems. Weekly exercises are designed to give students hands-on experience on the application of quantitative methods in Anthropology by using packaged statistical programs on the computer. Students will have the chance to experiment systematically with data in order to estimate probabilities and make statistical inferences, to extract data structures by using univariate and bivariate methods in anthropological research.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2001–02. Open to both graduates and undergraduates.
Prerequisite: Undergradutes must have completed the quantitative reasoning requirement.
[Anthropology 193. The Varieties of Human Suffering: Culture, Experience, and the Moral Order]
Catalog Number: 1330
Arthur Kleinman
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines the experience of suffering, its social sources, and cross-cultural elaboration through study of those afflicted by chronic illness, AIDS, extreme conditions (Holocaust, Cambodian genocide, Cultural Revolution, famine) and routinized features of social life (poverty, homelessness, downward social mobility, bereavement). Compares ethnographic and historical studies, biography, films, fiction, and works of social theory to understand experiences of misfortune from perspectives of different cultures and professions. What does anthropological study of suffering disclose about human conditions, changing moral order of societies, and professional ethical discourse? What does ethnography of experience contribute to anthropological theory or offer sufferers?
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03.
*Anthropology 194r. Topics in Primate and Human Evolution
Catalog Number: 2462
David Pilbeam
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1:30–3, with laboratory to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A lecture-seminar-laboratory course on current issues in the fields of paleoanthropology and evolutionary primatology.
Note: Fulfills the research seminar requirement for anthropology concentrators.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 117 or equivalent.
Anthropology 195. Visual Anthropology: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6257
Castle McLaughlin
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Surveys the construction, use and analysis of visual documents by anthropologists and the role of visualization practices in society. Focusing first on still images and then on film and video, course units explore changing approaches to the visual representation and interpretation of culture as these approaches have been guided by disciplinary theory and practice. The construction of meaning in images and their critical analysis is emphasized throughout. Topics include image making as a research tool, social documentary, ethics, indigenous productions, and films as cultural documents.
Anthropology 196. Archaeology of New England
Catalog Number: 6397
Elizabeth S. Chilton
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Survey of the 11,000 year prehistory of New England, from the original colonization of the region at the end of the Pleistocene to the initial contacts between native peoples and Europeans. Using archaeological and ethnohistoric data, this course traces the major transformations in the lifeways of native peoples in the region—from hunter-gatherers, to farmers, to the profound effects of the Contact Period. Topics include: the reconstruction of past environments, artifact analysis, kinship, subsistence, settlement patterns, technology, trade, political economy, and ideology. The use of the Peabody Museums artifact collections and visits to local archaeological sites will augment the lectures and discussions.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students by permission of instructor.
[*Anthropology 197. Archaeological Laboratory Techniques]
Catalog Number: 6802 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Elizabeth S. Chilton
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
This course is an introduction to basic laboratory techniques in archaeology. Students will learn the basics of processing, cataloging, and analyzing the most common types of artifacts recovered from archaeological sites (e.g., ceramics, lithics, bone, etc.). Other topics to be covered include artifact reconstruction, curation, photography, and conservation. Term projects will consist of analyzing a set of artifacts of the student’s choosing. Artifacts analyzed in this course will consist primarily of prehistoric artifacts from New England, but students may also use collections elsewhere.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Some archaeology background helpful.
*Anthropology 203. Human Genetic Diversity: Seminar
Catalog Number: 0775 Enrollment: Strictly limited to biological anthropology graduate students.
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (fall term). Th., 1:30–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Restricted to biological anthropology graduate students preparing for general exams. To be taken concurrently with Anthropology 103 lectures, with additional weekly meeting to be arranged.
Note: In addition to weekly afternoon seminar meetings, students are expected to attend the regular fall term lectures of Anthropology 103 (Tu., Th., 10–11:30).
Anthropology 204. Ape and Human Sexuality
Catalog Number: 3254 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students.
Cheryl D. Knott and Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course uses evolutionary biology to create a comparative perspective on human sexuality. Through readings and discussion, we examine the biology of major sexual and reproductive events for apes, humans and other primates, and consider how they are influenced by social, cultural and ecological pressures.
*Anthropology 205a. History and Theory of Social Anthropology: Proseminar
Catalog Number: 1752
Mary M. Steedly
Half course (fall term). W., 3–6. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A critical review of the major theoretical approaches in social anthropology.
Note: Required of candidates for the Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. Limited to doctoral candidates. Not open to undergraduates.
Anthropology 205b. History and Theory of Social Anthropology: Proseminar
Catalog Number: 7971
Steven C. Caton
Half course (spring term). W., 3–6. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Continuation of Anthropology 205a. Limited to doctoral candidates. Not open to undergraduates.
Anthropology 206r. Topics in Paleolithic Archaeology and Human Evolution
Catalog Number: 8630
Ofer Bar-Yosef and David Pilbeam
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Presentations and discussions of selected topics in Paleolithic archaeology and human evolution in the Old World. Among the main issues the “out of Africa” by Homo erectus, the emergence and dispersals of modern humans, the colonization of Eurasia, the survival strategies of the Neanderthals and their demise, the use of radiometric techniques, the transition to Upper Paleolithic cultural manifestations, and the foraging strategies of past hunter-gatherers.
*Anthropology 207 (formerly Anthropology 207a). Archaeological Method and Theory: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4634
C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examines the historical development and philosophical basis of archaeological method and theory. Discussions focus on critical evaluation of interpretive models, including culture history, positivism, hermeneutics and critical theory. Special attention given to current debates and controversies, including the processualist-postprocessualist debate and the future of archaeology in a changing social and political climate.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01. Required of first-year students in Archaeology; open to other graduate students in the department.
[Anthropology 208. Africa in the Iron Age]
Catalog Number: 7845
Nikolaas J. van der Merwe
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Seminar on the evolution of metal-using cultures in Africa, with emphasis on the area south of the Sahara from about 2000 B.C. to 1900 A.D. Africa has a rich and complex pre-colonial history, which is often ignored due to the lack of written records, but which is illuminated by archaeology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in archaeology or permission of the instructor.
Anthropology 209r. Archaeometry Laboratory Practicum
Catalog Number: 3977
Nikolaas J. van der Merwe
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Supervised archaeometric laboratory research. Each student will normally propose his/her own topic, which may form part of the research for a thesis or another course.
Anthropology 211r. Issues in Mesoamerican Archaeology: Seminar
Catalog Number: 7276
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
A consideration of the reconstruction of pre-Hispanic societies in Mexico, Guatemala, and lower Central America, with particular emphasis on the development of political organization and its maintenance through the manipulation of symbols in ritual and art and the control of economic processes.
[Anthropology 212. Current Topics in Human Evolutionary Genetics]
Catalog Number: 1175
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (spring term). M., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Critical reading of current literature on the genetics of living humans and discussion of evolutionary implications.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Open to undergraduates doing senior thesis research in this area.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 103.
Anthropology 213. Theories of Discourse and Culture in the Middle East
Catalog Number: 8989
Steven C. Caton
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
The discursive construction of culture and its complex politics are examined in a wide range of ethnographies that have been writen recently on countries in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen. Among the theoretical topics to be considered are orientalism, colonialism and post-colonialism, nationalism, self, gender, and tribalism.
Anthropology 216. Law Matters: How to Use Such Matters in Field Work
Catalog Number: 9049
Sally F. Moore
Half course (spring term). Tu., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
This course will review ways in which anthropologists have used legal disputes, legal ideas (such as the idea of property, or the idea of the constitution of government), legal situations (how to collect a debt, get a divorce), legal categories, and other such instances. How to do focussed fieldwork: a practicum.
Anthropology 217. Human Evolution Seminar
Catalog Number: 6884 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students in Biological Anthropology.
David Pilbeam
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Reading and discussion of current research in human evolution, taken with lectures, labs and tests of Science B-27.
Note: Required of entering graduate students in Biological Anthropology.
[Anthropology 218. The Archaeology of Organization: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8220
Yun Kuen Lee
Half course (fall term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
This course discusses the transformation of human societies, beginning with the simple form of family household to the complex form of state organization. We are going to concentrate on the building of a theoretical framework that can present the archaeological evidences as a coherent whole.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 221. The Anthropology of Knowledge: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7070
Michael Herzfeld
Half course (fall term). Th. 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
A unified perspective for the analysis of traditions of knowledge ranging from New Guinea mystery cults to modern sciences. The theoretical focus is on the processes that constitute knowledge: its creation, transmission, and distribution in society. Linkages between substantive contents, modes of representation, and social organization will be explored.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 224. Anthropology, Relativism, and Human Rights
Catalog Number: 7038
David H. P. Maybury-Lewis
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Considers the nature and origins of anthropological relativism and whether the serious study of other cultures and/or postmodern styles of interpretations entail some kind of relativism. Examines, through the analysis of specific dilemmas, the theoretical and practical implications of subscribing to relativistic views about cultural, social or ethical systems if one wishes to take a stand on human rights issues.
[Anthropology 225. Mortuary Analysis: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7852
Yun Kuen Lee
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Mortuary data is one of the most frequently recovered data classes in archaeology. This course examines the epistemology, theory, and method of the use of mortuary data in archaeological research from the perspective of the various current archaeological schools.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 226. The Social Anthropology of Food: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 0797 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students.
James L. Watson
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Social and cultural aspects of food are highlights; nutritional issues are secondary. Topics include food exchange and reciprocity, standardization and globalization, food symbolism, food and social boundaries, the cultural construction of “food.” Focus on student research projects.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 229. Behavioral Biology Seminar
Catalog Number: 3777
Irven DeVore and Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reading and discussion of current research in behavioral biology of primates (including humans) in parallel with Science B-29.
Note: Required of entering graduate students in biological anthropology. Open to other graduate students with permission of instructor. Limited to graduate students. Given in alternate years.
[*Anthropology 232. Quaternary Pollen Analysis]
Catalog Number: 8352 Enrollment: Limited to 6
Carole A. Mandryk
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3, lab hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Introduction to pollen analysis as a tool for the reconstruction of past vegetation and environments, and its application to climate change, archaeology and geology. Specific topics include collection of samples, pollen extract procedures, pollen grain morphology and identification, and interpreting pollen data. Laboratory sessions provide an introduction to analytical procedures.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Anthropology 233r. Palynology Laboratory Practicum
Catalog Number: 8925
Carole A. Mandryk
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Supervised palynological laboratory research. Each student will normally propose his/her own topic, which may form part of the research for a thesis or another course.
Prerequisite: Anthropology 232.
Anthropology 235ar. Laboratory Methods in Primate and Human Nutrition I
Catalog Number: 2187
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Independent laboratory study in the biochemical analysis of plant and animal foods, and of human and animal digestive physiology and feeding behavior.
Anthropology 235br. Laboratory Methods in Primate and Human Nutrition II
Catalog Number: 3292
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Independent laboratory study in the biochemical analysis of plant and animal foods, and of human and animal digestive physiology and feeding behavior.
Anthropology 237 (formerly Anthropology 283). Behavioral Ecology
Catalog Number: 6428
Frank W. Marlowe and Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Reading and discussion of current topics in behavioral ecology, with special emphasis on primates (including humans) in parallel with Anthropology 137: Human Behavioral Ecology.
[Anthropology 238. Anthropology and the Development Encounter]
Catalog Number: 6409 Enrollment: Limited to 18
William F. Fisher
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Considers the interrelation of culture and power through an exploration of the “development” encounter. Examines the extent to which development can be seen as a uniform phenomenon; the impact of development on the social and imaginative relations of “developed” and “underdeveloped” people; and the place of anthropology in the development endeavor.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 239ar. Advanced Laboratory Methods in Primate Endocrinology I
Catalog Number: 9945
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Intended for students engaged in laboratory research on non-human primate endocrinology.
Anthropology 239br. Advanced Laboratory Methods in Primate Endocrinology II
Catalog Number: 8585
Cheryl D. Knott
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Intended for students engaged in laboratory research on non-human primate endocrinology.
[Anthropology 240. History, Structure, and Experience]
Catalog Number: 0672 Enrollment: Limited to 15
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A critical exploration of the possibilities of mutual engagement between historical and ethnographic approaches to social analysis.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 242. Human Biology Seminar
Catalog Number: 4580 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students.
Peter T. Ellison
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A seminar in current topics in human biology intended for first and second year graduate students in anthropology. Fulfills the human biology qualifying requirement for graduate students in biological anthropology.
Note: Required of entering graduate students in biological anthropology. Open to other graduate students with permission of instructor.
Anthropology 243. History of Metal Technology
Catalog Number: 2751
Nikolaas J. van der Merwe
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Seminar on the origins and dispersals of early metal technologies, with emphasis on copper and iron. Topics include the discovery of copper smelting and its elaboration into bronze metallurgy and its divergent paths in Europe and China; and metallurgy in Africa and the Americas.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Anthropology 244. Anthropology and Social Issues
Catalog Number: 8255
David H. P. Maybury-Lewis
Half course (spring term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
Examines anthropology’s founding claim to be a science in the service of a higher tolerance. Deals with debates over race, evolution, colonialism, human nature, rationality, prejudice, gender, epistemology, advocacy and science.
[Anthropology 245. Culture, Mental Illness and the Body]
Catalog Number: 6013
Byron J. Good (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Briefly reviews the figure of mental illness in Western thought and the social sciences, then focuses on themes in cross-cultural studies of psychopathology: culture and diagnosis; cultural influences on dissociation, depression, schizophrenia; madness in non-Euroamerican healing systems and transnational aspects of psychiatry; and the image of the brain in psychiatric research.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 246. Maincurrents in Anthropological Thought
Catalog Number: 9980 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students.
Nur Yalman
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Developments in social theory in the British, French, German, and American traditions. Positivism, Marxism, Structuralism, Post-modernism reconsidered. Comparisons with Asian traditions of just societies.
Anthropology 247. Social Movements, Globalization, and the State
Catalog Number: 4940 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
William F. Fisher
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
New social movement theories have had to recognize the increasingly extensive processes of globalization which are rapidly transforming local lives. This course explores the impact of globalization on the interrelationships among the state, social movements, and transnational alliances of movements and nongovernmental organizations. Cases will be drawn from Latin America and Asia.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2000–01.
Anthropology 248. Deep China: What Medical Anthropology and Psychiatry Contribute to the Study of China Today
Catalog Number: 7442
Arthur Kleinman
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
What do accounts of depression, suicide, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, starvation and the personal and family trauma of political violence teach us about China and the Chinese over the last few decades? Readings are drawn from ethnographies, psychiatric research, biographies, and works of fiction to examine the effects of societal transformation on moral, psychological, and interpersonal processes.
Note: Open to undergraduates with permission of instructor.
[Anthropology 249. Paleolithic of the Old World]
Catalog Number: 4454
Ofer Bar-Yosef
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Discusses selected topics of the Paleolithic cultural record of the Old World. Debates issues such as “out of Africa” by Homo erectus and modern humans, the colonization of Eurasia, the chronology of Neanderthals and modern humans as based on radiometric techniques, the transition to the Upper Paleolithic, and foraging strategies of past hunter-gatherers, including the use of stone tool manufacturing techniques for identifying past populations.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Open to undergraduates.
Anthropology 250. Local Biologies: Perspectives on the Interaction Between Culture and Biology
Catalog Number: 8267
Arthur Kleinman
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Reviews the variety of anthropological and other perspectives on the interactions between culture and biology. Topics include mind-brain-society interaction in pain; comparative cross-cultural studies of menopause; the sociosomatics of depression; the new genetics and eugenics; research on stress and trauma; indigenous non-western constructions on the body; history of psychosomatic research.
Note: Open to advanced undergraduates with permission of the instructor.
*Anthropology 251. The Indus Civilization of Asia
Catalog Number: 0856
Richard H. Meadow and C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Seminar focuses on the archaeological evidence for the Indus or Harappan Civilization (ca. 2500-2000 BC). Includes discussion of antecedent and successor cultural manifestations in Pakistan and northwestern India as well as of the archaeology of immediately surrounding regions: Central Asia and Afghanistan, eastern Iran and Balochistan, and western India.
[Anthropology 252 (formerly Anthropology 145). Mesoamerican Writing Systems: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3684
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines the pre-Hispanic literary traditions of several Mesoamerican cultures, including the Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec, and explores how historical and religious texts aid in understanding their nature and development. Emphasizes recent advances in the decipherment and interpretation of ancient Maya inscriptions, providing a basic reading knowledge of the script through exercises and case studies. Broader issues addressed include the social and political contexts of writing systems and the uses and limits of textual data in archaeological interpretation.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 253. Theory in Medical and Psychiatric Anthropology: Culture, Science, and the Body]
Catalog Number: 3440
Byron J. Good (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Reviews theoretical debates in medical and psychiatric anthropology, outlining a position at the interface of interpretive and critical perspectives. Special attention given to cultural studies of the biosciences and biomedicine and to recent critical and phenomenological accounts of the body.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Anthropology 254. Memory Practices
Catalog Number: 5354
Jennifer Cole
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
The recent explosion of literature on ’memory’ indicates the appropriation of what was once a psychological concept into the domain of anthropology, history, critical theory and cultural studies. Course studies the discourse on memory in contemporary human sciences by examining the social, psychological and cultural practices through which memories are suppressed, incited and sustained.
[Anthropology 255. Ethnographic Writing]
Catalog Number: 3111
Jennifer Cole
Half course (spring term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
This course is designed for people who have recently returned from the field and are engaged in the mysterious process of turning anthropological field notes into dissertations. The first few sessions will be devoted to the critical reading of ethnographies, during which we will analyze select pieces of writing for argument, voice, writing style, etc., while the bulk of the course will be devoted to the presentation and critique of the work in progress.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Anthropology 256. Culture, Power and Subjectivity
Catalog Number: 3991
Jennifer Cole
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Examines the relationship between culture and power in a variety of different ethnographic settings, using both theoretical and ethnographic texts. Questions we will consider include how beliefs and perceptions organize the production and distribution of power, how different regimes of power construct subjectivity and how anthropologists should conceptualize subjectivity, and how certain political and economic institutions and practices shape cultural practices.
[Anthropology 259. Culture, Politics, and Media]
Catalog Number: 8797 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students. No auditors.
Kay B. Warren
Half course (fall term). Tu., 7–9 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 18
Examines the shifting meanings of “the political” in the post-Cold War international order. Topics include realist representation in film and ethnography, social movements, human rights, and national security and development discourses. Theoretical and methodological issues in studying multiculturalism in politicized situations.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 260. Reading Latin American Ethnography]
Catalog Number: 8928 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students. No auditors.
Kay B. Warren
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A survey of ethnographic experiments to highlight representational dilemmas in research and writing on Latin America. Theoretical and methodological issues raised by post-Marxism, postmodernism, and cultural studies debates in the U.S. and Latin America; indigenous anthropology; transculturalism and borderlands; and the use and abuse of ethnographic classics.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Anthropology 262. Kinship Practice
Catalog Number: 5896
James L. Watson
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Research seminar focusing on the practice of kinship in everyday life, with emphasis on methodology and fieldwork. Students write papers on topics relating to their future research. Seminar discussions include: single-parenthood, family-limitation campaigns, property transfer and heirship, marriage and diaspora formation, global culture and the practice of family life.
Anthropology 263. Transnationalism, Globalism, and Local Culture
Catalog Number: 5127
James L. Watson
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines recent theories of transnationalism and globalism, with emphasis on popular culture (music, TV, style, entertainment, food systems, etc.). Special attention is devoted to debates regarding cultural imperialism and the effects of transnational corporations on “local” cultures. Students are expected to work on individual projects, participate in joint discussions, and help develop new methodologies for the analysis of transnational phenomena.
[Anthropology 264 (formerly Social Analysis 48). Anthropology and the Uses of History]
Catalog Number: 9103
Michael Herzfeld
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines how people’s ideas about history are created and used for various political and social ends, paying particular attention to the role of nationalism and to the kinds of history people create in opposition to state power. A central concern is to emphasize the existence of local points of view that ordinarily escape the attention of “official” historians. The major geographical focus is on Europe; gender, political affiliation, and social position are examined for their effect on people’s interpretations and use of the past.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Anthropology 265. Latin America in Anthropological Perspective
Catalog Number: 8818
Jennifer Schirmer
Half course (spring term). Tu., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
Through close readings of the ethnographic literature and anthropological analysis, this course will explore the cultural, social and institutional practices that underlie the changes that have been central to the formation of contemporary Latin America.
Anthropology 266ar. Materials in Ancient Societies: Metals
Catalog Number: 5945
Nikolaas J. van der Merwe
Half course (fall term). To Be Arranged.
Principles of physical metallurgy; interpretation of metallic microstructures; chemical analysis of metals, alloys, smelting of metallic ores; fabrication of metal artifacts. Emphasis on archaelogical and art historical case studies utilizing methodologies from archaeology, ethnography, ethnohistory, and materials science.
Note: CMRAE course topics change each year. Sessions held in CMRAE Graduate Lab, MIT 20B-012. This course will begin on Harvard’s academic schedule: First meeting on September 21. Course continues spring term as Anthropology 266br.
[Anthropology 270. Advanced Studies in Maya Hieroglyphs and Iconography]
Catalog Number: 6741
David S. Stuart
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Further examines the written documents and iconography of Classical Maya, through advanced reading and analysis of hieroglyphic texts. Readings and discussion will focus on ritual texts and their use in the interpretation of Maya religious iconography.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: A basic familiarity with the Maya hieroglyphic script is necessary (through Anthropology 252 or equivalent experience).
[Anthropology 272. Medical Anthropology and Global Social Change]
Catalog Number: 4417
Arthur Kleinman
Half course (fall term). W., 11–1. EXAM GROUP: 4, 5
Advanced level review of medical anthropology that examines recent theories of global transformations in political processes, economics and culture and their implications for studies of the body, disease processes, illness experiences, therapeutic practices, and medical professions. Critical study of ethnographies, social theories, and methodological innovations. Comparison with cultural studies, social history, narratives, social epidemiology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Open to advanced undergraduates with permission of the instructor.
Anthropology 273. Egypt - Mesopotamia - The Indus Valley
Catalog Number: 0877
C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
This course will examine the economic and political interaction that brought the Bronze Age Civilizations of the ancient Near East into contact. The Mesopotamian, the Gulf, Central Asian, Iranian Plateau, Levant, Egypt, and the Indus Valley will all be considered in relation to core-periphery concepts. Emphasis will be on models of trade and exchange that united these cores of cultural complexity into an interacting whole.
Anthropology 274. Sovereignty, Ethnicity, and Pluralism
Catalog Number: 0688
Nur Yalman
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examines the political dimensions of cultural pluralism: the questions of legitimacy, nation building, autonomy, and revolution are considered. Western theory and Asian experience: the use of myth, history, and religion with special reference to South and West Asia (other Asian regions may be included).
[Anthropology 276. New Ethnographies in the Anthropology of Social Experience]
Catalog Number: 5029
Arthur Kleinman
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
New ethnographies of social experience and subjectivity are remaking theory and scholarship. Students critically examine studies of illness, violence, and cultural responses to other forms of human problems as well as other human conditions. Emphasis is on the methodology and style of writing experience-oriented ethnographies as well as on studies of changes in subjectivity in times of social transformation, and the contribution they make to social theory, moral theory, and policy.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. May be open to advanced undergraduates.
[Anthropology 277. Problems in the Analysis of Social Change and Development]
Catalog Number: 8724
Pauline E. Peters
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Examines development as theory, discourse, and programs of social change; considers the positions on under-development, neo-colonialism, dominating knowledge, and anti-development; explores resistance and the reappropriation of development in a range of locales; discusses the role of anthropology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Anthropology 278 (formerly Anthropology 183). The Charisma of Saints, and the Cults of Relics, Amulets, Images, and Shrines]
Catalog Number: 3340
Stanley J. Tambiah
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examination of some Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions with regard to their conceptions of sainthood, and of the above-mentioned cults associated with saints, both living and dead. Comparison focuses on both convergences and differences.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3222.
[Anthropology 280. Culture]
Catalog Number: 1114
Mary M. Steedly
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
“Culture” is one of anthropology’s key epistemological concepts, yet anthropologists are increasingly hesitant to speak of it. This course considers the history and development of the idea of culture, and asks whether it can still be considered a useful concept. Readings cover a range of disciplines but emphasize sociocultural anthropology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
[Anthropology 294. Geoarchaeology]
Catalog Number: 6875
Carole A. Mandryk
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Geoarchaeology is the application of earth science methods and concepts to archaeological research. Aspects of mineralogy, sedimentology; stratigraphy; and pedology contribute to documentation and analysis of site-formation processes as well as the integration of paleomorphic and biological information for the environmental reconstruction of the landscape.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Anthropology 295ar. Laboratory Methods in Evolutionary Genetics
Catalog Number: 7934 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students and undergraduates conducting senior thesis research.
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
*Anthropology 295br. Laboratory Methods in Evolutionary Genetics
Catalog Number: 6468 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students and undergraduates conducting senior thesis research.
Maryellen Ruvolo
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
[Anthropology 296r. Chinese Social Anthropology: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4633 Enrollment: Limited to graduate students.
James L. Watson
Half course (spring term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines current developments in the social anthropology of Chinese society, with emphasis on popular culture and historical ethnography. Each year a general topic is chosen as the subject of joint research. Possible topics: religion and ritual systems; social stratification; food and the political economy of eating, kinship, and the state; the construction of a unified culture. Topic for 1997–98 was “Changing Kinship and Family Organization.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Anthropology 301. Reading for General Examination
Catalog Number: 5689
Members of the Department
Individual reading in preparation for the General Examination for the Ph.D. degree.
Note: Restricted to candidates for the Ph.D. degree and ordinarily to those who have completed at least one year in residence.
Anthropology 302. Current Issues in Biological Anthropology
Catalog Number: 9373
David Pilbeam 7224, Richard W. Wrangham 2349, and members of the Department
Half course (fall term). Tu., 12–1:30.
Weekly seminars in biological anthropology.
*Anthropology 311. Methods and Theory in Archaeology
Catalog Number: 5440
Ofer Bar-Yosef 1887, William L. Fash 1512, C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky 2387, Carole A. Mandryk 1037, Richard H. Meadow 1572, and Nikolaas J. van der Merwe 1623
*Anthropology 320. Advanced Physical Anthropology: Laboratory and Theses
Catalog Number: 2092
John C. Barry 1892, Irven DeVore 1041 (on leave spring term), Peter T. Ellison 7413, Cheryl D. Knott 3717, Frank W. Marlowe 757, David Pilbeam 7224, Maryellen Ruvolo 2512, and Richard W. Wrangham 2349
*Anthropology 323. Old World Archaeology (Europe, Asia, and Africa)
Catalog Number: 3463
Ofer Bar-Yosef 1887, C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky 2387, Richard H. Meadow 1572, and Nikolaas J. van der Merwe 1623
*Anthropology 324. Asiatic Archaeology and Ethnography
Catalog Number: 5398
C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky 2387, Lawrence E. Stager 1468, Stanley J. Tambiah 4692 (on leave 1999-00), and Nur Yalman 3780
*Anthropology 327. Scientific Archaeology
Catalog Number: 0284
Richard H. Meadow 1572 and Nikolaas J. van der Merwe 1623
*Anthropology 329. Archaeology and Ethnography of the Near and Middle East
Catalog Number: 3787
Ofer Bar-Yosef 1887, C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky 2387, and Nur Yalman 3780
*Anthropology 330. Supervised Field Work in Anthropology
Catalog Number: 5683
Members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Lectures, conferences, field and laboratory work. Daily, at the pleasure of the instructor.
General instruction in field methods and practice in the various divisions of anthropology, including archaeology, ethnography, and physical anthropology. Instructional personnel and location of course vary with the research program of the staff.
Note: May be taken by graduate students for academic credit, but since it is tuition-free, does not count for residence credit leading to reduced tuition. Open to students with adequate previous training in the subject.
*Anthropology 340. Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 6699
Jennifer Cole 2390, Irven DeVore 1041 (on leave spring term), Peter T. Ellison 7413, William F. Fisher 3323 (on leave fall term), Byron J. Good (Medical School) 7648, Michael Herzfeld 3122 (on leave 1999-00), Arthur Kleinman 7473, Cheryl D. Knott 3717, Frank W. Marlowe 757, J. Lorand Matory 3098, David H. P. Maybury-Lewis 2391, Sally F. Moore 7225, Pauline E. Peters 2911, David Pilbeam 7224, Maryellen Ruvolo 2512, Mary M. Steedly 2783 (on leave spring term), Stanley J. Tambiah 4692 (on leave 1999-00), Kay B. Warren 2388 (on leave 1999-00), James L. Watson 2172, Rubie S. Watson 3326, Richard W. Wrangham 2349, Nur Yalman 3780, and Nikolaas J. van der Merwe 1623
*Anthropology 351. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 1864
Members of the Department
Note: Consult the appropriate member of the Department.
*Anthropology 352. Dissertation Writing in Archaeology: Seminar
Catalog Number: 8373
Nikolaas J. van der Merwe 1623, Richard H. Meadow 1572 and members of the Department
For Archaeology graduate students writing their dissertations. Students may present and discuss sections of their work in a group setting guided by a member of the faculty.