MWTH 2:30-4:45, 1st Session Max: 35 Lacy/Fogarty
Content: In this introduction to Anthropology we will survey the four fields which comprise this diverse, multi-disciplinary science. Anthropologists employ a wide-range of methods to explore what it means to be human. Biological Anthropologists study human evolution and biological adaptation; Archaeologists study prehistoric societies and sociocultural evolution; Sociocultural Anthropologists bring a comparative approach to the study of society and culture; Linguistic Anthropologists study the evolution of human language systems. Over the course of the semester, we will explore how anthropology helps us understand ourselves, our histories, and our world. This course presents students with the opportunity to learn how each of the sub-fields of anthropology contributes to our understanding of the human condition. Particulars: Two mid-course exams, map assignments, response papers, course journal, final exam.
Texts: TBA.
Particulars: 2 mid-course exams, map assignments, response papers, course journal, final exam.
MWTH 11:30-1:45, 1st Session Max: 35 Schaller de la Cova
Content: This course is an introduction to African cultural life through time and across space. It will cover a range of historical eras from the pre-colonial period through the colonial period and the establishment of modern African nations on into the present, with special focus on the contemporary era and on processes of social change and transformation. The course will examine the great diversity both within and between African societies, as well as broad trends and themes salient to life on the continent. These may include, among others, age, gender and identity; kinship; power and governance; social movements; urbanization and migration; development; and sport, leisure, and popular culture. Course readings will draw on historical, ethnographic, and literary texts, to be supplemented with films and other creative material. We will pay critical attention to the historical portrayal of Africa and Africans in scholarly works and the media, as well as Africans’ auto-representations.
Texts: TBA.
Particulars: TBA.
This course has been cancelled.
MWF 2:30 4:45, 1st Session Max: 12 [LING 201-00A]/8 [ANT 203-00A]
Content:What is "language" and how do world languages differ? How do linguists investigate the basic building blocks of human languages? This course introduces students to linguistics, the scientific study of human language systems. We will emphasize the fundamentals of descriptive linguistics, the diversity of world languages, and the culturally-specific functions of speech. We will examine speech sounds (the field of phonetics), the sound systems of languages (phonology), word and sentence formation (morphology and syntax), how language expresses meaning (semantics), and how context influences the interpretation of meaning (pragmatics). Additional topics include historical linguistics, language typology, sociolinguistics, and multilingualism. The course is a core course for the Linguistics/Psychology Major and the Linguistics Minor, and should be of interest to students of Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, English and foreign languages.
Texts:
Particulars: Grades will be based on attendance and participation, weekly homework assignments, 3 quizzes, and a final exam.