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Anthropology

Todd L. VanPool , Chair
Department of Anthropology
College of Arts & Science

Mailing Address:
112 Swallow Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-4731
muasanthropology@missouri.edu
http://anthropology.missouri.edu     

Welcome to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Missouri! Our University is the oldest public land grant institution west of the Mississippi, a member of the AAU and the highest category of research universities. We are a small department with an emphasis on scientific approaches to the study of human biology, behavior, culture, and evolution. Our faculty contribute to research on indigenous peoples of the Amazon, prehistoric populations of the US Southwest, the spread of infectious diseases in human groups, human skeletal variation in the past and present, the evolution of cooperation, the genetics of nonhuman primates, and many other topics. MU students study the whole of humanity: its history, variability, artifacts, customs, beliefs and value systems which produces sophisticated problem solvers for today's complex and conflict-prone world.

Professor L. Sattenspiel**, T. L. VanPool**
Associate Professor G. E. Blomquist**, L. W. Cowgill**, J. Ferguson**, K. Panchanathan**, W. Stoner, C. S. VanPool**, R. S. Walker**
Assistant Professor S. Prall**

*

Graduate Faculty Member - membership is required to teach graduate-level courses, chair master's thesis committees, and serve on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.

**

Doctoral Faculty Member - membership is required to chair doctoral examination or dissertation committees.  Graduate faculty membership is a prerequisite for Doctoral faculty membership.

Advising Contact: Kay Gregory - gregoryk@missouri.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Dr. Greg Blomquist - blomquistg@missouri.edu

The University of Missouri Department of Anthropology offers a BA in Anthropology. Students may also earn Departmental Honors, as outlined in the next section.

Within this program, a student may concentrate in one of several optional tracks:

  • Archaeology & Heritage
  • Health & Human Biology
  • Culture & Human Ecology

Students can also develop their own interdisciplinary focus integrating courses across the three tracks. Tracks do not appear on transcripts or diplomas. See BA in Anthropology for more information.

An undergraduate major in anthropology provides a broad educational base that can be the core of a liberal arts education or the background for specific vocational or professional goals of a student. Anthropology is of particular value to students planning professional careers in a world of cultural and ethnic diversity. Anthropology majors are required to take core courses in all three focal areas of the discipline, but may emphasize one or more of them in their remaining courses. Students may also develop an interdisciplinary program in cooperation with other departments or schools. In addition, the department offers an anthropology minor to students who are majoring in other departments and who will profit by more formal training in the discipline.

The Anthropology Department provides many opportunities for students to become involved in research and encourages all students to do so. Such experiences help a student develop creativity, critical thinking skills, and skills in problem solving and writing. Students who are interested in doing anthropological research have several options, including working in close conjunction with a faculty member or working on an independent project under faculty supervision. An independent research experience may lead to an honors degree for eligible students. See BA in Anthropology for more information on this option.

Undergraduate training in anthropology prepares students for work in government agencies (both in the United States and overseas), museum positions, field positions in, for example, archaeology, ethnography, or human paleontology, and for graduate study leading toward college or university teaching of anthropology. An anthropology degree also provides good background for careers in business, journalism, health care, law, and many other fields.

The Department of Anthropology has a number of special facilities that are available for use in classes, for individual research opportunities, and in some cases, for the general public to visit.  

These special facilities include:
•    The Museum of Anthropology & Museum Support Center
•    The Archaeology Laboratory
•    The Skeletal Laboratory
•    The Fossil Cast Collection
•    MURR (University of Missouri Research Reactor)

Goals of the Anthropology Curriculum

Students completing an anthropology degree are awarded a BA degree with a major in Anthropology or a BA degree with Honors in Anthropology. The undergraduate program is designed to help students develop an appreciation of other cultures and other world views and to gain an understanding of how and why the diversity in human culture and biology came about. Several goals help faculty teach undergraduates about the nature of the discipline and how to think critically about what it is, what it means and how it is useful in today’s society. These goals include:

  • To recognize the broad, cross-cultural generalizations that characterize anthropology
  • To recognize the value of a cross-cultural, comparative perspective
  • To acquire an understanding of the basic concepts in the subfields of anthropology
  • To acquire advanced knowledge in one or more of the subfields
  • To acquire an awareness of the interrelationship of the subfields
  • To think critically about the nature and content of anthropological questions
  • To assess the structure of an argument and evaluate it and its supporting information
  • To communicate effectively in writing or through oral presentation
  • To strive for innovative and creative thinking
  • To think independently both within and outside anthropology

Students are also encouraged to acquire experience in research design and methods (e.g., using the library and internet effectively to gather information on a problem, or understanding and using the methods of one or more subfields). To this end, the department provides abundant opportunities for students to work with faculty members on independent research projects.

GPA Requirements

The College of Arts and Science requires that students attain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses in their major department. In addition, all core courses in anthropology (ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021/ANTHRO 2022, ANTHRO 2030, ANTHRO 2050 or ANTHRO 2051/ANTHRO 2052, ANTHRO 4990) must be completed with a grade of C- or higher and students may receive a grade below C- in no more than one other course used to satisfy the major.

Department of Anthropology
Dr. Libby Cowgill, Director of Graduate Studies
CowgillL@missouri.edu
Main Office: (573) 882-4731
https://anthropology.missouri.edu/
muasanthropology@missouri.edu

The Department of Anthropology offers graduate work leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with a current enrollment of about 30 graduate students. Our department has a broad scientific approach to understanding human biology and behavior, both past and present, that is grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory. The graduate program provides rigorous coursework with a rich combination of hands-on field and laboratory research experiences. Students work closely with a faculty advisor who helps them pursue fellowships/grants and to develop collaborative research projects.

Active areas of research by our regular professors include:

  • Archaeology: archaeological theory, evolutionary archaeology, lithic artifact analysis, ceramic analysis, and material sourcing studies with regional foci in the American Southwest
  • Biological anthropology: skeletal biology, functional anatomy, human osteology, Neanderthals, demography, epidemiology, life history, and primate genetics
  • Cultural anthropology: human behavioral ecology, cultural evolution, medical anthropology, and biocultural anthropology with regional foci in Amazonia and southern Africa

Incoming graduate students are admitted into one of three tracks:

Track 1: MA students

Students admitted to Track 1 will be classified as MA seeking students with the Graduate School. These students will complete all requirements for the MA degree as currently outlined in our Graduate Students Handbook, including completing a thesis or primary-authored publication. The Track 2 proposal option described below does not satisfy the Track 1 thesis requirement. Upon completion, the student can, if eligible, apply to the Anthropology program for acceptance as a PhD seeking student.

Track 2: PhD students required to complete MA requirements

Students admitted to this track will be classified as PhD seeking students with the Graduate School. These students will complete all course requirements for the MA. With the consent of the student’s committee, a Track 2 student will complete either a thesis OR a proposal formatted for a major granting agency that will serve as the student’s PhD dissertation proposal, OR a primary-authored paper that must have been submitted for publication. In each of these cases, the student will orally defend the work. Upon successful completion of these requirements, the student will be awarded an MA, and will then be eligible to continue work towards a PhD without the need to reapply to the program or change student status.

Track 3: PhD students with MA in hand

Students admitted to this track will be classified as PhD seeking students with the Graduate School. They will not be required to complete the MA requirements and will not earn an MA during their graduate work at MU. Upon completion of the requirements currently listed for the PhD program, including coursework, qualifying examination, comprehensive examination, teaching, and dissertation, the student will be awarded a PhD.

Facilities and Collections

Departmental research facilities/collections include a ceramic analysis laboratory, a stone artifact analysis laboratory, a comparative faunal collection, and a skeletal biology laboratory. The Museum of Anthropology houses extensive holdings of New World (especially Missouri) archaeological and skeletal materials and ethnographic specimens from many parts of the world, and provides opportunities for museum-oriented studies (see also the Museum Studies Graduate Minor). The Museum Support Center, an archaeological research and curation facility is located on the edge of campus. The University of Missouri Research Reactor provides opportunities for students interested in archaeometry. Resources in other departments or research units available by arrangement include the Electron Microscopy Facility, and the Stable Isotope Laboratory of the Department of Geological Sciences.

Research by Location

Regular faculty members of the department conduct research in the following geographical areas, beyond Missouri: Canada (biological anthropology), Amazonia (biological & cultural anthropology), Southern Africa (cultural anthropology) and the North American Southwest (archaeology). Refer to the faculty list for interests of faculty and emeritus faculty.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance packages are usually granted on a competitive basis for students who enter the program in the Fall semester. This assistance comes in the form of tuition waivers and stipends provided by Life Science Fellowships, Graduate School Fellowships, teaching assistantships, or graduate instructorships.

ANTHRO 1000: Introduction to Anthropology: Human Biology, Prehistory, and Culture

General survey course in fields of anthropological concern: archaeology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistics; emphasizes underlying concepts, principles. Examples from peoples of the world.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1000H: Introduction to Anthropology: Human Biology, Prehistory, and Culture - Honors

General survey course in fields of anthropological concern: archaeology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistics; emphasizes underlying concepts, principles. Examples from peoples of the world.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required


ANTHRO 1001: Topics in Anthropology - General

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any areas of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas at a freshman level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 1002: Topics in Anthropology - Biological Sciences

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any areas of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas at a freshman level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 1003: Topics in Anthropology - Behavioral

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any areas of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas at a freshman level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 1006: Topics in Anthropology - Mathematical Sciences

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any areas of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas at a freshman level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 1007: Topics in Anthropology - Physical Sciences

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any areas of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas at a freshman level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 1060: Human Language

(same as LINGST 1060, SLHS 1060 and ENGLSH 1060). General introduction to various aspects of linguistic study. Elementary analysis of language data with some attention to application of linguistic study to other disciplines.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1150: Introduction to Folklore Genres

(same as ENGLSH 1700). Course focus is on genres of folklore in both historic and contemporary contexts, as well as in people's daily lives. Genres include narrative, proverbs, oral poetry and rhyme, riddles, jokes, legends, epics, material culture and intangible expressive culture. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1200: Significant Discoveries of Archaeology

Detailed consideration of approximately 20 archaeological discoveries and conclusions, from the field and the laboratory, which have been of surpassing importance for an understanding of human origins, behavior, culture and past experiences on earth.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1300: Multiculturalism: An Introduction

Examines contemporary multiculturalism (and its origins) globally; introduces key concepts; uses diverse, extended cross-cultural and American examples; and emphasizes complexity of cultures, practicality of issues, and change.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1350: Deviance: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Cross-cultural studies of problem behavior with emphasis on violence, suicide, sexual misconduct, drug use and mental disorder.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1500: Monkeys, Apes and Humans

An introductory survey in the diversity of the primate order and adaptations to both ecological and social pressures. Includes emphasis on humans as members of the primate order and their unique adaptations. Topics may include evolution, social structure, intelligence, and conservation.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1500W: Monkeys, Apes and Humans - Writing Intensive

An introductory survey in the diversity of the primate order and adaptations to both ecological and social pressures. Includes emphasis on humans as members of the primate order and their unique adaptations. Topics may include evolution, social structure, intelligence, and conservation.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 1560: Outbreaks and the Anthropology of Emerging Disease

Human-environment interactions, and biocultural responses to illness profoundly impact the ways in which diseases evolve, emerge, and spread. Similarly, cultural responses to disease processes can have profound impacts on the evolution of cultural traits. This course will explore the role of humans and cultural variation in emerging infectious diseases and disease outbreaks by focusing on the origins, emergence, spread, and response to Ebola, HIV, COVID-19 and others. Additionally this course will explore the cultural evolution of resistance to treatment of infectious disease, including vaccine hesitancy in industrialized and developing countries, as well as stigma, misinformation, and distrust that often accompanies disease outbreaks. By focusing on the interplay between culture and ecology, this course will highlight the power of anthropological perspectives to understand human health in the context of contemporary infectious diseases. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2002: Topics in Anthropology-Biological Science

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology (including its relationships with other areas) and/or experimental development of new content areas at an undergraduate level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2003: Topics in Anthropology - Behavioral

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology (including its relationships with other areas) and/or experimental development of new content areas at an undergraduate level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2005: Topics in Anthropology - Humanities

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology (including its relationships with other areas) and/or experimental development of new content areas at an undergraduate level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2006: Topics in Anthropology-Mathematical Science

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology (including its relationships with other areas) and/or experimental development of new content areas at an undergraduate level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2007: Topics in Anthropology-Physical Science

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology (including its relationships with other areas) and/or experimental development of new content areas at an undergraduate level. Specific content will vary and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2020: Fundamentals of Archaeology with Laboratory

Archaeology is the study of human behavior as reflected in our material remains. This course provides the foundation for a career in archaeology. Students will be able to identify important insights into human history and behavior derived through archaeology, define the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of archaeology, explain the techniques used to extract data from the archaeological record, and summarize the development of archaeology as a discipline. The lab involves hands-on experience with archaeological materials. No credit for both ANTHRO 2020 and ANTHRO 2021.

Credit Hours: 4


ANTHRO 2021: Fundamentals of Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of human behavior as reflected in our material remains. This course provides the foundation for a career in archaeology. Students will be able to identify important insights into human history and behavior derived through archaeology, define the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of archaeology, explain the techniques used to extract data from the archaeological record, and summarize the development of archaeology as a discipline. No credit for both ANTHRO 2020 and ANTHRO 2021.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2022: Fundamentals of Archaeology Lab

Involves hands-on experience with archaeological materials. No credit given to students who have taken ANTHRO 2020.

Credit Hour: 1
Prerequisites: must have completed ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 2030: Cultural Anthropology

This course is designed for anyone interested in cultural diversity, ranging from the international studies major to the informed citizen. The goal of cultural anthropology is to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. In learning about the lives of others, the student of anthropology gains a deeper insight into their own culture. Students will first learn about the basics of cultural anthropology, including diversity and relativism, language and culture, and the history and variation of the human species. Students will then apply this knowledge to the study of individual societies with an emphasis on small-scale, traditional groups, focusing on various aspects of culture including marriage and kinship, sex and gender, economics, politics, and religion. The course concludes with a section on the rise of colonialism and its lingering consequences, covering topics such caste and class, race and ethnicity, inequality, and globalization. At the end of the semester, students will (1) learn the basic concepts, methods, and theories of cultural anthropology; (2) develop a deeper cultural literacy, becoming more aware and respectful of diversity; and, (3) have a better sense of our interconnected world and their particular place in it.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2030H: Cultural Anthropology - Honors

This course is designed for anyone interested in cultural diversity, ranging from the international studies major to the informed citizen. The goal of cultural anthropology is to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. In learning about the lives of others, the student of anthropology gains a deeper insight into their own culture. Students will first learn about the basics of cultural anthropology, including diversity and relativism, language and culture, and the history and variation of the human species. Students will then apply this knowledge to the study of individual societies with an emphasis on small-scale, traditional groups, focusing on various aspects of culture including marriage and kinship, sex and gender, economics, politics, and religion. The course concludes with a section on the rise of colonialism and its lingering consequences, covering topics such caste and class, race and ethnicity, inequality, and globalization. At the end of the semester, students will (1) learn the basic concepts, methods, and theories of cultural anthropology; (2) develop a deeper cultural literacy, becoming more aware and respectful of diversity; and, (3) have a better sense of our interconnected world and their particular place in it.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required


ANTHRO 2030W: Cultural Anthropology - Writing Intensive

This course is designed for anyone interested in cultural diversity, ranging from the international studies major to the informed citizen. The goal of cultural anthropology is to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. In learning about the lives of others, the student of anthropology gains a deeper insight into their own culture. Students will first learn about the basics of cultural anthropology, including diversity and relativism, language and culture, and the history and variation of the human species. Students will then apply this knowledge to the study of individual societies with an emphasis on small-scale, traditional groups, focusing on various aspects of culture including marriage and kinship, sex and gender, economics, politics, and religion. The course concludes with a section on the rise of colonialism and its lingering consequences, covering topics such caste and class, race and ethnicity, inequality, and globalization. At the end of the semester, students will (1) learn the basic concepts, methods, and theories of cultural anthropology; (2) develop a deeper cultural literacy, becoming more aware and respectful of diversity; and, (3) have a better sense of our interconnected world and their particular place in it.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2050: Introduction to Biological Anthropology with Laboratory

Where do humans come from? What makes us different from other animals? How do we differ from one another? These are major questions dealt with in biological anthropology--the sub-discipline of anthropology concerned with evolutionary aspects of human biology and their dynamic relationship with culture. This course provides students with an introductory survey of how biological anthropologists try to answer these questions: by exploring the biological diversity of living humans, by comparing humans with non-human primates, and by examining the fossil record of human ancestors.

Credit Hours: 5


ANTHRO 2050H: Introduction to Biological Anthropology with Laboratory - Honors

Where do humans come from? What makes us different from other animals? How do we differ from one another? These are major questions dealt with in biological anthropology--the sub-discipline of anthropology concerned with evolutionary aspects of human biology and their dynamic relationship with culture. This course provides students with an introductory survey of how biological anthropologists try to answer these questions: by exploring the biological diversity of living humans, by comparing humans with non-human primates, and by examining the fossil record of human ancestors.

Credit Hours: 5
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required


ANTHRO 2051: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Where do humans come from? What makes us different from other animals? How do we differ from one another? These are major questions dealt with in biological anthropology--the sub-discipline of anthropology concerned with evolutionary aspects of human biology and their dynamic relationship with culture. This course provides students with an introductory survey of how biological anthropologists try to answer these questions: by exploring the biological diversity of living humans, by comparing humans with non-human primates, and by examining the fossil record of human ancestors.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2052: Biological Anthropology Laboratory

Laboratory exercises dealing with measurement of the human body, human genetics, demography and epidemiology, comparative anatomy of non-human primates, and the human fossil record. Credit not given for students who have taken ANTHRO 2050 which includes these laboratory exercises.

Credit Hours: 2


ANTHRO 2100: Indigenous Religions

(same as REL_ST 2100). Explores the central aspects of religious life in indigenous communities. Focusing on specific native communities, it considers individual and group identity and the meaning of the sacred.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2100H: Indigenous Religions - Honors

(same as REL_ST 2100H). Explores the central aspects of religious life in indigenous communities. Focusing on specific native communities, it considers individual and group identity and the meaning of the sacred.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required


ANTHRO 2140: Farm to Table in Ancient Greece and Rome: Small Farms and Big Business

(same as HIST 2550, AMS 2550). From the family farm to agro-business enterprises, the production, distribution, and consumption of food in Greece and Rome anticipated nutritional, economic, environmental, and political questions familiar in the twenty-first century. This course uses literary, archaeological, and comparative evidence to explore ancient Mediterranean foodways that include diet, farming, trade, import and export, distribution, and consumption. It also considers the roles played by government in subsidizing and managing the food supply, elucidates the tensions between tenancy and ownership, and exposes the roles of slavery and gender within the ancient food economy. Overall, this course considers agricultural economics ranging from subsistence farming to the state controlled specialization required to feed the ancient Mediterranean's mega-cities.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2150: Introduction to Folklore Field Research

(same as ENGLSH 2700). Course will focus on the specifics of how to identify, collect, preserve and document folklore within communities.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ENGLSH 1000


ANTHRO 2215: World Archaeology

Major events in cultural evolution such as control of fire, invention of ceramic and metallurgical technologies, colonization of Australia and the Americas, development of agriculture, and emergence of complex sociopolitical organization are described in all regions of the world.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2220: Spirits and Souls: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Supernatural

Anthropology from its beginnings in the late 1800s found that people all around the world reported seeing and hearing spirits. Not only did they acknowledge spirits, they actively sought to communicate with them. Unchecked or ignored spirits could cause mischief and mayhem, but if spirits were called correctly, they might help a medicine woman heal a patient or bring rain to Aztec priests. Negotiations with spirits fascinated some anthropologists and horrified others. This fascination fostered many publications, ranging from why people believe in spirits to trying to discrediting such beliefs. Anthropology as a field of study in the social sciences seeks to understand how other people in different cultures conceptualize their world. No doubt, human perception of the world is based on cultural knowledge. Nearly all cultures (past and present) believe that humans have a least one soul, but the issue of whether an animal, a plant, or an object has a soul ranges from group to group. Many Native Americans maintain that animals, plants, buildings, objects, and certain kinds of weather phenomenon (e.g., dust devils) are more spiritual than natural, whereas many American scientists reject the very notion that spirits are active in the world. Thus, how one identifies, labels, and understands the characteristics of an animal, a plant, or an object is based on cultural knowledge. Such knowledge stipulates whether something has a soul and what happens to it when the creature dies or the object is broken. In this course, we will explore how souls, spirits, ghosts, demons, etc. are defined from humanistic and scientific approaches, conduct cross-cultural comparisons of spirits and rituals that surround them; touch on evolutionary theory, which explains beliefs in spirits and souls as being a byproduct of brain development; and briefly examine neurological findings that indicate how mystical experiences affect certain brain areas.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2300: Anthropology of War

Anthropological approaches to tribal and modern war; theories of war's origins; relation to ecology, economy, gender, belief systems, politics; transformation of tribal warfare by state expansion; peace.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2340: Hunters and Gatherers of the World

Hunter-gatherers and foragers are terms that refer to societies whose main mode of subsistence (or means of getting food) comes from hunting animals, fishing, and gathering edible plants, with limited or no domesticated plants or animals. Hunting and gathering was the only subsistence strategy employed by human societies until relatively recent transitions to agricultural and pastoral practices over the last 10,000 years or so. Hunter-gatherers successfully colonized all of the world's habitats long before agricultural revolutions and moved to the very top of the food hierarchy in every environment by out-competing other top predators. With populations living from the tropics to the Arctic, floodplains to mountains, and deserts to rainforests, foragers demonstrate an impressive range of economic flexibility. Our aim in this course is to learn about the tremendous variation in foraging societies around the world as a means to a deeper understanding of human origins and human biological and cultural variation.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2500: Primate Anatomy and Evolution

This course will explore why primates (and humans) are built the way they are, how they evolved, and what their anatomy tells us about their biology. We will cover basic primate anatomy and ecology, and then survey the fossil record of primate evolution.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Sophomore standing


ANTHRO 2530: Human Evolution through Film and Literature

This course will use recent films and novels as starting points to introduce students to concepts in human biology, history and evolution. Topics will range broadly from genetics and mutation to primatology to paleoanthropology and the human fossil record.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 2570: Parents and Offspring

A comparative investigation of the evolution of parental behaviors and family interactions in humans and other primates.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Sophomore standing


ANTHRO 2580: Evolution of Human Sexuality

Sexual reproduction has been shaped by two billion years of evolution. In the human lineage, we carry biological and behavioral remnants of this evolution, but our own reproductive behaviors and decisions are also influenced by the cultural context. Ecology and social life shape variation in mating patterns cross-culturally, including sexual behavior, marriage, attraction, mate choice, jealousy, paternity, disease transmission, contraception, and interpretations of gender. By drawing from evolutionary history, non-human primates, small-scale societies, and industrialized nations, this course will critically evaluate understandings of human sexual behavior and reproduction from an evolutionary perspective.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Sophomore standing


ANTHRO 2580W: Evolution of Human Sexuality - Writing Intensive

Sexual reproduction has been shaped by two billion years of evolution. In the human lineage, we carry biological and behavioral remnants of this evolution, but our own reproductive behaviors and decisions are also influenced by the cultural context. Ecology and social life shape variation in mating patterns cross-culturally, including sexual behavior, marriage, attraction, mate choice, jealousy, paternity, disease transmission, contraception, and interpretations of gender. By drawing from evolutionary history, non-human primates, small-scale societies, and industrialized nations, this course will critically evaluate understandings of human sexual behavior and reproduction from an evolutionary perspective. .

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Sophomore standing


ANTHRO 2800: Introduction to Field Methods in Archaeology

Techniques of field research and laboratory analysis through field experience.

Credit Hour: 1-6
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 2825: Analyzing Artifacts

Archaeological research focuses on artifacts, defined broadly as human-made objects. This lab-based course provides experience applying common archaeological methods. Students will be able to identify key characteristics of artifact types central to archaeological analyses (e.g., pottery, textiles), explain how technology factors into human culture, outline and apply specific analytic techniques used to gain information about human behavior, and demonstrate the basic skills required to work in archaeological laboratory settings.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 2950: Research Skills in Anthropology

Participation in faculty research activities. Course coordinator matches students with participating faculty. Three hours of research activities per week per credit hour. May be repeated to a maximum of nine hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 3001: Topics in Anthropology - General

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3002: Topics in Anthropology-Biological Sciences

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3003: Topics in Anthropology - Behavioral Science

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3004: Topics in Anthropology - Social Science

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3005: Topics in Anthropology - Humanities

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3006: Topics in Anthropology-Mathematical Sciences

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3007: Topics in Anthropology-Physical Sciences

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of anthropology and/or experimental development of new content areas. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3150: American Folklore

(same as ENGLSH 3700). Focus on regional and ethnic folklore; emphasis on analysis of folklore in context. Requirements include book reports and two analytical papers based on student field research. May be repeated for a maximum of six hours with department's consent.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3340H: The Evolution of Human Nature - Honors

(same as ANTHRO 3340). We will investigate the topic of human nature, asking such questions as: What are we like? Why do we behave the way we do? Are we inherently selfish or social? Do we have a unitary "self" or are we made up of many (and sometimes contradictory) selves? Is there a single "human" nature or are there distinct "male" and "female" natures? Does human nature vary across cultures? Insights come from fields ranging from genetics to literature. The concept of "human nature" is fiercely contested and debated both within and between academic disciplines. We will be focusing on the scientific study of human nature, seeking naturalistic explanations by formulating and testing hypotheses. In particular, we will use evolutionary theory to unify explanations from disparate disciplines like biology, psychology, and anthropology. In each class, we will discuss one specific topic like sex or violence and seek to make sense of it from both the proximate level (what triggers the behavior and how does it develop?) and the ultimate level (why and how did our evolutionary history imbue us with this capacity?). Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required


ANTHRO 3340HW: The Evolution of Human Nature - Honors/Writing Intensive

(same as ANTHRO 3340, ANTHRO 3340H). We will investigate the topic of human nature, asking such questions as: What are we like? Why do we behave the way we do? Are we inherently selfish or social? Do we have a unitary "self" or are we made up of many (and sometimes contradictory) selves? Is there a single "human" nature or are there distinct "male" and "female" natures? Does human nature vary across cultures? Insights come from fields ranging from genetics to literature. The concept of "human nature" is fiercely contested and debated both within and between academic disciplines. We will be focusing on the scientific study of human nature, seeking naturalistic explanations by formulating and testing hypotheses. In particular, we will use evolutionary theory to unify explanations from disparate disciplines like biology, psychology, and anthropology. In each class, we will discuss one specific topic like sex or violence and seek to make sense of it from both the proximate level (what triggers the behavior and how does it develop?) and the ultimate level (why and how did our evolutionary history imbue us with the capacity?). Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors Eligibility Required


ANTHRO 3380: Native American Religions

(same as REL_ST 3380). Investigation of religious lives of the native peoples of the Americas through cultural contact with modernity. Perspectives based on historical, anthropological and native texts.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3470: Culture as Communication

(same as COMMUN 3470, LINGST 3470). Study of the influence of culture on communication processes. Examines topics such as the impact of values, languages, and nonverbal behavior on intercultural interaction.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing


ANTHRO 3490: Indian Cinema

(same as S_A_ST 3490, FILMS_VS 3490, ARH_VS 3790). Overview of key genres and themes of Indian film, including Bollywood, art cinema/parallel cinema, Indian regional cinemas, and diaspora cinema. The course combines film studies, anthropological, historical, and visual culture analyses to provide a holistic view of Indian culture and society through cinema.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Sophomore standing or higher


ANTHRO 3540: Human Biology and Life History

A general survey of human biology, focusing on the development of the individual from infancy to adult and the biology of human populations.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3560: Plagues and Peoples

Overview of the ecology of human host-pathogen interactions and the influence of human culture on the transmission and spread of infectious diseases through time and in different environments.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: sophomore standing


ANTHRO 3560H: Plagues and Peoples - Honors

Overview of the ecology of human host-pathogen interactions and the influence of human culture on the transmission and spread of infectious diseases through time and in different environments.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required
Recommended: sophomore standing


ANTHRO 3560HW: Plagues and Peoples - Honors/Writing Intensive

Overview of the ecology of human host-pathogen interactions and the influence of human culture on the transmission and spread of infectious diseases through time and in different environments.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required
Recommended: sophomore standing


ANTHRO 3560W: Plagues and Peoples - Writing Intensive

Overview of the ecology of human host-pathogen interactions and the influence of human culture on the transmission and spread of infectious diseases through time and in different environments.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: sophomore standing


ANTHRO 3600: North American Indian Culture

This course focuses on the cultural background and contemporary economic, political, and social organization of Native American groups in northern Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Students will be able to define and summarize the key culture areas of North America; explain the economic, religious, and political structures characteristic of each culture area; and describe key case studies of specific tribal groups that illustrate each culture area.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3780: Cultures of Southeast Asia

Survey of peoples and cultures of Southeast Asia; topics include regional geography and prehistory, European colonialism, economic and social organization, religious practices, changing status of women, urban and rural poverty, and environmental transformations.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 3820: Introduction to Archaeological Chemistry

(same as CHEM 3820). This course will introduce students to the field of archaeological science and its contributions to our knowledge of the human past. It will review current topics, recent advances, and major debates in the field, with emphasis on the applied analytical chemistry methods that are commonly used. It will cover methodologies including neutron activation analysis, mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, and biomolecular approaches used in the study of ceramics, pigments, glass, metals, biominerals (bone, teeth, shell), and sediments relevant to archaeological and cultural heritage contexts. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: One of CHEM 1320 and/or CHEM 1330
Recommended: One of ANTHRO 2020 and/or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 4001: Topics in Anthropology-General

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new content areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 4002: Topics in Anthropology - Biological Science

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new content areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 4005: Topics in Anthropology - Humanities

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new content areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 4006: Topics in Anthropology - Mathematical Science

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new content areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 4007: Topics in Anthropology - Physical Science

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new content areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 4150: Special Themes in Folklore

(same as ENGLSH 4700; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7150 and ENGLSH 7700). Intensive study in a selected area of folklore: folk narrative, folk song, myth, proverb, etc., folklore and literature, or the folklore of a particular group. May be repeated for a maximum of six hours with department's consent.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4170: Oral Tradition

(same as ENGLSH 4770; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7170, ENGLSH 7770). Study of oral tradition from living cultures as well as literary works and mass media with roots in verbal art. Oral tradition is a form of human communication through which ideas, knowledge, art, and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another or from one person to another. May include such folklore genres as ballads, chants, folktales, jokes, legends, myths, proverbs, prose, or verses.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ENGLSH 1000 and sophomore standing


ANTHRO 4200: Environment and Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7200). Study of Quaternary environments and cultural systems. Focuses on North American records emphasizing climate and biologic components of regional ecosystems; regional environmental reconstruction.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 4240: History of Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7240). Growth of archaeology worldwide since AD 1700. Emphases include intellectual and theoretical developments, field and laboratory techniques, and major figures in the history of the discipline.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4280: Archaeology of Religion

(same as REL_ST 4280; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7280 and REL_ST 7280). Examines how anthropologists conceptualize religious behavior, and how archaeologists use material remains to examine past religious behavior, rituals, religious practitioners, cosmogonical constructs, worldview and ideology in the Americas.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2020 or REL_ST 2100


ANTHRO 4300: Comparative Social Organization

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7300). Cross-cultural comparison, analysis of social structures. Role of kinship, age, sex, locality, economics, religion and other factors in determining relationships between individuals and groups cross-culturally.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2030


ANTHRO 4320: Ecological and Environmental Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7320). Cultural anthropological approaches to human-environment interaction; cultural adaptations to diverse environments; theoretical developments and current issues; cultural, social, and historical contexts of natural resource use.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4340: Cultural Evolution and Change

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7340). Humans are a striking anomaly in the natural world. While we are similar to other mammals in many ways, our behavior and culture set us apart. Our unparalleled ability to culturally adapt has allowed us to occupy every habitat on earth using an incredible variety of tools and subsistence techniques. Our societies are larger, more complex, and more cooperative than any other mammal. This is a class on human cultural variation using evolutionary theory to explain our unique characteristics.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2030 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4350: Psychological Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7350). Examines cross-cultural approaches to the study of perception, cognition, and personality; methods for gathering and validating data; examples from non-Western societies.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4360: Medical Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7360), Cross-cultural study of belief systems concerning health and illness, practices of diagnosis and treatment, and roles of patients and practitioners. Several non-Western health care systems are studied in detail.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4370: Anthropology of Gender

(same as WGST 4370; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7370 and WGST 7370). The Anthropology of Gender introduces the student to the variation in the relationships between male and females; and between men, women, and other genders from around the world. The different approaches to understanding and modeling gender are discussed, as are specific case-studies from many different cultures.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4380: Anthropological Theories of Religion

(same as REL_ST 4380; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7380 and REL_ST 7380). Course provides a critical evaluation of anthropological explanations of various forms of traditional religious behavior such as magic, shamanism, divination, ritual, mythology, and witchcraft. The anthropological explanations examined range from nineteenth century classics to the current approaches of today.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4385: Anthropology of Shamanism

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7385). Shamans are considered to be intermediates between this world and the spiritual world because they possess the power to communicate with spiritual beings and seek such beings to ask for their help with a variety of tasks such as healing, killing enemies, and weather control. Shamans are also the earliest ritual practitioners. Ancient cave paintings depict men dressed in animal skins, holding objects resembling the rattles used by modern shamans among northern hunting peoples. The cave art also has entopic imagery that is seen in the shaman's mind during his shamanic rituals. In this course we will look at shamanism through time and in many cultures. We will also discuss the early accounts of shamanism by priests, explorers and adventurers, and how anthropology has come to understand and study this phenomenon. Particular topics to be discussed include biological explanations for shamanic trances and visions, mental health concerning shamans, gender issues, and how shamans fit in with societal development and complexity. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4412: Gender, Language, and Communication

(same as COMMUN 4412 and LINGST 4412; cross-leveled with COMMUN 7412 and LINGST 7412). Relationship among gender, language, nonverbal communication, and culture.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: junior standing or departmental consent


ANTHRO 4420: Historical Linguistics

(same as LINGST 4420, ENGLSH 4660; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7420, LINGST 7420, ENGLSH 7660). Methods of tracing the history of languages by glottochronology, and by comparative and internal reconstructions; cultural and linguistic implications of such reconstructions and of areal linguistics.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4420W: Historical Linguistics - Writing Intensive

(same as LINGST 4420, ENGLSH 4660; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7420, LINGST 7420, ENGLSH 7660). Methods of tracing the history of languages by glottochronology, and by comparative and internal reconstructions; cultural and linguistic implications of such reconstructions and of areal linguistics.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4500: Human Origins

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7500). History and theory in the study of human paleontology.

Credit Hours: 5
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2050 or ANTHRO 2052 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4520: Functional Morphology of the Human Skeleton

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7520). This course will explore human functional morphology in a broad sense, i.e. will investigate how the form of various bodily systems influences their function and vice versa. In addition, the course is explicitly evolutionary in perspective; after the basic anatomy and function of a specific bodily region is introduced, we will cover how this functional unit has changed over the course of human evolutionary history. Lastly, we will be using the knowledge gained in lecture and from the text to critically analyze examples of research in human functional morphology. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4540: Human Biological Variation

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7540). The study of human biological variation is not an exercise in simply opening our eyes and recording what we see. Every one of us makes sense of the people we interact with by assigning them to meaning-laden categories that are specific to where and when we live. Scientists and their authoritative statements on human biology have played an influential role in reinforcing or re-imagining these categories and meanings. Whether deliberate or not, describing and interpreting human biology has been a powerful "social weapon" and often contributed to entrenched discrimination through a deterministic view of poverty, crime, gender roles or sexuality, and racial or ethnic difference. The initial readings, class discussion, and assignments in this course will require you to consider cross-cultural diversity in racial categories and more universal cognitive structures for category making. Later units explore the history of what scientists think they know about human variation and its repercussions that are most obvious in medicine and law. The following units provide a state of the art view of human global genetic diversity and a series of case studies on adaptation to various environmental conditions such as infectious disease, climate, and diet. Both emphasize how human biodiversity emerged through biological and cultural mechanisms. The final weeks of the course focus on understanding human behaviors including intelligence, athleticism, aggression, and sexuality.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2050 or ANTHRO 2051 or BIO_SC 1010


ANTHRO 4580: Evolutionary Medicine

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7580). Evolutionary processes and human evolutionary history have profound implications in the way in which we respond and are susceptible to disease. Unlike many of the short-term biomedical understandings of human health, evolution can better inform on the ultimate causes and consequences of topics such as infection and inflammation, allergy, parasites, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, aging, cancer, reproductive issues, and mental disorders. As part of this class, students will use evolution to critically evaluate human health, and explore how natural selection can shape behaviors and physiological responses.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: lower level course in Biology or Biological Anthropology, junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4600: Ethnographic Studies of Selected Cultures

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7600). Specific content varies with student interest, faculty availability. Will concentrate on peoples and cultures of one area such as East Asia, South Asia, Africa, North America, Mesoamerica, Oceania, Europe. Amplifies ethnographic knowledge gained in lower-level survey courses.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior standing


ANTHRO 4620: North American Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7620). This course covers the archaeology of North America from the earliest human settlers to the historic period. Students will be able to define and summarize key archaeological cultures (e.g., Paleoindians, Mississippian culture); describe the subsistence strategies, territories, trade relationships, and social structures of these past people; and analyze explanations for significant aspects of cultural development across the region and through time.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 4640: Prehistory of the Greater Southwest

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7640). The course will introduce students to the archaeology of aboriginal peoples of the American Southwest and northwestern Mexico. The emphasis will be on prehistoric culture development from the Paleoindians to the arrival of the Spanish. Ethnographic and modern peoples will be discussed as well.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 4650: Prehistory of Mesoamerica

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7650). Archaeology and prehistory of Mesoamerica (Mexico and Northern Central America). Emphasis on archaeological evidence for development of human societies from late Pleistocene hunting bands to complex agricultural civilizations encountered by Europeans in 1500s.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4680: Cultures and Peoples of the Amazon

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7680).Amazonia is one of the most diverse regions on the planet in terms of both the diversity of biological species and human languages and cultures. It is one of the last places in the world where some human societies have limited contact with the outside world. The Amazon basin is literally one of the last frontiers for traditional anthropological studies and a battle-ground between colonization and cultural survival. This is an exciting time for students of cultural variation in Amazonia with the emergence of a large amount of cross-cultural information available for Amazonian peoples. We will survey a number of cutting-edge topics to gain a deeper understanding of this vast cultural variation.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Junior standing recommended


ANTHRO 4700: Old World Prehistory

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7700). Beginnings of culture in the Old World through the early Iron Age.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 4790: Culture and Society in South Asia

(same as S_A_ST 4790; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7790 and S_A_ST 7790). Survey of the cultures, social organizations, and lived experience of people from across the Indian subcontinent. Major topics include cast, kinship, gender, religion, village life, urbanization, public culture, popular culture, social change, and the South Asian diaspora.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior standing


ANTHRO 4800: Field Methods in Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7800). Techniques of archaeological excavation; field surveying, recording, care and interpretation of materials.

Credit Hour: 1-8


ANTHRO 4820: Zooarchaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7820). Survey of specialized techniques for archaeological faunal analysis, including zooarchaeological sampling, taphonomy, study of paleoecology, and recognition of domestication.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2022 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4826: Stone Artifact Analysis

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7826). Theory, methods, and techniques of studying lithic artifacts and deriving culturally meaningful interpretations. Emphasizes flaked artifacts. Includes physical examination, manufacture and experimentation with stone tools.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2022 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4828: Archaeological Analysis of Ceramics

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7828). To introduce students to the basic methods and concepts used in the archaeological analysis of pottery. By the end of the semester students will understand the various ways that pottery is created and how archaeologists can use ceramics to gain insights into everything from the organization of craft production to trade to symbolism.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2022


ANTHRO 4830: Ethnographic Methods

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7830). This course is designed to provide both information on methodological approaches and practical applied techniques for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting ethnographic data. It explores anthropological and mixed research methods and analysis through the investigation and practical study of research design and ethics, participant observation, ethnographic interviewing methods, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: ANTHRO 2030


ANTHRO 4840: The Comparative Method in Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7840). Comparative methods provide common ground for uniting bio-cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and evolutionary biologists together in the investigation of human variation across time and space. It is an exciting time for comparative anthropology with the emergence of a large number of open-access databases covering many realms of biological, cultural, and linguistic variation. This class addresses many research opportunities that are opened up by these large collaborative efforts. Objectives are to develop research questions of interest to students, compile comparative databases necessary to answer those questions, and learn tools and software relevant for running analyses. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 4870: Field Methods in Linguistics

(same as LINGST 4870, ENGLSH 4670; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7870, LINGST 7870, ENGLSH 7670). Intensive training in collection and analysis of data taken from a native speaker of a non-Indo-European language. May be repeated for credit.

Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisites: Contact the Linguistics advisor to request permission
Recommended: 9 hours of Linguistics


ANTHRO 4870W: Field Methods in Linguistics - Writing Intensive

(same as LINGST 4870, ENGLSH 4670; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7870, LINGST 7870, ENGLSH 7670). Intensive training in collection and analysis of data taken from a native speaker of a non-Indo-European language. May be repeated for credit.

Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisites: Contact the Linguistics advisor to request permission
Recommended: 9 hours of Linguistics


ANTHRO 4880: Demographic Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7880). The major topics considered in this course are basic demographic analysis, including life tables, models for population growth and stable population theory; fertility analysis; disease and fertility; disease in human populations; and paleodemography. Math Reasoning Proficiency Course.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: MATH 1100
Recommended: junior or senior standing


ANTHRO 4885: Human Evolutionary Genetics

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7885). Human genomes contain a wealth of information such that anthropologists and geneticists have mined global genetic diversity to describe the ancestry of the people all over the world. In doing so, they have described ancient and recent population movements and mixtures, identified genetic signatures of adaptation to local environmental pressures, highlighted the pervasive influence of culture on human biodiversity, and helped wipe away any genetic basis for racial categories in humans. Students in the course apply population genetic methods to public databases using current software to understand how we know what we think we know about human genetic diversity.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2050, or ANTHRO 2051 and ANTHRO 2052, or BIO_SC 1500, or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4890: Human Skeletal Identification and Analysis

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7890). Students interested in archaeology, physical anthropology, and law enforcement will learn human osteological methods of analysis applied to bioarchaeological problems and modern forensic techniques for personal identification.

Credit Hours: 5
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2050 or ANTHRO 2052 or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4950: Undergraduate Research in Anthropology

Advanced research approved by and under the direction of a departmental faculty member. Enrollment limited to Juniors and Seniors.

Credit Hour: 2-8
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4950H: Honors Research in Anthropology

Individual study and research leading to Honors in Anthropology. In consultation with instructor, student works on Honors Thesis. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours. Enrollment is limited to Anthropology Majors with Junior Standing or higher, honors eligibility and a 3.5 GPA in Anthropology.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4950HW: Undergraduate Research in Anthropology - Honors/Writing Intensive

Advanced research approved by and under the direction of a departmental faculty member. Enrollment limited to Juniors and Seniors with Honors Eligibility.

Credit Hour: 2-8
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4960: Undergraduate Readings in Anthropology

Directed readings in ethnology, linguistics, archaeology, or physical anthropology not leading to thesis.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4990: Capstone Seminar in Anthropology

Readings, discussions, and problems in the integration of the subfields of anthropology through theory and examples.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Anthropology major and senior standing, or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 4990W: Capstone Seminar in Anthropology - Writing Intensive

Readings, discussions, and problems in the integration of the subfields of anthropology through theory and examples.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Anthropology major and senior standing, or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 7001: Topics in Anthropology-General

Problems, topics, issues, or review of research; experimental development of new contact areas. Specific content varies depending on needs of faculty or students and will be announced in advance.

Credit Hour: 1-3


ANTHRO 7150: Special Themes in Folklore

(same as ENGLSH 7700; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4150 and ENGLSH 4700). Intensive study in a selected area of folklore: folk narrative, folk song, myth, proverb, etc., folklore and literature, or the folklore of a particular group. May be repeated for a maximum of six hours. Instructor's consent for repetition.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7170: Oral Tradition

(same as ENGLSH 7770; cross-leveled with ENGLSH 4770, ANTHRO 4170). Study of oral tradition from living cultures as well as literary works and mass media with roots in verbal art. Oral tradition is a form of human communication through which ideas, knowledge, art, and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another or from one person to another. May include such folklore genres as ballads, chants, folktales, jokes, legends, myths, proverbs, prose, or verses.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Instructor's consent


ANTHRO 7200: Environment and Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4200). Study of quaternary environments and cultural systems. Focuses on North American records emphasizing climate and biologic components of regional ecosystems; regional environmental reconstruction.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7240: History of Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4240). Growth of archaeology worldwide since AD 1700. Emphasis include intellectual and theoretical developments, field and laboratory techniques, and major figures in the history of the discipline.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7280: Archaeology of Religion

(same as REL_ST 7280; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4280 and REL_ST 4280). This course examines how anthropologists conceptualize religious behavior, and how archaeologists use material remains to examine past religious behavior, rituals, religious practitioners, cosmological constructs, worldview and ideology in the Americas.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 and/or REL_ST 2100


ANTHRO 7300: Comparative Social Organization

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4300). Cross-cultural comparison, analysis of social structures. Role of kinship, age, sex, locality, economics, religion and other factors in determining relationships between individuals and groups cross culturally.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7320: Ecological and Environmental Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4320). Cultural anthropological approaches to human-environment interaction; cultural adaptations to diverse environments; theoretical developments and current issues; cultural, social, and historical contexts of natural resource use.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7340: Cultural Evolution and Change

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4340). Humans are a striking anomaly in the natural world. While we are similar to other mammals in many ways, our behavior and culture set us apart. Our unparalleled ability to culturally adapt has allowed us to occupy every habitat on earth using an incredible variety of tools and subsistence techniques. Our societies are larger, more complex, and more cooperative than any other mammal. This is a class on human cultural variation using evolutionary theory to explain our unique characteristics.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7350: Psychological Anthropology

Examines cross-cultural approaches to the study of perception, cognition, and personality; methods for gathering and validating data; examples from non-Western societies.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7360: Medical Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4360). Cross-cultural study of belief systems concerning health and illness, practices of diagnosis and treatment, and roles of patients and practitioners. Several non-Western health care systems are studied in detail.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7370: Anthropology of Gender

(same as WGST 7370; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4370 and WGST 4370) The Anthropology of Gender Introduces the student to the variation in the relationships between males and females; and between men, women, and other genders from around the world. The different approaches to understanding and modeling gender are discussed, as are specific case-studies from many different cultures.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7380: Anthropological Theory of Religions

(same as REL_ST 7380; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4380 and REL_ST 4380). Course provides a critical evaluation of anthropological explanations of various forms of traditional religious behavior such as magic, shamanism, divination, ritual, mythology and witchcraft. The anthropological explanations examined range from nineteenth century classics to the current approaches of today.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7385: Anthropology of Shamanism

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4385). Shamans are considered to be intermediates between this world and the spiritual world because they possess the power to communicate with spiritual beings and seek such beings to ask for their help with a variety of tasks such as healing, killing enemies, and weather control. Shamans are also the earliest ritual practitioners. Ancient cave paintings depict men dressed in animal skins, holding objects resembling the rattles used by modern shamans among northern hunting peoples. The cave art also has entopic imagery that is seen in the shaman's mind during his shamanic rituals. In this course we will look at shamanism through time and in many cultures. We will also discuss the early accounts of shamanism by priests, explorers and adventurers, and how anthropology has come to understand and study this phenomenon. Particular topics to be discussed include biological explanations for shamanic trances and visions, mental health concerning shamans, gender issues, and how shamans fit in with societal development and complexity. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7420: Historical Linguistics

(same as LINGST 7420, ENGLSH 7660; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4420, LINGST 4420, ENGLSH 4660). Methods of tracing the history of languages by glottochronology, and by comparative and internal reconstructions; cultural and linguistic implications of such reconstructions and of areal linguistics.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7500: Human Origins

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4500). History and theory in the study of human paleontology.

Credit Hours: 5


ANTHRO 7520: Functional Morphology of the Human Skeleton

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4520). This course will explore human functional morphology in a broad sense, i.e. will investigate how the form of various bodily systems influences their function and vice versa. In addition, the course is explicitly evolutionary in perspective; after the basic anatomy and function of a specific bodily region is introduced, we will cover how this functional unit has changed over the course of human evolutionary history. Lastly, we will be using the knowledge gained in lecture and from the text to critically analyze examples of research in human functional morphology. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7540: Human Biological Variation

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4540). The study of human biological variation is not an exercise in simply opening our eyes and recording what we see. Every one of us makes sense of the people we interact with by assigning them to meaning-laden categories that are specific to where and when we live. Scientists and their authoritative statements on human biology have played an influential role in reinforcing or re-imagining these categories and meanings. Whether deliberate or not, describing and interpreting human biology has been a powerful "social weapon" and often contributed to entrenched discrimination through a deterministic view of poverty, crime, gender roles or sexuality, and racial or ethnic difference. The initial readings, class discussion, and assignments in this course will require you to consider cross-cultural diversity in racial categories and more universal cognitive structures for category making. Later units explore the history of what scientists think they know about human variation and its repercussions that are most obvious in medicine and law. The following units provide a state of the art view of human global genetic diversity and a series of case studies on adaptation to various environmental conditions such as infectious disease, climate, and diet. Both emphasize how human biodiversity emerged through biological and cultural mechanisms. The final weeks of the course focus on understanding human behaviors including intelligence, athleticism, aggression, and sexuality.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7580: Evolutionary Medicine

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4580). Evolutionary processes and human evolutionary history have profound implications in the way in which we respond and are susceptible to disease. Unlike many of the short-term biomedical understandings of human health, evolution can better inform on the ultimate causes and consequences of topics such as infection and inflammation, allergy, parasites, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, aging, cancer, reproductive issues, and mental disorders. As part of this class, students will use evolution to critically evaluate human health, and explore how natural selection can shape behaviors and physiological responses.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7600: Ethnographic Studies of Selected Cultures

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4600). Specific content varies with student interest, faculty availability. Will concentrate on peoples and cultures of one area such as East Asia, South Asia, Africa, North America, Mesoamerica, Oceania, Europe. Amplifies ethnographic knowledge gained in lower-level survey courses.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7620: North American Archaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4620). This course covers the archaeology of North America from the earliest human settlers to the historic period. Students will be able to define and summarize key archaeological cultures (e.g., Paleoindians, Mississippian culture); describe the subsistence strategies, territories, trade relationships, and social structures of these past people; and analyze explanations for significant aspects of cultural development across the region and through time.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7640: Prehistory of the Greater Southwest

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4640). The course will introduce students to the archaeology of aboriginal peoples of the American southwest and northwestern Mexico. The emphasis will be on prehistoric culture development from the Paleoindians to the arrival of the Spanish. Ethnographic and modern peoples will be discussed as well.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 or ANTHRO 2021


ANTHRO 7650: Prehistory of Mesoamerica

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4650). Covers the archaeology and prehistory of Mesoamerica (Mexico and Northern Central America). Emphasis on archaeological evidence for development of human societies from late Pleistocene hunting bands to complex agricultural civilizations encountered by Europeans in 1500s.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7680: Cultures and Peoples of the Amazon

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4680). Amazonia is one of the most diverse regions on the planet in terms of both the diversity of biological species and human languages and cultures. It is one of the last places in the world where some human societies have limited contact with the outside world. The Amazon basin is literally one of the last frontiers for traditional anthropological studies and a battle-ground between colonization and cultural survival. This is an exciting time for students of cultural variation in Amazonia with the emergence of a large amount of cross-cultural information available for Amazonian peoples. We will survey a number of cutting-edge topics to gain a deeper understanding of this vast cultural variation.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7700: Old World Prehistory

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4700). Beginnings of culture in the old world through the early Iron Age.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7790: Cultures and Society in South Asia

(same as S_A_ST 7790; cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4790 and S_A_ST 4790). ). Survey of the cultures, social organizations, and lived experience of people from across the Indian subcontinent. Major topics include cast, kinship, gender, religion, village life, urbanization, public culture, popular culture, social change, and the South Asian Diaspora.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7800: Field Methods in Archaeology

Techniques of archaeological excavation; field surveying, recording, care and interpretation of materials.

Credit Hour: 1-8


ANTHRO 7820: Zooarchaeology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4820). Survey of specialized techniques for archaeological/faunal analysis, including zoo archaeological sampling, taphonomy study of paleoecology, and recognition of domestication.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7826: Stone Artifact Analysis

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4826). Theory, methods, and techniques of studying lithic artifacts and deriving culturally meaningful interpretations. Emphasizes flaked artifacts. Includes physical examination, manufacture and experimentation with stone tools.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7828: Archaeological Analysis of Ceramics

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4828). To introduce students to the basic methods and concepts used in the archaeological analysis of pottery. By the end of the semester students will understand the various ways that pottery is created and how archaeologists can use ceramics to gain insights into everything from the organization of craft production to trade to symbolism.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2020 and/or ANTHRO 2022


ANTHRO 7830: Ethnographic Methods

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4830). This course is designed to provide both information on methodological approaches and practical applied techniques for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting ethnographic data. It explores anthropological and mixed research methods and analysis through the investigation and practical study of research design and ethics, participant observation, ethnographic interviewing methods, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7840: The Comparative Method in Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4840). Comparative methods provide common ground for uniting bio-cultural anthropologists, archaeologists, and evolutionary biologists together in the investigation of human variation across time and space. It is an exciting time for comparative anthropology with the emergence of a large number of open-access databases covering many realms of biological, cultural, and linguistic variation. This class addresses many research opportunities that are opened up by these large collaborative efforts. Objectives are to develop research questions of interest to students, compile comparative databases necessary to answer those questions, and learn tools and software relevant for running analyses. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7870: Field Methods in Linguistics

(same as LINGST 7870 and ENGLSH 7670; cross-leveled with LINGST 4870 and ENGLSH 4670). Intensive training in collection and analysis of data taken from a native speaker of a non-Indo-European language. May be repeated for credit.

Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisites: instructor's consent
Recommended: 9 hours of linguistics


ANTHRO 7880: Demographic Anthropology

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4880). The major topics considered in this course are basic demographic analysis, including life tables, models for population growth and stable population theory; fertility analysis; disease and fertility; disease in human populations; and paleodemography.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 7885: Human Evolutionary Genetics

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4885). Human genomes contain a wealth of information such that anthropologists and geneticists have mined global genetic diversity to describe the ancestry of the people all over the world. In doing so, they have described ancient and recent population movements and mixtures, identified genetic signatures of adaptation to local environmental pressures, highlighted the pervasive influence of culture on human biodiversity, and helped wipe away any genetic basis for racial categories in humans. Students in the course apply population genetic methods to public databases using current software to understand how we know what we think we know about human genetic diversity.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 2050 and ANTHRO 2052 or BIO_SC 1500


ANTHRO 7890: Human Skeletal Identification and Analysis

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 4890). Students interested in archaeology, physical anthropology, and law enforcement will learn human osteological methods of analysis applied to bioarchaelogical problems and modern forensic techniques for personal identification.

Credit Hours: 5


ANTHRO 7950: Introduction to Post-Graduate Anthropology

How to succeed in graduate school and profession, and who is MU Anthropology. Introduces skills for success in graduate school, describes attributes of a professional anthropologist and how to find a job. Handouts and readings supplement discussions. Graded on S/U basis only.

Credit Hour: 1


ANTHRO 7960: Graduate Readings in Anthropology

Directed readings in ethnology, linguistics, archaeology, or physical anthropology not leading to thesis.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 7990: Non Thesis Research in Anthropology

Original research not leading to the preparation of a thesis or dissertation.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 8010: History of Anthropology I

Development of anthropological theories, methods, perspectives, major figures and contributions in cultural and linguistic subfields.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8090: Masters Thesis Research in Anthropology

Advanced work leading to thesis. Graded on a S/U basis only.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: consent of major advisor


ANTHRO 8157: Seminar in Folklore

(same as ENGLSH 8700 and REL_ST 8700). Roots of folklore scholarship and methodology; their evolution in modern approaches to the study of oral, traditional, verbal genres; and their performance in natural folk groups. May repeat to twelve hours with departments consent.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8187: Seminar in Ecological Adaptation

Relationships and interactions between humans and their environments, with emphasis on the physical and cultural adaptations to environment. May be repeated to 9 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8287: Seminar in Theory and Methods in Archaeology

Application of theory and conceptual frameworks to archaeological studies drawn from both Old and New Worlds. May be repeated to 6 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8357: Seminar in Psychological Anthropology

Focuses on developments in psychological anthropology, cross-cultural psychology. Special attention on cognition, perception, socialization, personality assessment, psycho-cultural change, psycho-linguistics, psychometrics, within cross-cultural contexts. May be repeated to 6 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8487: Seminar in Anthropological Linguistics

(same as LINGST 8487). Topics: Ethnolinguistics, linguistic prehistory, pidgin and Creole languages, linguistic theories and cultural and cultural analysis. French structural anthropology. May be repeated for 9 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 8587: Seminar in Physical Anthropology

Readings and discussion concerning current problems in human and nonhuman primate evolution, with emphasis on taxonomy, morphology, and behavior. May be repeated to 9 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8687: Seminar in Cultural Dynamics

Focuses on geographical, topical, and/or theoretical developments within cultural anthropology. May be repeated to 6 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8888: Analyzing Anthropological Data I

Provides students with the conceptual and analytic tools necessary to conduct and evaluate the analysis of anthropological data. Examples gleaned from archaeology, bioanthropology, ethnography, and linguistics will provide a broad perspective of the application and utility of the various methods discussed.

Credit Hours: 3


ANTHRO 8889: Analyzing Anthropological Data II

This course introduces a variety of conceptual tools and advanced quantitative methods that anthropologists use to analyze their data. It includes an introduction of common software packages used to manipulate and analyze anthropological data.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: ANTHRO 8888 or grad-level intro stats or instructor's consent


ANTHRO 8960: Graduate Readings in Anthropology

Directed readings in ethnology, linguistics, archaeology, or physical anthropology not leading to thesis.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: instructor's consent


ANTHRO 8987: Grant Writing for Graduate Students

Formal research project design with an emphasis on the development of a grant at the graduate level. May be repeated to 9 hours maximum.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: introductory course in statistics


ANTHRO 8990: Non Thesis Research in Anthropology

Original research not leading to the preparation of a dissertation.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: consent of major advisor


ANTHRO 9090: Doctoral Dissertation Research in Anthropology

Advanced work leading to dissertation. Graded on a S/U basis only.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: consent of major advisor