The study of primate behavior and the methods by which animal behavior is observed and documented. Students conduct a research project and write a report. One lecture hour and three laboratory hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Anthropology 346L , 346M , or Biology 359K with a grade of at least C.
Comprehensive study of the human skeleton, with special attention to methods of identification. One lecture hour and four laboratory hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and Anthropology 301.
Archaeological Laboratory Methods An Introduction Downloadzip
ANTH 1 tells the story of humankind, how we as a species developed, and how modern Homo sapiens have developed more cultural complexity over time, moving, in the last 12,000 years, from a worldwide small population of hunter-foragers to a population so large that it strains the planet's resources, with nation-states competing for the loyalty of their citizens with powerful ethnic and religious enclaves and also with global corporations. All of these trends -- biological, demographic, and cultural -- are viewed from the perspective of evolution away from our earliest human patterns, toward the effects of demographic density and sociocultural complexity. The course takes a question-oriented approach to show the relevance of anthropology in today's world. Lectures are structured around what it means to be human -- from a perspective of either biological anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, or linguistics. Overall the course has three main goals: 1) provide an introduction to anthropology's subject matter, human cultural and physical characteristics, throughout our species' geographical and chronological range; 2) introduce students to some of the biological, ethnographic, archaeological, and linguistic methods that anthropologists rely on to reach their conclusions; and 3) impart a framework of knowledge that will facilitate understanding of one's own place in human history, in the larger culture, community, family, and household.
ANTH 8 is a comparative survey of the development of the pre-Columbian Latin American civilizations. It is a general survey of three of the great complex societies of the New World - the Aztec and the Maya of Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico and Northern Central America), and the Inca of the Central Andes of South America. Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were thriving in the 16th century when Europeans arrived, and are known almost completely from ethnographic information such as oral and written records. The Classic Maya were much earlier (AD 250-900), and are known primarily through archaeological research, but also through the lens of the New World's only sophisticated writing system. The course informs students about the methods of archaeology and places these cultures in a broader comparative perspective. By studying archaeological evidence from several sites we will address a few important theoretical issues in archaeology. These issues include: 1) the relationship between people, the environment, and social organization 2) the study of elites and commoners in archaeological cultures, and 3) the use of historical and archaeological data in reconstructing the past. Throughout the semester we will also examine varied lines of evidence, including archaeological artifacts, human remains, architecture, murals, sculpture, and historical texts (esp. codices and colonial accounts) to assess the role of evidence and theory in how we conceptualize the past. The information presented emphasizes the nature of these societies, analysis and interpretation of their basic institutions, religions, world views, as well as their culture histories. Central to the presentation is the degree to which modern Latin American cultures and populations have deep cultural and biological roots in the Pre-Columbian past, and many ethnographic models are discussed. Within the context of each segment, sociological concepts such as institutions, households, stratification, political economy, urbanization, and a host of others are used as organizing features. Issues of gender, ethnicity, and class structure are also discussed. Issues such as the peopling of the Americas, the origins of agriculture, and other Mesoamerican cultures are also reviewed.
The story of the indigenous peoples of North America and its parallels with developments elsewhere in the world have captured the imaginations of many people over the years. But it takes more than imagination to explore this saga -- it takes the careful application of archaeology. This course surveys the archaeology of North America, including Mexico. The archaeological history of North American Indians is traced from their origins in Eurasia over 14,000 years ago into the period of European colonization. An ecological approach is taken to the examination of all major regions of the continent. The Eastern Woodlands coverage will include the many burial mound and temple mound cultures of the region. The objectives of the course are to familiarize students with the wide range of human adaptations that prevailed over time and space, to link the evolution of those adaptations to the surviving descendant native cultures of North America, and to provide students with a framework for understanding the many archaeological sites that are open to the public across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A secondary objective of the course is to familiarize students with the techniques and methods archaeologists use to test hypotheses using archaeological data. The course takes an explicitly scientific approach to the subject, one that is based upon well-established evolutionary and ecological theory and is also firmly grounded in the evidence. The course makes extensive use of images of sites and artifacts as well as other graphics that are necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the subject. ANTH 11 fulfills both US and IL requirements. The course is structured to cultivate students understanding of the similarities and differences among past Native American cultures of North America. Additional international focus is provided through exploration of the archaeological evidence for indigenous cultural traditions in locations within present-day Canada (Arctic, Iroquoians) and Mexico (Archaic, Classic, Post-Classic periods). The course fulfills the IL designation by introducing students to cultural and behavioral variation and cultural achievements of indigenous North Americans. In addition, the course fulfills the US designation by interweaving discussion of the significant influence and impact of Native American history/culture on the history and development of the United States. The ethics associated with North American archaeology and their impact on US culture and cultural perception are also explored.
ANTH 83S First-Year Seminar in Anthropology meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This seminar introduces students to anthropology as a scientific discipline with ties to other social and natural sciences. Through active participation in the seminar, students will be exposed to an aspect of anthropology that corresponds to a faculty member's area of expertise. Because students are introduced to cutting edge research, the course content will vary from one semester to the next. Seminar topics highlight current debates in the discipline and the research process. Research design, analytical methods, and sampling issues are covered by having students read and discuss new and controversial developments in anthropology. Strong emphasis is placed on the broader societal significance of scholarly research related to the seminar's principal focus. Student comprehension of topics raised in class will be assessed by classroom participation, exams, and papers. In addition to the academic topic and issues of this course, students can expect to gain a general introduction to the University as an academic community and have the opportunity to explore their responsibilities as members of that community. Students will develop an understanding of the learning tools and resources available to them, including the opportunity to develop relationships with faculty and other students who share their academic interests. This seminar fulfills both a first-year seminar requirement and a general education social science requirement for Bachelor of Arts.
ANTH 223 (European Prehistory) is designed to introduce students to the concepts and evidence used in understanding the development of cultural diversity on our planet using prehistoric Europe as a case study. This class explores the archaeological record of human societies in Europe from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Iron Age, spanning a 40,000-year period. Many archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge, are widely known but often misunderstood or sensationalized. ANTH 223 traces the history of humans in Europe and provides the cultural, chronological, and environmental contexts to understand these places on the landscape. The class explores the extinction of Neanderthals and Pleistocene animals, the origins of art, the transition to agriculture, the beginnings of metallurgy, and the rise of complex societies. Emphasis is placed on the evidence for subsistence and production, funerary rites, changes in settlement, production of art, symbolism, the role of technology, and emergence of social hierarchies. The course introduces students to archaeological and anthropological concepts by viewing cultural groups in ecological and social context, and highlighting the variability of human adaptations to shifting climates and natural and social environments. It also introduces students to key concepts from the humanities, especially the analysis of systems of visual culture and historic texts, and their integration into reconstructions of past human lifeways. ANTH 223 integrates two General Education Domain fields: the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) and the Humanities (GH). The course enables students to develop competency for combining knowledge across different domains, using methods from the social sciences and humanities in concert to create understandings of past lifeways, and interpreting the past human experience in light of current issues and concerns. Students thus gain skills in evaluating their own values relative to the deep history of the human past and different ways for structuring and understanding the world. To achieve these educational objectives, ANTH 223 draws on multiple teaching formats and resources, including classroom lectures, films, and readings from a textbook and additional texts. 2ff7e9595c
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