Introduction to study of recent cultures and societies. Focus on development of anthropological thought, language, culture, and broad patterns of cultural behavior. Includes cross-cultural perspectives on belief systems, economic behavior, family, kinship, and sociopolitical structures. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Social Sciences, Elective)
Prerequisites
Eligibility for or completion of ENGL& 101
Course Outcomes
- An orientation in cultural anthropology as an academic discipline;
- basic information on culture, cultures, and cultural behavior from an anthropological perspective; and
- a sense of culture, how culture shapes and patterns your every act, thought, and interaction.
- What is cultural anthropology? Lectures and readings will place cultural anthropology within anthropology as a discipline. In addition, an understanding of the culture as a concept will be developed, exploring its nature, dynamics, and how it unifies humankind as well as creates its diversity.
- What do cultural anthropologists do? Cultural anthropology will be discussed as social science; the discussion will include their methods, areas of interest and study, and how they gather and analyze their data.
- What is the theoretical basis of cultural anthropology as a social science? A history of cultural anthropology and ethnological thought will be presented with an emphasis of the major perspectives and thinkers in the field.
- What kinds of information do cultural anthropologists use and produce? A body of factual information about selected cultures around the world will be developed in the class.