UNDERGRADUATE STUDY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AT SMU

Full Undergraduate Course Listing

1321. FIRST YEAR SEMINAR, TOPIC: EMPIRES. The First-Year Seminar in Anthropology offers beginning students an opportunity to pursue a specific, anthropological topic in depth in a small class setting. It will be both writing-and-reading intensive. Requirements: None

2301. INTRODUCTORY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Basic theories and methods of cultural anthropology. Explores variations in cultural values, social practices, religion, rules of law, etc., in different cultures around the world. Focuses on understanding the forces that shape cultures and societies, and how they adapt to a rapidly changing world. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

2302. PEOPLE OF THE EARTH: HUMANITY'S FIRST FIVE MILLION YEARS. Human biological and cultural evolution, from the appearance of ancestral humans in Africa nearly 5 million years ago, to the rise of the great civilizations. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

2315. HUMAN EVOLUTION. Biological and social beginnings of humankind. Topics include mutation, natural selection, primate origins, and the human fossil record.  Ethical and moral issues of cloning, eugenics, and creationism are also treated. Fulfills General Education Distribution requirements for Science/Technology.

2321 (ENGL 2321, CFA 3301). THE DAWN OF WISDOM: ANCIENT CREATION STORIES FROM FOUR CIVILIZATIONS. Explores the visions of the cosmos expressed in the art, archaeology, and literature of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greco-Roman civilization, and the Maya, emphasizing the role of human beings as central and responsible actors therein. Prerequisite: ENGL 1302 or departmental approval. Fulfills cocurricular requirement for Diversity.

2331 (CF 2331). THE FORMATION OF INSTITUTIONS: ROOTS OF SOCIETY. The nature of social institutions and how they change and become more complex. A case-study approach that examines selected non-Western societies at different levels of complexity. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

2345. LEADERSHIP AND RACE RELATIONS. Racism, the constraints it puts on society and the relevance of racism to America's future. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

2363. THE SCIENCE OF OUR PAST: AN INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY. Introduces students to how and why archaeologists study evidence of past human behavior.  Required labs emphasize hands-on analyses of artifacts and other archaeological materials.  Fulfills General Education Distribution requirements for Science/Technology.

3300 (CF 3300). RACE, GENDER, AND CULTURE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. A comparative analysis of the historical, economic, social, and cultural experiences of peoples of African descent in societies in the Western hemisphere.  Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3301 (SOCI 3301, CFB 3301). HEALTH, HEALING, AND ETHICS: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON SICKNESS AND SOCIETY. A cross-cultural exploration of cultures and organization of medical systems, economic development and the global exportation of biomedicine, and ethical dilemmas associated with medical technologies and global disparities in health. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3302. MONKEYS AND APES: THE NONHUMAN PRIMATES. This course offers an introduction to the study of nonhuman primates, from prosimians to the great apes. It explores questions of taxonomy, aspects of social behavior, and patterns of communication. Fulfills the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3303. PSYCHOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Examines the interplay of culture and personality in various Western and non-Western societies. Perception, cognition, dreams, altered states of consciousness, and psychological terrorism are analyzed in cross-cultural perspective. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3304. NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY. North America's human past, from the earliest colonization by Ice Age peoples, to the catastrophic collapse of Native American populations following the arrival of Europeans in 1492.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3305. THE "OTHER" IN AMERICA: POPULAR PERCEPTIONS AND GOVERNMENT POLICY THROUGH TIME. An examination of attitudes during the past 200 years towards "others" in America, as reflected in popular culture (films and fiction), as well as in national and local government policies.

3309 (ARHS 3309). THE ETRUSCANS IN IRON AGE ITALY. An archaeological survey of the later prehistory of the Italian peninsula, from the end of the Bronze Age to the Roman Conquest.

3310 (CF 3301). GENDER AND SEX ROLES: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. Cross-cultural and historical comparison of women's and men's life experiences in the areas of family, marriage and kinship, economic and political participation, sexuality, reproduction, ritual and religion. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3311. MEXICO: FROM CONQUEST TO CANCUN. Development of civilizations from village life to the great empires of Mexico. How civilizations begin, grow, change, and collapse.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3312. MESO-AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY. Cross-cultural examination of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Comparative analysis of the process of  enculturation in tribal, peasant, and modern societies. Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or 3303 or permission of instructor.

3313. SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. A survey of the archaeology and ethnology of indigenous South Americans, from c. 13,000 years ago to recent times, focusing on environments, subsistence, and related levels of sociopolitical integration from Tierra del Fuego to the Amazon basin and the Andes.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3314. PEOPLES OF AFRICA. A contemporary study of cultures and social structures of Sub-Saharan African peoples and an examination of the dynamics of contemporary African societies.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3315. ORIGINS OF CIVILIZATION. Considers those cultural and historic factors that led from the development of agriculture to the first urban states in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3316. CULTURES OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. Survey of Pacific Island social systems focusing on Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.  Explores nature of pre-contact societies and how colonial and missionary influences transformed island cultures.  Examines how contemporary Pacific islanders are responding to forces of globalization.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

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3317. PEOPLES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA. A comparative study of insular and mainland cultures of Southeast Asia, their history and development, and their social and economic structures.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3318. PREHISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST. Explores the evidence of thousands of years of human cultural change that archeologists have uncovered across the American Southwest. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3319. HUMAN ECOLOGY. Relationships between population size, technology, climate, and behavior in various living societies. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3322. STATISTICAL REASONING IN ANTHROPOLOGY. Particular aspects of statistical data processing and reasoning, including the construction of measurement scales, tabular and graphical descriptions, cross classifications, percentages and probabilities, sampling, and the expression of relationships through the use of models. Lab sessions will investigate anthropological data sets through the use of the student version of SPSS for Windows.

3327 (CF 3319). CULTURE CHANGE AND GLOBALIZATION. Introduction to anthropological perspectives on global transformations: world economic integration; economic development and sociocultural change; new patterns of hunger, poverty, and disease; ethnic resurgence and nationalism; migration and transnationalism; the expansion of global religions and fundamentalist movements, and changes in gender and family patterns. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3333 (CFA 3316). THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE. The course explores historical, ethnical, social, cultural and political dimensions of the US immigrant experience, and American's attitudes toward immigrants.  Controversial issues such as bilingual education and the illegal immigration are examined.

3334 (CF 3334). FANTASTIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND PSEUDOSCIENCE: LOST TRIBES, SUNKEN CONTINENTS, ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, AND OTHER STRANGE IDEAS ABOUT THE PAST. Did ancient astronauts visit the Earth? Are there secrets of the Maya calendar that archaeologists aren't revealing? Is Creation a scientific alternative to evolution of humanity? This course investigates these and other claims about our past, and how archaeologists respond to them.

3335 (ENGL 2321). THE DAWN OF WISDOM: ANCIENT CREATION STORIES FROM FOUR CIVILIZATIONS. Explores the visions of the cosmos expressed in the art, archaeology, and literature of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greco-Roman civilization, and the Maya, emphasizing the role of human beings as central and responsible actors therein. Prerequisite: ENGL 1302 or departmental approval. Fulfills cocurricular requirement for Diversity.

3366. GENDER AND GLOBALIZATION. An analysis of the impact of globalization forces on women's lives and identities, as well as on patterns of gender relations and ideology in various cultures around the world.

3344. CULTURAL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS. The course explores the cultural aspects of the business and entrepreneurship at the home and abroad.  It also addresses the relationship between anthropology and business, examining business in a holistic perspective.

3346. CULTURE AND DIVERSITY IN AMERICAN LIFE. An overview of contemporary U.S. culture, with an emphasis on how diversity (e.g., ethnicity, class religion, and gender) is expressed in communities, in regions, and in the nation.  Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3348 (HIST 3348, CF 3378).ASIANS AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IMAGINATION. This course explores the issues of cultural identity in the 20th century through study of the Asian-American experience. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3350 (CFA 3350). GOOD EATS AND FORBIDDEN FLESH: CULTURE, FOOD AND THE GLOBAL GROCERY MARKET. A cultural perspective on food that blends biological and medical information about human nutrition and development with an exploration the global market of eating.

3351 (CFB 3351). FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY: STORIES TOLD BY BONES. Introduction to the identification of human remains, including conditions of preservation and decay. Estimating sex, stature, age, ethnicity. Identifying pathology, trauma and other causes of death.

3353. INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA. A survey of American Indian and Eskimo life, past and present, with emphasis on the interaction of Indians and Whites since 1492 and contemporary American Indian problems and enterprises - reservation and urban life, gambling, health care, and legal rights. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3354. LATIN AMERICA: PEOPLES, PLACES, AND POWER. Examines the development of Latin America in the context of global transformations since the 16th century. Special attention is given to the interaction of local communities with regional, national, and international systems of power. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3355. SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN CONTEMPORARY EUROPE. Anthropological survey of social and cultural dimensions of contemporary European society. Explores unity and diversity within the region, the role of gender, religion, class, ethnicity, and nationalism in structuring the lives of Europeans. Fulfills the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3356. BEFORE CIVILIZATION. A survey of the Paleolithic archaeology of the first three million years of human history in the Old World. Emphasis is upon adaptation and cultural change. Fulfills the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3358. INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST FROM THE 16TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT. An introduction to the non-Pueblo and Pueblo peoples of the Greater Southwest, with a focus on Indian-Indian and Indian-Euro American relations and the resultant transformations. Topics will include clash of cultures, tourism, gambling, legal rights and urbanism. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3361. LANGUAGE IN CULTURE AND SOCIETY. An investigation of social and cultural factors affecting the use of language. Topics include linguistic variation, Black English, women's language, and body language. Fulfills both the co-curricular requirement for Human Diversity as well as the GEC Perspective requirement for Behavioral Science.

3366 (RELI 3366). MAGIC, MYTH, AND RELIGION ACROSS CULTURES. A cross-cultural and comparative exploration of religion, ritual, magic, and supernatural belief systems. Examines how religion permeates other aspects of society and culture. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

3368 (SOCI 3368). URBAN LIFE: A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE. An introduction to urban life and culture around the world, including how we study cities, who inhabits cities, and what are the special features of city places and spaces. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.

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3371. NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS OF MODERN POPULATIONS. Patterns of land use and resource use in prehistoric and early historic times in the Southwest. Focus is on the mutual influence of cultures and resources in the northern Rio Grande.

3374 (CF 3374). CULTURES AND ENVIRONMENTS OF THE SOUTHWEST. General considerations and theories of aging in various populations; factors affecting aging, mental and psychomotor abilities in aging, aging of biological systems, nutrition and metabolism of aged populations; body composition changes and aging; physical activity effect on aging; diseases of aging; and rehabilitation of the aged.

3388. WARFARE AND VIOLENCE. An examination of the origins and development of human aggression, violence, and warfare using interdisciplinary data and theories from prehistory, ethnology, history, and political science.

3399 (CFA 3399). ICE AGE AMERICANS. The first Americans came here from northeast Asia and Siberia over 12,000 years ago, when North America was in the grip of an Ice Age. Their story, being pieced together by disciplines as different as archaeology, linguistics, and molecular biology, is revealing how these pioneers faced the challenge of adapting to a world without other people, which became increasingly exotic as they moved south, and was itself changing as the Ice Age came to an end. This is the story of the first discovery of America, when it truly was a New World.

For Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Most 4000- and 5000-level courses in Anthropology require introductory coursework in the appropriate subdiscipline, or permission of instructor.

4191, 4291, 4391, 4192, 4292, 4392. INDEPENDENT STUDY AND RESEARCH. For advanced undergraduates. Prerequisite: Approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies and a faculty sponsor.

4304. MIGRATION & ETHNICITY. Examines three interrelated topics: migration, ethnicity, and nationalism. Focuses on major theoretical positions and on specific ethnographic cases.

4305. APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY. The application of anthropological theories and methods to problems in contemporary societies, including global business, community development, health care issues, agricultural/environmental programs, urban planning tourism projects, and education policy. Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

4306. ANTHROPOLOGY AND EDUCATION. An overview of the interaction of culture, society, and institutions in contemporary schools in their local, regional, national, and international contexts. Special attention is giving to the case of bilingual education. Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

4307. SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL HEALTH. Provides an overview of issues in international health with a focus on contributions of anthropology and anthropologists to international public health issues. Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

4309. CURRENT ISSUES IN ANTHROPOLOGY. Seminar on selected anthropological topics.

4311. APPLIED LINGUISTICS. Examination of linguistic theory and data in the context of diverse, especially multilingual, speech communities. Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

4333. LABORATORY METHODS IN ARCHAEOLOGY. Classification and analysis of archaeological materials (various topics). Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 5381 or 5382 or permission of instructor.

4344. GLOBAL POPULATION PROCESSES: ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES.Focuses on an anthropological understanding of population processes in a global context.  Addresses some of the major global population processes--nuptiality, fertility, mortality, migration---and examines them within historical and cross-cultural frameworks.

4347. SEMINAR IN MESOAMERICAN ETHNOLOGY. Examination of anthropological literature on contemporary Mesoamerica within an interdisciplinary framework.

4350, 4351, 4352. SPECIAL TOPICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY. An in-depth look at particular problems and issues in contemporary anthropology. Topics will vary.

4366. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES IN ANTHROPOLOGY. Development of modern anthropological paradigms, with intensive readings in science, ethnology, and ecological anthropology and a focus on the potential utility of theoretical coherence within the discipline. Prerequisite: Eighteen hours of Anthropology or permission of instructor.

4367. COMPARATIVE PEASANT SOCIETY. Economic and social institutions of contemporary peasant societies are examined with special focus on the changes they are undergoing in the 20th century. Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or permission of instructor.

4371. THE NATURE OF THE AGING PROCESS. General considerations and theories of aging in various populations; factors affecting aging, mental and psychomotor abilities in aging, and aging of biological systems; nutrition and metabolism of aged populations; body composition changes and aging, physical activity effect on aging; diseases of aging; rehabilitation of the aged.

4377. THE HUMAN FOSSIL RECORD. An examination of morphology, classification, and evolutionary relationships in the human fossil record. Covers the Pliocene through the emergence of modern Homo sapiens. Comparisons using the departmental fossil collection. Prerequisite: ANTH 2315 or permission of instructor.

4381. INTERNSHIP IN ANTHROPOLOGY. This course offers students experience in varied organizations and agencies where anthropological applications are relevant. These might include a contract archaeology firm, the Natural History Museum, a zoo, health clinics, marketing or PR firms, or corporations involved in international business. Prerequisite: Approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies and a faculty sponsor.

4384. GLOBALISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW. Principles of cultural dynamics, innovation, diffusion, and social movements shown by non-literate and peasant societies as they meet Western civilization. Prerequisite:  Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

4385. COASTAL AND AQUATIC ARCHAEOLOGY. Seminar on the use of coastal resources, maritime landscapes, rivers, marshes, lakes, and islands throughout the human past.

4390. CURRENT ISSUES IN ANTHROPOLOGY. Seminar on selected anthropological topics.

4399. SENIOR SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY. An in-depth examination of current theoretical and methodological developments in the discipline. Recommended for candidates for departmental distinction in anthropology. Prerequisites: Senior standing or permission of instructor and ANTH 2301.

4390. CURRENT ISSUES IN ANTHROPOLOGY. Seminar on selected anthropological topics.

5334. HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY. Analytical history of anthropology, from the classical period to the 20th century. More than just what happened when, this course explains the content and development of theory, method, and interpretation. Prerequisite: Eighteen hours of Anthropology or permission of instructor.

5336. ANTHROPOLOGY AND MEDICINE. Cross-cultural study of the cultural construction and social organization of medical systems in pre-industrial and industrialized societies, including political economy of health, ethnomedicine, international health, ethnopharmacology, and bioethics. Prerequisite: Anthropology 2301 or 3301 or permission of instructor.

5344. RESEARCH METHODS IN ETHNOLOGY. Examination of methodologies and techniques appropriate for different types of ethnological research. Prerequisites: Advanced standing and ANTH 2301 (or permission of instructor for non-anthropology majors).

5355 (SWST 5355). HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SOUTHWEST. This course will focus on the development of archaeology in the American Southwest by placing it in historical context, discussing the social role of archaeology in general, 19th-century exploration and the impact of early archaeological nods, development of museums, tourism, national monuments, field schools, and the changing role of the Native Americans.

5359 (ENGL 5371). LINGUISTICS: GENERAL. An introduction to modern linguistic science. Topics include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, dialects, writing systems, child language, language and the brain, and language in education.

5381. FIELD METHODS IN ARCHAEOLOGY. Methods of excavation, recording, and interpretation used in archaeological research. Fort Burgwin Research Center. Summer only. Students may petition to have this course fulfill the Lab Science Requirement.

5382. FIELD METHODS IN ARCHAEOLOGY. Methods of excavation, recording, and interpretation used in archaeological research. Fort Burgwin Research Center. Summer only. Students may petition to have this course fulfill the Lab Science Requirement.

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