Introduction to Anthropology, Fall 2004

Abstract: What kinds of wisdom do other ways of life offer our own? How do other perspectives on the world challenge our assumptions about life? These questions are addressed through the four fields of anthropology: biological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. We examine family and kinship, religion, economics, politics, survival of indigenous groups, and Western influences from an anthropological perspective to gain appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity. This class introduces students to the methods and perspectives of cultural anthropology. Readings emphasize case studies in very different settings (a nuclear weapons laboratory, a cattle-herding society of the Sudan, and a Jewish elder center in Los Angeles). Although some of the results and conclusions of anthropology will be discussed, emphasis will be on appreciating cultural difference and its implications, studying cultures and societies through long-term fieldwork, and most of all, learning to think analytically about other people's lives and our own.

Details

Additional Information