Courses of Instruction

ANTHROPOLOGY (ATH-Arts and Science)

133 Imagining Russia (2)

Survey of Russian history, society, politics, economy, literature, film, and arts from a variety of intellectual perspectives. Classroom lectures plus out of class cultural presentations. Cross-listed with POL/GEO/RUS/ HST 133.

MPF 155 Introduction to Anthropology (4)

Introduction to anthropology with emphasis on understanding the social and biological contexts of human life. Topics include the biological and cultural origins of humanity, prehistory, and cultural diversity. IIC.

MPF, MPT 175 Peoples of the World (3)

Provides an appreciation of human cultural diversity around the world and through time. It develops anthropological approaches to understanding cultural differences and similarities in political, social, and economic organization, marriage and family patterns, beliefs and other aspects. Does not count toward the major. IIC, IIIB.

MPF 185 Cultural Diversity in the U.S. (3)

Anthropological introduction to the diversity of contemporary cultural life in the United States. Does not count toward the major. IIC, IIIA.

Advanced Courses

Note: ATH 206, 207, 209 and 254 do not count toward the major.

MPF 206 Latin American Civilizations (3)

Broad survey with emphasis on cultural, political, geographical, and social developments viewed in historical perspective toward understanding contemporary problems. Cross-listed with LAS 208. IIIB, H. CAS-C.

MPF 207 Civilization of the Middle East (3)

Survey of cultural, political, economic, and social developments in the Middle East viewed in geographical and historical perspective, with attention to images of the area prevalent in our society. Cross-listed with GEO and REL 207. IIIB, H.

MPF 209 Civilization of Africa (3)

Survey of cultural, political, economic, and social developments in sub-Saharan Africa, viewed in geographical and historical perspective with attention to images of the area prevalent in our society. Cross-listed with BWS, GEO, HST, and REL 209. IIIB, H.

212 Introduction to Archaeological Theory and Methods (3)

Introduction to theory, methods, and techniques of archaeology.

MPT 231 Perspectives on Culture (3)

Basic survey of anthropological perspectives on culture. Dominant themes in contemporary cultural anthropology are approached in terms of their history, theoretical evolution, methodological processes and policy applications. Prerequisite: ATH 155, 175, or 185, or permission of instructor.

254 Introduction to Russian and Eurasian Studies (3)

Examines the major developments that have shaped Russian and Eurasian culture, society and politics over the last millennium. The course incorporates perspectives from the social sciences, humanities and the fine arts. Cross-listed with POL, HST, REL, RUS 254.

255 Foundations of Biological Anthropology (3)

Introduction to biological anthropology using framework of evolutionary theory. Includes human origins, especially ancestral hominids, nonhuman primate studies, models of human evolution, and human variation. Prerequisite: ATH 155.

MPT 265 Language and Culture (3)

Survey of literature in linguistic anthropology, including history of the subfield, cognitive anthropology, semiotics, and synchronic and diachronic studies of language and culture. Prerequisite: ATH 155, 175, or 185, or permission of instructor.

MPT 301 Intercultural Relations (3)

Development of cultural awareness; in-depth study of theory and field-based research on the cross-cultural dynamics of cross-national encounters, trends, and events. Cross-listed with ITS 301.

MPT 303 Native American Culture (4)

Description and analysis of Native American cultures from prehistoric to modern times.

MPT 304 Contemporary Issues in Native American Life (3)

Indian-white relationships, reservation communities, urban Indians, pan-Indianism, revitalization, and quest for identity. Prerequisite: junior or senior status or permission of instructor.

MPT 305 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (3)

Survey of the culture areas of Middle and South America including prehistory, ethnology, linguistics, and contemporary developments. Prerequisite: ATH 155, 175, or 185, or permission of instructor.

MPT 306 Peoples and Culture of Russia (3)

Description and analysis of the cultures of Russia and Eurasia with a focus on non-Russian peoples and contemporary survival. Cross-listed with GEO and RUS 306.

MPT 307 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (3)

Survey and analysis of various cultural groups in contemporary Southwest Asia and North Africa.

MPF 309 Introduction to Linguistics (4)

Scope of linguistics: fundamental concepts and methods of linguistic science in its descriptive and historical aspects. Cross-listed with ENG 303, SPN 303, GER 309. V. CAS-E.

312 Introduction to North American Archaeology (4)

Survey of the prehistory of North America including Middle America from the first peopling to contact times. Taught alternate years with ATH 313.

313 Introduction to South American Archaeology (4)

Survey of the prehistory of South America from the first peopling to the time of Spanish contact. Taught alternate years with ATH 312.

314 Old World Archaeology (4)

Introduction to Old World archaeology and the major evolutionary transformations of humankind: the origins and development of culture, the emergence of anatomically modern humans, the domestication of plants and animals, and the rise of complex societies. Prerequisite: ATH 155.

MPT 325 Identity, Race, Gender, Class (3)

Develops conceptual tools and critical perspectives that enable students to better understand and analyze the processes through which identities are constructed and experienced. Learning activities facilitate analysis of individual identities as experienced through the life cycle and across diverse cultural and sub cultural contexts, and build a systematic understanding of the processes and dynamics through which identities and identity groups develop and interact. Cross-listed with BWS, LAS and WMS 325.

MPT 329 Religions of Africa (3)

Indigenous African religious traditions with consideration of their contemporary interaction with other traditions.

MPT 331 Social Anthropology (3)

Exploration of classic and contemporary approaches to social practices and institutions, including kinship, law, political economy, religion and ritual, gender, identity, mobility and violence.

348 Culture, Illness & Healing (3)

Topics and theoretical approaches of medical anthropology. Explores why disease emerges within particular socio-cultural settings and how people in those settings understand and treat their ills. Topics include historical and current pandemics, culturally specific illnesses, local medical practices, and individuals' struggles with particular ills. Prerequisite: ATH 155 or ATH 175.

351 Archaeological Field Methods (8)

Introduction to methods and techniques of archaeological research. Practical experience and problems of research design, data collection, and laboratory work.

351W Archaeological Field Methods (8)

Introduction to methods and techniques of archaeological research. Practical experience in problems of research design, data collection, and laboratory work. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Summer Workshop only.

355 Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution (3)

In-depth survey of the human fossil record as interpreted in the light of modern evolutionary theory. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or permission of instructor, or ZOO 206. Taught alternate years.

358 Travelers, Migrants, and Refugees: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities (3)

Explores global flows of people across national and cultural boundaries; investigates ways dispersed people build and maintain social networks, communities, and identities.

MPT 364 Language and Culture in Native North America (3)

Explores interactions between language and culture among native peoples of North America, especially those north of the Rio Grande. Surveys the indigenous languages of North America, explores Native American meaning systems, and examines the importance of language in Native American societies. Prerequisite: ATH 265 or 309; or ENG 303, SPN 303, or GER 309, and junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

MPT 366 African Oral Traditions (3)

Explores interactions between language and culture among African peoples, especially sub-Saharan peoples. Surveys the indigenous languages of Africa, explores African meaning systems, and examines the uses of language in African societies. Cross-listed with BWS 366. Prerequisite: junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

MPT 384 Anthropology of Capitalism: Russia (3)

Introduces students to the comparative study of capitalism as social and cultural form. Topics to be covered include: exchange, labor, consumer society, gender, perceptions of time and space, "transitions" to capitalism, financial markets.

388 Culture, Art, and Artifacts (3)

Explores the place of artistic expression and related material culture in diverse socio-cultural contexts. It uses various analytical approaches to address the cultural aspects of origins, function, symbolism, gender, psychology, and change emphasizing non-western cultures.

390 Horizons of Anthropology (1-3; maximum 12; 6 in the major)

Seminar focused on recent anthropological research. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

395 Primate Biology and Behavior (3)

Taxonomic survey of the primate order including anatomy, distribution, adaptation, and morphological characteristics of various taxa. Selected primatological topics including primate conservation, reproduction and development, manipulation, and tool use. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or ZOO 206; junior or senior status; or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with ZOO 395.

402 Anthropology of the American Circus (3)

An anthropological examination of the development of the American circus from its European origins to its modern forms and the role it plays in American culture. Prerequisite: ATH 155 or 185, Junior or Senior status, or permission of instructor.

MPT 411/511 Applied Anthropology (3)

New possibilities for using anthropological principles and methods in contemporary nonacademic settings. Prerequisite: ATH 175, 185, or permission of instructor.

414/514 Caribbean Archaeology (3)

Examines the prehistory of the Caribbean from its early peopling and continues into the era of European colonial conquest through the lenses of archaeology and ethnohistory.

415 Caribbean Archaeology Field & Lab Methods (6)

Introduction to field and laboratory methods in archaeology with an emphasis on the islands and coasts of the circum-Caribbean region. Prerequisite: ATH 155 or 212 or 313 or 351W or 414 or 416, and permission of instructor.

416 Archaeological Site Analysis (3)

How archaeologists piece together a picture of past living societies, exploring the theoretical and methodological issues and the analytical techniques that give insight into past human behavior.

MPC 421/521 Senior Seminar in Anthropology (3)

Focuses on key issues in anthropology, including a review of the tools of the discipline and anthropology's role in the future. Prerequisite: ATH 212, 231, 255, and 265, senior status and anthropology major, or permission of instructor.

425/525 Ethnographic Field Methods (3)

Organization, observation, measurement, and strategy in ethnographic field research. Prerequisites: ATH 231 or 265, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

MPC 426/526 Ethnographic Field Research (4-16)

Collection, recording, and analyzing ethnographic data in a non-western cultural environment. Prerequisite: 12 hours of social science or permission of instructor.

428/528 Anthropology of Women's Health (3)

Explores how culture shapes women's bodies and health from a cross-cultural perspective; topics include cross-cultural examinations of women's life-cycle, illnesses, bodily violations, and notions of beauty. Prerequisite: ATH 155 or 175 or 185, or permission of instructor.

MPT 431/531 Origins of the State (3)

Explores the concept of the state as a form of social organization and presents theories regarding its origins. Theories offer a variety of explanations, but each uses an approach grounded in sociocultural anthropology, supported by ethnographic and archaeological research. Prerequisites: ATH 155 or 175, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

432/532 Social Identities (3)

Investigates the genesis and maintenance of cultural and ethnic identities through the application of identity theory to ethniographic examples and original student research.

MPT 441/541 Museum Development, Philosophy, and Social Context (3)

Survey of the development of museums to their current status and study of philosophical, theoretical, and ethical basis behind modern museum forms and functions in architecture, acquisitions and collections, documentation, research, preservation, and interpretation.

MPT 443/543 The Museum Exhibit (3)

Practical course in museum design, exhibit philosophy and interpretation, and in techniques of exhibit installation.

MPT 444 Museum Collections Management and Conservation (3)

Practical course in curatorial techniques and responsibilities in registration, cataloging, security, storage, and handling of museum specimens and problems in the conservation of specimens along with appropriate initial solutions.

455/555 Heredity, Environment, and Human Society (3)

Genetic, cultural, and ecological factors interacting to influence the behavior and structure of human populations; evolutionary perspectives on traditional and industrialized societies. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or ZOO 206, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

MPT 465/565 Seminar in Linguistic Anthropology (3)

Topics in contemporary theories in linguistic anthropology including the acquisition of language and culture and the formal analysis of cultural data. Prerequisite: ATH 265, junior standing in anthropology, or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years.

MPT 471/571 Ecological Anthropology (3)

Survey of ecological methods and models used by anthropologists in the analysis of cultural-environmental relations and in conservation planning. Prerequisite: ATH 155, 175, or 185, or permission of instructor.

476/576 Environment and Aging (3)

Examines the changing environmental experience of the older person from several theoretical perspectives. Topics include aging in urban and rural places, age-integrated and age-segregated settings, housing options and housing policy in the U.S., design and supportive technologies, and the cultural meaning of place. Prerequisite: (476) GTY 154; (576) GTY 602, or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with GTY 476/576.

480 Independent Reading for Departmental Honors (3-6)

484 Beyond the Field Experience: Processing Cultural Adjustments (3)

Guide students to examine through anthropological analysis how to view their individual sites in terms of broader regional, national, and global patterns and gain a better understanding of cross-cultural contexts. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

491 Anthropology Practicum (1-4; maximum 8)

This course may be taken either in conjunction with a methods course in anthropology or taken as an independent course. Students will conduct supervised research oriented projects, such as IRB training, research protocol development, ethnographic participant-observation, interviews, surveys, and data analysis. This course is envisioned as a flexible offering so that faculty and students can develop learning opportunities in response to current and changing issues and needs in the field. Concurrent with ATH 351, 425, 426, 443.

496/596 Observing Primate Behavior (4)

Theory and method in the study of primate behavior. Applied behavioral primatology entails original research projects done at an appropriate venue, e.g., Cincinnati Zoo. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or ZOO 206, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

497/597 Socio-Ecology of Primates (3)

Ethology and ecology of living prosimians, monkeys, and apes from comparative and evolutionary perspectives emphasizing field studies of natural populations. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or ZOO 206, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with ZOO 497/597.

MPC 498/598 Evolution of Human Behavior (3)

Ethology and ecology of Homo sapiens, from comparative and evolutionary perspectives, drawing on primatology, palaeo-anthropology, and sociocultural studies of traditional societies. Prerequisite: ATH 255 or ZOO 206, junior or senior status, or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with ZOO 498/598.

600 Seminar in Anthropology (3; maximum 9)

Literature and methods in anthropology. Offered infrequently.

670 Independent Study in Anthropology (1-4; maximum 12)

Advanced independent study in selected topics of current interest in anthropology

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