College of Liberal Arts
Anthropology

 

 Undergraduate Index


Thomas L. Leatherman, Chair of the Department

Professors
John W. Adams, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1970
Leland G. Ferguson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, 1971
Karl G. Heider, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1966
Carolina Distinguished Professor
Alice B. Kasakoff, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1970
Thomas L. Leatherman, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1987
Associate Professor
Joanna L. Casey, Ph.D., University of Toronto, 1993
Gail E. Wagner, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, 1987
Assistant Professors
Janina Fenigsen, Ph.D., Brandeis University, 2000
Kenneth G. Kelly, Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles, 1995
Ann E. Kingsolver, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1991
Adjunct Associate Professor
Christopher Toumey, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, 1987
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Laura Cahue, Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2001
Distinguished Professors Emeriti
Morgan D. Maclachlan, Ph.D., Stanford University, 1971
Ted A. Rathbun, Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1971

Overview

The department offers an undergraduate major in anthropology leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Degree Requirements

(120 hours)

1. General Education Requirements (53-62 hours)

The following courses fulfill some of the general education requirements and must be completed for a major in anthropology: ANTH 101 and 102.
For an outline of other general education requirements, see "College of Liberal Arts."

2. Major Requirements

A topical course in physical anthropology (361-367, 561-568) (3 hours)
A topical course in archaeology (320, 321, 325, 327, 329, 331, 333, 335, 341, 533, 534, 545, 576) (3 hours)
A topical course in linguistic anthropology (355, 371, 373, 555) (3 hours)
A topical course in social anthropology (359) (3 hours)
A world area course (301-317, 321-335) (3 hours)
A 500-level anthropology course (3 hours)
One of the following courses: ANTH 501, SOCY 220, PSYC 227, STAT201, BADM 291, GEOG 531 (3-4 hours)
At least two other anthropology courses (excluding ANTH 497, 498 Senior Thesis) (6 hours)
Major requirements (27-28 hours)

3. Cognates/Minor, see "College of Liberal Arts" (12-18 hours)

4. Electives, see "College of Liberal Arts"

Course Descriptions (ANTH)

Note: Unless otherwise noted, there are no prerequisites to anthropology courses.
  • 101--Primates, People, and Prehistory. (3) An exploration of human origins, human evolution, human prehistory, and cultural existence from its less complex forms to early civilizations. An introduction to the concepts, methods, and data of physical, biological, and archaeological anthropology. May be taken with, or independently of, ANTH 102.
  • 102--Understanding Other Cultures. (3) An exploration and comparison of selected contemporary cultures, including their languages. An introduction to the concepts, methods, and data of socio-cultural anthropology and anthropological linguistics. May be taken with, or independently of, ANTH 101.
  • 201--Panorama of Prehistory. (3) Panoramic survey of world prehistory from the paleolithic to the palaces and pyramids of ancient civilizations.
  • 205--Culture and Energy. (3) The relationship between energy use and politics, ecology, and social organization.
  • 209--Introduction to Folklore. (3) Folk expression as shaped by various cultures; fieldwork methodology and anthropological theory.
  • 210--The Human Life Cycle in Different Cultures. {=WOST 210} (3) Childhood, maturity, old age, and sex roles, with emphasis on socialization within the family.
  • 211--Educational Anthropology. (3) Classroom ethnography, bilingualism, cultural minorities, communication across cultural boundaries. Films, videotapes, and fieldwork in classroom settings.
  • 212--Food and Culture. (3) Biological and cultural interactions in the development of human diets.
  • 213--Ethnobotany: Plants and Peoples. (3) Anthropological overview of past and present uses of plants by people around the world; food, medicine, dyes, smoking, fibers, fuels, construction, beverages, spices.
  • 300--Comparing Cultures Through Film. (3) Human behavior in differing cultural contexts through ethnographic films of social relations in selected societies.
  • 301--Latin American Cultures. {=LASP 311} (3) Comparative study of selected Latin American cultures with emphasis on their significance for a broader anthropological theory.
  • 302--Multicultural Perspectives of American Society. (3) Application of techniques and insights of social and cultural anthropology to selected cultural settings in contemporary USA.
  • 303--African-American Cultures. {=AFRO 303} (3) An examination of African-American cultures in the New World.
  • 304--Contemporary Cultures of South Carolina. (3) Application of the methods and techniques of socio-cultural anthropology to the contemporary cultures of South Carolina. Examination of contrasts such as low country and up country, black and white, and rich and poor as they are manifested in cultural patterns.
  • 305--South American Indian Cultures. {=LASP 315} (3) An examination of ethnographic data on South American Indians, emphasizing methods used to acquire those data and their applications to theoretical considerations.
  • 307--Cultures of Africa. (3) A comparative study of ethnographic data on African cultures with emphasis upon its significance for broader anthropological theory.
  • 308--Japanese Cultures. (3) An exploration of Japanese values and the institutions that shape Japanese behavior through analysis of rural and urban community studies and how Japanese present themselves.
  • 309--Pacific Island Cultures. (3) A comparative study of the Pacific Island cultures with emphasis on their significance for broader anthropological theory.
  • 310--Cultures of Islam. (3) Diversity of lifestyles and institutions of Islam from Morocco to Indonesia, with attention to everyday life in small communities.
  • 311--Middle Eastern Cultures. (3) A consideration of selected problems in the social and cultural life of peoples in the Middle East with emphasis on non-Arab populations.
  • 313--Ethical Dilemmas in Anthropology. (1) An examination of ethical decision-making encountered in the practice of anthropology.
  • 314--Cultures of the Arctic. (3) Cultural adaptations in the circumpolar north; archaeology, ethnography and modern economic development.
  • 315--South Asian Cultures. (3) Society and culture in South Asia; economic and political institutions, kinship, and religion as they pertain to the daily lives of people in the Subcontinent. Emphasis on India. Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka also included.
  • 316--Southeast Asian Cultures. (3) Social and cultural patterns of the region and how they influence current developments, especially Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
  • 317--North American Indian Cultures. (3) Comparative study of ethnographic data on American Indian cultures, with emphasis on their significance for ethnological theory.
  • 318--Material Culture. (3) Material aspects of cultures from artifact production in historical societies to contemporary industrial crafts; the cultural context of artifacts; fieldwork; relevant anthropological theories.
  • 319--Occupational Folklore. (3) Techniques, customs, verbal expressions, and expressive styles of workers in a variety of occupational cultures.
  • 320--Principles of Archaeology. (3) Introduction to principles, methods, and theory of archaeology, including prehistoric and historic case studies.
  • 321--South Carolina Archaeology. (3) Prehistoric and historic archaeology of South Carolina.
  • 322--Field School in Archaeology. (3-6) (Prereq: ANTH 320 or permission of instructor) Archaeological field techniques, laboratory analysis and data interpretation.
  • 323--Field School in Ethnography. (3-6) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Designing and carrying out ethnographic research including project design, data collection, analysis and description.
  • 325--Prehistory of East Asia. (3) Development leading to civilization in East Asia, including a discussion of the roles of prehistoric cultures in China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia and their interrelationships.
  • 327--Prehistoric Civilizations of the New World. {=LASP 325} (3) Study of Mesoamerican and South American civilizations, particularly the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca states. Processes of state formation as reflected in archaeological data.
  • 329--Pacific Island Prehistory. (3) An examination of the settlement of the Pacific Islands and resulting cultural adaptions to different island environments.
  • 331--Mesoamerican Prehistory. {=LASP 322} (3) Cultural development and variation in Mesoamerica from the first arrival of man to the arrival of Europeans. Particular attention to cultural continuities from prehistoric times.
  • 333--North American Prehistory. (3) Prehistoric anthropology in North America from the first arrival of man through the beginning of European acculturation.
  • 335--Old World Archaeology. (3) A survey of the evolution of prehistoric societies in Africa, Asia, and Europe from the Stone Age (Paleolithic) to the beginnings of civilization, with emphasis on the theories and methods used by archaeologists to understand culture change and its social and ecological implications.
  • 341--Ancient Civilizations. (3) Causes for the rise and fall of several civilizations; ideological and ecological factors, unique events, and personalities versus general processes.
  • 350--Peasant Communities and Rural Development. (3) An examination of political and economic change in contemporary peasant communities.
  • 351--The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective. {=WOST 351} (3) Kinship, systems of descent, marriage, and domestic organization in different cultures. Variations in childrearing practices, sex roles, and other aspects of social relations in kin groups.
  • 352--Anthropology of Magic and Religion. {=RELG 360} (3) A comparative examination of such topics as ritual, cosmology, revitalization movements, magic, witchcraft, myth, and possession.
  • 353--Anthropology of Law and Conflict. (3) Understanding human behavior through the examination of cultural norms, mechanisms of social control, and social conflict.
  • 354--Anthropology of Nonverbal Communication. (3) Body language, facial expressions, gestures, use of interpersonal space, and other nonverbal systems of communication and behavior in terms of pertinent theories, research methodology, findings, and cross-cultural implications.
  • 355--Language, Culture, and Society. {=LING 340} (3) Language in its social setting. The relationship between linguistic categories and culture categories. Language and cognition.
  • 356--Anthropology of Art. (3) Sculpture, drama, ceramics, weaving, music, and other arts from tribal societies will be discussed in terms of the religious, social, and aesthetic principles that underlie their production, use, and interpretation.
  • 357--Psychological Anthropology. (3) Cultural differences and pan-cultural similarities in such psychological features as personality and cognition.
  • 358--Gender, Culture, and Behavior. {=WOST 358} (3) Anthropological study of sex roles, with emphasis on cross-cultural investigation of the interaction of biological, cultural, and environmental factors influencing sex role behavior.
  • 359--Theories of Culture. (3) Theory and practice of ethnology/sociocultural anthropology, based on a wide range of simple and complex societies.
  • 361--Becoming Human. (3) The processes of homonoid development with a review of the basic principles of physical and behavioral evolution using the fossil record and the evolving ecological and psychosocial contexts.
  • 363--Primate Studies. (3) A survey of field and laboratory investigations of the comparative anatomy and behavior of nonhuman primates.
  • 364--Human Variation. (3) The biocultural processes of human variation.
  • 367--Basic Forensic Anthropology. (3) Survey of the basic scientific methods and applications of forensic anthropology.
  • 370--Computer Applications in Social Anthropology. (3) How social anthropologists use computers in research including cross-tables of traits, word counts, simulations, and database management.
  • 371--Ethnography of Communication. (3) Ethnographic analysis of communication in human groups and institutions.
  • 373--Introduction to Language Sciences. {=LING 300 and PSYC 470} (3) Introduction to the linguistic component of human cognition. Properties of speech, the organization of language in the mind/brain, crosslinguistic universals, child language acquisition, and aspects of adult language processing.
  • 380--Mexican Cultures. {=LASP 312} (3) Regional cultures from pre-Hispanic civilizations to the present day.
  • 399--Independent Study. (3-6) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Contract approved by instructor, advisor, and department chair is required for undergraduate students.
  • 497--Senior Thesis. (3) (Prereq: senior anthropology major; GPA of 3.00; permission of a faculty member) Directed research resulting in a written report.
  • 498--Senior Thesis. (3) (Prereq: senior anthropology major; GPA of 3.00; permission of a faculty member) Directed research resulting in a written report.
  • 499--In the Tradition of Anthropology. (3) A seminar synthesizing the major with an examination of anthropology as a field of inquiry.
  • 501--Problem-Solving in Anthropology. (4) Methods for formulating research problems, developing hypotheses, gathering data to test hypotheses. Modeling procedures for analyzing cultures.
  • 512--Gender and Language Use. {=LING 512} (3) The course will explore an approach to gender and language use that emphasizes the grounding in social practice of both.
  • 515--Tradition and Transformations in Islamic Cultures. {=RELG 515} (3) Islam as a dynamic cultural tradition: emphasis on the tension between Islamization and the larger Islamic tradition.
  • 516--Indonesian Culture Through Film. (4) Examination of Indonesian culture, history, social and economic change using scripted Indonesian fiction films and supplementary readings.
  • 517--An Anthropological View of Blacks in Film. {=AFRO 517} (3) Cultural representations, constructions, production, and consumption of African-American identity in the popular culture medium of feature films.
  • 519--Field Problems in Ethnology. (3) A one-semester class and field session. Research design, field methods, interpretation of data, and the development of theory from the data.
  • 520--Field Problems in Ethnology. (6) A two-semester class and field session. Research design, field methods, interpretation of data, and the development of theory from the data.
  • 533--North American Archaeology. (3) Prehistoric and historic archaeology.
  • 534--Prehistoric Archaeology of South America. {=LASP 425} (3) Prehistoric archaeology of the South American continent.
  • 541--Field Problems in Archaeology. (3) (Prereq: ANTH 320) Archaeological field methods and techniques such as excavation, flotation, sampling, surveying, photography, and remote sensing.
  • 542--Topics in Archaeological Field Problems. (1-3) (Prereq: ANTH 320 and permission of instructor) Topics in archaeological field methods and techniques. Individual topics to be announced in master schedule by suffix and title.
  • 545--Historical Archaeology. (3) (Prereq: ANTH 320 or consent of instructor) Archaeological theory and methods applied to data from the historical period.
  • 550--Archaeological Artifact Analysis. (4) (Prereq: ANTH 320 or 322) Laboratory on basic prehistoric and historic artifact analysis, including analytical methods, laboratory equipment, and data interpretation.
  • 551--Medical Anthropology: Fieldwork. {=HPRE 551} (3) Application of observation techniques, field notes, informant interviewing, and secondary data analysis to interpreting differential perceptions of health problem solving in the community and clinic.
  • 552--Medical Anthropology. {=HPRE 552} (3) Socio-cultural factors in health, illness, healing, and medical systems. Cross-cultural and ethnographic evidence for public health research and program applications.
  • 555--Language and Gender. {=LING 541, WOST 555} (3) Approaches to gender and language emphasizing the social grounding of both; how language reflects sociocultural values and is a tool for constructing different types of social organization.
  • 557--Psychological Anthropology. (3) Psychological aspects of behavior from a cross-cultural perspective.
  • 561--Human Osteology. (4) An intensive examination of the human skeleton and techniques for anthropological interpretation. Lecture and laboratory.
  • 565--Health and Disease in the Past. (3) Varieties and effects of disease patterns among past populations illustrating biological, environmental, and cultural interrelationships.
  • 567--Human Identification in Forensic Anthropology. (3) Theories and methodologies necessary for the identification of human skeletal remains in a forensic setting.
  • 568--Nutritional Anthropology. (3) Nutritional problems in developing nations. Measures of nutritional status. Social, economic, and environmental aspects of food consumption and nutrition. Biocultural responses to food deprivation and undernutrition.
  • 569--Environment and Development. {=GEOG 569} (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Examination of development theory and environmental implications of social and economic change. Study of general theoretical perspectives will be balanced with case study materials.
  • 570--Ethnographic Film. (3) Problems in conveying and interpreting ethnographic information on film or tape. Includes syntax, suitability of subject matter to the medium, irrelevant or distracting information, and observer bias.
  • 572--Temporal Processes in Culture. (3) Clocks, cycles, and contingencies as they affect human societies now and have done so in the past. Theories and models from biology and the other natural sciences will be used to interpret the history of culture.
  • 575--Economic Anthropology. (3) A cross-cultural study of the economic behavior of pre-literate and literate societies.
  • 576--African-American Folklife and Archaeology. (3) Foodways, architecture, crafts, and narrative of African-American cultures.
  • 577--Advanced Topics in the Anthropological Study of Social Organization. (3) Selected recent theoretical and methodological developments in the study of social organization.
  • 579--Cultural Ecology. (3) An interdisciplinary approach to prehistoric, historic, and contemporary relationships between the development of socio-cultural configurations and ecosystems.
  • 591--Selected Topics. (1-3) Topics of special interest. May be taken more than once as topics change.
  • 699--Reading and Research. (3-6)

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