Courses
Anthropology (ANTH)
- ANTH-A 103 Human Origins and Prehistory (3 cr.) A survey of human biological and cultural evolution from early pre-Pleistocene hominids through the development of urbanized state societies, with the goal of better understanding our human heritage.
- ANTH-A 104 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.) A survey of cultural and social processes that influence human behavior, using comparative examples from different ethnic groups around the world, with the goal of better understanding the broad range of human behavioral potentials and those influences that shape the different expressions of these potentials.
- ANTH-A 201 Survey of Applied Anthropology (3 cr.) P: ANTH-A 104 or ANTH-A 304, and ANTH-A 103 or ANTH-A 303, or permission of the instructor. A survey of such issues in applied anthropology as cultural resource management, community development, cross-cultural communication, Third World development, museum studies, archaeological ethics, and the impact of human diversity on health care, education, and social programs.
- ANTH-A 303 Evolution and Prehistory (3 cr.) P: Junior standing. An advanced survey of human biological and cultural evolution from pre-Pleistocene hominids through the development of urbanized state societies. (Not open to students who have taken ANTH-A 103.)
- ANTH-A 304 Social and Cultural Behavior (3 cr.) P: Junior standing. An advanced survey of cultural and social processes that influence human behavior, with comparative examples from different ethnic groups around the world. (Not open to students who have taken ANTH-A 104.)
- ANTH-A 360 The Development of Anthropological Thought (3 cr.) An overview of the major theoretical developments within anthropology, as the discipline has attempted to produce a universal and unified view of human life based on knowledge of evolution and prehistoric and contemporary cultures.
- ANTH-A 395 Field Experiences in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) P: Permission of instructor. A supervised field experience in a selected area of anthropology. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-A 412 Anthropology Senior Capstone (3-6 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Only anthropology seniors may enroll. This is a capstone course required of all anthropology majors that is designed to allow students to reflect back on their training as an anthropologist at IUPUI and to explore the ways in which an anthropological perspective might inform their future careers after graduation. Students will learn how to search and apply for jobs in the public and private sectors that draw on the training and expertise received during their undergraduate careers.
- ANTH-A 413 Senior Seminar (1 cr.) This course covers strategies for career development and issues involved in using and applying anthropology following graduation. It is designed to be taken by Anthropology majors second semester junior year or either semester in the senior year. Registration is by instructor authorization.
- ANTH-A 460 Topics in Anthropology: (variable title) (1-3 cr.) A conceptual examination of selected topics in the field of anthropology. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-A 485 Topics in Applied Anthropology: (variable title) (1-3 cr.) An examination of a selected topic where the concepts, principles, and methods in anthropology are utilized to address a particular community or social issue. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-A 494 Practicum in Applied Anthropology (1-4 cr.) P: Permission of instructor. An arranged experience in applied anthropology, appropriate to individual career goals. The student will work with an approved community group or organization in a specific project that facilitates the integration of previous course work and experience in a practical application. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-A 495 Independent Studies in Anthropology (1-4 cr.) P: Permission of instructor. A supervised, in-depth examination through individual research on a particular topic selected and conducted by the student in consultation with an anthropology faculty member.
- ANTH-B 370 Human Variation (3 cr.) Variation within and between human populations in morphology, gene frequencies, and behavior. Biological concepts of race, race classification, along with other taxonomic considerations, and evolutionary processes acting on humans in the past, present, and future.
- ANTH-B 426 Human Osteology (3 cr.) This course explores the types of information that can be recovered from bones, including age, sex, size, pathology, diet, and demography as well as how this information can be utilized to obtain and integrated picture of an individual. The skills learned are applicable to forensic anthropology, archaeology, human evolution and anatomy.
- ANTH-B 468 Bioarchaeology (3 cr.) Bioarchaeology introduces students to the interdisciplinary field that asks- what can we learn from the analysis of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites? As such, bioarchaeology is the contextual analysis of human remains. Skeletal and dental tissues are often overlooked as being innate and unchanging, when in fact they respond to the external environment and stressors like soft tissues that exist within and around them. The natural and built environments can have a profound impact on human biological variation. As a result, bioarchaeological research emphasizes biocultural interactions and the impact of culture on the human condition (and vice versa). Topics covered in this class include demography, health, growth and development, diet, infectious and non-infectious diseases, occupational markers of stress, migration, and population affinity. The course starts with a historical survey of the field, moves into a discussion of ethics in bioarchaeological research, and introduces important theoretical considerations that influence practice in the subdiscipline. Two subsequent weeks will be spent reviewing basic human osteology, age and sex estimation, and taphonomic factors that can influence and, ultimately, bias research findings. Weeks 6 through 16 will be spent surveying the core areas of investigation in contemporary bioarchaeological research. The lectures and discussions will be supplemented with time in the laboratory, during which students will have the opportunity to examine, describe, score, and analyze human remains, as well as interpret bioarchaeological data. In addition, students are expected to produce an annotated bibliography on a bioarchaeological topic of their choice.
- ANTH-B 474 Forensic Anthropology, Archaeology, and Taphonomy (3 cr.) P: junior/senior standing required Forensic Anthropology introduces students to the sub-discipline of Biological Anthropology that addresses human skeletal remains recovered during medico-legal investigations. Forensic Anthropology is an inherently applied field within Anthropology and compliments the focus of IUPUI's Department of Anthropology. Forensic anthropologists are often consulted in investigations when a visual identification of human remains cannot be made by a medical examiner or law enforcement. The goals of a forensic anthropologist's involvement in medico- investigations often includes excavation and recovery (i.e., forensic archaeology), estimation of the post-mortem interval, the construction of a biological profile (e.g., age-at-death, sex, stature, etc.), positive identification, and providing conclusions and an opinion about the cause and manner of death. Practitioners routinely find themselves working in a variety of contexts from local cases of missing persons to mass disasters and international human rights projects involving the exhumation of mass graves.
- ANTH-B 480 Human Growth and Development (3 cr.) Characteristics of normal growth and development from birth to maturity, establishment of constitutional qualities, aging. Anthropology of individual considered from standpoint of causal factors, patterns of expression, and methods of assessment.
- ANTH-E 300 Culture Areas and Ethnic Groups: (variable title) (1-3 cr.) An ethnographic survey of a selected culture area or ethnic group. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-E 316 Prehistory of North America (3 cr.) This course will introduce students to the cultural variety and complexity of prehistoric native North Americans. The course focuses on the various environmental adaptations, lifeways, social systems, and material culture that have been revealed through archaeological research.
- ANTH-E 320 Indians of North America (3 cr.) Ethnographic survey of culture areas from the Arctic to Panama plus cross-cultural analysis of interrelations of culture, geographical environment, and language families.
- ANTH-E 335 Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica (3 cr.) Historical ethnography of the major pre-Columbian civilizations including the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec. Emphasis on the social life, cultural achievements, religion, worldview and political systems to illustrate the diversity and richness of Amerindian life before the Spanish conquest.
- ANTH-E 354 Popular Culture (3 cr.) This course studies how traditional anthropological insight can analyze social and political complexities of contemporary popular cultural phenomena. Focuses on how anthropological subjects such as class, racism, and regionalism lurk within popular cultural phenomena including post-1950 music subcultures, civil religion, and consumer culture.
- ANTH-E 380 Urban Anthropology (3 cr.) Urban social organization in cross-cultural perspective. Theoretical perspectives on urbanism and urbanization. Problems focused on include kinship and social networks, politico-economic factors, and cultural pluralism. Strategies of anthropological research in urban settings.
- ANTH-E 391 Women in Developing Countries (3 cr.) This course explores the nature of women's roles in developing countries. Particular emphasis is placed on examining how development and cultural change have affected the lives of women.
- ANTH-E 402 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3 cr.) This course considers the meaning and social implications of gender in human society. Cultural definitions of "male" and "female" gender categories as well as associated behavioral and structural differentiation of gender roles will be analyzed using current anthropological concepts and theories.
- ANTH-E 404 Field Methods in Ethnography (3 cr.) Introduction to the methods and techniques anthropologists use in ethnographic research. Preparation of a research proposal, interviewing, and the use of the life histories and case studies.
- ANTH-E 411 Wealth, Exchange, and Power in Anthropological Perspective (3 cr.) The course will examine cultural patterns in technology and economic behavior, with an emphasis on non-Western societies and how these patterns influence economic development in the Third World.
- ANTH-E 419 The Anthropology of Aging (3 cr.) This course explores age and the aging process cross-culturally by looking at the specific cultural context in which individuals age and by analyzing similarities and differences across cultures.
- ANTH-E 445 Medical Anthropology (3 cr.) This advanced seminar in medical anthropology focuses on theoretical approaches to understanding the body and notions of health, illness, and diseases across cultures. Concentrates on interpretive and critical (political economy) approaches to issues of health, and includes critical study of Western biomedicine.
- ANTH-E 457 Ethnic Identity (3 cr.) Nature of ethnic groups and identity viewed in cross-cultural perspective: effects of colonialism and nationalism on ethnic groups; sue of identity as an adaptive strategy; stereotypes and stereotyping; symbols and styles of ethnic identity; and retention and elaboration of local styles.
- ANTH-L 300 Language and Culture (3 cr.) This course explores the relationships between language and culture, focusing on research methodology and surveying various theoretical frameworks. Topics to be discussed include linguistic relativity (the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis), ethnographies of communication, interview techniques, and methods of data collection and analysis.
- ANTH-P 330 Historical Archaeology (3 cr.) We will examine the ways in which historical archaeologists investigate Colonial and American cultures and lifeways in various regions of North America throughout time. Special attention will be given to understanding the long and complex history of Native American/European interactions. North American social systems, interaction with and exploitation of the environment, technologies, and material culture. The theory and methods used by historical archaeologists will also be emphasized.
- ANTH-P 340 Modern Material Culture (3 cr.) This course examines how contemporary social experience is impacted by material culture ranging from toys to theme parks. Focuses on how consumers perceive themselves and others in modern consumer culture through the medium of commodities and examines systems of inequality that are reproduced and subverted through consumption.
- ANTH-P 402 Archaeological Method and Theory (3 cr.) This class is concerned with how archaeologists know what they know about the past. Methods of data collection are reviewed and theoretical interpretations are discussed. The focus of the course is on evaluation of archaeological research and explanation, with special emphasis on critical thinking.
- ANTH-P 405 Fieldwork in Archaeology (3-6 cr.) Archaeological work directed toward field techniques: excavation and preservation of materials, surveying, photography, cataloging. One credit hour per full week of fieldwork.
- ANTH-P 406 LABORATORY MTHD IN ARCHAELOGY (1-6 cr.) Specialized training in laboratory procedures and analysis of archaeological materials. Major categories of material culture to be studied include lithics, ceramics, faunal and floral remains. Emphasis is on processing, sorting, identifying, and analyzing material recovered from the previous Field School in Archaeology (ANTH-P 405).
- ANTH-E 354 Global Migration (3 cr.) This course examines the lived experiences of migrants, immigrants, and refugees in global contexts. Case studies will analyze contemporary mobilities through lenses of political economy, culture, identity, human rights and social justice.
- ANTH-A 353 Global Migration (3 cr.) This course examines the lived experiences of migrants, immigrants, and refugees in global contexts. Case studies will analyze contemporary mobilities through lenses of political economy, culture, identity, human rights and social justice.
- ANTH-A 407 Indigenous Cultural Heritage (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Students from anthropology, archaeology, history, museum studies, Native American and Indigenous studies will explore the deeper meanings of Indigenous cultural heritage expressed in both tangible culture and intangible customs, values, practices, artistic expressions, oral tradition, ritual, memory, sense of place, and identity. Students will consider deeper meanings embedded in heritage and the relationships, past and present, that define meaning within contemporary Indigenous communities and complex historical relationships with settler cultures. Relying heavily on the scholarship of Indigenous authors, this course also considers the theoretical, ethical, respectful, and practical implications of knowledge production, intellectual property, and appropriation.
- ANTH-A 416 Anthropology of Tourism (3 cr.) Explore the phenomenon of tourism from an anthropological perspective. Looks at tourism as linked to consumer culture, transnational movements of people and goods, post-colonial settings, global capitalism, and the politics of ethnic and national identities.
- ANTH-A 507 Indigenous Cultural Heritage (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. Students will explore the deeper meanings of Indigenous cultural heritage expressed in both tangible culture and intangible customs, values, practices, artistic expressions, oral tradition, ritual, memory, sense of place, and identity. Students will consider deeper meanings embedded in heritage and the relationships. Relying heavily on the scholarship of Indigenous authors.
- ANTH-A 577 Community Collaboration and Curation (3 cr.) P: ANTH A 507 recommended Students in various fields, including anthropology, history, museum studies, Native and Indigenous studies explore meaningful collaboration through a community-based project.
- ANTH-A 560 Variable Topics-Anthropology (3 cr.) A conceptual examination of selected topics in the field of anthropology.
- ANTH-A 565 Anthropological Thought (3 cr.) An overview of the major theoretical developments within anthropology, as the discipline has attempted to produce a universal and unified view of human life based on knowledge of evolution and prehistoric and contemporary cultures.
- ANTH-A 594 Independent Learning in Applied Anthropology (1-6 cr.) P: Permission of instructor. Independent research/training using anthropological perspectives/methods in addressing social issues. The project must be a discrete activity with a concrete product, conducted in conjunction with the student's anthropology advisor and a member of the organization where she or he will be located. May not be repeated for more than 6 credit hours.
- ANTH-A 699 Master's Project in Applied Anthropology (1-6 cr.) P: Permission of Graduate Advisor. The completion of a scholarly applied project is an essential element of the MA in Applied Anthropology. This project will be carried out and completed under the direction of the students graduate advisor.
- ANTH-B 526 Human Osteology (3 cr.) Descriptive and functional morphology of the human skeleton with emphasis on the identification of fragmentary remains. Determination of age, sex, and stature; craniology; and research methods in skeletal biology. Guided research project in the identification of skeletal material required.
- ANTH-E 501 Fundamentals of Applied Anthropology (3 cr.) This course is required of all incoming M.A. level students in the Anthropology Department. It will introduce MA students both to the history of applied anthropology as a distinctive sub-discipline as well as the contemporary issues regarding the application of anthropological knowledge to social concerns.
- ANTH-E 507 Popular Culture (3 cr.) This course studies how traditional anthropological insight can analyze social and political complexities of contemporary popular cultural phenomena. Focuses on how anthropological subjects such as class, racism, and regionalism lurk within popular cultural phenomena including post-1950 music subcultures, civil religion, and consumer culture.
- ANTH-E 509 Modern Material Culture (3 cr.) This course examines how contemporary social experience is impacted by material culture ranging from toys to theme parks. Focuses on how consumers perceive themselves and others in modern consumer culture through the medium of commodities and examines systems of inequality that are reproduced and subverted through consumption.
- ANTH-E 521 Indians in North America (3 cr.) Assesses the complexities of the academic study of the Indigenous peoples of North America, emphasizing the diversity of Nativecultures, representations of them by the public and by scholars, and examining cultural adaptations from Pre-Contact to Contemporary.
- ANTH-E 606 Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.) This course provides an introduction to the use of ethnographic field work methods, including participant-observation, semi-structured interviewing, and use of mapping, among others. Every year this course will focus on a community-based research project.
- ANTH-P 501 Community Archaeology (3 cr.) Community archaeology implies direct collaboration between a community and archaeologists. Collaboration implies substantial adjustment in archaeological methods and epistemologies incorporating community members in setting research agendas, working on excavations, and interpreting results. This course examines a wide range of issues and looks at both successful and unsuccessful projects to arrive at an assessment of best practices.
