ANTH-120 Comparative World Cultures
This course provides an examination of various facets of social structure, social organization, and social practices in small-scale non-western societies, past and present. The Trobrianders, San, Inuit, and Yanomami provide the primary case studies. Basic principles of anthropological examination and archaeological inference will be discussed and utilized in the examination of the customs, values, and beliefs of these communities. Students will have the opportunity to do individual inquiry-led research and thereby gain an understanding and appreciation of a major culture other than their own.
Prerequisite
Eligible to enroll in
ENGL-121
Hours Weekly
3 hours weekly
Course Objectives
- 1. Identify the basic concepts anthropologists use to describe a culture and apply them to a
variety of global case studies. - 2. Analyze the adaptive strategies of a variety of cultures and the effects of these strategies
upon the environment, including the cultural values and ethical responsibilities placed on the
environment. - 3. Evaluate cultural practices and customs which are different to one’s own.
- 4. Engage in an exploration of worldviews as they apply to kinship including core beliefs on
kinship relations and taboos. - 5. Reflect upon the ethics of anthropological studies by discussing the impact anthropologists
have had upon the small-scale societies they study. - 6. Communicate a sense of self through the greater understanding of others.
- 7. Compare and evaluate variations in the social, economic, and political organization of four
small-scale societies.
Course Objectives
- 1. Identify the basic concepts anthropologists use to describe a culture and apply them to a
variety of global case studies. - 2. Analyze the adaptive strategies of a variety of cultures and the effects of these strategies
upon the environment, including the cultural values and ethical responsibilities placed on the
environment. - 3. Evaluate cultural practices and customs which are different to one’s own.
- 4. Engage in an exploration of worldviews as they apply to kinship including core beliefs on
kinship relations and taboos. - 5. Reflect upon the ethics of anthropological studies by discussing the impact anthropologists
have had upon the small-scale societies they study. - 6. Communicate a sense of self through the greater understanding of others.
- 7. Compare and evaluate variations in the social, economic, and political organization of four
small-scale societies.