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.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL-121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

1. 1. Identify the basic concepts anthropologists use to describe a culture and apply them to a
   variety of global case studies.
2. 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. 3. Evaluate cultural practices and customs which are different to one’s own.
4. 4. Engage in an exploration of worldviews as they apply to kinship including core beliefs on
   kinship relations and taboos.
5. 5. Reflect upon the ethics of anthropological studies by discussing the impact anthropologists
   have had upon the small-scale societies they study.
6. 6. Communicate a sense of self through the greater understanding of others.
7. 7. Compare and evaluate variations in the social, economic, and political organization of four
   small-scale societies.

Course Objectives

1. 1. Identify the basic concepts anthropologists use to describe a culture and apply them to a
   variety of global case studies.
2. 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. 3. Evaluate cultural practices and customs which are different to one’s own.
4. 4. Engage in an exploration of worldviews as they apply to kinship including core beliefs on
   kinship relations and taboos.
5. 5. Reflect upon the ethics of anthropological studies by discussing the impact anthropologists
   have had upon the small-scale societies they study.
6. 6. Communicate a sense of self through the greater understanding of others.
7. 7. Compare and evaluate variations in the social, economic, and political organization of four
   small-scale societies.