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Economic Anthropology

A comparative ethnographic, theoretical, and historical exploration of the socio-cultural constitution of economic practices. Students will examine different approaches to questions of human nature, choice, values, and morality. The course explores power and social life in diverse cultures through a topical focus on peasants, markets, gifts, commodities, consumption, and systems of production. The course provides a foundation for applying anthropological knowledge to real-world situations and the material is readily applied to archaeology, international business, and social science.

Symbols And Culture

Examines the way in which symbolic systems create the meanings through which we experience life. The course will explore symbols and symboling behavior from a humanistic perspective, and will present examples of non-Western symbolic systems.

Theory In Archaeology

This seminar examines the development of archaeological theory with specific emphasis on the discipline of anthropological archaeology in the New World. Particular schools and trends in contemporary archaeological theory are discussed in detail.

Prehistoric Economics

This seminar examines the theory and methodology used by archaeologists to study and reconstruct the economic structure of past societies. Discussion examines forms of subsistence and craft production and systems of resource distribution and exchange.

Gender, Ethnicity And Health

This course will bring the anthropology of gender to the study of medical anthropology. We will examine the interconnections between gender, ethnicity, and class in relation to the greater and lesser likelihood of disease. We will explore differences in health in relation to the resources available and the treatment modalities called upon by people in different social locations within the United States, and internationally. We will also look at the symbolic importance given to different phenomena related to the body, disease, and healing.

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