University of Maine at Farmington 2019-2020 Catalog

 
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Anthropology
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  ANT 101S - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

This cross-cultural course is one of the fundamental building blocks to understanding diversity in many different cultural and social contexts. We will discuss symbols and symbolic behavior, material culture, ethnicity, colonialism, gender roles, subsistence patterns, boundary markers and many facets of human adaptations through time and space. This course will also investigate issues of language in cultural and social context from a comparative perspective. Students will have the opportunity to conduct rudimentary ethnographic research in this course in order to provide them with the tools necessary for upper division courses in anthropology and other social science courses. Every semester.



Credit: 4

  ANT 102S - Introduction to Archaeology

This course presents an overview of the discipline of archaeology and considers why it is essential in a modern, globalized world. Students learn basic methods, concepts and applications of archaeological inquiry. The course briefly considers the origin of agriculture and complex societies, while also examines issues related to antiquities, museums, applied archaeology, cultural heritage and the interaction of archaeologists with living descendants. Prerequisite(s): None. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 103S - Human Origins and Cultural Development

This course offers an overview of the discipline of biological anthropology. The course considers basic evolutionary theory, genetics, human diversity and ancestry of humans. The course tracks our evolutionary history from our divergence with the other Great Ape, through the age of hominins, and ultimately to the rise of agriculturally based sedentary societies. The course also explores the existing evidence and ongoing debates concerning present and future human evolution. Prerequisite(s): None. Every year.



Credit: 4

  ANT 202S - World Archaeology

The course examines the origins of complex societies and surveys the major developmental centers of prehistoric civilization around the globe. The course takes a comparative approach to understand how and why complex societies, such as states and empires, arose independently within several thousand years. Students will learn about complex societies of the New World (e.g., Aztec, Maya, Inca), Old World (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, China) and lesser known continents such as Africa. Every three years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 210S - Latin America: Cultures and Contexts

This course provides an overview of the diverse peoples of Latin America from an anthropological perspective. Themes of particular focus include: conquest, colonialism, and resistance; cultural politics of race and ethnicity; cultural constructions of gender and sexuality; religion, health, and illness; food, dance, and pop culture; globalization, immigration, and labor; and civil war and social movements. Prerequisite(s): None. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 215S - Social Problems and Social Change

Utilizing various anthropological theories, concepts and techniques, this course examines contemporary human problems and social change.  Through an examination of the United States, as well as other regions around the world, students explore topics such as: environmental crises; poverty and conflict; crime and justice; healthcare; education; work and the family; among others. Students also explore various means to address human problems through social change. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 220S - Peoples and Cultures of North America

This course will focus on the various ethnic groups located in the United States. We will spend a good deal of time discussing diversity and minority issues, issues of stratification, power relations, ethnic boundary markers. This course will focus on either Native Americans or the wide variety of ethnic groups residing in the United States. (Pass/Fail option) Every three years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 225S - Andean Explorations

This travel course explores the unique archaeology and anthropology of Peru.  The course offers a comprehensive look at Andean cultures from prehistoric to historic and contemporary times. Students explore the dynamic cultural developments of the region through visiting a number of important coastal and highland archaeological sites, including Machu Picchu. Every experience is unique, but students typically visit various schools, health centers, regional open-air markets, a wide variety of museums, and other sites, which allow students to become immersed in contemporary Peruvian life while exploring the three major bioregions of Peru including the desert coast, highlands, and Amazon jungle. The course is open to students of any field, but is particularly well suited to students studying anthropology, history, international and global studies, geography, education, biology, and community health. Cross-listed with INS 280. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 230S - Linguistic Anthropology

Language and Culture are patently and intrinsically tied. This course will investigate issues of language and culture in cross-cultural settings focusing on a wide variety of topics affiliated with both Anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics. We will discuss methodology, language and gender, language and power, language acquisition, and other related topics. (Pass/Fail option) Every two years.        



Credit: 4

  ANT 233S - Ancient North America

The course examines the archaeology and cultural developments of ancient North America. The course discusses the peopling of the continent, origins of agricultural and   village life. Student will then learn about the cultural diversity of the continent across numerous regions including the Southeast  (i.e. Hopewell, Mississippian), Northeast (i.e. Woodland), Northwest (i.e. coastal chiefdoms), Southwest (i.e. Ancestral Pueblo, Hohokam), as well as Canadian arctic (e.g., Inuit/Eskimo). Every three years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 235S - The Culture of Capitalism

Capitalism has brought widespread economic development around the globe, and this in turn has profoundly changed the way humans live their lives.  But the world is full of many masks, and behind the mask of economic prosperity lie numerous stories of colonization, war, forced “modernization,” poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation, religious fundamentalism, and social unrest.  These stories, and their relationship to capitalist systems, are not always obvious to us; they seem far removed from our daily lives, appear to have little historical basis, and look as if they are isolated, encapsulated occurrences.  In this course, we will peer behind the mask of the global expansion of capitalism and connect the dots. Prerequisite(s): None. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 240S - Cultural Ecology

This course centers on the relationship between society and the environment, specifically focusing on literature from the growing field of political ecology.  We will explore various environmental conflicts and management issues by careful consideration of particularities of place, culture and history.  Using an anthropological perspective, nuances of local level details are set in relation to the broader political economy to explore not only environmental problems, but also potential solutions. (Pass/Fail option) Prerequisite(s): None. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 250 - Ethnography: In the Field

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to ethnographic research, description, and analysis.  The very immersion into the everyday that constitutes what most ethnographers do—being a witness to the different ways that a range of people conveys the immediacy of human experience—will be our main framework.  As such, in an effort to illuminate a small corner of humanity, students will develop and carry out an ethnographic exploration of a subculture of their choice. Adopting an ‘ethnographic perspective’ (one that considers both insider and outsider positions), students will conduct participant-observation in an attempt to get underneath the beliefs, values, rituals, behaviors, stories, and language patterns that make this particular subculture work. Methods of observing, participating, interviewing, taking field notes, and writing ethnographically will be discussed throughout the semester. Prerequisites: ANT 101S or permission of instructor. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 255S - Performance: Culture, Meaning and Society

The intention of this course is to expand and deepen our notion of performance and to address such questions as, “Why do people perform?” and “How does performance constitute our social and political worlds?”  Using performance as an entry point for understanding texts, drama, culture, social roles, identity, resistance and technologies, and drawing from analytical principles embedded in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and performance studies, we will explore such diverse performance practices as ritual and social drama, multicultural and street performance, dance, theater, site-specific performance, and a wide range of hybrid forms. Prerequisite(s): None. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 260S - Violence, Warfare and Culture

This course explores processes of social conflict, including violence and warfare in past and present societies. By accessing cross-cultural case studies from archaeology, history and cultural anthropology, the course investigates the roots of human conflict and its development over time and space at a number of spatial and temporal scales. The course considers the causes and effects warfare, the role of power and social control, as well as how the environment, technology and poverty play into patterns of violence. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 265S - Climate Change and Society

This course examines how climate change has impacted society across time and space. Using a range of archaeological, historical and contemporary case studies, this course explores how climate change has served as an inhibitor (stressor) and stimulator (opportunity) in societal and cultural development in a range of different contexts (e.g., subsistence, economics, migration). The course examines important concepts of climate change (e.g., vulnerability, resilience, mitigation and adaptation), explores the myriad of human responses to climate change and concludes with an assessment of impacts of climate change in the state of Maine. Cross listed with GEO 265S. Students may receive credit for only one of these courses. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 270S - Ancient Latin America

This course offers a synthesis of prehistoric cultures from the Latin America region and more specifically examines the patterns of cultural development in the Mesoamerican and Andean regions. The course tracks the rise of the earliest complex societies in Latin America, compares and contrasts the major sociopolitical developments in the central Andes and Mesoamerica and considers interregional and colonial contact. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 275S - Gender, Sexuality and Society

This course provides an introduction to the anthropology of gender, which draws from but is not reducible to feminist studies and activism, postcolonial studies, as well as recent work in globalization and transnationalism. Utilizing cross-cultural materials students explore topics such as: gender, healing and religion; gender identity and sexuality; colonialism, globalization and labor; gender-based violence; among others.



Credit: 4

  ANT 277 - Special Topics in Anthropology

This course offers study in a specialized topic in anthropology that is not offered in the usual anthropology curriculum, at an introductory level.  These topics include but are not limited to the Anthropology of Gender, Anthropology of Native North America, or Cultures in Conflict. Varies.



Credit: 4

  ANT 300 - Food and Culture

Food provides a window onto the human experience: how we find the means to survive and meet our basic needs; how we form communities; how we give our lives meaning and express our identities. Our relationships to food are individual and at the same time reflect our connections to local, national and global communities and networks. This course will consider what food—the ways we obtain and use it, and the meanings we give it—tell us about being human and being part of community.  We will address topics including sources of food, the development of cuisines, food as an expression of identity and solidarity, body image and food, the ethics and politics of food choices, and the ritual uses of food.(Pass/Fail option) No prerequisites. Every three years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 310 - Field Methods in Archaeology

This course is an archaeological field school, which will expose students to intensive archaeological fieldwork.  Student will learn a range of methodologies which may include field survey, site mapping, excavation and basic laboratory analysis of artifacts. Students will learn how to document cultural resources and how to synthesize and interpret material evidence. Prerequisite(s): None. Every three years.



Credit: 6

  ANT 330 - Thinking Through Skin: Race in America

The American “skin game” of race.  How do we even approach the vexing task of making sense of something that Michael Eric Dyson has characterized as “our most sturdy and endurable conundrum”?  We begin, as is the intention of this course, by thinking through skin to spark and inform discussion about racialized difference. Where do our perceptions of racialized difference come from? Why were racial categories constructed in the first place? How is one’s lived experience of race here in Maine similar to, and different from, that of someone who lives in another part of the country?  Why should we even care about the ways in which race operates in contemporary, everyday life? We’ll tackle these questions and more as we develop personal, critical inquiries into racial matters. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 333 - Visualizing Culture Through Film
This course borrows from anthropology, film, communication, media, and cultural studies in order to examine those aspects of culture that are accessible to us through the visual. Using early ethnographic films as a starting point, we will delve into such subject matters as anthropological film as a documentary genre and a research tool, the visual study of cultural patterns, the creation of subjective voices through film, and indigenous media-making. To better facilitate these explorations, this course will be run as an interactive seminar in which we will debate pertinent theoretical and methodological issues, with considerable class time devoted to screening and critiquing films. This course counts toward the Minor in Film Studies. Prerequisite(s): None. Every three years.


Credit: 4

  ANT 340 - Anthropological Theory

This course introduces students to some of the primary social theories and debates that inform anthropological analysis. Throughout the semester students explore a range of theoretical topics such as history, agency, structure, social change, power, and the politics of representation. By reading both classic and contemporary works students examine theoretical perspectives in terms of their explanatory power for understanding the social world and human behavior, the social and historical context in which they were produced, and as contributions to ongoing analysis and debate.  



Credit: 4

  ANT 360 - Social Science Research Methods

This course provides an introduction to social science research methods. Throughout the course students explore the history behind, ethical concerns inherent in, and types of social science research. Students also gain hands-on experience with different types of research methodologies (e.g., interviews, focus groups, observations, surveys). The course helps sharpen students' ability to evaluate and critique research and think logically and critically. Additionally, students learn how they can apply the skills and knowledge gained in this course to a wide range of professions and fields.



Credit: 4

  ANT 365 - Medical Anthropology

This course provides an introduction to the field of medical anthropology, which explores the intersection of biology and culture. Students examine how health, illness and healing are embedded within distinct social, cultural, and political worlds. The course considers social and political economic shaping of illness and suffering, local theories of disease causation and healing efficacy, structural violence, distribution of risk, meaning and effects of medical technology, and global health. Every two years.



Credit: 4

  ANT 377 - Special Topics in Anthropology

This course offers an in-depth exploration of a specialized topic in anthropology that is not offered in the usual anthropology curriculum. This course may offer a subject matter that is completely new or will serve as a continuation of a topic taught at the 200 level. These topics include but are not limited to the Ethnography of Maine's People, Peasants and Small Scale Agriculture, Rural Maine Service Learning or Paleoanthropology. (Pass/Fail option) Varies.



Credit: 4

  ANT 397 - Independent Study in Anthropology

The purpose of this course is to provide the exceptional student with an opportunity to explore specialized topics within the discipline of anthropology. Students are required to be involved in the design of the course; submitting in writing a detailed outline of their course of study to the instructor they are working with prior to registering for the course. Students require permission by the instructor to enroll in the course. Prerequisite(s): ANT 101S, ANT 103S and permission of the instructor. Varies.



Credit: 4

  ANT 400 - Internship

Internships allow students to gain direct experience in areas that are relevant to their fields of study. Students work directly with faculty to determine which organization to work with as well as to determine what project(s) the student may do that is relevant to the internship. Internships must be approved by this faculty member as well as the site where students are performing their internship prior to registration. Students are strongly encouraged to establish these relationships at least one semester prior to enrolling in the internship. (Pass/Fail option) Prerequisite(s): ANT 101S, ANT 103S and permission of instructor. Every semester.



Credit: 4

  ANT 460 - Independent Research in Anthropology

This course is designed to provide an opportunity for advanced students seeking additional experience performing directed research. Students work individually with instructors on projects driven by the student's interests or as part of larger on-going projects that the instructor is involved in. This course is particularly useful for students interested in attending graduate school. (Pass/Fail option) Prerequisite(s): ANT 101S, ANT 103S, and ANT 360 or permission of instructor. ANT 245 is highly recommended. Every semester.



Credit: 4

  ANT 477 - Special Topics in Anthropology

The study of a specialized topic not offered in the usual curriculum. Varies. 



Credit: 2-4

  ANT 480 - Senior Seminar/Capstone in Anthropology

This course is designed to be a culminating experience for students with an anthropology major. This seminar asks students to build upon previous coursework by conducting a research project of their own choosing. Students are also able to focus their research within a particular subfield of anthropology. Students work independently but discuss their work with one another, examining the process of research and their progress as a whole. Prerequisite(s): ANT 340, and ANT 250 or ANT 360, or permission of instructor. Every Year.



Credit: 4

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