ANTH 151B Human Cultures Sage Spring 2024
The discipline of anthropology in America is most often traced back to its father figure, “Papa Franz†Boas. A German psychologist and geographer by training, Boas was introduced to the Inuit peoples of Baffin Island and became fascinated by their culture. Eventually, he would work for the Field...
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Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University
2024
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| Online Access: | https://scholarship.depauw.edu/records_syllabi/222 https://scholarship.depauw.edu/context/records_syllabi/article/1221/viewcontent/ANTH_151B_20232024_Spring.pdf |
| Summary: | The discipline of anthropology in America is most often traced back to its father figure, “Papa Franz†Boas. A German psychologist and geographer by training, Boas was introduced to the Inuit peoples of Baffin Island and became fascinated by their culture. Eventually, he would work for the Field Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution, and head the first American Department of Anthropology at Columbia University in 1896. Through Boas, American anthropology would be defined as a field of four unique, but interrelated sub-fields – socio-cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and physical anthropology. During this course, you will explore and learn about the history, theories, methods, ethics and applications of socio-cultural anthropology. While this course specifically addresses the socio-cultural sub-field, you will also be exposed to linguistics, archaeology, and physical anthropology and how these other sub-fields inform socio-cultural anthropological research and understanding. “So…how does this relate to me?†Anthropology is the study of humanity in every aspect across time and space. If people ‘do it,’ ‘think it’ or ‘make it,’ then it is fair game for anthropological study. At one time, anthropology as a discipline was focused on and brought to mind images of the exotic ‘Other’ – societies and cultures in the most remote places on earth with practices and beliefs that both amazed and horrified those living in the modern Western world. And yes, today, research continues in some of the most remote areas of the planet, and with peoples who do have practices and beliefs strikingly different from mainstream Western culture. However, anthropologists are also engaged in research within the Western world, interested in the variety of sub-cultures that exist, and with the range of concerns and problems facing humanity from the local to the global. This course is designed to be an introduction to socio-cultural anthropology, so for ... |
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