ANTHRO 100 — General Anthropology

3 credits.

General understanding of humans in relation to cultures, evolutionary development and racial diversity, capacities for society, and the development of the world's major cultures.

ANTHRO 102 — Archaeology and the Prehistoric World

3 credits.

Introduction to the ancient world from origins of human culture to the beginnings of written history as revealed by archaeological research at great sites and ruins around the globe. Archaeological analyses of important sites as case studies to illustrate concepts and techniques used by archaeologists in their efforts to understand the diversity of the human past.

ANTHRO 105 — Principles of Biological Anthropology

3 credits.

Genetic basis of morphological, physiological and behavioral variations within and between human populations, and their origins and evolution.

ANTHRO 120 — Freshman/Sophomore Seminar in Anthropology

3 credits.

Intensive study of a problem in human variability through study of nontechnical materials. Emphasis on acquiring anthropological concepts through discussion and direct experience of ethnographic, archaeological, or human physical evidence.

ANTHRO/​FOLKLORE/​INTL ST/​LINGUIS  211 — Global Language Issues

3 credits.

Focuses on language and its culture, example topics include: extinction and revival, language and nationhood, how widely and deeply languages differ, language and worldview, writing systems and literacy, language discrimination and inequality.

ANTHRO 212 — Principles of Archaeology

3 credits.

Introduction to the methods, historical development, and scientific principles of archaeology. Discover how archaeologists generate and interpret information about the human past. Introduces scientific inquiry and provides a foundation for pursuing advanced archaeological courses and field research.

ANTHRO/​MED HIST  231 — Introduction to Social Medicine

3 credits.

Provides analytical tools for the critical examination of the social, cultural, political and economic determinants of health conditions and medical practice. Pays special attention to how these factors determine how patients and providers experience and ideate disease and treatment, and how they respond to specific health care policies. Emphasizes the important role that conditions of structural violence and inequality play as determinants of health conditions in a globalized world.

ANTHRO 237 — Cut 'n' Mix: Music, Race, and Culture in the Caribbean

3 credits.

Explores the history and culture of the Caribbean by focusing on its musics, both religious and secular. Special attention will be directed to the impact of colonialism on the emergence of racially stratified societies. Music will also enable us to investigate the concepts of diaspora and creolization. Other topics include: gender and sexuality, the role of technology in the production and distribution of music, music and politics, the impact of tourism, and the global impact of Caribbean musics.

ANTHRO/​AFROAMER/​C&E SOC/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​LACIS/​POLI SCI/​SOC/​SPANISH  260 — Latin America: An Introduction

3-4 credits.

Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective; historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present; political movements; economic problems; social change; ecology in tropical Latin America; legal systems; literature and the arts; cultural contrasts involving the US and Latin America; land reform; labor movements; capitalism, socialism, imperialism; mass media.

ANTHRO/​ART HIST/​DS/​HISTORY/​LAND ARC  264 — Dimensions of Material Culture

4 credits.

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. It is intended for students interested in any professional endeavor related to material culture, including careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation organizations, and academic institutions. During the semester, students have varied opportunities to engage with and contemplate the material world to which people give meaning and which, in turn, influences their lives. Sessions combine in some way the following: presentations from faculty members and professionals who lecture on a phase of material culture related to his/her own scholarship or other professional work; discussion of foundational readings in the field; visits to collections and sites on campus and around Madison; discussion of readings assigned by visiting presenters or the professors; and exams and short papers that engage material culture topics.

ANTHRO/​AFRICAN/​AFROAMER/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​POLI SCI/​SOC  277 — Africa: An Introductory Survey

4 credits.

African society and culture, polity and economy in multidisciplinary perspectives from prehistory and ancient kingdoms through the colonial period to contemporary developments, including modern nationalism, economic development and changing social structure.

ANTHRO 300 — Cultural Anthropology: Theory and Ethnography

3 credits.

Survey of cultural anthropology with emphasis on ethnographic description, methodology, and contemporary theories. Focuses on humanistic and social scientific approaches to human sociocultural diversity.

ANTHRO/​LINGUIS  301 — Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical

3 credits.

Elementary theory and practical work in phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, with attention to formal grammar.

ANTHRO 302 — Hominoid Evolution

3 credits.

The evolution of the Hominoidea is reconstructed from direct and indirect evidence. Cladistic and phylogenetic analyses are used to study the relationships among species. Interpretations of the fossil record are presented from a historical perspective, focusing on the hominoid-hominid transition.

ANTHRO 303 — Human Skeletal Anatomy

4 credits.

A comprehensive examination of skeletal anatomy at both the gross and histologic levels. Utilizes laboratory methods for the archaeological identification of skeletal fragments; criteria for the estimation of age, sex, stature, and other aspects of forensic anthropology.

ANTHRO 304 — Heredity, Environment and Human Populations

3 credits.

Cultural and ecological factors influencing the composition and structure of human populations; variation and distribution of genes within and between populations; history and evolution of human populations as evidenced by genomes.

ANTHRO 307 — Urban Anthropology

3 credits.

An integrated anthropological view of the city and urbanization as a human and cultural phenomenon, including major theories and concrete data from both 'first', 'second' and 'third' worlds, emphasizing the continuity of urban development from the first cities until now.

ANTHRO 310 — Topics in Archaeology

3 credits.

Selected areas, periods or problems in archaeology.

ANTHRO 321 — The Emergence of Human Culture

3 credits.

Worldwide archaeological evidence for the development of human culture and behavior from the earliest appearance of human groups to the threshold of the agricultural revolution.

ANTHRO 322 — The Origins of Civilization

3 credits.

Global archaeological survey of the origins of pristine civilizations beginning with the development of food production and ending with the emergence of the world's first civilizations. Focus of attention: Near East, Egypt, the Indus Valley, North China, Mesoamerica, and Peru.

ANTHRO 330 — Topics in Ethnology

3-4 credits.

Content varies. Some representative topics: peoples and cultures of the European part of the USSR, peoples and cultures of Soviet Asia, anthropology of space and time, anthropology and history, pastoralists and pastoral Nomads, American Indian folklore, etc.

ANTHRO 333 — Prehistory of Africa

3 credits.

A survey of the archaeological record of human development in Africa, beginning over two million years ago and continuing through the transition to farming and metallurgy; greatest emphasis on the stone age portion of prehistory.

ANTHRO 337 — Lithics and Archaeology

3 credits.

Explores the ways in which humans have used of rocks and associated minerals, i.e. lithics and lapidary technology, to create utilitarian as well as ornamental objects in the past and the present. Explores gender roles in lithic technology and how specific technologies were used to create utilitarian as well as ornamental and symbolic objects. Gain a new perspective of the critical role of lithic technologies in long term human adaptive strategies as well as in ornament and symbolic art.

ANTHRO 339 — Archaeology of Warfare and Human Nature

3 credits.

Introduction to the evidence, debates, and theories related to violence and warfare in the human past, and how related behaviors are linked to the evolution of our species and modern manifestations of war. Highlights archaeological methods that recognize past warfare practices. Using case studies from the Pleistocene to the present, explores variations of warfare from all over the world. Topics considered include 1) the highly variable nature of violence and warfare in different cultural settings; 2) the antiquity of warfare; 3) how violence has shaped human societies. Historical and cross-cultural ethnographic research will be juxtaposed against archaeological cases to provide contextualized and data-rich examinations. Learn to critically evaluate arguments, claims, and interpretations made about war, peace, and human nature.

ANTHRO 340 — Music, Race, And Culture in Brazil

3 credits.

Focuses on music's significant role in the formation and maintenance of Brazilian national identity. Learn how a variety of Brazilian individuals, groups, and institutions have contributed to popular and scholarly debates about Brazilian culture, identity, and forms of belonging. These discussions will be anchored to important themes in Brazil's recent history, present, and imagined future, such as cultural cannibalism (antropofagia), and racial hybridity (mestiçagem). Gain insight into how Brazilian artists and their audiences have debated race and racism through expressive means by analyzing a variety of anthropological and ethnomusicological texts about Brazilian popular music, literature, and its most famous annual ritual, Carnival.

ANTHRO/​RELIG ST  343 — Anthropology of Religion

3-4 credits.

Anthropological approaches. Illustrated by critical considerations of outstanding contributions. Selected religious systems; areal and topical comparative studies; religion as an ethnographic problem.

ANTHRO 345 — Family, Kin and Community in Anthropological Perspective

3 credits.

Comparison of the form and function of such social institutions as marriage and the family, age and sex groups, secret societies, task groups, and class in cross-cultural perspective.

ANTHRO 348 — Economic Anthropology

3-4 credits.

Production, distribution and consumption in a broad range of societies; land tenure and personal property concepts, prestige systems, and incentives to labor.

ANTHRO 350 — Political Anthropology

3-4 credits.

Comparison and analysis of political structures, behavior and processes among selected peoples of the world; special emphasis on leadership, authority, power, and the origins of the states; the relevance of primitive political systems to anthropological theory and to the comparative study of politics.

ANTHRO 357 — Introduction to the Anthropology of Japan

3-4 credits.

Japanese culture from anthropological perspectives. Emphasis on the order of meaning which serves both as model for and model of the day-to-day behavior and thought processes of the Japanese.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  361 — Elementary Quechua

4 credits.

Phonology and morphology; concentration on the acquisition of conversational skills; reading of texts of graded difficulty.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  362 — Elementary Quechua

4 credits.

Continued introduction to phonology and morphology; concentration on the acquisition of conversational skills; reading of texts of graded difficulty.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  363 — Intermediate Quechua

4 credits.

Advanced morphology and syntax; advanced conversation and composition; cultural background of Quechua speaking peoples through reading of myths, legends and folktales.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  364 — Advanced Quechua

4 credits.

Continuation of advanced conversation and composition; cultural background of Quechua-speaking peoples through reading of myths, legends, folktales; problems in dialectology.

ANTHRO 365 — Medical Anthropology

3 credits.

The ecology of health and disease in human cultures; health-related social systems and behavior cross-culturally; practical implications of medical anthropology for improving the health of specific populations.

ANTHRO 370 — Field Course in Archaeology

3-6 credits.

An introduction to the techniques of field archaeology, including site survey, mapping, and excavation by participation in an actual, off-campus archaeological field project. Also instruction in the description and analysis of artifacts. Includes full-time, off-campus, on-site excavation work, which typically takes place outside of Madison. Excavation sites vary.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  376 — First Semester Yucatec Maya

4 credits.

Introduction to Yucatec Maya language. Focus on acquiring vocabulary and grammar for basic conversational proficiency. Taught through in-class oral and aural exercises, language tapes, and primary texts. Learn about Maya culture, history, folklore, and language politics.

ANTHRO/​LACIS  377 — Second Semester Yucatec Maya

4 credits.

Continued introduction to Yucatec Maya language. Focus on acquiring vocabulary and grammar for basic conversational proficiency. Taught through in-class oral and aural exercises, language tapes, and primary texts. Learn about Maya culture, history, folklore, and language politics.

ANTHRO 391 — Bones for the Archaeologist

3 credits.

An introduction to the principles and techniques in the identification and interpretation of animal bones. Includes analysis of an archaeological bone assemblage.

ANTHRO 405 — Introduction to Museum Studies in Anthropology

3 credits.

Provides a comprehensive understanding of the policies, procedures, and ethics pertaining to the development, management, and exhibition of anthropology collections. This includes an overview of the establishment, history, and laws governing anthropology collections and collections management methods used specifically for archaeological artifacts, ethnographic objects, and bioanthropological specimens. Ideal for those interested in natural history museums, museum studies, or the museum profession.

ANTHRO/​BOTANY/​ZOOLOGY  410 — Evolutionary Biology

3 credits.

Evolutionary biology, emphasizing how modern scientists study evolution. Topics include: nature and mechanisms of microevolution, macroevolution, adaptation, speciation; systematics and taxonomy; quantitative genetics and measurement of natural selection; phylogenetic analyses of behavior, physiology, morphology, biochemistry; current controversies in evolution.

ANTHRO 411 — The Evolution of the Genus, Homo

3 credits.

Human evolution beginning with the Pliocene appearance of our genus, Homo, and ending with the worldwide spread of modern Homo sapiens throughout the world.

ANTHRO 415 — The Anthropological Study of Children & Youth

3 credits.

Uses the conceptual tools of cultural anthropology to explore the wide range of children's and youths' experiences outside of and beyond school.

ANTHRO 420 — Introduction to Primatological Research

3 credits.

Supervised research on topics selected by students. Independently design a research project, synthesize methods and empirical results, and report one's findings. Develop the skills necessary for independent research in Primatology.

ANTHRO 424 — Historical Anthropology

3 credits.

An introduction to historical approaches in anthropology: topics covered include early theories, evolutionism, ethnohistory, culture change, ritual and symbolic transformation, indigenous/oral histories, conceptions of time and the analysis of texts and visual images.

ANTHRO/​LINGUIS  430 — Language and Culture

3-4 credits.

The relationship of language as a communication system to the culture transmitted by it. Principle problems in the interrelations of language and nonlinguistic human behavior.

ANTHRO/​GEN&WS  443 — Anthropology by Women

3 credits.

Contributions of women anthropologists to feminist and anthropological theories and research methods. Field research and gender. Current debates in women's studies and anthropology in light of recent research on women and gender in cross-cultural perspective.

ANTHRO 448 — Anthropology of Law

3 credits.

A comparative examination of the legal realm of tribal and peasant societies as seen in cross-cultural perspective. Describes the relationship of law to anthropology, presents theories of change of legal systems and provides ethnographic case studies.

ANTHRO 453 — Study Abroad: Topics in Archaeology

1-6 credits.

A course carried with a UW-Madison study abroad program which has no equivalent on this campus. Enrollment in a UW-Madison resident study abroad program

ANTHRO 454 — Study Abroad: Topics in Biological Anthropology

1-6 credits.

A course carried with a UW-Madison study abroad program which has no equivalent on this campus. Enrollment in a UW-Madison resident study abroad program

ANTHRO 455 — Study Abroad: Topics in Cultural Anthropology

1-6 credits.

A course carried with a UW-Madison study abroad program which has no equivalent on this campus. Enrollment in a UW-Madison resident study abroad program

ANTHRO 456 — Symbolic Anthropology

3-4 credits.

The study of society through the analysis of symbolic systems. Myth, cosmology, ritual, political symbolism, the symbolic study of kinship, symbols and social change.

ANTHRO 458 — Primate Behavioral Ecology

3 credits.

Primate behavior examined from an evolutionary and ecological perspective, focusing on adaptations to the social and nonsocial environment. Topics include: nepotism, reciprocity, competition, cooperation, sex differences, the ecological role of primates in their communities, cognition, and conservation. Considers the major threats to primates today, and how behavioral adaptations and anthropogenic variables interact to affect the future survival of primates at local, regional, and global scales.

ANTHRO 460 — The Anthropology of Dance: Movement and Music in Performance

3 credits.

Explores the significance of movements, sounds, and the body in the transmission of knowledge, the formation of cultural communities, and the expression of identity. Offers first-hand practical experience of the ethnographic study of dance and movements.

ANTHRO 477 — Anthropology, Environment, and Development

3 credits.

Identifies and examines cultural and environmental factors which should be taken into account in planning effective development. Case studies of development programs in less developed countries. Possible contributions of anthropologists and environmental scientists in planning, implementing, and evaluating development programs.

ANTHRO 490 — Undergraduate Seminar

3 credits.

Discussion and preparation of reports on specific topics indicated by changing title of seminar.

ANTHRO/​FOLKLORE  520 — Ethnic Representations in Wisconsin

4 credits.

Representation and self-representation of ethnic cultures in Wisconsin. For example: museums, mass media, ethnic theater.

ANTHRO 545 — Psychological Anthropology

3 credits.

Survey of psychologically oriented approaches in cultural anthropology: ethnopsychiatry, the ethnography of emotion, conceptions of the self, cognitive development, and culturally defined deviance and mental illness.

ANTHRO 601 — Proseminar in Biological Anthropology

3 credits.

Overview of the major theoretical developments and debates in biological anthropology and their relevance to both historical and current research.

ANTHRO 603 — Seminar in Evolutionary Theory

3 credits.

Examination of theory relevant to the evolution of humans and nonhuman primates including morphological, behavioral, and genetic aspects.

ANTHRO 605 — Seminar-Current Problems in Paleoanthropology

3 credits.

Current research with attention to the evolutionary biology of humans and fossil human relatives.

ANTHRO/​NTP/​PSYCH/​ZOOLOGY  619 — Biology of Mind

3 credits.

Origins and structures of mind, brain, and consciousness. Transitions from early mammalian through primate to hominid intelligence. Genetics and plasticity in brain development. Modern studies of human brain mechanisms and consciousness.

ANTHRO 668 — Primate Conservation

3 credits.

Evaluates the conservation status of non-human primates, and considers why different species are vulnerable to different kinds of threats. The ways in which regional and global conservation policies are developed and implemented will also be discussed.

ANTHRO 681 — Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits.

Mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

ANTHRO 682 — Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits.

Mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

ANTHRO 690 — Problems in Anthropology

3-4 credits.

Independent research in specific problems in physical anthropology, archaeology, or cultural anthropology; under supervision.

ANTHRO 691 — Senior Thesis

2 credits.

Mentored individual research and study for students completing a senior thesis.

ANTHRO 692 — Senior Thesis

2 credits.

Mentored individual research and study for students completing a senior thesis.

ANTHRO 696 — Archaeological Methods of Curation

1-3 credits.

Practicum in the curation of prehistoric stone, bone, and ceramics. Involves handling materials, identification of artifacts, conservation techinques, preparation of materials for storage or display.

ANTHRO 698 — Directed Study

1-6 credits.

Advanced directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.

ANTHRO 699 — Directed Study

1-6 credits.

Advanced directed study projects as arranged with a faculty member.

ANTHRO/​ART HIST/​DS/​HISTORY/​LAND ARC  764 — Dimensions of Material Culture

4 credits.

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. It is intended for students interested in any professional endeavor related to material culture, including careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation organizations, and academic institutions. During the semester, students have varied opportunities to engage with and contemplate the material world to which people give meaning and which, in turn, influences their lives. Sessions combine in some way the following: presentations from faculty members and professionals who lecture on a phase of material culture related to his/her own scholarship or other professional work; discussion of foundational readings in the field; visits to collections and sites on campus and around Madison; discussion of readings assigned by visiting presenters or the professors; and exams and short papers that engage material culture topics.

ANTHRO 860 — History of Anthropological Theory

3 credits.

Intellectual history of the major theoretical debates and key figures in cultural anthropology up to the 1960's.

ANTHRO 900 — Fundamentals of Anthropological Theory

3 credits.

Fundamentals of anthropological thought using a cross-section of basic works in social science. Emphasizes discussion, critical analysis, and development of professional writing skills.

ANTHRO/​PSYCH  906 — Methods and Hypothesis-Testing for Behavioral Ecologists

1-3 credits.

A detailed overview of field methods for behavioral ecologists, focusing specifically on behavioral and ecological sampling techniques. It addresses the challenging process of situating an empirical study within the context of theoretical paradigms.

ANTHRO 909 — Research Methods and Research Design in Cultural Anthropology

3 credits.

Theoretical and practical aspects of ethnographic research; history of field research in anthropology; research design issues; writing proposals; the fieldwork experience; methods of field data collection; ethical issues; data interpretation and analysis; writing ethnography.

ANTHRO 917 — Globalization and Transnational Cultures

3 credits.

Reviewing the current state of anthropological studies of globalization and examining various approaches taken to the subject. Focusing on works that conceptualize and theorize the transnational culture and ethnographies that represent and explore its multiplicity and complexity.

ANTHRO 919 — Anthropology and International Health

2 credits.

Examination of international health issues from the theoretical and methodological perspectives of anthropology. Includes case studies of applied medical anthropology work as well as critical analysis of development initiatives in public health.

ANTHRO/​GEN&WS  920 — Anthropology of Gender

3 credits.

Theoretical and ethnographic approaches to the anthropology of gender, focusing on current works. Topics include sexual inequality, research methods, gender and history, gender and ethnographic writing, cultural constructions of masculinity, sexuality, and gender studies and anthropological theory.

ANTHRO/​C&E SOC/​ECON/​SOC  925 — Seminar: Socio-Economic Change in Underdeveloped Areas

2-3 credits.

Social and economic factors relating to stability, growth, and change in the non-Western areas of the contemporary world.

ANTHRO 940 — Seminar-Problems in Cultural Anthropology

3 credits.

Current anthropological literature and methods. Assigned problems.

ANTHRO 942 — Seminar-Archaeological Problems

3 credits.

Current literature and methods and work on assigned problems.

ANTHRO/​ED POL  970 — Seminar in Anthropology and Education

3 credits.

Anthropological theory, methodology, and field techniques with specific reference to school ethnography and cross-cultural studies of socialization and education. Topics vary.

ANTHRO/​A A E/​C&E SOC/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​LACIS/​POLI SCI/​PORTUG/​SOC/​SPANISH  982 — Interdepartmental Seminar in the Latin-American Area

1-3 credits.

Interdisciplinary inquiry in Latin American society and culture.

ANTHRO/​AFRICAN/​ECON/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​POLI SCI  983 — Interdepartmental Seminar in African Studies Topics

3 credits.

Interdisciplinary inquiry in African societies and cultures.

ANTHRO 990 — Research and Thesis

1-3 credits.

Advanced level mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.

ANTHRO 999 — Reading and Research

1-9 credits.

Advanced level mentored reading and research for students with dissertator status.