Anthropology (ANTHRO) < University of Wisconsin-Madison

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 104 — CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND HUMAN DIVERSITY

3 credits.

Introduction to cultural anthropology. Comparative cross-cultural consideration of social organization, economics, politics, language, religion, ecology, gender, and cultural change. Includes a primary focus on U.S. ethnic and racial minorities.

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.

Requisites: None

Course Designation: Breadth - Either Humanities or Social Science
Level - Elementary
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2023

Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify ways that geographic, social, and political events, movements, and trends shape the sociolinguistic context of the world’s languages
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Demonstrate an understanding of subfields of global sociolinguistic inquiry, including language contact, variation, change, and death; language revitalization; the intersections of language, race, and ethnicity; the intersections of language and gender, and sexuality
Audience: Undergraduate

3. Critically evaluate specific examples of language use in a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts
Audience: Undergraduate

4. Design and conduct a sociocultural linguistic research project, including: identify a research question; collect appropriate resources and data; conduct data analysis and interpretation; draw conclusions, and summarize results
Audience: Undergraduate

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.

Requisites: None

Course Designation: Breadth - Either Humanities or Social Science
Level - Elementary
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2020

Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and analyze within their social, cultural and economic contexts key historical issues, and their significance, in the history of healing practices and public health.
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Develop an understanding of the mutually shaping interactions between perceptions of health, illness and medical practices and culture and society.
Audience: Undergraduate

3. Analyze the role of social factors, race, gender, ethnicity, class, among others, in shaping cultural realities related to body normativity, health, medical practice, public health and medical education.
Audience: Undergraduate

4. Identify the role that patients, healthcare providers, institutions and the state play in modeling medical practice, ideas about the body, public health policies, and medical education.
Audience: Undergraduate

5. Discern the impact of programs of global health as they intersect with international politics in the shaping of ideas about human rights, race, medical hierarchies and public health policies.
Audience: Undergraduate

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.

Requisites: None

Course Designation: Breadth - Social Science
Level - Elementary
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Summer 2025

Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Examine historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.
Audience: Undergraduate

3. Identify political movements, economic problems, social change, and ecology in Latin America.
Audience: Undergraduate

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 265 — INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE AND HEALTH

3 credits.

Uses the conceptual tools of anthropology to explore how culture, biology, and power together shape the ways people are born, experience good and poor health, seek therapeutic aid, and die. Draws on material from around the world, with a particular focus on the experience of marginalized minority people in the United States.

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.

Requisites: None

Course Designation: Breadth - Either Humanities or Social Science
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Summer 2025

Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze African society and culture from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Discuss polity and economy from prehistory and ancient kingdoms through the colonial period to contemporary developments.
Audience: Undergraduate

3. Study contemporary nationalism, economic development and changing social structure.
Audience: Undergraduate

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.

Requisites: Graduate/professional standing. Not open to students with credit for LINGUIS 101.

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Spring 2025

Learning Outcomes: 1. Read and write phonetic transcriptions of speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Describe the mechanisms at work during the production of human speech sounds
Audience: Undergraduate

3. List from memory the distinctive features of the sounds of English, and be familiar with the phonetic features of many non-English sounds
Audience: Undergraduate

4. Use appropriate tests to determine the morphological and syntactic structure of English words and sentences.
Audience: Undergraduate

5. Apply knowledge of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax in analyzing linguistic datasets from a wide variety of unfamiliar languages
Audience: Undergraduate

6. Use basic linguistic terms and concepts to read and summarize academic research in linguistics
Audience: Undergraduate

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.

Requisites: ANTHRO 105, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101, F&W ECOL/ENVIR ST/ZOOLOGY 360, BIOCORE 382, ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/ENVIR ST 260, ZOOLOGY/ANTHRO/BOTANY 410, or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Biological Sci. Counts toward the Natural Sci req
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Spring 2025

ANTHRO 310 — TOPICS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

3 credits.

Selected areas, periods or problems in archaeology.

ANTHRO/AMER IND 314 — INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA

3 credits.

Description and analysis of native cultures, and the role of environmental and historical factors in North America.

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.

Requisites: Sophomore standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Social Science
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2023

Learning Outcomes: 1. Become familiar with available evidence and theories related to social violence, warfare, and associated practices in the human past, and how these are related to both the evolution of our species and modern manifestations of war
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

2. Through specialized anthropological research, gain understanding of different lines of evidence used to identify and interpret diverse practices of violence and warfare in the past
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

3. Obtain comparative global knowledge of human diversity, material culture, culture and history, and the evolution of people’s relationships with the physical, cultural, and natural world
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

4. Become equipped to critically evaluate various arguments, theories, and speculative claims about humanity and war, distinguishing between speculative and empirical narratives about the past
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

5. Gain understanding of how to synthesize information relevant to archaeology across multiple disciplines
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

6. Gain experience in collaborative teamwork and public presentation
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

7. Acquire specialized archaeological and anthropological knowledge, becoming familiar with major research cases and authors from different world regions
Audience: Graduate

8. Improve skills in evaluating research theories, arguments, and the limits, potentials, and challenges in knowledge production
Audience: Graduate

9. Develop research agendas with testable hypotheses for specific research problems
Audience: Graduate

10. Gain experience presenting research and communicating complex ideas to a diverse audience
Audience: Graduate

11. Further develop writing skills relevant to future efforts in dissertation work, publications, and grant proposals
Audience: Graduate

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 352 — ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY AND INVENTION

3 credits.

The origins and development of early technologies. Impact of key prehistoric and pre-industrial inventions on the course of human evolution.

ANTHRO/AMER IND 354 — ARCHAEOLOGY OF WISCONSIN

3 credits.

Introduction to the archaeological evidence for the diverse Native American cultures of Wisconsin over the past 12,000 years.

ANTHRO/AMER IND 355 — ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

3 credits.

Learn about the great diversity of Native American cultures in eastern North America, with an emphasis on those of the Midwest and Southeast. More than twelve thousand years of accommodations to diverse natural and social environments are covered, starting with archaeological evidence for and oral traditions describing the initial peopling of the Americas and ending with the European invasion and interactions with the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands.

Requisites: Sophomore standing

Course Designation: Ethnic St - Counts toward Ethnic Studies requirement
Breadth - Social Science
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate a grasp of fundamental knowledge about the Native American ancient past (and aspects of the present) in eastern North America with a focus on the Southeast and Midwest, including the complexities of the deep history of Native Americans, the important and often invisible contributions of Native culture and peoples to our lives today, and the value of heritage preservation
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

2. Explain how archaeologists build empirical inferences about past human societies and use different theoretical perspectives to guide their interpretations
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

3. Build an informed and individualized perspective on the full span of Native American history in eastern North America and archaeology that might carry over into your professional life or influence your attitude toward historic preservation
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

4. Compare and contrast multiple perspectives on the past and present with reference to evidence
Audience: Undergraduate

5. Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize complex information learned in the class and through independent research
Audience: Graduate

6. Improve the effectiveness with which you participate in our multicultural society
Audience: Undergraduate

7. Recognize history’s impact on the present
Audience: Undergraduate

8. Assess the myths, stereotypes, and assumptions about ancient and present-day Native Americans
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

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.

Requisites: Junior standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Social Science
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Honors - Accelerated Honors (!)

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2024

Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe legal, ethical, and social issues that have guided the establishment and evolution of anthropology collections in the United States.
Audience: Undergraduate

2. Explore anthropological research and ethical policies and practices by demonstrating globally-accepted methods that form an effective collections management program.
Audience: Undergraduate

3. Speak and write critically about curation policies and collections care, including drawing from personal experiences outside of the classroom setting.
Audience: Undergraduate

4. Operationalize the knowledge and skills taught in this course in a real-life setting through completion of a community-based learning project.
Audience: Undergraduate

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.

Requisites: ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101, BIOLOGY/BOTANY 130, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, BIOCORE 381, (ANTHRO 105 and satisfied QR-A requirement), or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Biological Sci. Counts toward the Natural Sci req
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Summer 2025

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/AMER IND/FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 437 — AMERICAN INDIAN WOMEN

3 credits.

Examines and interprets the roles of American Indian women in traditional societies, and in contemporary North America.

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 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.

Requisites: ANTHRO 105, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101, (BIOCORE 381 and 382), ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/ENVIR ST 260, ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL 360, PSYCH 450, or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Either Biological Science or Social Science
Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2023

Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate knowledge about primate behavior and ecology and the major threats to primate survival
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

2. Compare models of past and present diversity of primates as well as evolutionary and ecological models of primate behavioral and ecological adaptations, including primate cognition, life histories, and community ecology, and their conservation status
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

3. Critically evaluate theoretical predictions about primate behavioral and ecological adaptations using examples derived from empirical studies of primates
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

4. Apply informed perspectives about the potential and constraints on primates to adapt in a rapidly changing world
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

5. Demonstrate capacity to research and critically evaluate contemporary knowledge by producing a concise, synthetic written review of the importance of new empirical studies on a topic of choice
Audience: Graduate

6. Apply principles of primate adaptive flexibility to ethical methods of research in primate behavioral ecological, behavioral genetics, behavioral endoncrinology, microbiomes, and behavioral energetics
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

ANTHRO/AMER IND/BOTANY 474 — ETHNOBOTANY

3-4 credits.

Study of the interactions between human cultures and plants. Topics include: traditional resource management and agriculture; crop domestication, evolution, and conservation; archaeobotany; indigenous knowledge; folk taxonomy; plants in symbolism and religion; dietary patterns; phytochemistry; global movement of plants and peoples.

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 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/ED POL 570 — ANTHROPOLOGY AND EDUCATION

3 credits.

An exploration of the foundational concepts and methods of educational anthropology. Examines anthropological inquiry on educational research with particular reference to cultural perspectives on education and educational systems, learning as cultural transmission, and application of anthropological knowledge to curriculum.

Requisites: Junior standing

Course Designation: Ethnic St - Counts toward Ethnic Studies requirement
Breadth - Social Science
Level - Advanced
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2024

Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the social, cultural, and/or historical contexts of education policy.
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

2. Analyze education policy issues from diverse perspectives related to race, class, and/or gender, and other forms of social difference.
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

3. Write clearly and compellingly for diverse audiences about complex topics in educational policy.
Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad

4. Utilize social and cultural research theories and methodologies to articulate perspectives and viewpoints
Audience: Graduate

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.

Requisites: ANTHRO 105, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101, F&W ECOL/ENVIR ST/ZOOLOGY 360, BIOCORE 382, ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/ENVIR ST 260, ZOOLOGY/ANTHRO/BOTANY 410, or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Level - Advanced
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: Yes, unlimited number of completions

Last Taught: Fall 2021

ANTHRO 605 — SEMINAR-CURRENT PROBLEMS IN PALEOANTHROPOLOGY

3 credits.

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

Requisites: ANTHRO 105, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152, ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101, F&W ECOL/ENVIR ST/ZOOLOGY 360, BIOCORE 382, ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/ENVIR ST 260, ZOOLOGY/ANTHRO/BOTANY 410, or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Level - Advanced
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: Yes, unlimited number of completions

Last Taught: Fall 2023

ANTHRO/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 659 — ANTHROPOLOGY FROM COLONIALISM TO DECOLONIALITY

3 credits.

Surveys both theoretical and ethnographic writing from the 1970s to the present in order to critically examine anthropology's ongoing efforts to decolonize. How have anthropologists confronted their discipline's colonial history? How have they integrated theories and insight from subaltern, postcolonial, and decolonial scholars? How can anthropologists ensure that they continue to decolonize their methods?

Requisites: Graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe the epistemological and political consequences of anthropology’s historical entanglements with European colonialism.
Audience: Graduate

2. Synthesize the contributions of subaltern, postcolonial, and decolonial studies scholars.
Audience: Graduate

3. Assess anthropologists’ contributions to postcolonial and decolonial scholarship.
Audience: Graduate

4. Critically reflect on the current debates in anthropology and the calls to decolonize the discipline.
Audience: Graduate

5. Identify how your own position and upbringing influence how you learn, what you learn, and how you conduct research.
Audience: Graduate

6. Integrate decolonial ethnographic methods into your own research.
Audience: Graduate

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.

Requisites: ANTHRO 458, PSYCH 450, ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL 360, ZOOLOGY/ANTHRO/BOTANY 410, ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/F&W ECOL 460, or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Breadth - Either Biological Science or Social Science
Level - Advanced
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Last Taught: Fall 2023

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.

Requisites: Junior standing and (declared in Anthropology undergraduate program or Archaeology undergraduate certificate), or graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Level - Intermediate
L&S Credit - Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: Yes, unlimited number of completions

Last Taught: Spring 2025

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 801 — PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ANTHROPOLOGY PROSEMINAR

1 credit.

Learn how to navigate graduate education and graduate-level research in anthropology while avoiding unnecessary pitfalls. Hone essential skills required for graduate school and careers.

Requisites: Declared in Anthropology MA, MS, PHD, or doctoral minor

Course Designation: Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: No

Learning Outcomes: 1. Explain the major elements of an academic CV, and leave with a plan for keeping yours updated.
Audience: Graduate

2. Describe the function of a dissertation committee, and have a list of possible committee members generated.
Audience: Graduate

3. Draft and revise a sample application for a pre-dissertation research grant, targeted for an actual possible funder.
Audience: Graduate

4. Give, receive, and use peer reviews
Audience: Graduate

5. Create a plan to develop, submit, and revise an academic article.
Audience: Graduate

6. Prepare for professional life during and after graduate school.
Audience: Graduate

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/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.

Requisites: Graduate/professional standing

Course Designation: Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement

Repeatable for Credit: Yes, unlimited number of completions

Last Taught: Spring 2025

Learning Outcomes: 1. Develop in-depth knowledge in a sub-field of specialization within African studies
Audience: Graduate

2. Acquire and demonstrate understanding of major theories, approaches, concepts, currently informing African studies
Audience: Graduate

3. Understand your process of learning and possess the capacity to intentionally seek, evaluate, and learn from information, and to recognize and reduce bias in thinking.
Audience: Graduate

4. Gain firm knowledge of existing research in African studies
Audience: Graduate

5. Develop and improve speaking, readings, listening, and writing skills
Audience: Graduate

6. Write and speak across disciplinary boundaries
Audience: Graduate

7. Analyze texts from various theoretical and critical perspectives
Audience: Graduate

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.