This course introduces students to the anthropological concept of culture and the socio-historical circumstances that contribute to human diversity worldwide. It will focus on the defining dimensions of culture as well as the mechanisms of cultural change. The course requirements include discussion participation, standardized assessments, and a research-based paper and poster.
Goals: Course materials are designed to assess and determine student’s abilities to reach the following goals;
- Recognize how human diversity and cultural phenomena are shaped by specific socio-historical circumstances,
- Identify how structural forces shape the human experience in diverse ways,
- Identify how individuals and groups exert agency and initiate change locally and globally,
- Critically examine how socially constructed ideas (such as gender, race, nationality, etc.) generate real effects on human realities,
- Evaluate the broader contributions of anthropological research,
- Apply anthropological theories, methods and concepts to a broad range of topics.
