Location: Bowdoin / Sociology and Anthropology / Courses / Fall 2008

Sociology and Anthropology

Fall 2008

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024. Culture at the Top of the World
Jan Brunson T 2:30 - 3:55, TH 2:30 - 3:55
As the highest mountains on Earth, the Himalayas have held the fascination of many people around the world. In this course, we will investigate two divergent cultures that exist at the "Top of the World:" the culture of climbing expeditions on Everest, and the culture of the ethnic group commonly referred to as Sherpas. How do the extreme conditions on Everest create a shared culture among mountaineers? Who are the Sherpas, and how has their interaction with climbers altered their identity? What is the nature of the interdependence and the brokerage of power between two such parties? Through examining the intersection of these two groups, we will explore the issues of cultural identity that accompany global tourism.

101. Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Jan Brunson T 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55
Cultural anthropology explores the diversities and commonalities of cultures and societies in an increasingly interconnected world. Introduces students to the significant issues, concepts, theories, and methods in cultural anthropology. Topics may include: cultural relativism and ethnocentrism, fieldwork and ethics, symbolism, language, religion and ritual, political and economic systems, family and kinship, gender, class, ethnicity and race, nationalism and transnationalism, and ethnographic representation and validity.

102. Introduction to World Prehistory
A MacEachern T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25
An introduction to the discipline of archaeology and the studies of human biological and cultural evolution. Among the subjects covered are conflicting theories of human biological evolution, debates over the genetic and cultural bases of human behavior, the expansion of human populations into various ecosystems throughout the world, the domestication of plants and animals, the shift from nomadic to settled village life, and the rise of complex societies and the state.

201. Anthropological Research
Krista Van Vleet T 2:30 - 3:55, TH 2:30 - 3:55
Anthropological research methods and perspectives are examined through classic and recent ethnography, statistics and computer literacy, and the student's own fieldwork experience. Topics include ethics, analytical and methodological techniques, the interpretation of data, and the use and misuse of anthropology.

203. History of Anthropological Theory
Pamela Ballinger M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55
An examination of the development of various theoretical approaches to the study of culture and society. Anthropology in the United States, Britain, and France is covered from the nineteenth century to the present. Among those considered are Morgan, Tylor, Durkheim, Boas, Malinowski, Mead, Geertz, and Levi-Strauss.

221. The Rise of Civilization
A MacEachern T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25
Archaeology began with the study of the great states of the ancient world, with Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, the Maya, and the Aztecs. Examines the origins of civilizations in the Old and New Worlds, using archaeological, historical, and ethnographic data. Reviews the major debates on state formation processes, the question of whether integrated theories of state formation are possible, and the processes leading to the collapse of state societies.

225. Class and Culture
Sara Dickey M 1:00 - 3:55
Examines theories of class and hierarchy, ranging from Marx and Weber to Foucault, and ethnographies of class cultures. Investigates the mutual impact of class and culture, the places of socioeconomic classes in wider systems of stratification, and the interactions of class and other forms of hegemony.

232. Indian Cinema and Society: Industries, Politics, and Audiences
Sara Dickey T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25
Explores Indian films, film consumption, and film industries since 1947. Focus is on mainstream cinema in different regions of India, with some attention to the impact of popular film conventions on art cinema and documentary. Topics include the narrative and aesthetic conventions of Indian films, film magazines, fan clubs, cinema and electoral politics, stigmas on acting, film-makers and film-making, rituals of film-watching, and audience interpretations of movies. The production, consumption, and content of Indian cinema are examined in social, cultural, and political contexts, particularly with an eye to their relationships to class, gender, and nationalism. Attendance at weekly evening screenings is required.

237. Gender and Family in Latin America
Krista Van Vleet T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55
Focuses on family, gender, and sexuality as windows onto political, economic, social, and cultural issues in Latin America. Topics include indigenous and natural gender ideologies, marriage, race, and class; machismo and masculinity; state and domestic violence; religion and reproductive control; compulsory heterosexuality; AIDS; and cross-cultural conceptions of homosexuality. Takes a comparative perspective and draws on a wide array of sources including ethnography, film, fiction, and historical narrative.

251. The Culture of Italian Fascism
Pamela Ballinger M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Examines Italian fascism through a focus on its cultural contexts. Topics explored include the relationship between politics and aesthetics (particularly avant-garde art movements), colonialism and race, and fascist interventions into work, family, and leisure. Artistic representations of fascism in post-1945 Italy, as well as contemporary contests over the fascist legacy, are also discussed.

312. Cultures Weathering Environmental Change
Susan Kaplan M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
The earth's environment has changed in both subtle and dramatic ways over the last 20,000 years. Some changes have resulted from natural processes, while others have been triggered by human activities. This course examines the complex relationships between cultures and environments using examples drawn from archaeological, ethnohistorical, and historical records. Why do some cultures adapt successfully to changes in marine and terrestrial conditions, shifts in resource availability, and catastrophic events, while others fail? What can we learn from these examples as we reflect on contemporary responses to environmental change? Case studies will be drawn from around the world. Students will work with archaeological, cultural, and paleoenvironmental data.