Courses

Courses

Spring 2008 Courses

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Anthropology

 
101. Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Krista Van Vleet T 2:30 - 3:55, TH 2:30 - 3:55
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
Leslie Shaw 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.

205. Who Owns the Past? The Roles of Museums in Preserving and Presenting Culture
James Higginbotham M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Examines the storied place of museums in the acquisition, preservation, and display of cultural heritage. The past practices of museums are studied with an eye to how they inform present policies. Aims to examine museums’ responses when confronting national and ethnic claims to items in museums’ permanent collections; the ethical choices involved in deciding what should be exhibited; the impact of politics, conflicts, and war on museum practices; and the alliances between museums, archaeologists, art historians, and anthropologists. Students benefit from conversations with a number of Bowdoin faculty and staff, as well as a series of guest speakers from other organizations. Selected readings and class discussion are augmented by visits to the College’s two museums and other local museums.

207. Anthropology of Religion
Sunil Goonasekera T 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55
Explores the anthropological perspectives on religious ideas and practices in a wide variety of cultures: the way various cultures define the nature of the world, the place of human beings, the senses of time and space, and how life must be lived. The context for this study includes “salvation religions” such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism as well as “micro-religions” like magic, sorcery, witchcraft, and spirit possession that address the everyday concerns of the believers. Investigates the classical and contemporary anthropological theories about the origins of religiosity and the relationships between religion, politics, economics, psychology, and other areas of culture, and with anthropological methods for studying religious phenomena.

233. Peoples and Cultures of Africa
A MacEachern M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Introduction to the traditional patterns of livelihood and social institutions of African peoples. Following a brief overview of African geography, habitat, and cultural history, lectures and readings cover a representative range of types of economy, polity, and social organization, from the smallest hunting and gathering societies to the most complex states and empires. Emphasis upon understanding the nature of traditional social forms. Changes in African societies in the colonial and post-colonial periods are examined, but are not the principal focus of the course.

234. Native North American Music and Dance
Christopher Scales M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25
For many Native North American groups, music and dance are central aspects of cultural life, playing an important role in religious ceremony, sacred and secular ritual events, artistic expression, and popular entertainment. Examines a number of the various musical traditions in Native North America, with particular attention paid to contemporary coastal communities of the Northeastern United States. Students study both historical and contemporary written texts and recorded performances and engage in a class fieldwork project documenting the musical activities of contemporary musicians. Topics of study include the relationship between music and other facets of social life, including work, religion, family, politics, and other artistic performance traditions (dance, theatre, film), as well as the use of music in demarcating tribal, regional, and intertribal identity.

238. Culture and Power in the Andes
Krista Van Vleet T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55
Explores the anthropology and history of the Andes, focusing on questions of cultural transformation and continuity in a region that has been integrated into western markets and imaginations since 1532, when Francisco Pizarro and a band of fewer than two hundred conquistadors swiftly defeated the Inca empire. Focuses on the ethnography, historical analysis, popular culture, and current events of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Topics include Inca concepts of history; Spanish colonization; Native Andean cultural identity; household and community organization; subsistence economies and ecology; gender, class, and ethnic relations; domestic and state violence; indigenous religion; contemporary political economy; coca and cocaine production; and migration.

239. Indigenous Peoples of North America
Leslie Shaw T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25
An overview and analysis of native North American societies from pre-Columbian times to the present. Topics include the political, economic, family, and religious organization of Native American societies; the impact of European expansion; and the current situation--both on and off reservation--of Native Americans.

280. Race, Biology, and Anthropology
A MacEachern M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55
Critically examines the biological justifications used to partition humanity into racial groups. Investigates the nature of biological and genetic variability within and between human populations, as well as the characteristics of human biological races as they have traditionally been defined. Considers whether race models do a good job of describing how human populations vary across the earth. Critically appraises works by a variety of authors, including J. Phillippe Rushton, Charles Murray, and Michael Levin, who claim that racial identity and evolution work together to structure the history and the potentials of human groups in different parts of the world.

310. Contemporary Issues in Anthropology
Pamela Ballinger T 1:00 - 3:55
Close readings of recent ethnographies and other materials are used to examine current theoretical and methodological developments and concerns in anthropology.

Sociology

101. Introduction to Sociology
Johanna Wigg T 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55
The major perspectives of sociology. Application of the scientific method to sociological theory and to current social issues. Theories ranging from social determinism to free will are considered, including the work of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Merton, and others. Attention is given to such concepts as role, status, society, culture, institution, personality, social organization, the dynamics of change, the social roots of behavior and attitudes, social control, deviance, socialization, and the dialectical relationship between individual and society

201. Introduction to Social Research
Seth Ovadia M 11:30 - 12:55
Provides firsthand experience with the specific procedures through which social science knowledge is developed. Emphasizes the interaction between theory and research, and examines the ethics of social research and the uses and abuses of research in policy making. Reading and methodological analysis of a variety of case studies from the sociological literature. Field and laboratory exercises that include observation, interviewing, use of available data (e.g., historical documents, statistical archives, computerized data banks, cultural artifacts), sampling, coding, use of computer, elementary data analysis and interpretation. Lectures, laboratory sessions, and small-group conferences.

211. Classics of Sociological Theory
Joe Bandy T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25
An analysis of selected works by the founders of modern sociology. Particular emphasis is given to understanding differing approaches to sociological analysis through detailed textual interpretation. Works by Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and selected others are read.

217. Overcoming Racism
H. Partridge W 1:00 - 3:55
Explores and critiques a variety of proposed solutions for healing racism in the United States. A working definition of racism is developed through a careful examination of the social structures that support the continuance of racism and discrimination based on race in the United States. The dominant/subordinate relationships of European Americans with African Americans, Latino/a Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans are reviewed.

218. Sociology of Law
Craig McEwen T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25
An analysis of the development and function of law and legal systems in industrial societies. Examines the relationships between law and social change, law and social inequality, and law and social control. Special attention is paid to social influences on the operation of legal systems and the resultant gaps between legal ideals and the “law in action.”

222. Introduction to Human Population
Nancy Riley T 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55
An introduction to the major issues in the study of population. Focuses on the social aspects of the demographic processes of fertility, mortality, and migration. Also examines population change in Western Europe historically, recent demographic changes in Third World countries, population policy, and the social and environmental causes and implications of changes in births, deaths, and migration.

233. Asian American Experience
Nancy Riley T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55
Explores the experience of Asian Americans in contemporary U.S. society, examining a variety of issues, including the role of immigration and immigration policy, the advantages and disadvantages of the promotion of a pan-Asian culture, the particular experiences of different Asian cultures in the United States and the role of gender in these experiences. In the process, examines how the Asian American experience is similar to and departs from the experience of other groups in the United States today, and how it adds to our understanding of race and ethnicity.

235. Aging and Society
Johanna Wigg T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25
In less than twenty five years, America's older population will double to around 70 million people and comprise twenty per cent of the population. This surge in the elder population is a result of lower birth rates, increased longevity, and the presence of the baby boomer generation. This course will examine the impact of these changes and cover topics such as the social construction of aging, stereotypes, norms and social structures in relation to aging, and death and dying. As part of the course, students will be expected to engage in a service learning project, requiring a hands-on approach to understanding aging in the community.

253. Constructions of the Body
Susan Bell M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55
Explores the body as a reflection and construction of language, a source of metaphor, and a political and social “space.” Considers historical and cross-cultural studies about men’s and women’s bodies, sexuality, gender, and power. Throughout, draws from and compares theories of the body in sociology, women’s studies, and gay and lesbian studies.

310. Advanced Seminar: Current Controversies in Sociology
Susan Bell M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Draws together different theoretical and substantive issues in sociology in the United States, primarily since 1950. Discusses current controversies in the discipline, e.g., quantitative versus qualitative methodologies, micro versus macro perspectives, and pure versus applied work.

310. Advanced Seminar: Current Controversies in Sociology
Joe Bandy T 2:30 - 3:55, TH 2:30 - 3:55
Draws together different theoretical and substantive issues in sociology in the United States, primarily since 1950. Discusses current controversies in the discipline, e.g., quantitative versus qualitative methodologies, micro versus macro perspectives, and pure versus applied work.