Sociology and Anthropology

Anthropology

101. INTRO TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Krista Van Vleet M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

101. INTRO TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Jan Brunson M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

202. Essentials of Archaeology

Scott MacEachern M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

Introduces students to the methods and concepts that archaeologists use to explore the human past. Shows how concepts from natural science, history, and anthropology help archaeologists investigate past societies, reveal the form and function of ancient cultural remains, and draw inferences about the nature and causes of change in human societies over time. Will include a significant fieldwork component, including excavations on campus.

210. Global Sexualities, Local Desires

Krista Van Vleet M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55

Explores the variety of practices, performances, and ideologies of sexuality through a cross-cultural perspective. Focusing on contemporary anthropological scholarship on sexuality and gender, asks whether Western conceptions of “sexuality,” “sex,” and “gender” help us understand the lives and desires of people in other social and cultural contexts. Topics may include Brazilian transgendered prostitutes (travestí), intersexuality, and the naturalization of sex; “third gendered” individuals and religion in Native North America, India, and Chile; language and the performance of sexuality by drag queens in the United States; transnationalism and the global construction of “gay” identity in Indonesia; lesbian and gay kinship; AIDS in Cuba and Brazil; and Japanese Takarazuka theater. In addition to ethnographic examples of alternative genders and sexualities (so called “third genders” and non-heterosexual sexualities) in both Western and non-Western contexts, also presents the major theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches used by anthropologists to understand sexuality, and considers how shifts in feminist and queer politics have also required anthropologists to focus on other social differences such as class, race, ethnicity, and post-colonial relations

219. Anthropology of Science, Sex, and Reproduction

Jan Brunson T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55

Explores anthropological approaches to reproductive health and procreation in developed and developing countries. Locates science as one epistemology among many and explores the hegemonic aspects of science in relation to sex and reproduction. Examines sex and reproduction as sites of intervention for public health, development, and biomedical specialists, while also considering local constructions and strategies. Topics include cervical cancer, family planning, and new reproductive technologies. Draws primarily from ethnographies.

242. Language, Metaphor, and Identity

Chad Uran M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

Examines the role that metaphor plays in organizing our identities and our views of how the world works. Common metaphors in current use include the obvious ("Time is money") and the subtle (the nation as a body that is "born," "grows," and "gives birth"). We begin with some theories of language and identity drawn from across the globe that approach various axes of identity such as class, gender, and ethnicity. Second, we will look to metaphor as a tool used to understand our place in the world as individuals and as part of groups. Third, we will examine readings where these understandings of identity conflict with other identities. As we consider common themes of identity and the reproduction of identities, we will look for the part metaphor plays. The topics and themes covered in our readings may include: language politics in the United States, inter-ethnic differences in showing respect, racialized humor, and indigenous language revitalization. From this place of ethnographically informed reflection, we will develop individual writing projects that draw from our experiences, our readings, and critical application of theories of language and identity.

244. Peoples and Societies of the Mediterranean

Pamela Ballinger T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25

Exploring the conceptual and political construction of “the Mediterranean” as a region, examines similarities and differences between the Mediterranean’s northern and southern shores, focusing on religious systems and practices, gender relations, and political systems and behaviors. Attention also given to contemporary issues of economic development, immigration, and regionalism. Materials examined include traveler accounts, novels, anthropological and historical analyses, and popular films.

256. African Archaeology: The Roots of Humanity

Scott MacEachern M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55

Examines the prehistory of Africa since the appearance of modern humans on that continent about 100,000 years ago. Particular attention paid to changes in African economies and social systems through time. Some of the topics covered include the cultural development of modern humans in Africa; the beginnings of agriculture in different parts of the continent; state formation processes in sub-Saharan Africa; and the coordination of ethnographic, linguistic, and archaeological data in research.

262. Intermediate Topics in Ethnomusicology: Music, Religion, and Spirituality

Anthony Perman M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

Explores the role music plays in several religious and spiritual contexts around the world. Explores the relationship between music and a range of epistemological systems incorporating religion, spirituality, philosophy, mythology, and cosmology. Aims to understand how music works in ritual settings, enacts normative social orders, and triggers altered states of being such as trance, spirit possession, and spiritual ecstasy.

266. Find a Way or Make One: Arctic Exploration in Cultural, Historical, and Environmental Context

Susan Kaplan M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25

Bowdoin faculty and students have been traveling to the Arctic since 1860, studying northern environments and cultures, and exploring unmapped regions. Their work is part of a longer history involving Westerners who have been exploring the Arctic for centuries, drawn by a desire to map the geography of the earth, claim lands and their resources, find new shipping routes, understand Arctic environments, and develop insights into the lifeways of northern indigenous peoples. Examines some of the social, economic, political, and scientific factors shaping Arctic exploration. The ways in which expeditions and specific explorers affected and continue to affect northern peoples, the general public, and the contemporary geopolitical landscape will be examined. Students will read published accounts and unpublished journals and papers, and will study archival photographs and motion picture films.

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

022. In the Facebook Age

Dhiraj Murthy T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25

Explores new media forms through discourses of culture, race, space, and power. From the development of the first electronic messaging systems in the 1960s to the advent of interactive social networking Web sites such as Facebook, Bebo and hi5, the role of computer mediated communication in shaping economies, polities, and societies is discussed. Uses a wide range of sources--recent social science research, Web sites, Facebook, YouTube videos--to examine the roles of new media both in the United States and abroad.

101. Introduction to Sociology

None None 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, W 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.

204. Families: A Comparative Perspective

Nancy Riley M 1:00 - 2:25

Examines families in different societies. Issues addressed include definition and concept of the “family”; different types of family systems; the interaction of family change and other social, economic, and political change; the relationships between families and other social institutions; the role of gender and age in family relationships; and sources and outcomes of stability, conflict, and dissolution within families.

205. Urban Sociology

Seth Ovadia W 2:30 - 3:55, F 2:30 - 3:55

An introduction to the sociological analysis of cities. Topics include the development and evolution of cities, the major paradigms in urban sociology, and an extended overview of contemporary urban issues. Cities in the United States are the primary focus, but some international comparisons are made. Students complete a semester-long case study of an American city of their choice, using a variety of research materials.

211. Classics of Sociological Theory

Susan Bell 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 T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55

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 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55

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.”

223. Cultural Interpretations of Medicine

Susan Bell T 2:30 - 3:55, TH 2:30 - 3:55

Explores a series of topics in health studies from the perspectives of the humanities and social sciences: medical ethics, the development and use of reproductive technologies, relationships between doctors and patients, disability, public health, and the experience of illness. Encourages reflection about these topics through ethnographies, monographs, novels, plays, poetry, and visual arts, such as Barker’s Regeneration, Squiers’, The Body at Risk: Photography of Disorder, Illness, and Healing, Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Bosk’s Forgive and Remember, and Alvord’s The Scalpel and the Silver Bear.

227. Transnational Race and Ethnicity

Dhiraj Murthy W 1:00 - 3:55

Examines globally mediated formations of ethnic and racial identities, including the ways in which transnational communities are shaped through contact with “homelands” (physically and virtually) and vice versa. Particular attention given to “Black” and “South Asian” diasporic communities based in London and the transnational cultural networks in Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Caribbean that they help maintain. Readings include works by Paul Gilroy, Arjun Appadurai, Les Back, Stuart Hall, Jayne Ifekwunigwe, Ian Ang, and the Delhi-based sarai school.

310. Advanced Seminar: Current Controversies in Sociology

Nancy Riley M 10:00 - 11:25, W 10:00 - 11:25

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 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.