ANTH 4000 Advanced Anthropology (4 Credits)

ANTH 4001 Race, Sex and Evolution (4 Credits)

The course examines the paleoanthropology of race and sex. Our focus is on the nature and evolution of human racial differences, sexual anatomy, reproductive strategies, and gender roles. We will consider the history of thinking about race and sex in anthropology and related disciplines, and the uses to which particular conceptions have been put in our culture. We will discuss and evaluate alternative models for explaining the evolution of alleged biological and behavioral differences between racial groups and between men and women. Evaluation will proceed in light of evolutionary theory, comparative primate anatomy and behavior, the human fossil record, and general anthropological knowledge. Our aim is to examine myth and reality in popular and scientific understandings of these aspects of the human condition and, in the end, the social and political (i.e., policy) consequences of this knowledge.

ANTH 4040 Historical Archaeology: Theory and Method (4 Credits)

Because it is the archaeology of periods for which there is also written history, historical archaeology is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field. It also has a distinct set of concerns and methods that builds upon, but does not replicate, those of prehistoric archaeology. This course is designed to engage students in the practice of historical archaeology through readings, discussions, and the hands-on analysis of archaeological materials. The first class of each week is a discussion of readings in historical archaeology. The readings introduce students to theoretical and methodological issues in the discipline, as well as important case studies. Many of the readings have a North American focus, but address international practice. The second class of each week has a hands-on focus. Backed by readings on historic materials analysis, we discuss and practice the types of research historical archaeologists perform on actual materials, focusing on different material types each week. Students in the course each process and analyze a set of materials excavated from a historic site. Cross-listed with ANTH 2040.

ANTH 4041 Anthropologies of Place (4 Credits)

Better understanding space, place, and landscape is a pursuit equally at home in the sciences and the humanities. This class is an exploration of the relationship between people and places from an interdisciplinary viewpoint anchored in anthropology. We will concern ourselves with a variety of ideas about place, emphasizing not just how places are used, but how they infuse themselves into the lives, histories, and ethics of those who interact with them. The course readings will include two book-length anthropological case studies: the plaza in Costa Rica, and Western Apache language and landscape. These case studies will be interspersed with other readings about place and landscape, many of which are not specifically anthropological, but can inform our own anthropologies of place.

ANTH 4060 Cultural Narratives (4 Credits)

Human beings are natural storytellers. Whether reciting oral traditions or recounting personal experience, people everywhere use narratives as a way to express and to understand themselves. This course approaches cultural narratives from two angles. First, it explores the ways that anthropologists elicit, study, and create narratives, whether through ethnographic observation, gathering folklore, archaeological interpretation, and even comic books. Second, the class investigates narratives that, although produced by non-anthropologists, engage with anthropological issues such as tradition, religion, and identity. The narratives will include short stories, plays, poetry and film. These two approaches will be framed by theoretically informed readings about narrativity, both from the social sciences and the humanities. The class will involve intensive reading and writing, and it will make use of both discussion and workshop formats. Each student in the course will complete a research and writing project on cultural narrative.

ANTH 4130 The Archaeology of Gender (4 Credits)

This course examines the ways archaeology can contribute to the study of gender by investigating the deep through the recent past. Students in the course will also come to understand the societal forces that gave rise to and continue to shape an archaeology of gender. By learning how archaeologists use data to understand past gender systems, students will learn to interrogate our gendered reconstructions of the past. Readings will focus on methods, sources, and themes in engendered archaeologies, tying them together with examples from the field. The course will employ a range of pedagogical tools including lecture, discussion, small group work, field trips, and in-class exercises. Student groups will also analyze a book-length case study.

ANTH 4131 Visual Ethnography (4 Credits)

What happens when we represent the results of social scientific research in images and sounds? Do we have to change our theories about humans and their social worlds? Do we have to change the methods that we use to do social science? Visual Ethnography is designed to explore these questions. Attention will be given to the use of photography, film, and video in the representation of individuals and groups.

ANTH 4132 Digital Anthropology (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to the theories and methods necessary for doing research in digital anthropology. Digital anthropology is the study of the impact of digital technology on social relationships and human culture. Digital technology is treated as a cultural construct, the characteristics and impacts of which are analyzed through the interplay between technology and society in everyday life. The focus will be on ethnographic work, but as this is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of study, we will explore a broad range of scholarship. We will employ five different strategies to address this large and varied body of research: (1) literature reviews; (2) current event assignments; (3) reading responses; (4) autoethnographic journal entries; and (5) a digital deliverable. Taken as a whole, these strategies not only structure the course, but provide tools for selecting and responding to scholarly work, writing reviews, and designing an ethnographic research project.

ANTH 4135 Feasting, Fasting and Food: The Anthropology of Food (4 Credits)

Feasting, Fasting and Food focuses on foodways and food culture. Food and its acquisition and preparation are tied to the historical, social and cultural lives of all peoples. By drawing on historical sources, ethnography and a number of anthropological perspectives, we look at foodways as symbols of identify, culinary tourism, food work as trade or profession, the study of food as art and theater, and food and memory. Prerequisite: ANTH 2010.

ANTH 4170 Applied Heritage Management (4 Credits)

This course focuses on legal, ethical, and community mandates for the management of heritage sites, objects, landscapes and intangible heritage. The course takes a balanced approach, providing theoretical, thematic, and legal background, but also explores a wealth of actual practice with the management of heritage resources. It also engages both in the broader field of heritage management, but also the more typical practices of cultural resources management, especially as experienced by archaeologists. The course content will be enriched by contributions from visiting heritage professionals.

ANTH 4200 Native North America (4 Credits)

Native American cultures north of Mexico. Cross-listed with ANTH 2200.

ANTH 4220 Human Rights in Latin America (4 Credits)

This course aims to provide students with an overview of human rights issues and how they have evolved in recent Latin American history, from the military dictatorships of the authoritarian period to contemporary challenges faced in the region's democracies. It also aims to place human rights concerns in a broader sociopolitical context. Many of today's human rights issues are rooted in the past, but others respond to new and emerging challenges. In this class, we explore the roots and contemporary realities of human rights movements in Latin America. The examination of these topics should allow us to pose broader questions about the meaning of human rights in a globalized world, the efficacy of international instruments for rights enforcement, and the complex challenges that linger in the aftermath of authoritarianism and state-sponsored terror.

ANTH 4225 Human Rights in Latin America (4 Credits)

This course aims to provide students with an overview of human rights issues and how they have evolved in recent Latin American history, from the military dictatorships of the authoritarian period to contemporary challenges faced in the region’s democracies. It also aims to place human rights concerns in a broader sociopolitical context. Many of today’s human rights issues are rooted in the past, but others respond to new and emerging challenges. In this class, we will explore the roots and contemporary realities of human rights movements in Latin America. The examination of these topics should allow us to pose broader questions about the meaning of human rights in a globalized world, the efficacy of international instruments for rights enforcement, and the complex challenges that linger in the aftermath of authoritarianism and state-sponsored terror.

ANTH 4255 Ancient North America (4 Credits)

This course examines the history of American Indian cultures from their earliest archaeological traces on this continent up to and including contact with European explorers and colonists.

ANTH 4290 Art and Anthropology (4 Credits)

This class introduces students to anthropological approaches to the study of art and visual culture. The first part of the course covers foundational work in the field, introducing key concepts as well as methods for viewing and understanding art from a cross-cultural/comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. We examine the relationships among art, technology and the environment, as well as the importance of form, function, style, meaning, and aesthetics in the study of art. The second part addresses issues of contemporary concern in art and anthropology, such as the influence of market forces and tourism on artistic traditions and cultural expressions; the intersection of art and identity; the politics of cultural representation. The course also explores the ethnographic turn in some forms of contemporary art as well as doing ethnography as art.

ANTH 4310 Indigenous Environment (4 Credits)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to particular environmental issues that affect indigenous peoples, including subsistence and economic issues; sacred lands; cultural property dilemmas; and the impact that use of traditional cultural properties by others--including nation-state governments, corporations and tourists--have on indigenous peoples' cultural and social integrity. Particular focus is on one of these issues--travel and particularly "ecotravel" and "ecotourism.

ANTH 4320 Medical Anthropology (4 Credits)

This course is an introduction to medical anthropology. As a professional and academic field, medical anthropology provides conceptual and analytical tools for a comprehensive understanding of health, illness and healing. It is concerned with the ways in which individual experience is inserted in social and historical contexts and it explores ideas and behaviors related to health in different societies and social groups, as well as the ways in which different groups organize their resources to face health-related needs in the context of their social and economic realities.

ANTH 4330 Human Rights of Indg Peoples (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to the concept and definition of "indigenous peoples." It covers the history of resistance, revitalization, and assertion of sovereignty by Indigenous peoples, and why the United Nations felt it necessary to adopt a "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" in 2007. It covers how indigenous identities and indigenous rights issues do or do not "fit" with internationally accepted definitions of human rights. The course will concentrate on the intersection of indigenous autonomy with globalization, neo-liberal ideologies, and nation-state policies. Case studies focus on Iroquois, Crees, Mayans, Mapuche, Zapatistas, Maoris, and Sami.

ANTH 4390 Geoarchaeology (4 Credits)

Use of geological methods to interpret archaeological sites, ancient landscape reconstruction, study of environmental change and habitation.

ANTH 4470 Applied Anthropology (4 Credits)

The practical application of cross-cultural knowledge and awareness to the solution of social and cultural problems. Ethnographic methodologies, a review of the history of applied anthropology and a consideration of the ideological and ethical components of applied anthropology are covered.

ANTH 4500 City and Society (4 Credits)

Examines the recent past and future of the city as a human built environment that reflects and reproduces social, political, economic, and cultural forces and ideals. Begins with the origin of 'modern' cities in the 19th century and ends with contemporary urban landscapes. Analysis is focused on both the technologies (physical qualities) and aesthetics of urban form. Emphasis is on re-imagining urban design to meet the social equity, cultural diversity, and environmental sustainability challenges of 21st century city life.

ANTH 4510 The Ancient City (4 Credits)

The archaeological study of ancient cities around the world is a booming and controversial area of research. This course investigates what we know about the nature of the earliest cities in the great original cradles of civilization: Mesopotamia, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Our focus is on how the first cities were planned, built, and experienced by citizens.

ANTH 4620 Ethnoarchaeology (4 Credits)

Ethnography has often been used as an illustrative device to animate archaeological remains, or to develop models of human behavior, regardless of the geographic and chronological distance between the ethnographic and the archaeological data. This course addresses different perspectives and theories concerning the use of ethnoarchaeology to complement archaeological information. It aims to define the role of ethnoarchaeology in the study of human past; to establish an agenda of issues to which their use is relevant; and to provide a critical overview of major approaches to the use of ethnographic analogies and historical information in archaeology.

ANTH 4630 Archaeological Method and Theory (4 Credits)

This course examines the theoretical foundations of archaeology and the ways in which theory influences the methods, goals, and application of the archaeological discipline to scientific research and contemporary society. This class presents methods for gathering archaeological data in the laboratory and then using a variety of theoretical approaches in its interpretation. Students gather archaeological data using museum collections from a variety of sites. Those artifacts include historic objects, stone tools and ceramics as well as other environmental data and architectural information in a variety of landscape contexts. For each site studied students are presented with a body of theoretical literature from which to interpret these data. A variety of interpretative methods can potentially be chosen for each site, and in most cases there is no right answer, only answers that can be supported by the data collected and interpreted using the theoretical constructs read. The course is designed for upper division undergraduate and graduate anthropology students. We will review the concepts regarding past human behavior collectively referred to as archaeological theory and the research techniques to test theories collectively referred to as archaeological method.

ANTH 4640 Race and Human Evolution (4 Credits)

Examines the history of thought about the nature and evolution of human racial differences and sexual characteristics, from the mid-19th century to the present day. Considers scientific and poplar models for explaining the evolution of racial differences, male-female reproductive behavior and gender roles. These models are examined in light of comparative primate data, ethnographic data and the material record of human evolution. Prerequisite: ANTH 2010.

ANTH 4655 Indigenous Feminisms (4 Credits)

This course examines a wide array of Indigenous feminisms. Rather than think of Indigenous feminisms as one static thing, we will inspect the field from multiple viewpoints and perspectives. We will draw from various thematic and transnational contexts across the Americas and Native Pacific in order to analyze the scope and significance of such knowledges, particularly as they relate to broader theories and practices of decolonization. We will begin by examining the foundational inquiries and methods of Indigenous feminist scholarship. Is gender a useful category of analysis? How have Indigenous women thought of gender? How have Indigenous women thought about, and responded to, feminism? With an emphasis on Indigenous scholars and feminists, we will cover a range of topics including (but not limited to) how Indigenous feminism fits into the feminist project, the connection between colonization and violence against Native women, the reclamation of women’s initiations, gender and sovereignty, queer indigeneity, Indigenous feminist allies, and decolonial love. We will draw from readings across feminist movements, and as feminist Kanaka Maoli Professor Lani Teves says, we will attempt to “make links between Indigenous feminisms and Latinx feminisms, Black feminisms, and transnational feminisms. Rather than shy away from the tensions that emerge between multiple feminisms, instead we will attempt to cultivate nodes of alliance and solidarity to diversify our feminist tactics.”.

ANTH 4660 Anthropological Theory and Context (4 Credits)

History and development of particular schools of thought, paradigms, methods and methodologies that characterize contemporary anthropology. Intellectual, artistic developments, world-wide sociopolitical and economic processes that shaped much of anthropological thinking of the times. Research methods in reconstruction of human history and qualitative ethnolographic research.

ANTH 4661 Museums and their Visitors (4 Credits)

This course is designed to be a comprehensive introduction to museums and their approaches to serving visitors, primarily through exhibitions and education. It examines current research and museum practice as it relates to the museum as an environment for meaningful visitor experiences and learning. The course is organized around the following core issues: (1) What do visitor experiences look like in a museum context? (2) How do museums design for different audience types? (3) What do we learn from assessing visitors' experiences? (4) How do objects, ideas and spaces affect visitor learning and experiences? Cross listed with ARTH 3661.

ANTH 4701 Special Topics in Anthropology (1-5 Credits)

ANTH 4702 Special Topics in Anthropology (1-5 Credits)

ANTH 4703 Special Topics in Anthropology Taught Internationally (1-5 Credits)

ANTH 4704 Special Topics in Anthropology (1-5 Credits)

ANTH 4740 Perspectives-Museum Studies (4 Credits)

ANTH 4742 Museum Exhibit Development (4 Credits)

Introduces general principles of planning, development, production and evaluation of museum exhibits. Explores design elements and methods of evaluation. Students have the opportunity to do exhibit mockups and exhibit evaluation.

ANTH 4743 Managing Collections (4 Credits)

The course discusses the topics of collections care and management for museums. Students will learn to weigh the variables surrounding museum collections and utilize resources to solve collections challenges. Areas covered include preventative conservation, the physical care and maintenance of collections, ethical collections stewardship, museum documentation and policy, object-based research, and collections advocacy.

ANTH 4744 Museum Anthropology (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to museum anthropology and the ethnography of museums as well as the theoretical and practical sides of museum studies. The course is based on the following premises: Museum anthropology is a form of applied anthropology in which museums are a venue for making anthropological insights and knowledge accessible and relevant to the public; Museums, as institutions of public culture, are a forum for exploring contemporary social issues and concerns; The role of museums in society and civic engagement is at the core of contemporary museum anthropology and Museology.

ANTH 4745 Museum Practicum (2-4 Credits)

Individually designed practicum in student's area of interest.

ANTH 4751 Ethnographic Methods (4 Credits)

Ethnographic methods offer research tools that are effective when dealing with complex problems, when the peculiarities of everyday life are relevant, or when an in-depth understanding is needed. These methods have been developed in the past century, primarily by anthropologists and sociologists, but have been successfully adopted and adapted in fields as diverse as psychology, education, public health, international development, marketing, social work, nursing, economics, business management and political science. As a result, ethnography is understood by some as one type of qualitative research involving specific techniques, while others see it as a broader methodological approach that implies a way of being in the world. This course aims to answer this meta-question: what knowledge, skills and attitudes are needed to successfully carry on ethnographic research? Learning objectives are: (1) To understand what are ethnographic methods through their history, uses and ethical dilemmas. (2) To develop skills and attitudes necessary to do ethnographic research through active participation in all phases of an ethnographic research project. (3) To apply ethnographic methods to the design of a project of interest to each student (ideally relevant to their senior project, thesis or dissertation). Class meetings will consist of lectures to introduce topics and concepts and group discussions to apply the concepts and examine them critically. Students will also work on individual projects for which they will give short oral presentations. The course will collaborate with a community organization, putting ethnographic methods in practice to help answer a need identified by our community partners.

ANTH 4780 Anthropology of Gardening (4 Credits)

In the 20th and 21st Century there have been three major surges in home gardening—World War I, World War II, and the COVID pandemic. Where does the urge to garden come from and why do people turn to gardening during uncertain times? This class frames that question through archaeological, ethnobotanical, theoretical, and experiential approaches and touches on important themes in the study of gardens including how it supports foodways, community, spirituality, health, and resilience. We’ll begin with the edible landscape of Colorado and engage with many local gardeners and the places they impact. Through the application of a range of analytical techniques you’ll learn to assess the anthropological importance of gardens and gardening.

ANTH 4790 Field Methods in Archaeology (4 Credits)

The purpose of this class is to introduce you to archaeological field methods through a combination of reading, lecture, small group work, and hands-on experience. Because this is a field course, we will spend much of our time outdoors learning about and practicing archaeological methods. Before we do so, however, students will receive a grounding in issues of archaeological ethics and research designs. We must know why we do archaeology before we learn how. Some of the methods you will learn will include the basics of site survey and mapping, testing, excavation, artifact recovery and field processing, architectural survey, and data recording in the field. You will apply what you learn to several real field sites.

ANTH 4791 Critical Perspectives in Museum Studies (4 Credits)

This course critically explores museums and heritage complexes as sites of cultural production and consumption at different historical moments and in diverse cultural and national settings. Special attention is given to contemporary issues, debates, and approaches in the context of museum anthropology and heritage studies. The term museum is used to include a wide range of heritage projects that do not rely only on the traditional institution established to collect, conserve and exhibit material culture, but includes intangible heritage, historic built environment and event natural environment that was used and marked by human action.

ANTH 4850 We are Family: Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship and Relations (4 Credits)

Anthropologists have long been fascinated with defining who is related to whom. In the first half of this course, we will read works by leading historical anthropologists in order to gain an understanding of the various ways kinship has been defined in anthropology and defined in a diversity of cultures. These works will help us understand various kinship systems throughout the world and explore how anthropologists have worked with the concept of relatedness. This course will then turn to contemporary issues and we will devote our time to investigating current kinship studies of relatedness and how this applies to new reproductive technologies (like surrogate mothers, IVF, etc), and adoption.

ANTH 4875 Research Methods in Anthropology (4 Credits)

This course offers an in-depth introduction to anthropological research methods with the aim of providing students with the tools necessary to design a coherent research proposal. Starting with the notion that anthropological research is a scientific endeavor, the course offers knowledge and skills that allow for a systematic application of qualitative and quantitative methods to respond to research questions. Students will learn when and how to use one method, as well as the implications of doing it. Students will also learn how to critically read research reports that use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. The course is organized in two portions. The qualitative portion will focus on a detailed exploration of the continuum that goes from posing a research question, choosing a methodology, carrying it on, and reporting the results. The quantitative portion is concentrated on collecting numerical data, methods of which are often based on a qualitative understanding of people. Quantitative analysis will present tools used to take readings, acquire data, observations, and other information necessary to test hypotheses about people, cultures and how we can understand them from their material remains. The purpose of the quantitative part of the class is to determine what is statistically significant and what ideas about people are supportable using the scientific method. This course is required for all anthropology graduate students, and suggested for advanced undergraduates who are working on senior theses, and have an interest in anthropological research. The course is also open to non-anthropology students interested in anthropological research.

ANTH 4880 Culture, Ecology, Adaptation (4 Credits)

This course is organized around these concepts: "ecology," "adaptation," "landscape," "technology," "artifact," and "architecture." The course focuses on defining and examining adaptation and the role of culture and technology in achieving adaptations, or in not achieving them. This focus will be especially pursued with respect to the concept of landscape--that is, culturally defined physical space--and the cultural artifacts that interpret and modify it in the course of human adaptation to its ecological components.

ANTH 4890 Context of Material Culture (4 Credits)

Examines how material culture both reflects and actively structures political, economic and cultural life. Considers the relationship between people and their material culture (portable objects, non-portable objects, buildings, socially-created landscapes) in Western, non-Western, ancient, and contemporary cultural contexts. Reading materials draw from the fields of ethnology, archaeology, folklore, geography, history, art and architecture.

ANTH 4981 Museum Internship (1-6 Credits)

ANTH 4990 Summer Field School-Archaeology (4-6 Credits)

The purpose of this class is to introduce you to archaeological field methods and museum studies through application to a specific site and its associated museum. The hands-on work at the site and the museum will be supplemented by readings and discussions. Topics covered will include the archaeology of interment, community archaeology and museums, and landscape archaeology. Some of the methods you will learn at the site will include the basics of site survey and mapping, testing, excavation, artifact recovery and field processing, and data recording in the field. In the museum you will learn object handling, collections management, object rehousing, community history, and public interpretation.

ANTH 4991 Independent Study (1-17 Credits)

ANTH 4995 Independent Research (1-17 Credits)