221 - 230 of 337 results for: Anthropology

In recent decades, there has been a surge in archaeological research related to the African diaspora. What initially began as plantation archaeology and household archaeology to answer questions of African retention and identity, has now developed into an expansive sub-field that draws from collaborations with biological and cultural anthropologists. Similarly, methodological approaches have expanded to incorporate geospatial analysis, statistical analysis, and, more recently, maritime archaeological practices. The growth of African diaspora archaeology has thus pushed new methodological and theoretical considerations within the field of archaeology, and, inversely, added new insights in the field of Africana Studies. This course covers the thematic and methodological approaches associated with the historical archaeology of Africa and the African diaspora. Students interested in Africa and African diaspora studies, archaeology, slavery, and race should find this course useful. In addition to an overview of the development of African diaspora archaeology, students will be introduced to the major debates within the sub-field as well as its articulation with biological and socio-cultural anthropology. The course covers archaeological research throughout the wide geographical breadth of the African diaspora in Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, East, and West Africa, and the Indian Ocean. The themes covered include gender, race, identity, religion, and ethics in relation to the material record. Lectures will be supplemented with documentary films and other multimedia sources.

This course will introduce students to the theories and methods that archaeologists use to study ceramic objects. Ceramic materials are ubiquitous at most archaeological sites, making their analysis critical for interpreting the past. This course applies an anthropological lens to consider not just the ceramics themselves, but the people for whom these objects were critical in daily life. As such, we will examine theory alongside method, so that students learn how these areas inform each other and what information can be gleaned through specific research questions and techniques. We will dedicate one day a week to discussing theory, while the other day will focus on methodological applications through hands-on labs. Students will be introduced to the physio-chemical methods for ceramic analysis (e.g., ICP-MS, petrography), with an emphasis on paste analysis using digital and polarized light microscopy. We will also consider the ethics of analysis. For instance, we will weigh the merit of destructive techniques against knowledge gained and conservation concerns. This class is appropriate for anthropology, archaeology, classics, art history, and history majors, or anyone with an interest in material culture analysis.

This seminar explores multiple aspects of this basically simple visual category - images of particular persons. We look at portraits from diverse eras and cultures, as many as possible in their original media of painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs or videos from the Cantor or other local collections, and others in reproduction. We also read and discuss brief essays and articles by art historians and cultural critics as guides for approaching and understanding portraits. Our primary focus will be on the multiple purposes of portraiture, from commemoration, projection of authority, and self-fashioning to asserting social status, cultural role, and personal identity. Along with the history of art and visual culture studies we will benefit from the approaches and insights of fields such as political and social history, religious studies, anthropology, and neuroscience.

This course examines the role of the senses in art and architecture to move beyond conceptions of art history that prioritize vision. While the experience of art is often framed in terms of seeing, the other senses were crucially involved in the creation of buildings and objects. Textiles and ceramic vessels invite touch, gardens involve the smell of flowers, sacred spaces were built to amplify the sound of prayers and chants. The focus will be on the medieval and early modern Mediterranean, which forays into other regions. Readings will range from medieval poetry and multisensory art histories to contemporary discussions of the senses in design and anthropology.

This class will cover creative, historical and theoretical aspects of sited artworks based in sound. We will create, install and critique new works that use sound with special attention the ways that sound intersects with time, space and architecture. Attention will be given both to sound as immaterial signal and to sound in its relation to visual environments and objects. The class is intended for artists, composers and others who want to explore the spatial, social and aesthetic dimensions of sound. Assigned readings will cover sound practices in the contexts of art, music, sound studies and anthropology. Experience in sound recording or production, signal processing and spatialization, or installation are valuable but not required. Curiosity and attention to sounds are.

From molecular medicine to molecular anthropology and all sciences in between, chemistry and more generally the molecular sciences are driven by one's understanding of structure and how structure relates to properties, reactivities (mechanisms) and one's ability to design and make molecules of functional value (e.g., materials, diagnostics, imaging agents and medicinal leads). This course will focus on reaction science including reactive intermediates (anions, cations, radicals, carbenes, etc) and pericyclic reactions involving no intermediates and how reaction science figures in the innovative design, synthesis and evaluation of molecules of scientific and societal value. Guest lectures and student presentations will also be included.

From molecular medicine to molecular anthropology and all sciences in between, chemistry and more generally molecular science are driven by one's understanding of structure and how structure relates to properties, reactivities (mechanisms) and function (e.g. materials, medicines, diagnostics, imaging agents) and by one's ability to design and make molecules. This course integrates the mechanistic and structural foundations of organic chemistry with an emphasis on reactive intermediates, reaction mechanisms and strategies for the design and synthesis of complex molecules. An additional emphasis is placed on generating ideas and proposals directed at identifying and solving problems in science as required for a career in molecular science and for the advancement of science for societal benefit. Special guest lecturers and student presentations will be included.

One of the most generative regions for medical anthropology inquiry in recent years has been Asia. This seminar is designed to introduce upper division undergraduates and graduate students to the methodological hurdles, representational challenges, and intellectual rewards of investigating the intersections of health, politics, and culture in contemporary China. This course is the same as OSPBEIJ 55. Students may not earn credit for both ANTHRO 148/248/ CHINA 155A/255A and OSPBEIJ 55.

One of the most generative regions for medical anthropology inquiry in recent years has been Asia. This seminar is designed to introduce upper division undergraduates and graduate students to the methodological hurdles, representational challenges, and intellectual rewards of investigating the intersections of health, politics, and culture in contemporary China. This course is the same as OSPBEIJ 55. Students may not earn credit for both ANTHRO 148/248/ CHINA 155A/255A and OSPBEIJ 55.