ANTHRO 127C: Anthropology of Sport and the Body
What is sport? Fun? Big money? A tool for freedom... or control?nnThis course will use the work of anthropology and critical studies to probe what exactly sport is, and how it shapes the body. We will begin by looking at various ways in which social theorists have proposed studying sport, and then use these theoretical frameworks to examine contemporary sport, from individual practice to global spectacle. We will probe the social nature of sport- how it molds bodies, makes players, enraptures audiences. We will ask questions like: Is sport good? What do the Olympics Games aim to achieve? Should NCAA players be paid? In doing so we will examine the underlying social and political assumptions that undergird what we have come to think of as sport today.nnAs we think through how contemporary theorists of our time have theorized sport, we too will use their tools to form our own analyses of sport as a social and political powerhouse.nnWe will look also at how sport has historically been use
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What is sport? Fun? Big money? A tool for freedom... or control?nnThis course will use the work of anthropology and critical studies to probe what exactly sport is, and how it shapes the body. We will begin by looking at various ways in which social theorists have proposed studying sport, and then use these theoretical frameworks to examine contemporary sport, from individual practice to global spectacle. We will probe the social nature of sport- how it molds bodies, makes players, enraptures audiences. We will ask questions like: Is sport good? What do the Olympics Games aim to achieve? Should NCAA players be paid? In doing so we will examine the underlying social and political assumptions that undergird what we have come to think of as sport today.nnAs we think through how contemporary theorists of our time have theorized sport, we too will use their tools to form our own analyses of sport as a social and political powerhouse.nnWe will look also at how sport has historically been used as a technique of both control and resistance across the world. We will read several anthropologists' work on sport across a variety of cultures, particularly as it relates to nineteenth century European colonialism.nnWe will conclude the course with a sustained discussion of the Olympic Games, using the tools we have studied to think through this massive spectacle of global import.nnThis course is ideally suited for anyone interested in how sport can be examined as a form of culture and social exchange and, more broadly, how theory can be used to break open contemporary culture.
Last offered: Spring 2020
ANTHRO 127D: HERITAGE POLITICS (ARCHLGY 127, ARCHLGY 227)
Heritage is a matter of the heart and not the brain, David Lowenthal once said. It does not seek to explore the past, but to domesticate it and enlist it for present causes. From the drafting of the first royal decrees on ancient monuments in the 17th century, political interests have had a hand in deciding which traditions, monuments and sites best represent and best serve the needs of the nation. The sum of these domestication efforts, the laws, institutions and practices established to protect and manage heritage, is what we call heritage governance. In this seminar you will learn about the politics of 21st century heritage governance at national and international level. Students will become familiar with key conventions and learn about the functioning of heritage institutions. We will also examine the hidden practices and current political developments that impact heritage governance: how UNESCO heritage sites become bargaining tools in international relations, how EU heritage policies are negotiated in the corridors of Brussels, and how the current re-nationalization of Western politics can affect what we come to know as our common past.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
ANTHRO 128: Visual Studies
Drawing on anthropology, art history, cultural studies, and other fields, this course explores how and why one might want to think critically about the politics of visuality, social imagination, the politics of making and consuming images and things, iconophonia and iconophilia, the classification of people and things into 'artists' and 'art', and cultural production more generally.
Last offered: Spring 2018
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-A-II
ANTHRO 129C: A Deep Dive Into the Indian Ocean: From Prehistory to the Modern Day (ANTHRO 229C)
The Indian Ocean has formed an enduring connection between three continents, countless small islands and a multitude of cultural and ethnic groups and has become the focus of increasing interest in this geographically vast and culturally diverse region. This course explores a range of topics and issues, from the nature and dynamics of colonization and cultural development as a way of understanding the human experience in this part of the world, to topics such as religion, disease, and heritage The course guides studies in the many ways in which research in the Indian Ocean has a direct impact on our ability to compare developments in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Seetah, K. (PI)
ANTHRO 130D: Spatial Approaches to Social Science (ANTHRO 230D, POLISCI 241S, URBANST 124)
This multidisciplinary course combines different approaches to how GIS and spatial tools can be applied in social science research. We take a collaborative, project oriented approach to bring together technical expertise and substantive applications from several social science disciplines. The course aims to integrate tools, methods, and current debates in social science research and will enable students to engage in critical spatial research and a multidisciplinary dialogue around geographic space.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| UG Reqs: WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
ANTHRO 131A: The Use and Abuse of Prehistory (ARCHLGY 131, CLASSICS 138)
To borrow Glyn Daniel¿s phrase, the ¿Idea of Prehistory,¿ invokes notions of deep time, human origins, and mysterious monuments. While the origins of prehistoric research in the 19th century were connected to the emerging sciences of geology, evolution, and archaeology, they were just as intertwined with nation-state building, colonialism, and race science. This course examines the development of prehistory through a thematic and critical lens. How have Western conceptualizations of time and writing affected the definition and study of prehistory? What are some of the colonial legacies in both research agendas and museum collections? Do new methods always provide new answers? What role has gender played in prehistoric interpretation? Drawing from case studies in the Mediterranean, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, we will explore various archaeological approaches to prehistory from the late 19th century to the present, as well as how the idea of prehistory itself has evolved, expanded, or been abandoned altogether.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Duray, A. (PI)
ANTHRO 132: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World
This course provides an ethnographic examination of religion and politics in the Muslim world. What is the role of Islam in the political life of modern Muslim societies? Conversely, how do modern political powers shape and constrain the terms of religious life? This course takes an anthropological perspective on the study of Islam: our investigations will not focus on the origins of scriptures and doctrines but rather on the use of religious texts and signs in social context and on the political significance of ritual and bodily practices. A major aim of the course is provide students with analytical resources for thinking critically about the history and politics of modern Muslim societies, with a particular focus on issues of religious authority, gender and sexuality, and the politics of secularism.
Last offered: Autumn 2018
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
ANTHRO 132C: Technology and Inequality (CSRE 132C)
In this advanced interdisciplinary seminar we will examine the ways that technologies aimed to make human lives better (healthier, freer, more connected, and informed) often also harbor the potential to exacerbate social inequalities. Drawing from readings in the social sciences on power and ethics, we will pay special attention to issues of wealth, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, globalization and humanitarianism.
Last offered: Spring 2019
ANTHRO 132D: Thinking Technology: Anthropological Perspectives
What role does technology play in society, and vice-versa? This course considers the question from an anthropological perspective, pairing different conceptual models of social-technical relations (Social Constructivism, Actor-Network Theory, Cyborg Anthropology) with real world examples. Through such technologies as factory machines, trains, Bakelite, slot machines, computers, missiles, and PET scanners, students will gain insights both on how the social suffuses the mundane objects around us, and how technologies have radically redefined how we see the world.
Last offered: Autumn 2019
ANTHRO 133: Masculinity: Technologies and Cultures of Gender (ANTHRO 233, FEMGEN 133M)
What is masculinity? How are masculinities invested with power and meaning in cultural contexts? How is anthropological attention to them informed by and extending inquiry across the academy in spheres such as culture studies, political theory, gender studies, history, and science and technology studies? Limited enrollment.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
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