Cultural Diversity: Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics

ATH 110

This course is an introduction to Cultural Anthropology, and is particularly aimed at giving students the tools necessary for understanding world cultures from an anthropological perspective. Anthropology is the study of human beings from biological, archaeological, cultural and linguistic perspectives. We will be focusing on the anthropological study of human cultures, and the field of cultural anthropology broadly. It offers tools for making sense of the experience of people whose lives are different from our own, as well as casting our familiar world in a new perspective. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, students will become familiar with the concerns and viewpoints of cultural anthropologists. The course introduces some of the key concepts that have concerned anthropologist such as culture, social structure, religion, kinship, race, gender, consumption, community, and identity, and provides an opportunity to learn about a variety of social and cultural contexts both within and outside the U.S.