Spring 2023

ANTH 1155 Exploring Global & Cultural Diversity: How we Go: The Anthropology of Death and Dying

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:47:24 +0000

ANTH 1155 Exploring Global & Cultural Diversity: How we Go: The Anthropology of Death and Dying Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/30/2022 - 12:47

We deny the fact of death by trying to forget about it. “The natural processes of corruption and decay have become as disgusting as the natural processes of birth and copulation were a century ago,” argues Geoffrey Gorer. In those moments when we actually contemplate it, death generally invokes dread. A number of industries cater to our fears, and an increasing number of people die away from home. The elderly are housed in places apart, and strangers prepare the bodies of dead for us. For us, death remains—and must remain—something hidden.

This class reads death against the grain: By studying the ways people in other societies navigate the end of life, we will see that there is a variety of possible responses to human frailty and finitude. Students will learn about the diverse ways human beings respond to their finitude, mourn their dead, and imagine the afterlife. Examples of topics that we will cover include: mortuary rituals and funerary behavior, the cultural construction of death, the effects of death on the social fabric, morning and bereavement, hospice and end-of-life issues, and medical and ethical issues relating to death. Throughout the course, students will examine the variety of social and cultural responses to the biological fact of death. We will see that death is an integral part of human life while appreciating the tremendous diversity of cultural attitudes toward death.

There are two required books for this course: Erik Mueggler’s The Age of Wild Ghosts and Beth Conklin’s Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society, which will be in the University bookstore. All other required readings will be posted on the course site as Adobe PDF files. Some of the files are large, so it is recommended that you use a high bandwidth connection to retrieve them. The readings are listed on the course schedule below and must be completed prior to the assigned due date (the Monday of the week for which they are assigned).

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Global Seminar - Indonesia 2023

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:18:53 +0000

Global Seminar - Indonesia 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2022 - 10:18

Highlights

Spend your Maymester in Indonesia studying the incredible cultural diversity of a country that consists of more than 16,000 islands!
Learn from the Mentawai people in Sumatra and about Hindu-Buddhism and religious politics in Bali.
Marvel at vibrant and global urban centers in a predominantly Muslim country.
This program is great for students in anthropology, the social sciences, humanities, and CMCI, or anyone with an interest in culture, religion, and politics in Asia.
Check out the CAS Indonesia Global Seminar blog series!

Learn more about Global Seminar in Indonesia

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Global Seminar Summer 2023 - Mexico

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:53:53 +0000

Global Seminar Summer 2023 - Mexico Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/09/2021 - 10:53

Highlights

Visit archaeological sites including the ancient mountaintop city of Monte Albán, the tombs of Mitla, the hilltop fortress at Yagul, and the Queen’s palace of Teposcolula.
Experience an ongoing archaeological field project and get to see the excavations of a 1200-year old city and hear about the research from the archaeological team.
Learn about the pre-Columbian history of Mexico including the origins of agriculture, early village life, hieroglyphic writing and sacred history, the rise and fall of cities, and Lord 8 Deer, Jaguar Claw.
Travel throughout the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca from highland valleys to the tropical Pacific coast and experience the languages, cuisine, art, and culture of Oaxaca’s indigenous peoples.
The Rio Verde Project directed by Professor Joyce: www.rioverdearchaeology.org

Learn More about Global Seminar in Mexico

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ANTH 4020/5020: Disaster and Culture

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 13:51:06 +0000

ANTH 4020/5020: Disaster and Culture Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/21/2021 - 07:51

In this class, we study disasters from a broad anthropological perspective questions the false dichotomy between nature and society, and has put front and center the role of human agency in the creation of disasters. This perspective argues that disasters occur within the context of archaeologically/historically created patterns of vulnerability.

Professor Geraldo Gutiérrez

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ANTH 2100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 17:39:36 +0000

ANTH 2100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/26/2018 - 10:39

What does it mean to think anthropologically? This course will provide an overview of the history and foundations of anthropological thought, with a special focus on the key method of anthropology: ethnography. Drawing on both classical and contemporary anthropological texts from a broad range of international settings, we will analyze the meaning of the categories we use to organize our experiences and social relationships. Topics will include: the "culture" concept, particularly in relation to ideas of difference, relativism, translation, and individual and group identity; the role of language, narrative, and interpretation in the constitution of the self and the social world; symbols, metaphors, and ideologies as forms of power and vehicles for social transformation; ethnographic methods, ethics, and techniques of anthropological research and fieldwork; and cross-cultural comparisons of systems of kinship, gender/sex/sexuality, labor and economic exchange.

See the University Catalog for specifics, recommendations, and prerequisites.

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ANTH 2200 The Archaeology of Human History

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 17:30:36 +0000

ANTH 2200 The Archaeology of Human History Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/26/2018 - 10:30

Where did human beings come from?

How did we come to inhabit the world?

Why don’t we eat wild foods anymore?

How did complex urban societies rise and fall?

All this and more…..

Professor Douglas Bamforth

See the University Catalog for specifics, recommendations, and prerequisites.

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ANTH 4020/5020 Explorations in Anthropology (cross-listed as MUSM 6110, Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues): Archaeozoology

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 18:08:15 +0000

ANTH 4020/5020 Explorations in Anthropology (cross-listed as MUSM 6110, Advanced Seminar in Museum Issues): Archaeozoology Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/25/2018 - 11:08

Archaeozoology will give students practical and analytical skills in the identification and analysis of animal bones from archaeological sites. Students in the course will engage with current methodological and theoretical issues in the discipline, and develop a basic familiarity with the vertebrate skeleton using museum specimens, reference collections, and archaeological material. Participants will cultivate the ability to understand human behavior and human-environmental relationships through skeletal remains of ancient animals – including basic taphonomy, quantitative analysis/data visualization, and animal paleopathology. Students will also learn best practices for the curation of faunal remains, and engage with new research direction and trends in archaeozoology, including 3D scanning and biomolecular techniques (isotopes, ancient DNA, and Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry). Each student will develop an original research project that complements their existing academic goals. Those interested in the course can email william.taylor@colorado.edu for more information. Space is limited. Museum & Field Studies (MFS) students should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, Janet Bensko, at janet.bensko@colorado.edu to enroll.

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