Courses

Gain deeper understanding of cultures and societies through our many course offerings. Majors complete nine courses in the department. Below is a sample of the types of courses offered by the department.

Anthropology & Sociology Courses

ANSO 205 (F, S) SEM Ways of Knowing

An applied exploration of how one makes sense of the social world through interpretive social research. Some of the key questions of the course are: What are the philosophical and epistemological underpinnings of social inquiry? How does one frame intellectual problems and go about collecting, sifting, and assessing field materials? How do qualitative and quantitative approaches to social inquiry differ? How are they similar? What is the importance of history to sociological and anthropological research? How do social researchers use archival and other documentary materials to interpret society? What is the relationship between empirical data and the generation of social theory? What are the ethical dilemmas of fieldwork and of other kinds of social research? How do researchers’ personal biographies and values shape their work? We will approach these problems both abstractly and concretely, through readings in epistemology as well as a series of case studies, drawing upon the experiences of departmental faculty and guest speakers. The course will also feature hands-on training in qualitative methods, in which students design and undertake their own pilot projects.

Taught by: Olga Shevchenko, Ben Snyder | Catalog details

ANSO 305 (F) SEM Social Theory

An introduction to social theory in anthropology and sociology, with strong emphasis on enduring themes that cut across disciplinary divides. How does social theory help us critically analyze the world in which we find ourselves? How do social thinkers construe “society” and “culture,” and have these constructions withstood challenges over time? What role does human agency play in the unfolding of social life, and where does that sense of agency come from in the first place? What are the forces that animate social interaction on the level of individuals, social groups and complex units like nation-states? What are the possibilities and limits of systematic approaches to the study of human social experience? The course emphasizes differences between interpretive frameworks as well as the common elements that contribute to a deeper understanding of the social world.

Taught by: Joel Lee | Catalog details

ANSO 402 (S) SEM Senior Seminar

This capstone seminar combines substantive discussion and individual research. Half of the course will be dedicated to discussion of topics of enduring significance to both anthropology and sociology. Through readings and class discussions of selected publications, we will address current debates, dilemmas, and developments in anthropology and sociology. The other half of the course will be devoted to original individual student projects involving qualitative social science methods (such as participant-observation, archival study, discourse analysis, material culture analysis or ethnographic interviews, among other possibilities). At the end of the course, students will present their projects to the seminar.

Taught by: Phi Su | Catalog details