79-209 Theory and Practice in Anthropology

Units: 9.0 Department: History Related URLs: http://www.history.cmu.edu How has anthropology changed over its relatively short lifetime? This course will examine the major trends and schools of thought in anthropology in the twentieth century, focusing on how theory shapes the questions anthropologists ask as well as their fieldwork methods. Students will learn to "find" theory within ethnographic writing, both by analyzing the work of notable anthropologists, and by experimenting with various theoretical orientations in their own analysis of ethnographic data. After first examining some of the 19th century influences on the emerging field of social science, we will explore the paths anthropology took in the early and mid-twentieth century, focusing on how culture and social structure were understood and analyzed at this time. Next, we will turn to issues of power, practice, and history, and the influence of new theoretical approaches on anthropological conceptualizations of culture. Finally, we will explore how more recent theoretical trends, including feminist and post-modern contributions, have shaped contemporary anthropology. The course will emphasize that, though theory has developed in recognizable ways throughout anthropology's history, this development has not been linear. To show how older theoretical approaches resurface in more recent anthropological work, readings will pair classic works in the various theoretical schools with more contemporary reworkings of those same theoretical orientations.

Popularity index Rank for this semester: #707 Rank in this department: #34   Students also scheduled 79-364 Art, Anthropology, and Empire 60-471 Advanced PDP Drawing: The Figure, A... 69-155 Aerobic Fitness 80-245 Medical Ethics 82-221 Intermediate German I 79-404 Extreme Ethnography 24-321 Thermal Fluids Engineering 80-130 Introduction to Ethics 79-207 Development of European Culture 79-280 Russian History from the First to t...

Spring 2005 times

Sec	Time	Day	Instructor	Location
A	12:00 - 1:20 pm	T	Silverstein	CFA 211
		R	Silverstein	CFA 211