Anthropology (ANTH)

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1000 Level Courses

1301. Understanding Multicultural America (3:3:0). Cultural diversity in the U.S. as studied by anthropologists. Ethnographic descriptions of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and other groups. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Fulfills the state standard requirement in multicultural education for education majors.)

2000 Level Courses

2100. [ANTH 2101, 2401] Physical Anthropology Laboratory (1:0:3). Corequisite: ANTH 2300. Study of human and nonhuman primary biodiversity via skeletal biology and evolution concepts. Topics include anthropometrics, diet surveys, genetics, and exercises designed to explore human biodiversity issues.

2300. [ANTH 2301] Physical Anthropology (3:3:0). Corequisite: ANTH 2100. Topics include human genetics, health, diet, and issues of human and nonhuman primate evolution.

2301. [ANTH 2302, 2401] Introduction to Archaeology (3:3:0). Introduces archaeology and what it has told us about our past, from the earliest beginnings to the birth of civilization. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement.

2302. [ANTH 2351] Cultural Anthropology (3:3:0). The rich complexity of peoples and cultures in the world as studied by anthropologists. Discussion of basic concepts such as ethnography, ethnocentrism, kinship systems, gender, and culture exchange. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Honors section and Spanish language section offered in some semesters.)

2305. Forensic Anthropology (3:3:0). An introductory lecture course covering forensic anthropology. Topics include skeletal biology, forensic archaeology, age/sex identification, DNA and bone trauma, and courtroom and ethical responsibilities of the forensic anthropologist.

3000 Level Courses

3300. Anthropology and Contemporary Life (3:3:0). An anthropological approach to topics of current interest in American culture. Content varies. Topics have included anthropology and literature, the writings of Carlos Castañeda, evolution vs. creation, and sex and gender. May be repeated for credit.

3304. Global Forces and Local Peoples (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2302 or consent of instructor. Anthropological perspective on critical problems facing humanity: the aftermath of colonialism, the fate of indigenous peoples, changing family systems, and the reassertion of ethnic identity.

3305. Anthropological Linguistics (3:3:0). A survey of the origins and development of human language, phonological and grammatical characteristics of languages, and distribution and relationship of languages and language families. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement.

3306. Women in Culture and Society (3:3:0). A comparative study of sex and gender in human society; biological and cultural factors that influence women’s roles, status, and their contributions to cultural institutions. Counts toward women’s studies minor. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (W S 3306)

3310. Human Evolution (3:2:3). Prerequisite: ANTH 2300 or consent of instructor. Study of human origins and evolution as a mammal, primate, and bioculturally adapting species. Emphasizes principles in evolution and systematics and recent discoveries in paleoanthropology. (Writing Intensive)

3311. Human Variation (3:2:3). Prerequisite: ANTH 2300 or consent of instructor. ANTH 3310 is not a prerequisite. Study of human heredity, biodiversity, and adaptations. Survey of the physical and genetic variations of modern populations throughout the world. (Writing Intensive)

3312. Primate Behavior (3:3:0). A survey of the biological and behavioral diversity of nonhuman primates. Emphasizes issues concerning evolution, social organizations, and conservation of prosimians, anthropoids, and hominoids. (Writing Intensive)

3315. Health, Medicine, and Culture (3:3:0). The anthropology of health; concepts of illness, health, and aging in different cultures, including the role of the healer in the Third World. Recommended for health preprofessionals. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement.

3323. Religion and Culture (3:3:0). A cross-cultural examination of religious phenomena including belief systems, sacred symbols, ritual, shamanism, and revitalization movements. Emphasis is on nonwestern religions. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.

3325. Anthropological Folklore (3:3:0). The role of folklore not only as entertainment but as explanation and validation of ways of life: myth, parable, legend, proverbs, riddles, and fairy tales. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement. (Writing Intensive)

3331. Indians of North America (3:3:0). The experience of Native American peoples from their discovery of the New World to their present status. Incorporates historical and ethnographic approaches; selected case studies. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Writing Intensive)

3332. Peoples of Latin America (3:3:0). The anthropology of Latin America: the high cultures of prehispanic times, the conquest and colonial periods, and the tribal and peasant peoples of today, including such groups as Amazonian tribesmen, Andean peasants, and Chicanos. Recommended for Latin American and Iberian Studies students. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Writing Intensive)

3340. Topics in Old World Archaeology (3:3:0). Through archaeology, examines the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, and China in successive semesters. May be repeated twice when topics vary.

3341. Laboratory Archaeology (3:0:3). Provides hands-on training in processing and analysis of archaeological materials in the laboratory and exposure to other aspects of archaeological research centered in the lab.

3342. Prehistory of the Southwest (3:3:0). Introduction to the prehistory of the Southwest beginning with the first humans to enter the area up to the period of Spanish colonization.

3343. Maya Archaeology (3:3:0). A survey of ancient Maya prehistory and archaeology with emphasis on religion, world view, iconography, and hieroglyphic writing.

3344. South American Archaeology (3:3:0). Covers the prehistory of South America from the earliest colonization to the development of civilizations with special emphasis on the Central and South Central Andes.

3345. North American Archaeology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or consent of instructor. A study of the archaeological background of aboriginal Americans with a particular interest in artifacts and art and the architecture of past civilizations.

3346. Ancient Civilizations of Middle and South America (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or 3304 or 3345 or consent of instructor. The origins, development, and cultural achievements of the great civilizations of Middle and South America: the Incas, Aztecs, Mayas, and their predecessors. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.

3347. Texas Prehistory (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or consent of instructor. A comprehensive survey of 12,000 years of human activity in Texas; the major prehistoric sites and findings of archaeological studies.

3348. Introduction to Historical Archaeology (3:3:0). Introduces students to the methods and theories of historical archaeology. The course will focus on the post-1492 era in North and South America.

3349. Archaeology of the Northern Spanish Frontier (3:3:0). This course will familiarize students with the history and archaeology of the Spanish occupation of the borderlands in the New World with particular emphasis on the Southwest U.S.

3351. Language and Culture (3:3:0). An inquiry into the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture; languages as reflecting or actively molding human perception and experience. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement. .

3371. Peoples of the Southwest (3:3:0). A survey of this area’s cultural heritage, including prehistoric and contemporary Indian peoples, and the immigrant Anglo, Hispanic, and other cultural groups of recent times. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Writing Intensive)

4000 Level Courses

4000. Individual Problems in Anthropology (V1-3). Prerequisite: ANTH 1301, 2300, 2301, or 2302 plus advanced standing and consent of instructor prior to registration. May be repeated for credit.

4305. Doing Ethnography: Method and Theory (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2302 or consent of instructor. The history of research in cultural anthropology, development of methodological and theoretical approaches, and the exploration of ethnographic fieldwork and writing.

4341. Archaeological Methods and Techniques (3:2:3). Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 or consent of instructor. A presentation of the methods and techniques, such as field reconnaissance and site excavation, laboratory analysis, and reporting used by archaeologists to determine and define the ancient human past.

4343. Human Skeletal Biology and Forensic Techniques (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 3310 or 3311. Intensive study of skeletal biology emphasizing subadult and adult morphological variation. Includes analysis of paleopathology, trauma, age sex, and stature estimation.

4345. Paleopathology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANTH 2300, 2100, and 4343, or consent of instructor. This course offers students an appreciation of the dynamic nature of human bone as it relates to the health of prehistoric populations.

4372. Society and Culture of Mexico (3:3:0). Mesoamerican culture history, emphasizing Indians villagers, migrants to the cities, and other groups studied by anthropologists. Study of the cultural processes that have created modern Mexico. Taught in Spanish some semesters. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement.

4642. Field Archaeology (6:2:8). Prerequisite: ANTH 2301 and 4341 or consent of instructor. A summer session field school providing instruction in basic archaeological field techniques, including site survey, test excavations, record keeping, mapping, and collection documentation.

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5000 Level Courses

5305. Doing Ethnography: Method and Theory (3:3:0). The history of research in cultural anthropology; development of methodological and theoretical approaches, and the exploration of ethnographic fieldwork and writing.

5311. Human Origins (3:2:2). A comprehensive examination of hominid evolution with emphasis on current discoveries, interpretations, and theories. Seminar on selected topics.

5312. Human Diversity (3:2:2). Survey of biological variation and the processes producing it in human populations and races; seminar in selected topics. Laboratory emphasizing research approaches to current problems.

5313. Human Skeletal Biology and Forensic Anthropology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing in anthropology, biology, museum science, or consent of instructor. Analysis of human skeletal remains for legal purposes. Methods of identification, techniques of recovery and examination, facial reconstruction, report writing, limits of inference, expert testimony.

5322. Social Anthropology (3:3:0). Seminar in contemporary social anthropology. Selected topics in kinship, social, and political organization; warfare and conflict resolution; and ritual and symbolism.

5323. Topics in Cultural Anthropology (3:3:0). May be repeated for credit.

5341. Method and Theory in Archeology (3:2:2). An intensive survey of the development and present status of method and theory in archeology.

5343. Topics in Anthropological Archeology (3:3:0). Examination of either a currently important methodological topic in archeology or the archaeological knowledge extant from a site or geographic unit. May be repeated for credit. Also offered as a summer field course.

5345. Paleopathology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course offers students an appreciation of the dynamic nature of human bone as it relates to the health of prehistoric populations.

5352. Ethnolinguistics (3:3:0). Survey of the nature of the interrelationships between language and culture.

6000 Level Courses

6000. Master's Thesis (V1-6).

7000 Level Courses

7000. Research (V1-12).

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