Introduction to Anthropology

Goals:
This course is designed to introduce students to the four subdisciplines that
comprise the field of anthropology, the study of human kind and our closest ancestors.
These four fields are: sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, biological (or physical)
anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. With this, we will also explore the various
methods used by professionals in each of these four fields in order to understand how the
study of anthropology is done. Furthermore, students will come to understand the
commonalities that unify the four fields, while gaining an appreciation for the diversity of
human beings.

Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify and differentiate between
linguistics, archaeology, biological and cultural anthropology, as well as delineate the
commonalities between the four fields. Students will gain a basic understanding of the
history of the discipline as well as identifying current trends and future directions.

Readings:
The course will be broken up into segments reflecting each of the four subdisciplines of
anthropology, bookended by a broader introductory segment and a closing segment
regarding current career directions in the field. The segments devoted to the four fields will
be approximately four weeks each, with two weeks of foundational background and two
weeks of wrap up, review, and career discussion.

Readings in Order of Topic:

Introduction to Anthropology:
o Introducing Anthropology: An Integrated Approach by Michael Park, 2013.
ISBN: 978-0078035067.
o Note: We will refer back to this text throughout the course.

Cultural Anthropology:
o The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut by Nigel
Barley, 2000. ISBN: 978-1577661566.

Linguistics:
o Selections from The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates
Language by Stephen Pinker, 1994. ISBN: 0-688-12141-1.
o Selections from What Language Is (And What it Isn't and What
it Could Be) by John McWhorter, 2011. ISBN: 9781592406258.

Archaeology:
o Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological
Theory by Adrian Praetzellis, 2011. ISBN: 978075911958.
o Dug to Death: A Tale of Archaeological Method and
Mayhem by Adrian Praetzellis, 2003. ISBN: 9780759104075.

Biological Anthropology:
o What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee: Apes, People and
Their Genes by Jonathan Marks, 2003. ISBN: 9780520240643.

Careers in Anthropology:
o Careers in Anthropology by the American Anthropological Association.
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