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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ANTHROPOLOGY
(ANT)

1001 Freshman Topics in Anthropology
(1-1) 1 hour credit.
Required for entering freshmen in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts with less than 15 hours of coursework and who are interested in majoring in Anthropology. Critical study of topics in anthropology. Innovative classroom and learning techniques are used to introduce students to these topics and to help strengthen critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours of freshman topics courses may apply to a bachelor’s degree, although this specific topic may be taken only once.

1013 Introduction to Anthropology [TCCN: ANTH 2346.]
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The study of human culture, past and present; its origin, development, and contemporary change; and the exploration of human physical and cultural differences using the paradigm of adaptation.

2033 Introduction to Physical Anthropology [TCCN: ANTH 2301.]
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examines basic issues, concepts, and orientations of physical anthropology, regarding human development and variation both past and present, as well as the relationship between human biology and culture.

2043 Introduction to Archaeology [TCCN: ANTH 2302.]
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A problem-solving approach to classic and contemporary questions in archaeology. The nature of anthropological inquiry as reflected in the field is stressed.

2053 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology [TCCN: ANTH 2351.]
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course discusses culture and other basic anthropological concepts and their use in understanding variation in economy, social structure, and ideology. Ethnographic descriptions provide examples of cross-cultural variation. Attention is also given to processes governing culture continuity and change. (Formerly ANT 2023. Credit cannot be earned for both ANT 2053 and ANT 2023.)

2063 Language, Thought, and Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course surveys anthropological approaches to the study of language, emphasizing the relation between language and world view, and the social uses of speech. Instruction is given in the fundamentals of descriptive linguistics. The biological basis of language and patterns of historical development are also examined. (Formerly ANT 2023. Credit cannot be earned for both ANT 2063 and ANT 2023.)

3103 Social Organization
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Comparative analysis of family and social organization, primarily among non-literate peoples.

3133 Ritual and Symbol
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
An examination of rituals—highly stereotyped, stylized, and repetitive acts usually taking place in carefully selected locations and marked by use of material items. Students will be offered an introduction to symbolic anthropology through the study of ritual and its material culture.

3153 Indians of the Great Plains
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
An examination of the fundamental cultural transformation and flourishing of Native American societies of the Great Plains following the introduction of the horse. Attention is also given to the subsequent retrenchment under the imposition of Anglo-American dominance, and the recent emergence of new forms of cultural expression within tribal and urban areas.

3173 Ethnomedicine: Theory and Applications
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Integration of sociocultural and medical approaches to health maintenance based on cross-cultural and contemporary urban research. Evidence for the efficacy of non-Western medical practices, the interaction of medical systems in biethnic social situations, cross-cultural studies of mental health and the analysis of cross-ethnic programs of medical care receive attention.

3223 Cultural Ecology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Human adaptation to the environment and interaction with it, comparing simple and complex societies in various environmental contexts.

3253 The Archeology of South America
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2043 recommended.
The origins and development of the native cultures of South America, and their relationships to the cultural areas of Central America and the Caribbean. Emphasis on the variety of cultural forms and cultural evolution. The roles of demography, subsistence systems, militarism, religion, and other factors in the rise of South American cultures may be discussed.

3263 Archaeology of North America
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2043 recommended.
Survey of prehistoric cultures in North America from earliest times to historic contact. May include discussion of Ice Age mammoth hunters, Eastern mound-building cultures, Southwestern pueblo cultures, and Plains bison hunters. Chronology, sites, settlement and subsistence patterns, and recent research issues may be considered.

3273 Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2043 recommended.
Examination of the development of the ancient civilizations of Guatemala, Mexico, and Central America: Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, Aztec, and Zapotec, among others.

3293 Research Methods in Anthropology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: ANT 1013 and completion of Core Curriculum requirement in mathematics; ANT 2043 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Quantitative analysis and computer applications as used in anthropological research.

3323 Native American Art
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
A survey of the traditional arts of Native Americans north of the Rio Grande, focusing on case studies from the Arctic, the Northwest Coast, the Great Plains, the Southwest, and the Northeast. Arts of the sacred and the secular, the domestic and the political, and the ceremonial and the commercial are examined from precontact to the present day.

3333 Physical Anthropology of Human Populations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2033 recommended.
Examines the biological variability of living populations; includes genetics, anatomy, demography, and change within a physical anthropology framework.

3353 Anthropology of American Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Presents anthropological approaches to the modern and postmodern United States. Case studies in social structure, language, and ideology are examined. Attention is given to the extent and limits of cultural variation and to cultures both in and outside the mainstream.

3363 Indians of Mesoamerica
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
A survey of the development, content, and variety of Mesoamerican Indian cultures from before the Spanish conquest to the present. Emphasis is placed on the cultural responses of the Indian peoples to the pressures of the Spanish and National regimes.

3383 Folklore and Folklife
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Examines vernacular arts, crafts, and customs and their function in the maintenance of group identity. National, regional, ethnic, and occupational traditions are investigated. Attention is given to texts such as legends, myths, and ballads, as well as folk performance, clothing, architecture, and foodways.

3403,6 Field Course in Archaeology
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing, consent of instructor, and at least one previous anthropology or archaeology course.
Offers the opportunity to gain intensive training in archaeological field methods: excavation, site survey, mapping, sampling, and interpretation. Additional fees are required. May be repeated for credit with advisor’s permission, but not more than 6 semester credit hours may be applied to a major in anthropology.

3413 The Fieldwork Experience
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 2053 or consent of instructor.
Drawing upon the field experiences of major figures in anthropology, the course explores the scientific and humanistic aspects of research in cultural anthropology. Ethnographic methods and techniques are discussed, with emphasis on participant observation and ethical considerations.

3503 Human Origins
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2033 recommended.
The fossil record of human emergence and comparative studies of human evolution. Evolution of social organization, technology, and language development to the end of the Ice Age.

3513 The Human Skeleton
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2033 recommended.
Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in the study and analysis of human osteological remains. Applications of skeletal analysis in a variety of fields are considered, including physical anthropology and archaeological demography.

3523 Medical Anthropology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013, ANT 2033, or ANT 2053 recommended.
This course approaches the study of health and disease patterns in human populations through the combined perspectives of culture, biology, and ecology.

3603 Sex, Gender, and Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2033 recommended.
Examination of the biological and cultural sources of differences between men and women.

3663 Hunters and Gatherers
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013, ANT 2043, or ANT 2053 recommended.
The study of lifeways of hunting and gathering peoples around the world. Emphasis is placed on archaeological approaches to past hunting and gathering societies. Cross-cultural analyses utilizing ethnographic and archaeological data within an ecological context are emphasized.

3673 Ancient Civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, and Europe
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2043 recommended.
Development of agriculture and village life; beginnings of civilization in the Near East and Mediterranean as compared with Mesoamerica, India, and China; rise of civilization in the Nile Valley.

3713 Material Culture Systems
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: ANT 2043 required and ANT 2053 recommended.
This course surveys the role of material culture in human social systems of the past and present. Archaeological, historical, and ethnographic case studies are used to illustrate how the material world is variously woven into the fabric of culture.

3723 Ancient Complex Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: ANT 2043 required and ANT 3273 or ANT 3673 recommended.
Cross-cultural exploration of social, economic, and political institutions found in ancient complex societies. Archaeological evidence is used to examine sources of variation in the development and organization of complexity. Comparisons are drawn from the ancient civilizations of South America, Mesoamerica, Africa, and Asia.

3733 Political and Legal Anthropology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Comparative political and legal systems; forms of authority, legitimacy, and power. Major trends in anthropological thought are explored with emphasis on the political uses of myth, symbol, and ritual. Law and judicial processes are examined in Western and non-Western societies.

3803 Media, Power, and Public Culture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Film and media images facilitate the production, consumption, and circulation of ideas and practices in the United States and cross-culturally. The course traces the history and meaning of various communication technologies and their impact on culture. It will examine print, film, television, new digital media and the Internet, asking how these are used to create and perpetuate dominant cultural forms as well as how these are appropriated and used by people on the margins as critique and resistance. In an increasingly media-dominated world—mass advertising, indigenous film as political resistance, politics as media campaigns, DVD productions by gangs and terrorist organizations—understanding the relationship between media and culture is a critical dimension of the professional knowledge of our future.

3813 Business, Culture, and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
This course examines how anthropological concepts and methods are used to understand and improve work conditions, corporate culture, and marketing; and how businesses can be better integrated into global markets by understanding the cultures of international business partners.

3823 Applied Anthropology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Applied cultural anthropology directly addresses the needs and problems of communities and organizations throughout the world. Topics include the history of applied anthropology; a conceptual framework for understanding the different styles of applied research; methods of applied anthropology; domains of applied anthropology: international development, medicine, education, business, criminal justice, and the environment; career options and becoming a professional.

3833 Indians of Texas
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Ethnological survey of the Indian populations of Texas from the early historic period to the present. (Formerly ANT 4133. Credit cannot be earned for both ANT 3833 and ANT 4133.)

3843 Introduction to Primate Diversity
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course offers a broad survey of the social behavior and ecology of the living primates. It begins with a survey of primate taxonomy, drawing distinctions among prosimians, monkeys, and apes. The course concludes with consideration of what the study of non-human primates can tell us about human evolution.

3853 Modern Ape Behavior and Ecology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Modern apes show considerable diversity in their behavioral and morphological adaptations. This course focuses on the major theoretical approaches to understanding the biological variation within this primate group. The question of whether great apes exhibit culture is also discussed.

3863 The Evolution of Human Nature
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A central concept in the evolution of human behavior is the idea that our brains, like our bodies, have been shaped by natural selection. The extent to which this factor influences the diverse behavior of modern humans is a topic of considerable debate. This course takes a critical look at different attempts to explain human behavior based on adaptive design.

3873 Food, Culture, and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course explores the relationship between food and culture in diverse societies throughout the world. By examining food, food practices, and the meanings associated with food we can better understand how people live, how they define themselves in terms of ethnicity, gender, or class, and how they think of themselves relative to nature. Topics include the variation of food habits, global food system, and world hunger.

3883 Death and Dying
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013, ANT 2043, or ANT 2053 recommended.
Cross-cultural approaches to death, dying, and bereavement with a focus on either contemporary or prehistoric cultures depending on instructor’s emphasis. When exploring contemporary cultures, attention will be given to the emotional, social and ethical issues of dying, and the social organization of death and dying. When exploring prehistoric groups, attention will be given to conceptualizing death through diverse funerary practices, body treatment of the deceased, and religious principles involved with death. In both cases, the course seeks to provide a comparative understanding of death and its wider social implications. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval when topic varies.

3903 Introduction to Linguistics
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Basic principles of analysis and description of the structure of language, including sound system, word order, and meaning. Also overview of selected subfields of linguistics, such as historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, and bilingualism. (Same as LNG 3813 and ENG 3343. Credit cannot be earned for more than one of these courses.)

4113 Archaeology of Texas
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 2043, ANT 3263, or ANT 3663 recommended.
Detailed review of prehistoric and historic aboriginal cultures of Texas and adjacent areas; current trends in Texas archaeology; examination of artifacts; and field trips to local prehistoric sites.

4123 Archaeology of the American Southwest
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 2043 or ANT 3263 recommended.
Consideration of the prehistoric cultures in the American Southwest and northern Mexico from the earliest occupations to European contact. Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Mogollon, Anasazi, and Hohokam occupations are reviewed with a consideration of recent research directions and theory.

4243 Ethnographic Film
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Critique of major ethnographic films, concentrating on field methodology, production values, and the issue of representation.

4263 Social and Cultural Change
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ANT 1013 or ANT 2053 recommended.
Anthropological perspectives on the nature, causes, and consequences of social and cultural change, with an emphasis on how local cultures are shaped by and resist the process of globalization.

4403 Laboratory Analysis in Anthropology
(0-6) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: ANT 3403 or ANT 3406, and completion of the Core Curriculum requirement in science.
Supervised analysis of field data; methods of analysis; research techniques; and preparation of reports. May be repeated for an additional 3 semester credit hours with consent of instructor.

4911-3 Independent Study
1 to 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4933,6 Internship in Anthropology
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of internship coordinator.
Supervised experience relevant to anthropology within selected community organizations. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through Internship in Anthropology. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis.

4953 Special Studies in Anthropology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4983 Anthropology Honors Research
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Enrollment limited to candidates for Department Honors during their last two semesters; approval of the Department faculty.
Supervised individual research and preparation of a major paper in support of Department Honors. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval.

4993 Honors Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Enrollment limited to candidates for University Honors in Anthropology during their last two semesters; and consent of the Honors College.
Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval.

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