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Course Descriptions- This is a complete list of all courses created for instruction. This list does not reflect the current courses being taught. Please refer to “Course Schedule”.

Anthro 101: Indigenous Wisconsin

3 credits An interdisciplinary introduction to the history, culture, and sovereignty of American Indians through the disciplines of Anthropology, Business, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology. 

Anthro 102: Introduction to Anthropology
3 credits Basic concepts from the various areas of study within anthropology (cultural, linguistic, biological, and Archaeological) brought together to examine and explain, in an integrated fashion, aspects of the human condition.
Anthro 105: Biological Anthropology Survey

3 credits A study of evolutionary theory, the place of humans in the primate order, the fossil evidence for human evolution and interpretation of that evidence, the biological and genetic basis of human variation, and possible other topics of human biology. 

Anthro 110: Food, Culture and Identity

3 credits Food is the very core of life and one of the most culturally prescribed areas of human experience. This course will study the role of food in human history, and the biocultural construction of what is classified as food. We will examine the meaning of food across cultures with particular attention to how cultural and ethnic (e.g., Asian American, Native American) identities are associated with particular types of food. Rituals, religions, and family celebrations, and secular holidays all include the deliberate preparation, serving and sharing of food (or abstinence from food). We will explore food consumption and health, the gendered dimension of food, and the social hierarchies and power relations associated with the commodification of food. Class projects are designed to connect the student to various community and ethnic groups through the study of farmer’s markets, food banks, stores and restaurants. We will think about food in new and provocative ways and in the process practically apply theoretical concepts. 

Anthro 122: Living and Learning in a Global Community (formerly World Ethnography)

3 credits This course engages the particular approaches and methods of Cultural Anthropology to investigate the global processes that affect the lives and experiences of people around the world.  This course also emphasizes the creative and complex ways individuals have responded to globalization that preserve, change, and hybridize their cultures to ensure their own survival.

 

Anthro 123: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.

3 credits An analytical and descriptive survey of selected cultures representative of major American ethnic groups.

Anthro 150: Archaeology of the Ancient World

3 credits A survey of important archaeological sites and data illustrating the important changes in subsistence practices, settlement patterns, and social-political organizations for humans over the past 2.5 million years. This includes the emergence of human culture, the development of the modern mind, the transition to agriculture and the development of urbanism. We will explore some of the most significant archaeological sites around the globe and the people who built them, for example, the ancient people who built the enormous pyramids of Egypt and Mexico, hunted woolly mammoths during the Ice Age, created sprawling cities in Mesopotamia and Africa, and erected the large stones at Stonehenge. By looking back at people of the past students will acquire knowledge of and appreciation for the diverse beliefs, ideas, traditions, and social, political, and economic systems around the world and throughout time. Additionally, students will be able to recognize the construction of identity as shaped by cultural heritage and patterns of power or privilege in the past and present.

Anthro 202: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

4 credits Physical anthropology is the study of the human biology and behavior in the framework of evolution. This course provides an introduction to the scientific approaches and methods used by physical anthropologists, including evolutionary theory and the mechanisms of heredity, the ecology and behavior of nonhuman primates and what they can teach us about human origins, the fossil evidence for human evolution, and modern human variation and adaptation. Students should leave this class with a broader understanding of humanity’s place in nature and a grasp of our unique evolutionary history. (3+2)

Anthro 203: Human Skeleton

3 credits Individual bones and teeth, possibly including ancient as well as modern specimens; sex and age differences; continuous and discontinuous morphological variation of geographically and ethnically diverse populations; stature reconstruction; forensic aspects of individual identification; lab training in observations, measurement, and analysis. 

Anthro 204: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

3 credits Focusing on the concept of ‘culture’, the course discusses the aims, methods, and achievements of anthropological research and presents a general model for comprehending human society.          


Note: This class was formerly known as Anthropology 232.

Anthro 206: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

3 credits In this course, students will develop knowledge and skills in the theories, research methods, and modes of analysis of linguistic anthropology. The course focuses on how linguistic anthropologists attend to elements of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semiotics to better understand speech in social and cultural contexts. How does language and speech reflect and emerge from social relations and cultural beliefs and practices? In turn, how does speech and language impact and shape culture, social relationships, hierarchy, power, inequality, resistance, and more? To this end, the course emphasizes approaches such as verbal art as performance and ethnography of speaking and includes topics such as constructed languages, code-switching, linguistic revitalization, speech and identity, and the intersections of race, gender, and speech.


Note: This class was formerly known as Anthropology 274.

Anthro 208: Introduction to Archaeology
3 credits An introduction to the study of humanity’s past and how archaeologists retrieve, process, analyze and interpret surviving prehistoric materials.
Anthro 210: Food and Nutrition in a Global Society

3 credits This course will study the relationships between agricultural practices, food distribution and consumption, nutrition, and socio-cultural dietary practices within a global perspective. Emphasis is on the complex issues related to the changing diet and health of populations within an era of globalization and international food markets. Utilizing case studies special attention will be given to how societies are redefining their foodscapes and identifying strategies for addressing issues of food sustainability. 

Anthro 220: Culture and Health
3 credits This course is focused on anthropological approaches used to explore the dynamic relationship between culture and health.  Throughout the semester, students will also assess how certain cultural practices, economic systems, and forms of political organization either prevent or contribute to the creation of a more sustainable world.
Anthro 224: What is Human Nature?

3 credits This course examines what anthropology can tell us about “human nature.” Anthropology is the study of humanity, from our evolutionary roots millions of years ago to the diversity of human cultures and beliefs today. Understanding how the interaction between culture and biology shapes human beings (the biocultural perspective) the core of what anthropologists do. This class will apply this biocultural perspective to “big questions” about human behavior: Are we compassionate and cooperative, warlike and violent, or both? What kinds of social system/groups “should” humans live in- monogamous or polyamorous, nuclear or extended families, or something else? This course is a 3 credit Quest II course in USP. 

Anthro 225: Celebrating Culture through the Arts
3 credits This course will focus on community engagement with people of diverse ethnic groups utilizing anthropological approaches to visual art, music, and dance. Students will examine how people of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds communicate through visual art, music and dance about issues such as gender, family, identity, tradition, historical consciousness, ideology, experience and more. Students will engage in diverse settings utilizing ethnographic methods and participating in the local community.
Anthro 300: Topics in Anthropology

 1-6 credits A variable topics course covering a theme of current interest in anthropology. Each time the course is offered, the topic and number of credit hours will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated with different content.

For Fall ’18:  Global Landscapes in Aging This course will acquaint students with experiences of aging across cultures and will examine the intersection of local cultural beliefs and practices centered on aging with wider policies and global dynamics.  This cross-cultural analysis destabilizes and challenges stereotypes, helps build empathy, and critically examines our own beliefs and practices surrounding aging.  Through this course, students will develop knowledge and skills concerning the fast-growing, global elder population.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 300/Women & Gender Studies. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 301: Reading Theory

3 credits This is a mid-level theory course designed to prepare students to read and analyze theory in Anthropology. The topics and instructors are variable; however, the goal is to understand theory, both in broad concept and in particular cases.

Anthro 302: Quantitative Methods in Anthropology

3 credits Anthropological research across the four subfields requires the collection and analysis of quantitative data. Typically, such datasets are relatively meaningless without statistical analysis. Statistics in anthropology can be broken down into two categories: procedures that describe datasets and methods for testing hypotheses. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to both of these categories and provides examples throughout the semester of data from all four subfields. In this course, students will develop a background in statistics necessary to critically evaluate Anthropological literature. Students will develop their research skills in data collection and testing hypotheses so that they may design their own original research projects.  Pre-requisites: Two of the following courses: Anthropology 202, 204, 206, or 208; or consent of instructor. 

Anthro 304: Writing for the Social Sciences

3 credits This course focuses on developing skills in writing, especially for research in the social sciences. In the course, students proceed through writing based assignments that target specific skills including:  identifying thesis statements, arguments, and evidence; developing research questions and thesis statements; completing a literature review and identifying a project’s contributions and significance; building strong arguments; evaluating, summarizing, and synthesizing information from different sources; supporting arguments with evidence; citation; distinguishing voice; and strengthening argument through organization and language. In this way, the course targets developing transferable writing skills that students may use in any research project. Each student will be able to tailor this course to their specific interests by choosing, in consultation with the instructor, paper topics and reading through which they will explore and develop their research and writing skills. 

Anthro 308: Race and Human Variation

3 credits This course explores what studies of human biological variation can tell us about the reality of race. We first deconstruct the concept of race, examining the history of race in the United States and how biology has been used to justify racial categories and oppression. Then we examine what studies of modern human genetics and biology tell us about the biological validity of racial categories. We trace the evolutionary history of modern humans, from their origins in Africa to their spread to every corner of the globe. Topics include genetic variation, skin color, height, and adaptation to altitude and disease. We then discuss the implication of this variation for the concept of race and how racial categories impact our lives in the United States (covering issues such as genetic ancestry testing, IQ, racially based medicine and persistent social inequalities).

Anthro 310: Anthropology and Film
3 credits A survey of anthropological films, focusing on the ways that filmmaking and ethnographic authority have developed together through time No formal prerequisites, however, students should be aware of the basic anthropological concepts presented in the department’s lower-division courses.
Anthro 312: Native North America: Contemporary Issues, Culture and History

3 credits The course is primarily a description of North American Indian culture past and present. In connection with this, diverse Indian life-ways are covered in reading, lecture and audio/visual presentations. This course deals inevitably with how these life-ways and cultures similar to and different from western life-ways and culture. It deals with Indian-white relations, genocide, culturecide, ethnocentrism, bias, pluralism, assimilation, cultural pluralism and so on.

Anthro 314: Native American Women

3 credits This class explores the diverse experiences, perspectives, histories, cultures and contemporary issues of Native North American women as well as the ethics of research and representation. Relevant topics include family and gender roles, health, alcoholism, education, language, cultural preservation and change. Examples will be drawn from ethnography, ethnohistory and autobiography.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 314/Women & Gender Studies 314. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 318: Peoples and Cultures of Southern Asia
3 credits A description and analysis of societies and cultures in southern Asia with special emphasis on the Indian subcontinent and insular and mainland Southeast Asia.
Anthro 322: People and Cultures of Africa
3 credits A description and analysis of societies and cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Anthro 324: Latino Culture and Society

3 credits This course discusses a survey of Chicano social and cultural adaptations to present day American society. Economic, political, social, educational, religious and other factors in Chicano communities, both rural and urban. Topics as discrimination, minority group status and relations with the larger society will be considered.

Anthro 325: Displacement and refugees

3 credits People move for a variety of reasons: in search of territory to forage, fields to till, spouses to marry, enemies to fight, material and symbolic valuable to acquire, or looking for a refuge due to a fear of harm to their well-being in their habitual places of residence. In this global scholar course offered by the anthropology program, our orientation is toward a particular form of human movement and its consequences: forced displacement and refugees/asylum seekers. We begin by inquiring into the main conceptual and typological issues regarding human mobility and coercion. We then examine the global history of displacements by offering an inventory of forced migration in the recent past. We will also analyze issues of gender, sociocultural integration, coping mechanisms, transnational identities, and socioeconomic processes as they relate to displacement and refugees in different parts of the world. 

Anthro 327: Museum Studies

3 credits An introduction to the
standard practices and methods of the museum and art gallery profession: planning, promotion, and publicity; development of educational materials and programs; exhibition design and installation; proper handling and treatment of works of art and historical artifacts. Pre-requisites: Art 209 or Art 210 or junior standing or consent of instructor. If pre-requisites involve a course from another department, please ask department chair to sign off.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 327/Art 327. Students may only receive credit for one of the two courses listed.

Anthro 328: Peasant & Contemporary Cultures of Latin America
Anthro 332: Magic and Religion
3 credits The analysis and description of religious beliefs and practices in non-literate and literate societies.
Anthro 335: Political Resistance

3 credits As Cultural Anthropologists, we are committed to exploring the complex webs of social relations, beliefs, and behaviors through which humanity makes the world into a meaningful and coherent place. Part of understanding the larger world around us is to understand the structure from which our cultures are informed and from which our cultures form. With structures come governing bodies, policies, etc., that outline ways in which communities should behave, operate, and progress. With such bodies and policies come negotiations and at times these negotiations come in the form of resistance. This course explores a limited sample of political resistance during a particular time in history, the policies and infrastructure that was formed, cultural dynamics, inequality and how these informed the cultural responses. As a class, we will utilize the lens of historical particularism to understand the contemporary political climate and forms of resistance today. In other words, what does the past tell us about our present and our future.

Anthro 339: Hindu Myth and Ritual

3 credits Working within the diversity of the Hindu tradition and beyond the stereotypical mysticism that Westerners often attribute to this tradition is a vibrant current of mythic narratives and ritual performances. In this class we will look at the various ways that Hindu myths and rituals serve as integral components of the daily lives of Hindu people and will take up such issues as how Hindus properly worship images, how Hindu deities can take on human form, and why the goddess Durga slays the buffalo demon.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 339/Global Religions 340. Students can only receive credits for one of the two courses listed.

Anthro 340: Culture and Personality
3 credits A review of cultural personality literature with special attention given to personality development within contemporary American subculture units.
Anthro 343: Masculinity Across Cultures

3 credits By taking a cross-cultural approach with examples from all over the world, this course aims to integrate notions of masculinity that have become naturalized in wider American society. Some of the topics of the course may include issues of men and violence, emotion, invulnerability, independence, kinship, the body, transgender sexuality, masculinity and national identity and rights of passage. The course will examine the relationships between particular masculinities, femininities and gendered hierarchies, power and inequality in culture and society. Implicit in all these discussions will be the relationships between men and women, definitions of masculinity and femininity, gender, gender roles and expectations and how factors of race, class and gender shape definitions and expressions of masculinity.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 343/Women’s Studies 343 Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.  

Anthro 342: Expressive Culture
3 credits This course will delve into the anthropological study of a broad range of expressive practices including visual art, material culture, body decoration, display events such as pageants and folk festivals, music, dance, and verbal art such as storytelling. The course will explore how through expressive practices we communicate about identity, historical consciousness, ethnicity, gender, and much more. The course will investigate how socio-cultural factors influence our definitions, practices, and meanings or art and performance. Conversely, we will explore how culture and social relations emerge out of the artistic production and performance.
Anthro 344: Kinship, Gender and Sexuality

3 credits Examination of comparative gender roles and the behavior, status, and economic position of the sexes in cultural groups other than contemporary U.S. society.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 344/ Women & Gender Studies 344. Students may receive credit for only one of the cross-listed courses.

Anthro 346: Indigenous Peoples, National Parks and Protected Areas

3 credits This course explores the historical and contemporary relationships of Indigenous Peoples, National Parks and Protected Areas. This course will look at Indigenous peoples of the United States and globally, whom have been directly impacted by the creation of the spaces of “wilderness”. More specifically, this course will peel back the layers of the stated intentions of the conservation, environmentalism and preservation of National Parks and Protected Areas and the often glossed over or excluded question of “at what cost”. This will challenge students to deconstruct the romantic cultural expressions of the pristine; explore the power dynamics (political, financial, social, etc.) at play in the creation and perpetuation of these spaces, the reclamation of cultural interactions with these spaces, and the question of where we go from here.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 346/Environmental Studies 346/Indigenous Studies 346. Students may receive credit for only one of the three cross-listed courses. 

Anthro 347: Indigenization, Economy and Environmentalism

3 credits This course explores the interconnected relationships of our economy, nature and culture as expressed in the Indigenizing of space and place. We will examine the shared belief systems and political factors that influence how we as humans at large and Indigenous peoples more specifically, interact with our biophysical environment to solve the production, distribution, and consumption needs in society. Specifically focusing on Indigenous voices, experiences and lessons, we will travel through the anthropological foundations of culture, nature and economy; the theoretical underpinnings of cultural ecology and globalization; the importance of situated knowledge; Indigenous “environmentalism” and glocalization; and attempt to process the adage “where do we go from here”.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 347/Environmental Studies 347/Indigenous Studies 347. Students may receive credit for only one of the three cross-listed courses.

Anthro 348: Economy, Nature and Culture
3 credits A comparative survey and analysis of differing modes of acquisition, allocation and distribution of scarce resources in primarily pre-industrial societies of differing levels of socio-cultural integration and in differing time frames.
Anthro 349: Archaeology of Gender

3 credits This course is a survey of the archaeology of gender; that is how cultural norms, ideals, rules, and expectations about gender shaped personal identity, experience, and relationships in the past. People in the past and present configure gender roles and relations in a multitude of ways, which has led to great diversity in cultures around the world and throughout time, Students will be introduced to the development of the archaeology of gender including the theories and methods applied to studies of gender in the past. In this course we will also address thematic topics including gender performance, masculinity, femininity, and non-binary identities, gendered labor, status and power, as well as sexuality and reproductions. Pre-requisites: Women’s & Gender Studies 201.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 349/Women’s & Gender Studies 349. Students will receive credit for only one of the two courses listed.

Anthro 350: Ethnographic Methods

3 credits This course introduces students to the theory of research in cultural anthropology beginning with an examination of basic principles followed by the development of skills in ethnographic research techniques. Students will complete field projects. Prerequisites: Junior standing, Anthropology 232, Anthropology 274 or consent of instructor. 

Cross-Listed: Anthropology 350/Social Justice 350. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 351: Archaeology of Death

3 credits This course is a survey of mortuary archaeology, that is how cultural norms, social relations, belief systems, and ideas about life and death shaped mortuary practices in the past. In this course. we will look at death and the body in terms of ideas about mortality, afterlives, and social identity. We will also address the fact that the dead do not bury themselves, and practices, surrounding death do not reflect solely on the individual but can tell us about broader social, political, economic, and religious systems.

Anthro 352: Old World Archaeology
3 credits A survey of human cultural and biological development in Africa, Asia and Europe as evidenced in archaeological records from the earliest beginnings to the achievement of civilizations. Prerequisite: Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.
Anthro 354: Archaeology of North America

3 credits A survey of prehistory in the New World from the earliest migrations to Columbian times, with special emphasis on North America. Prerequisite: Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.

Anthro 355: Wisconsin Archaeology
3 credits This course is a survey of the archaeological record of Wisconsin, starting with the earliest documented inhabitants just before the end of the Pleistocene and proceeding chronologically to recent times. While the overwhelming majority of the course will focus on the archaeological record of prehistoric and historic Native Americans, Euro-American, African-American archaeology is also included. Prerequisite: Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.
Anthro 356: Preindustrial Technology
3 credits Analysis of material culture of primitive people, historical development and distribution; technique and methods of manufacture; use and function within society. Prerequisite: Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.
Anthro 358: Archaeological Theory
3 credits A survey of the methodology used in developing archaeological data through excavation and analysis and an examination of the theory upon which these methods are based. Prerequisite: Anthropology 250: Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.
Anthro 359: Fantastic Archaeology
3 credits Fantastic Archaeology describes those claims and interpretations about the archaeological records that are outside the orthodox mainstream of the scholarly and professional world of archaeology. This can range from the new, and as yet untested and unaccepted theories that may eventually be the orthodox interpretations in the future to the outrageous that can be easily refuted with a careful and rigorous evaluation of the data. The entire range of competing, non-orthodox interpretations of the archaeological record are considered in this course. Prerequisites: Anthropology 250:Introduction to Archaeology or consent of instructor.
Anthro 360: Mesoamerican Culture
3 credits Comparative study of cultural development in ancient Mexico and Central America from pre-Columbian to modern times.
Anthro 362/562: Field Work in Archaeology
1-8 credits Students will be allowed to repeat this course for credit (although only 8 credits can be counted toward the 34 credit minimum required for the Anthropology Major or the 24 credit minimum required for the Minor). Prerequisite: Anthropology 250 or consent of instructor.
Anthro 363: Archaeological Analysis (SS)
3 credits Fundamentals of archaeological analysis. Actual analysis of archaeological materials excavated by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Summer Field School and problems of description, classification, association and interpretation. Prerequisites: Introduction to Archaeology (Anthropology 250) or Theory and Method of Archaeology (Anthropology 358) or consent of instructor. (2+2)
Anthro 366: The Evolution of Human Language
3 credits This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of the nature and emergence of human language, “the most human thing about being human”. We will examine the cognitive, neurological and genetic underpinnings of language, and evidence for its biological innateness in human beings. We will investigate the key characteristics of human language and their possible basis in the abilities of other animals, focusing particularly on language studies with the great apes. We also will examine the fossil and archaeological record of human evolution for anatomical and cultural clues as to when and why language might have evolved. Finally, we will discuss how the first language(s) might have morphed into the over six thousand languages spoken by human beings today.
Anthro 368: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conservation

3 credits This course focuses on the most central issue in the conservation of wildlife: people. This course will integrate perspectives from conservation biology and environmental anthropology, focusing particularly on the interaction between humans and the environment and how this influences the effectiveness and appropriateness of measure taken to preserve biodiversity. The course includes a discussion of perspectives on the value of biodiversity; a careful exploration of human-generated threats to biodiversity, including habitat destruction, over-hunting, the wildlife trade, invasive species and global warming; and an extensive overview and critique of conservation solutions, such as, the creation of protected areas, community-based conservation, eco-tourism, economic incentives programs, debt-for-nature swaps and more. The effects of globalization on international conservation will be an integral part of this discussion.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 368/Environmental Studies 368 Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 372: Primate Behavior and Ecology

3 credits This course is designed to introduce students to our closest living relatives, the nonhuman primates (monkeys, apes and prosimians). This course will focus on primate diversity and characteristics, ecology, social behavior, communication, cognition and conservation. We will also discuss the relevance of primate studies to understanding human evolution. This course will involve at least one field trip to the Milwaukee Zoo.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 372/Environmental Studies 372. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 374: Human Osteology

3 credits This course focuses on the human skeleton and the data it provides forensic anthropologists, paleoanthropologists, and archaeologists. Skeletal and dental anatomy is covered in detail, with special attention given to anthropologically important aspects of specific bones and teeth. Students will also learn how to recover bone from forensic and archaeological contexts, recognize bone fragments, estimate age-at-death, sex, and biological affinity from skeletal elements, diagnose bone pathologies, collect metric data, and identify trauma.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 374/Criminal Justice 374. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 377: Forensic Anthropology

3 credits  In this course, students will be introduced to the methods and analytical techniques of forensic anthropology.  The topics covered will include the stages of soft tissue decomposition, estimation of the post-mortem interval, forensic entomology, using skeletal elements to estimate demographic information, forensic odontology, skeletal trauma, and determining the cause of death.  Additionally, students will analyze simulated forensic cases using real human skeletons and learn to construct case reports for law enforcement agencies.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 377/Criminal Justice 377. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 378: Human Evolution
3 credits Analysis of the bio-cultural developmental history of human populations in an ecological context. Human genetics and human paleontology and the biological nature and development of Homo sapiens will be explored in lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: Anthropology 202. (2+2)
Anthro 380: Globalization

3 credits “Globalization” has become an all-encompassing term for describing a series of processes that are reshaping the society, economy, politics, culture and environment of the planet. This course will introduce some of the main, often competing perspectives on globalization. Through intensive readings and discussion, we will try to understand the ways in which the local perspectives on globalization. Through intensive readings and discussion, we will try to understand the ways in which the local and the global are increasingly intertwined and to assess both the risks and the promises of the global society that lies ahead.

Cross-Listed: Anthropology 380/Environmental Studies 380. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 381: Anthropology and Tourism

3 credits Tourism is among the world’s largest industries, generating trillions of dollars in annual revenues and employing millions, has a direct impact on our natural environment and resources, and informs cultural identity and meaning for individuals and groups alike. The anthropological examination of tourism seeks to understand the relationships between the industry and other cultural productions, often mitigated by the environment. In this course, we will explore the cultural practices and impacts of tourism in relation to both host and guest communities and travel itself as a part of culture. We will ask questions such as “Who are tourists? Who are the hosts and guests? What are the motivators or felt needs of the consumer and provider? What are the power structures at play? What role does anthropology play in/for tourism? Etc. We will explore various forms of tourism such as indigenous tourism, spiritual tourism, ecotourism, dark tourism, heritage tourism and more, through various theoretical lenses, giving attention to gender, ethnicity, nationalism, class, as well as environmental and economic impacts.

Cross-listed: Anthropology 381/Environmental Studies 381. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 382: Food: A Bio-cultural, Socioeconomic Examination

3 credits Why do we eat what we do? The fundamental question guides an exploration of the relation between food and people: biologically, economically, socially, and culturally. The course critically examines the “unnatural” current state of food and its impact on humans and the environment. The course also provides practical knowledge of food, food production, and nutrition with which students can make informed decisions about their food.

Anthro 384: Urban Anthropology
3 credits The development and structure of urban societies.  The course will focus mainly upon recent anthropological research concerning the problems of complex societies.
Anthro 386: Ethnography of Communication

3 credits This course emphasizes the dual functionality of the ethnography of communication, approaching EOC as both a theory for explaining human communication as well as a method for generating and collecting situated cultural discourses.  Students will read, discuss, and critique ethnographic accounts that theorize the uses and meanings of various communicative phenomena.

Cross-Listed: Anthropology 386/Comm 386. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Anthro 394: Field Experience
1-6 credits This is a field research course. Students are given the opportunity to travel to a field site(s), collect date and consider theoretical conclusions. This course is field-based and requires travel. It may be taken or repeated for up to 6 credits. Prerequisite: consent on instructor.
Anthro 400: Senior Seminar
3 credits This course serves as the culminating capstone experience for Anthropology Majors by integrating students’ training throughout their career in the program.  Pre-requisites: ANT 202, ANT 204, ANT 206, ANT 208, ANT 301, one of the following: ANT 350, ANT 362, ANT 363, ANT 377, or ANT 394
Anthro 446: Independent Study
1-3 credits See Independent Study under Course and Academic Advisement Policies information for general course description, general prerequisites and proper contract form requirements.
Anthro 456: Related Readings
1-3 credits See Related Readings under Course and Academic Advisement Policies for general course description, general prerequisites and proper contract from requirements.
Anthro 494: History of Anthropological Thought
3 credits A survey of the history and development of theories and methods in Social and Cultural Anthropology. The intellectual contexts out of which Anthropology developed and the permanence of early theorists and methods in contemporary anthropological research. Prerequisites: Physical Anthropology 202, Cultural Anthropology 232, Intro Archaeology 250, Language and Culture 274; and junior standing or consent of instructor.
Global Religions 102: World Religions

3 credits

A historical survey of the basic experiential, mythical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual and social dimensions in the world’s major traditions: tribal religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese and Japanese religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Students may not receive credit for both Global Religions 102 and Global Religions 110.

Global Religions 104: Religions of America

3 credits

This course will introduce students to the power and pervasiveness of religious expression in America. Religious expression involves the entire person, acting through all his/her senses. Consequently, the study of American religion must look for data beyond traditional religious texts and doctrines. Readings will introduce students to: 1) the formative religious meaning of the New World and the enduring classification of land and people that such visions engendered; 2) a variety of sacred texts in American life; 3) a variety of sacred rituals in American life; 4) social and personal pilgrimage; 5) the construction of sacred environments; and 6) sacred sounds.

Global Religions 105: Honors — Religions of America

3 credits

Covers the same subject matter as Religious Studies 104.

Prerequisite: University Honors student.

Global Religions 106: The Bible and Current Events

3 credits

This course introduces the Bible and biblical interpretation by focusing on the role of the Bible in shaping culture and public discourse on key issues in public and foreign policy, general interest, and popular culture, such as church/state relations, abortion, domestic violence, ‘family values’, welfare reform, same-sex marriage, and recent conflicts in the Middle East.

Global Religions 108: Introduction to Global Religions

3 credits

What is religion? Who does religion, and how does it happen? How do we study religion across history and in the modern world, and how have other scholars of religion studied this phenomenon? This course introduces students to the field of Religious Studies as it has been practiced historically and as it is practiced today, with a particular focus on the study of religion in the modern world. By critically reading excerpts from classic theorists of religion alongside recent case studies, students in the course will learn about a wide variety of methodologies in the study of religion. By engaging students in some of the major issues in the field today, this course will prepare them for upper-division courses in the major.

Students are strongly encouraged to take this course early in their major (during the first two years) before taking upper division courses.

Global Religions 109: Reading the Bible Across Cultures

3 credits

A course on ways to bridge cultural differences by understanding different American cultures and the ways they read the Bible.  Texts from both the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament will be covered.

Global Religions 110: Honors — World Religions

3 credits

Similar in content to Religious Studies 102, with an emphasis on class participation and the addition of a term paper.

Prerequisites: Enrolled in good standing with the UW Oshkosh Honors program with prior or concurrent enrollment in INTRDSCP 175.

Students may not receive credit for both Global Religions 102 and Global Religions 110.

Global Religions 115: Religion & the Making of Community
3 credits

Through fiction, autobiographies, scholarly essays, and interviews, this class will explore how religion serves both to create community and isolate individuals both on campus and in the wider community.

Global Religions 123: Religion & the Other

3 credits

This course will use novels and films to observe the ways that we in the West have thought and written about other people and places.  Focusing on the religions of Asia and the Middle East, we will not only question the stereotypes we have inherited, but we will also consider how Americans can be fascinated with Hindu yoga and Buddhist meditation while harboring an intense fear of Islam.

Global Religions 164: Religion and Nature

3 credits

Examines competing environmental ethics, and the ensuing social conflicts, which result from diverse views about what constitutes proper moral relationships with and obligations toward the natural world.

Global Religions 202: Honors — The Old Testament

3 credits

A literary and historical introduction to the Old Testament and its religious and cultural background, with emphasis on the period up to the Exile in Babylon.
Prerequisite: University Honors student. Students cannot earn credit in both an honors course and a non-honors course of the same title.
Global Religions 203: Hebrew Bible

3 credits

A literary and historical introduction to the collection of texts sacred to both Jews and Christians (known to Christians as the “Old Testament”) with emphasis on the period up to the Exile in Babylon.

Global Religions 204: New Testament

3 credits

A literary and historical introduction to the New Testament in its religious, social and cultural context with emphasis on the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Pauline Epistles.

Global Religions 210: Christianity

3 credits

The principal forms and traditions of Christianity from the first century to the present with emphasis on essentials of Christian thought.
Global Religions 211: Catholicism in America

3 credits

This class explores lived Catholicism through memoirs, music, film, ethnography, as well as, papal documents. Together we will explore Roman Catholic and Independent Catholic congregations, and how Catholicism is expressed in many ethnic communities in the U.S.
Global Religions 215: Judaism

3 credits

This course is both a survey of Jewish history and an introduction to Jewish life as it is practiced in the modern world. It takes its lead from twentieth-century Jewish studies scholar Mordecai Kaplan, who characterized Judaism as an evolving “religious civilization.” We will study “Judaism,” in all of its pluralities, from a variety of perspectives, including historical, philosophical, aesthetic, anthropological, and literary approaches.
Global Religions 221: The Hindu Tradition

3 credits

Historical and religious study of Hinduism in its unity and diversity as world view, world faith, and world influence. The course aims at a systematic understanding of Hindu origins, values, and practices as revealed in texts in translation, artistic expression, and modern transformative movements in and beyond India.

 

Global Religions 222: Buddhism

3 credits

An introduction to how Buddhists throughout the Buddhist tradition in India, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, and the West understand the world, experience their religion, and apply it to society and culture.

Global Religions 240: Islam

3 credits

The religion of Mohammed and his followers from the Arabian beginnings through the rise and development of Islam as a great international faith and cultural system. Includes Islamic responses to modernization and the West.
Global Religions 265: Women and Religion

3 credits

Explores the role of women and the feminine in the religions of the world. Using sacred textual traditions as a base, we will examine the place of women and the feminine in 1) mythology, 2) social and family relations, and 3) religious ritual and organization, including monasticism. Attention will also be given to the significance of the gendered nature of deity for women’s spirituality and experience in the world’s religions.
 
Cross-listed: Religious Studies 265/Women’s Studies 265.
Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.
Global Religions 285: Afro-American Religious Experience

3 credits

An examination of ideas, forms, and expressions of religious experience in the life of the Afro-Americans against the background of their own ethno-cultural heritage (Africa) and in relation to the larger and more diverse American religious heritage. Includes analyses of the thought of preeminent Afro-American religious leaders. Christian and non-Christian, the role of the Black church as a fomenting and transformative force for cultural change, and the possible future of ‘Black Religion’ in the new millennium.
Global Religions 309: Religion and Culture of New Testament
 3 credits
 
An examination of Jewish and Hellenistic sources related to the New Testament, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Apocrypha, as well as sources for ancient Mystery Religions and Gnosticism.
 
Prerequisite: Global Religions 204 or 210.
Global Religions 312: Jesus and the Gospels
3 credits

A course on the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the quest for the historical Jesus. Course includes class held “Jesus Seminar” and attention to non-canonical gospels like the “Gnostic Gospels.”

Prerequisites: Religious Studies 204, New Testament.

Global Religions 313: Letters of Paul

3 credits

An over view of the authentic letters of Paul, including Romans, Galatians, 1Thessalonians, 1st and 2Corinthians, Philippians and Philemon, with special attention to 1Corinthians and Romans. Attention will also be given to 1st and 2Timothy and Titus.
 
Prerequisites: Global Religions 204, New Testament.
Global Religions 314: Women and the New Testament

 3 credits

An introduction to the roles of women required in both the New Testament and other non-canonical texts. Class will be taught from a feminist perspective.
 
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 204, New Testament.
Global Religions 318: Religion and Sexuality

3 credits

In this class, we will explore how religious practice and sexuality intersect, with a particular focus on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) individuals in the modern world.  By placing LGBTQ issues at the center of study, we will gain a greater understanding of how religious adherents think about the very notion of sexuality itself.  We will also become more sophisticated in our ability to engage with civic questions about religion, families, and rights.

Global Religions 334: Holocaust and American Memory

3 credits

This course will examine representation of the Holocaust in American Culture from Post-war survivor memory to the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Some attention will be paid to Holocaust memory in Europe and Israel.
Global Religions 338: Comparative Religious Ritual

3 credits

Examines the rituals performed within religious communities around the world. Observe both ritual actions and variety of meanings (or sometimes the lack of any meaning) that scholars and practitioners attach to these actions.
Global Religions 340: Hindu Myth and Ritual

3 credits

Examine the various ways that Hindu myths and rituals serve as integral components of the daily lives of Hindu people and will take up such issues as how Hindus properly worship images, how Hindu deities can take on human form, and why the goddess Durga slays the buffalo demon.
Global Religions 354: Buddhist Myth & Ritual

3 credits


This course will use essays, films, and short novels to examine popular forms of Buddhist narrative and performance from across Asia, as well as, from contemporary America.  In addition to looking at traditional forms of monastic Buddhism, we will also look at devotional practices towards relics and icons, political uses of Buddhist processions, and the importance of Buddhist monks and nuns in the performance of funerals.

Global Religions 358: Popular Religion in Asia

3 credits

This course will look at “popular” religious practices performed throughout classical and contemporary Asia.  Important to these contemporary practices are the new media that people use in the performance and communication of them.  Thus, this course will focus on the roles that television, comic books and the internet have had on traditional Asian religions.

Global Religions 362: Religion and Earth Ethics

3 credits

Examines human attitudes and behaviors toward the natural world, focusing on the historical evolution of religious environmental ethics in diverse cultures and traditions. Analyzes how religion serves as a resource for many contemporary environmental movements and yields varying public policy prescriptions. Provides an opportunity for a critical appraisal of competing religious environmental ethics.
 
 
Global Religions 363: Meditative and Mystical Experience

3 credits

This course is an examination of shamanic spirit possession in indigenous religions, meditative practices in Eastern religions, and mysticism in Middle Eastern traditions, and the major traditional and recent methods of study.
 
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 102, World Religions.
Global Religions 364: Cults and Sects in America

3 credits

This course is an introduction to new religious movements in the United States- those groups frequently referred to as “sects,” “cults,” and “fringe religions.” We will be paying special attention to how these groups are portrayed in the various forms of media. We will read some secondary materials as well as various primary sources written by the founders and/or followers of a variety of nineteenth and twentieth century new religious movements including: Scientology, Latter-day Saints, Wicca, Nation of Islam, Jonestown, and the Branch Davidians.
Global Religions 365: Religion and Children in America

3 credits

This course seeks to examine what happens to the contours of American religious history if we add age as an interpretive category. With little scholarship on children themselves, much of what we study will come from the viewpoint of adults through psychological models for children’s religious development and memoirs. As we critically examine these existing works, class discussions will help us to explore how this shift might affect our understanding of American religious history.
Global Religions 395: Special Topics

1-3 credits

A course on a topic not normally covered in the curriculum. Each time it is offered, the topic will be announced in the time schedule. May be repeated with different content.
Global Religions 399: Study Tour

1-3 credits
A combination of background reading, travel, and field lectures. Students will keep a journal and write a comprehensive paper. May be repeated with different content. For details, inquire at the Department Office.

Global Religions 446: Independent Study

1-3 credits

See Independent Study under Course and Academic Advisement Policies information for general course description, general prerequisites, and proper contract form requirements.
Global Religions 456: Related Readings

1-3 credits

See Related Readings under Course and Academic Advisement Policies information for general course description, general prerequisites, and proper contract form requirements.
Global Religions 474: Honors: Thesis
1-6 credits
Honors thesis projects include any advanced independent endeavor in the student’s major field of study e.g., a written thesis, scientific experiment or research project, or creative arts exhibit or production. Proposals attached to Independent Study contract must show clear promise of honors level work and be approved by a faculty sponsor.
 
Course title for transcript will be ‘Honors Thesis’. Completed projects will be announced and presented to interested students and faculty. Maximum of 6 credits.
 
Prerequisite: University Honors status and junior standing.
Global Religions 475: Global Religions Capstone Course

3 credits

The Global Religions Capstone Course is designed to allow students to apply the knowledge they have gained in their course of study by creating a religious field survey of the religious communities resident in the Fox Valley. This will require intensive field work, including interviews and the creations of survey instruments, as well as the gathering and analysis of artifacts such as creedal statements, publications, tracts, recordings and video materials, and the like. This data will become the basis of an outgoing database which will be utilized, and built upon, by future Capstone seminars. The various media gathered in the course of the study will be housed at the university.
 
Prerequisite: Global Religions 102, 108, and 18 additional credits of Global Religions courses.
Global Religions 498: Honors — Seminar Global Religions

3 credits

Presentation and discussion, by faculty and advanced University Scholars, of an area of current interest in religion related to recent developments or debates in such areas of science, medicine, law, politics or others. Individual and collaborative case studies and term projects.
 
Prerequisite: 60 credits, including at least 6 credits of Honors completed. (May be repeated for credit with different content.)
Global Religions 499: Seminar in Religion

3 credits
Presentation and discussion, by faculty and advanced students, of recent publications and other developments in various areas of the study of religion. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: 60 college credits including 15 credits in Global Religions.