department of anthropology - Tufts University

Fall 2012
Course Guide
department of
anthropology

anthropology at tufts
Anthropologists study global human experience, combining
social, cultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic
approaches within a single discipline. Anthropological questions
and topics are very diverse. We examine, for example, the meanings
of Arab hip-hop, the social nature of suffering, how political and
legal structures shape emotional life in South Asia, the relationship
between culture and human rights, the globalization of armed
conflict, art and cultural ownership, indigenous rights in contexts
of environmental destruction in South America, the cultural and
evolutionary shaping of human physiques, the global flows of
“World Music,” nationalist uses of archaeology, the consequences
of bilingualism, local experiences of post conflict intervention in
Africa, and the intersection of transnational diasporas with U.S.
notions of “race.”
While in the past anthropology was typically the study of
non-Western societies, today anthropologists also work “at
home”—wherever in the world that “home” is. Our course offerings
reflect both our global approach and our concern with domestic
and local issues. They also reflect the longstanding anthropological
practice of combining a concern with “local voices” with the need
to situate those voices socially, historically, and politically. Tufts is
distinguished for its public anthropology initiative, in which faculty
and students focus on key public concerns and/or engage with
communities and audiences outside the academy.
Anthropology at Tufts provides students not only with a strong
background in critical thinking, analysis, and writing, but also
with first-hand experience through field research. The combination
of disciplinary breadth, global and local understanding, hands-on
research, and public engagement makes a major in Anthropology an
extremely strong preparation for graduate school and a wide range
of careers. Training in anthropology can give you a foundation, for
example, for documentary production, museum work, advertising,
humanitarian and development work, community organizing,
journalism, medicine, and law.
Cover Photo: Boots, by Deborah Pacini Hernandez

f a l l 2 0 1 2 c o u r s e s
ANTH 16 Introduction to Latino Cultures*
Deborah Pacini Hernandez H+ TR 1:30-2:45 PM
ANTH 25 Anthropology of War and Peacemaking
Thomas Abowd L+ TR 4:30-5:45 PM
ANTH 27 Human Rights in Cultural Context
Amahl Bishara F+ TR 12:00-1:15 PM
ANTH 50 Prehistoric Archaeology
Lauren Sullivan M+ MW 6:00-7:15 PM
ANTH 99 Internship
ANTH 126 Food, Nutrition, and Culture
Stephen Bailey E+ MW 10:30-11:45 AM
ANTH 130 Anthropological Thought
Cathy Stanton K+ MW 4:30-5:45 PM
ANTH 132 Myth, Ritual, & Symbol
Cathy Stanton I+ MW 3:00-4:15 PM
ANTH 149-19 Questioning Kinship: Sexuality & Gender in South Asia*
Sarah Pinto D+ TR 10:30-11:45 AM
ANTH 163 Latinos in the Cinematic Imagination
Deborah Pacini Hernandez 2 W 9:00-11:30 AM
ANTH 164 Media, The State, and the Senses
Amahl Bishara 7+ W 1:20-4:20 PM
ANTH 182 Human Physique
Stephen Bailey 12+ W 6:00-9:00 PM
ANTH 184 Festival & Politics in Latin America
David Guss 5+ M 1:20-4:20 PM
ANTH 190/191 Directed Reading
ANTH 197 Directed Research
ANTH 198 Apprenticeship
ANTH 199 Senior Honors Thesis
*starred courses count towards the Anthropology area course requirement

f a c u l t y
David Guss | Professor | Chair
david.guss@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 305
Urban and aesthetic anthropology, theory, cultural performance, myth and
ritual, popular culture, placemaking, Latin America
Stephen Bailey | Associate Professor
stephen.bailey@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 307
Biological and nutritional anthropology, growth and body composition,
methodology, Latin America, China, Southwestern U.S.
Amahl Bishara | Assistant Professor
amahl.bishara@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 304
Media, human rights, the state, knowledge production, Middle East,
politics of place and mobility, expressive practices
Deborah Pacini Hernandez | Professor
deborah.pacini@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 309
Comparative Latino studies, racial and ethnic identity, popular music,
globalization, transnationalism, Latino community studies
Sarah Pinto | Associate Professor
sarah.pinto@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 308
Medical anthropology, gender, reproduction, social and feminist theory,
caste, political subjectivity, India, U.S.
Rosalind Shaw | Associate Professor *on leave 2012-2013*
rosalind.shaw@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 311B
Transnational justice, the anthropology of mass violence, local and transnational
practices of redress and social repair, child and youth combatants,
social memory, Atlantic slave trade, ritual and religion, West Africa, Sierra
Leone
Cathy Stanton | Lecturer
cathy.stanton@tufts.edu | Eaton Hall Room 305
History and memory, cultural performance, heritage, tourism, myth and
ritual
Lauren Sullivan | Lecturer
lauren.sullivan@umb.edu | Eaton Hall Room 305
Mesoamerican archaeology, Mayan archaeology, the rise and fall of
complex societies, prehistory of the American Southwest, Peleoindians of
North America, human evolution, cultural anthropology, ceramic analysis

d e p a r t m e n t i n f o
THE ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR
Ten courses distributed as follows:
1. One Gateway (introductory) sociocultural anthropology course
(ANTH 05-39)
2. One Gateway biological anthropology or archaeology course
(ANTH 40-59)
3. ANTH 130 Anthropological Thought
4. Seven additional Anthropology courses, at least one of which must be an
area-focused course numbered below 160 (gateway or mid-level),
and two of which must be upper-level seminars (160-189).
We strongly recommend taking Anthropology 130 in the junior year.
A maximum of two courses cross-listed in other Tufts departments may be
counted toward the Anthropology major.
Students must achieve a grade of C- or better for a course to count for
credit toward the major.
The department encourages majors to explore the possibility of undertaking
a senior thesis.
DECLARING A MAJOR
Any full-time faculty member of the department can be your advisor. Try
to meet with as many of the faculty members as possible to talk about
your own goals and expectations. Select an advisor who seems most
attuned to your interests. Pick up and fill out the blue “Declaration of
Major” form from the department and have your new Anthropology advisor
sign it. Take the signed blue form to our Staff Assistant to photocopy
for our files. Deliver the signed blue form to the Student Services Desk
in Dowling Hall. You have now officially declared a major and henceforth
relevant documents (transcripts, pre-registration packets, etc.) will come
to your new advisor.
DOUBLE MAJORS
The same blue form should be used to declare a second major. Your folder
will have to go to your advisors in both departments so have the department
make an additional copy for the second department.

c o u r s e d e s c r i p t i o n s
ANTH 16 Introduction to Latino Culture
Deborah Pacini Hernandez H+ TR 1:30-2:45 PM
This course surveys the social and
cultural histories of the various
Latino communities currently
residing in the United States.
Students will analyze a variety
of important issues affecting US
Latinos, such as immigration,
bilingual education, citizenship
and political participation, race,
class, gender, ethnicity and
representations in the media. This
course counts toward the Social
Sciences distribution requirement,
the World Civilization requirement,
and the Hispanic Culture and
Diasporas option.
ANTH 25 Anthropology of War and Peacemaking
Thomas Abowd L+ TR 4:30-5:45 PM CLST: PJS 25
Introductory-level study of armed conflict and conflict transformation from
standpoint of anthropology of violence. Critical examination of causes of conflict;
gendered, ethnic, cultural, and religious dimensions; globalization of conflict
through media, transnational flows of commodities, international interventions;
impact of 9/11 and
the global “war on
terror”; intersection
of local, national,
and international
techniques of conflict
transformation. Focus
in depth on experience
and initiatives from
the ground up.
This course counts
toward the Social
Sciences distribution
requirement.

ANTH 27 Human Rights in Cultural Context
Amahl Bishara F+ TR 12:00-1:15 PM CLST: PJS 27
This gateway course examines anthropological debates about human rights. It
introduces key anthropological methods, like participant observation, reflexivity,
and cultural critique, and anthropological theories on topics like culture, the
state, indigenous peoples, and globalization. We will analyze controversies
about cultural relativism and
universalism, approaches to
both violent conflicts and the
structural violence of poverty,
and the relationship between
anthropology and human rights.
We also study ethnographies
of human rights work that
elucidate how advocates strive
to produce reliable knowledge
and circulate it to authorities
and the public in reports,
documentaries, and other
media. This course counts
toward the Social Sciences
distribution requirement
and the World Civilization
requirement.
© Ali Farzat
ANTH 50 Prehistoric Archaeology
Lauren Sullivan M+ MW 6:00-7:15 PM CLST: ARCH 30
Survey of human culture from the earliest paleolithic hunters and gatherers to
the formation of states and the beginnings of recorded history. Course provides
an introduction to archaeological methods, a worldwide overview of prehistoric
ways of life, and a more detailed analysis of cultural development in the New
World. This course counts toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement
and the World Civilization requirement.
ANTH 99 Internship in Anthropology
Staff ARR
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; Anthropology Majors only.
Register in Eaton 302.
Supervised internship in wide range of community organizations, health organizations,
museums, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Twelve to
fifteen hours work per week. Written assignments, with supporting readings, to
place internship in critical analytical frame. This course counts toward the Social
Sciences distribution requirement.

ANTH 126 Food, Nutrition, and Culture
Stephen Bailey E+ MW 10:30-11:45 AM
Interplay of the act of eating with its biological and cultural correlates. Topics
include subsistence strategies, sex differentials in food intake, and the nutritional
impact of modernization; hunger
and malnutrition in the developing
world; historical and symbolic
attributes of food, including taboo,
valences, and national cuisines, with
a focus on Chinese and American.
Relation of normal and abnormal
eating behavior to gender and
cultural norms of attractiveness.
The rise of industrial and fast foods,
with an emphasis on McDonald’s.
Cultural meanings of fusion foods.
Haute cuisines. Comparisons of
East Asian cuisines, particularly Chinese and Japanese, to those of America and
Europe. This course counts toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement.
ANTH 130 Anthropological Thought
Cathy Stanton K+ MW 4:30-5:45 PM
Prerequisite: One anthropology course and junior standing, or permission of
instructor.
This course on the history of anthropological theory begins with the premise that
anthropology is as much a way of thinking as an academic discipline. By engaging
theories, debates, and primary sources from the anthropological canon from the
late 19th century to the present,
we will try to understand
what questions have been of
enduring concern to anthropologists
and also how this
way of thinking has shifted
over time. Through regular
written responses, studentled
discussions, and investigation
into current trends and
practices in the field, students
will be encouraged to see
themselves as participants in
a long-running dialogue about
theory and method that has
often had implications in the societies anthropologists inhabit as well as those we
study. This course counts toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement.

ANTH 132 Myth, Ritual, & Symbol
Cathy Stanton I+ MW 3:00-4:15 PM CLST: REL 134
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
Myth, ritual, and symbol exist in all human societies and play key roles in
helping people to comprehend, function within, and re-shape their worlds.
Mythography--the study of these topics--can deeply enrich our sense of human
possibility and creativity. This course will explore some of the specific ways
in which myths, rituals, and
symbols serve to organize
societies, integrate individuals,
facilitate change, and explain
and maintain our connection to
the world. Along the way, we
will examine some of the ways
in which anthropologists and
others have explained myth,
ritual, and symbol, including
functionalist, historicalgeographic,
psychoanalytical,
feminist, discursive, and
ecological approaches. Drawing on the work of Victor Turner and others, we
will investigate liminality, shamanism, initiation, and performance. We will also
ask how myths become located in bodies and landscapes, and how they relate to
tourism--a characteristic and arguably universal ritual of modernity. Finally, the
course will address the ever-changing relationship of myth and science, and will
consider how the generative power of mythopoesis is operating within contested
narratives about anthropogenic climate change. This course counts toward the
Social Sciences distribution requirement.
ANTH 149-19 Questioning Kinship: Sexuality & Gender in South Asia
Sarah Pinto D+ TR 10:30-11:45 AM
Students may not enroll in this course if they have previously received credit for
ANTH 120.
This course explores the diversity of family life, gender arrangements, and forms
of sexuality in South Asia by looking at the cultural, religious, legal and historical
dimensions of contemporary life. We will focus on questions of social change and
continuity as they relate to gender and sexuality and represent the ever-changing
nature and negotiations of kinship in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
and Nepal. In asking how marriage practices, sexual identities, the politics of
sex-work, and concepts of gender norms are in a state of flux, we will adopt a
“case-study” approach. This will include looking at issues such as the repeal of
anti-homosexuality legislation, the status and mobilization of sex-workers, the
political impact of Third Sex, debates over a Uniform Civil Code, and issues such as
dowry, romantic love, changing kinship structures, and their relationship to caste
and class. This course counts toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement.

ANTH 163 Latinos in the Cinematic Imagination
Deborah Pacini Hernandez 2 W 9:00-11:30 AM C-LST: AMER 180-01
Prerequisite: Junior standing.
Since the inception of the U.S.
film industry, Latinos have been
(mis)represented in Hollywood
feature films intended primarily
for non-Latino audiences. In
the first part of this course,
students will analyze images of
Latinos constructed in Hollywood
films, from the silent era to the
present; subsequently students
will analyze contemporary
work (1980-present) by Latino
directors, producers, screenwriters and actors, who have produced films about
their own communities contesting the negative stereotypes typical of Hollywood
films with more accurate and complex images of their histories and cultures.
Weekly viewings of films by and about Latinos will introduce students to the most
important historical and cultural milestones in Latino film making, demonstrating
how film-makers of different ethnic/national backgrounds have used cinematic
images to express their views on selected issues relevant to the Latino experience.
This course counts toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement and the
Hispanic Culture and Diasporas option.
ANTH 164 Media, The State, and the Senses
Amahl Bishara 7+ W 1:20-4:20 PM
This upper level seminar examines the social practices of media production, circulation,
and reception. Media are both the products of and means for social, cultural,
and political transformation. In studying
media, we will examine their relationship
to transformations of space-time perceptions,
the shaping of political identities,
and the constitution of complex (social,
political, economic, institutional, and/
or creative) connections among people
and groups. How are media mobilized
by states to consolidate powers? How
do people challenge these authorities’
attempts? Media also work on the senses,
even as individuals and institutions seek
to limit how they do so. In this class, we
will attend to the possibilities and limitations
offered by different media, due to
their material forms, institutional structures, and perceptual forms. Students will
have the opportunity to conduct brief media ethnographies. This course counts
toward the Social Sciences distribution requirement.

ANTH 182 Human Physique
Stephen Bailey 12+ W 6:00-9:00 PM
Prerequisite: Anthropology 40 or permission of
instructor.
Our bodies as adaptive biological landscapes.
Growth from conception to early adulthood.
Genetic and intrauterine determinants of
prenatal growth and birth size; impact of
extreme environments, under nutrition, and
disease on size and shape. Puberty and sexual
dimorphism. Quantitative assessment of body
composition. Interplay between biological
and cultural bodies in the construction of
attractiveness, and its evolutionary significances.
This course counts toward the Natural
Science distribution requirement.
ANTH 184 Festival and Politics in Latin America
David Guss 5+ M 1:20-4:20
Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor.
This course will explore the various expressions and functions of festive behavior
throughout Latin America, considering public performance within a religiously
sanctioned context as a principal mode of articulation for differing ethnic and
political groups in emerging non-Western nations. Issues of cultural reproduction,
hegemony, resistance, inversion, gender, and ethnicity will all be discussed as part
of the multi-faceted and contested reality incorporated within festive expression.
Attention will also be paid to the aesthetic religious devotion to ones of nationally
staged events. And finally, the course will focus, throughout all of these discussions,
on issues of authenticity, tradition, and invention. Such manifestations as
Qoyllur Rit’i in Peru, Umbanda and Carnival in Brazil, the Gran Poder in Bolivia,
Rumba in Cuba, and Corpus Christi and San Juan celebrations throughout the
continent will be investigated. This course counts toward the Social Sciences
distribution requirement, the World Civilization requirement, and the Hispanic
Culture option.
ANTH 190/191 Directed Reading
ANTH 197 Directed Research
ANTH 198 Apprenticeship
ANTH 199 Senior Honors Thesis
Please see departmental web site for specific details.
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor.
Register in Eaton 302.
Back Photo: Tchotchkes, by Deborah Pacini Hernandez

tufts University
Department of
anthropology
302 Eaton Hall
Medford, MA 02155
617.627.6528 TEL
617.627.6615 FAX
ase.tufts.edu/anthropology