Bulletin 2007-2008 - Austin College

SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGYentering the first-century world of early Christianity;3) the exploration of Jewish and/orGreco-Roman backgrounds to early Christianculture and thought.350, 450 Advanced Topicsin Religious StudiesA variety of courses focusing on theories andpractices of textual interpretation. They aretaught at different times, depending on studentand faculty interests. May be repeated whentopic varies. The following courses are recentor upcoming examples.■ Readings in Hindu and Buddhist Texts■ Ritual Studies in Asian Traditions■ The Holy Spirit■ Second Temple Judaismand the New Testament■ Feminist Theology■ Hermeneutics■ So You Want to Be a Consumer?Spectacle and the Death of History460 Advanced Directed Study(Variable course credit)An opportunity for students to investigate subjectsin religion that are not covered by ourregularly offered courses, or to cover aspects oflower-level courses in greater depth. Generallya prerequisite of at least two previous coursesin religion (as specified by the instructor).464 Teaching/Learning ParticipationAn individualized study that includes sharingin the instructional process for a particularcourse in Religious Studies under the supervisionof the faculty member teaching thecourse. Open only to certain highly qualifiedjuniors and seniors by invitation. (Additionaldetails given in the section on Other LearningOpportunities.)465 Contemporary Christian TheologyAn examination of the current state of theologicalreflection as it has been shaped by theinfluences of the Enlightenment, 19th centurytheology and culture, and the formative movementsand figures of the 20th century. Prerequisite:Religion 165 or 270 and one other coursein religion; or permission of instructor.490 Independent Study491 Religion Honors Thesis492 Individual StudyOff-Campus/NSOCSOCIOLOGY ANDANTHROPOLOGYBart Dredge, chair; Terry Hoops,Janet LowryDan Schores (Emeritus)The mission of the Department of Sociologyand Anthropology is to conveythe varieties of socio-cultural perspectivesand to introduce research methodsemployed in understanding humansocieties. Students can major or minorin sociology, and can minor in anthropology.Through the avenue of individuallydesigned majors, it is possibleto incorporate aspects of anthropologyand related fields and/or work with offcampusresources for an anthropologicalstudies major.ANTHROPOLOGYAnthropology, the study of human culturaldiversity, is divided into four distinctsub-fields — cultural anthropology,archeology, physical anthropology, andsocio-linguistics. All four sub-fields explorehow culture shapes the human experience,the forces and processes thathave shaped human biology and societyover time, and the ways in which humansocieties are similar to and differentfrom each other. Cultural anthropology,the sub-field emphasized at AustinCollege, investigates human experiencewithin different cultural settings by actuallyentering into those cultures andstudying those groups from their ownperspectives. The courses offered in ourdepartment explore a wide range of societiesand communities, from gatherersand hunters to tribal groups, peasants,urban peoples in the Third World, andethnic groups in the United States andaround the world. Courses deal comparativelywith contemporary issues suchas the cultural construction of gender146 |COURSES OF INSTRUCTION