RockhuRst univeRsity 2012–2014 catalog

Students who plan to begin their careers as soon as they finish college will often findthat an undergraduate major has not prepared them for a specific job. Rather, their educationhas provided skills and knowledge which can be applied to a wide variety of careers.Many corporations and organizations are interested in hiring people who have completeda solid undergraduate degree regardless of their major.Students should avoid imposing unnecessary and misguided restrictions on boththeir studies and their prospective careers. They should consider the world of workwhen declaring a major, but they will think about that world with greater clarity if theyask other questions first: What do I enjoy doing? What are my hobbies, and why do Ienjoy them? What courses have I enjoyed? What kinds of books do I like to read? Whatproblems do I like to solve? Thinking along these lines can ease the anxiety many collegestudents feel when they must declare a major. There is no reason to major in a field thatdoes not develop the student’s own abilities and interests.Anthropology (AN)(Department of Social and Cultural Sciences)Professor Shirley A. Scritchfield, Ph.D. (Chair)Assistant Professor Chanasai Tiengtrakul, Ph.D.AN 1000. Introduction to Anthropology (3)This course provides an introduction to the disciplineof anthropology and is intended to helpstudents come to a better understanding of thehuman condition through an examination ofcultures and societies across geographic space andtime. Students learn about the subfields of anthropologywhich include physical anthropology,archaeology, linguistics, applied anthropology, andsocio-cultural anthropology. The main focus willbe in socio-cultural anthropology. Students arealso introduced to an anthropological epistemologythrough a familiarity with some anthropologicaltheories and will have first-hand experiencewith anthropological research methodology resultingin a written research paper. (SRI)AN 3100. South Asia: Peoples and Cultures (3)This course is an anthropological exploration ofthe cultures and societies of South Asia. Thegeographical area of focus includes, for example,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, andSri Lanka. Topical focus and central themes ofthe course include a selection from: political organization,religion, marriage and kinship, the colonialexperience, cultural representation, identity,gender, globalization, and diaspora. Prerequisite:AN 1000 or instructor approval. (GPR, SRII)AN 3500. Thailand: Peoples and Cultures (3)This course is an exploration of the cultures ofThailand through first-hand observation andparticipation in the lives of Thai people. Thisclass employs an anthropological research methodcalled “participant observation” as a tool to engageand introduce students to culturally diverse groupsof people who call themselves “Khon Thai” (Thaipeople). Prerequisite: AN 1000, or GS 1000, orinstructor permission. (GPR)AN 4000. Food and Culture (3)This course is an anthropological exploration offood and culture. We will examine the rituals ofcommensality, the cultural constructions of meaning,and historical processes associated with fooditems and consumption. Since what we choose toeat (or not eat) is intimately linked to cultural ideasabout who we are, this course will also investigatepractices that surround culturally specific understandingof health, illness, the human body, identity,and globalization. Prerequisite: AN 1000, oran upper-division anthropology course, or instructorapproval. (GPR, SRII)AN 4100. Gender in Cross-CulturalPerspectives (3)This course examines gender through an anthropologicallens. The class will explore what it meansto be a woman, a man, or “other” (neither mannor woman). In our examination of how genderis embedded in people’s daily lives, we will use avariety of theoretical perspectives and ethnographicdata from across the globe. Through the comparativeperspective, we will discern how genderimpacts the human condition and shapes the wayin which we attribute meaning to our experienceand our world. Prerequisite: AN 1000 or instructorapproval. (GPR, SRII)Undergraduate College of Arts Programs & SciencesCollege of Arts and Sciences81