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ANT Graduate Courses

ANT Graduate Courses

Owned by Jessica Smith (Deactivated)

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program will take some courses from the extensive list of courses offered for graduate credit by the Department of Anthropology. Senior undergraduates as well as graduate students may take courses numbered "5__."

Six and seven hundred-level courses are usually open only to graduate students. The following is a list of all the Department of Anthropology graduate course offerings:

Code indicating how frequently the course is offered. Variations are:

  • S -  Every semester
  • Y - At least 1x fall or spring
  • E -  Even Academic Yr (e.g., 2004-05)
  • O -  Odd Academic year (e.g., 2007-08)
  • SI -  Upon sufficient interest
  • IR - Irregularly
  • SS - Only during the summer


ANT 500  - Selected topics   SI  
Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.
Repeatable

ANT 553 - Women and Social Change   E  
Function of changes in women’s roles in sociocultural urbanization, revolution, and modernization. Women in Third World countries compared to women in industrialized countries.
Crosslisted with WGS 553

ANT 574 - Anthropology and Physical Design   E
Interrelationship of social and spatial organization in traditional and modern societies. Nonverbal communication: use of space, territoriality, and impact of physical design on human behavior.

ANT 600 - Selected Topics
Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but if interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.
Repeatable 

ANT 611 - History of Anthropological Theory   Y
Main theoretical approaches to the study of the origin and development of society and culture-culture evolutionists, functionalists, diffusionists, structuralists, and historicists.

ANT 612 - Ethnology  SI
Human societies in their many component parts: kinship, politics, social organization, religion, values, etc. Theoretical models most applicable to these differing topics.

ANT 614 - Cities, Spaces and Power   O
Processes of urbanization, migration, adjustment of peasants in cities, ethnic and cultural variation in urban areas. Cultural differences in industrial development. Uses of applied anthropology in urban situations.
SOMETIMES OFFERED ABROAD

ANT 616 - Political Anthropology   IR
Social power in the global political economy. Co-existence of various emergent and residual social formations, such as tribe, peasant, and state. Conflicts over identities in terms of nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and/or class.

ANT 617 - Economic Anthropology   IR  
Contribution of anthropology to economic theory and the relevance of orthodox economics to cross-cultural and evolutionary studies of society.

ANT 619 - Ritual Theory and Religious Practice  IR
Survey and evaluation of major ritual theories, tested against a particular set of religious and cultural practices, such as those involving purification and pollutions, or holiday festivals.
Crosslisted with REL 619

ANT 620 - Readings, Research and Ethnography   S
Individual or group readings and research on topics in ethnography. Student or group works with a faculty member and submits reports as individually arranged.
Repeatable

ANT 621 - Gender & Sexuality in South Asia   O
Seminar examines gender and sexuality in South Asia through ethnographies and films. Topics explored relating to gender and sexuality include: colonialism; nationalism; development; globalization; kinship; the life cycle; caste and class; religion; same-sex/”third sex” identities.
Crosslisted with SAS 622

ANT 623 - Effects of Globalization in Latin America   O
A grassroots view of major transformations in Latin America due to globalization/global change, including adaptations to global warming, effects of and reactions to neoliberal policies, internal and international migration, ethic movements and social revolutions.
Crosslisted with LAS 623

ANT 624 - Negotiation: Theory and Practice   Y
Negotiation skills for resolving differences effectively and achieving mutually satisfying outcomes. Position based versus interest based negotiation. Advanced techniques of communication such as chunking, reframing, anchoring, metaphor and rapport to obtain negotiation outcomes of excellence.

ANT 625 - Problems in the Anthropology of South Asia   IR  
One topic of theoretical concern to anthropologists dealing with South Asia, e.g. caste, kinship, village, Hinduism, economics, urbanization, rural/urban networks.

ANT 626 - Cultures and Politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan   E
Introduction to Afghanistan and Pakistan, recent histories, cultures, current politics. Covers geography, religious systems, gender roles, economic systems, foreign policy issues, refugees, migration.
Crosslisted with PAO 626, SAS 626

ANT 627 - Brazil: Anthropological Perspectives    IR
History and culture of Brazil; indigenous populations; Afro-Brazilians; race and ethnic relations; development; kinship; gender; religion; urbanization; politics; nationalism; globalization.

ANT 628 - Muslim Rituals, Practices and Performances   IR
Historical, cultural, and sociological analysis of pan-Islamic festivals and rituals. Local, culturally specific, unofficial practices in Islam.
Crosslisted with REL 628

ANT 629 - Transformation of Eastern Europe   IR
Change and continuity after the demise of communism as experienced by ordinary citizens. Transformations in agriculture, industry, social, and political institutions; the rise of ethnic nationalism; and ethnic conflict.

ANT 631 - Method and Theory in Biological Anthropology   Y
Mechanisms of human adaptation to environmental stress; emphasizing human variation. Cultural and biological modes of adaptation. Paradigmatic and methodological issues, with special emphasis on biocultural and contemporary approaches.

ANT 633 - Human Osteology   E
This course is an intensive study of the human skeletal system. The focus is identification of fragmentary skeletal elements and their osseous structure, skills relevant to archaeological and forensic contexts. Laboratory practicum forms the basis.

ANT 634 - Anthropology of Death   E
Death in anthropological perspective. Survey of the many ways death has entered into the work of archaeologists, biological anthropologists, ethnographers and social theorists. 

ANT 636 - Bioarchaeology   E
Surveys the analysis of human skeletal remains in archaeological and medico-legal settings. Methods and techniques of analysis and interpretation will be emphasized. Case studies will be used to illustrate application to variable social and historical contexts.

ANT 638 - Beyond the Biological Need to Eat: The Archaeology of Food   E
What does it mean for something to be "good to eat?" Survey of anthropological and archaeological perspectives on how culture, politics, and power inform what and how we eat.

ANT 639 - Climate Change and Human Origins   IR
This course considers the influence of long term climate changes on hominid evolution and human adaptation, as well as how abrupt climate events and transitions may have impacted the distribution of human populations, the development of agriculture, human conflict, and societal change.
Crosslisted with EAR 607

ANT 641 - Anthropological Archaeology   Y 
Methodology and theory in prehistoric archaeology. Development of archaeological theory, design and execution of research. Application of archaeology to solving problems in culture change and development.

ANT 642 - Methods in Archaeology   O  
Formulation and conduct of archaeological research with a focus on field and laboratory methods used to obtain and analyze data. Survey techniques, excavation strategies, archaeological classification, and data base management.

ANT 643 - Advanced Field Methods in Archaeology   SS  
Supervised training in excavating, organizing, coordinating, and directing research on a prehistoric archeological site.
Repeatable

ANT 644 - Laboratory Analysis in Archaeology   E
Introduction to archaeological materials analysis, artifact-classification systems, processing of data, materials analysis (ceramic, lithic, etc.). Conservation and curation of collections.

ANT 645 - Public Policy and Archaeology   IR
Proactive critique of public policy and implementation efforts to preserve and protect archaeological and historical sites and resources.
Crosslisted with NAT 645

ANT 646 - Caribbean Archaeology    IR
Caribbean archaeology from the region’s early prehistory through the historic period. Cultural diversity, indigenous societies, Hispanic and colonial impacts, and the African Diaspora.

ANT 647 - Archaeology of North America  IR  
Introduction to the regional prehistory of North America north of Mexico, from the late Pleistocene until European contact. Adaptation of prehistoric human populations to their ecosystems.
Crosslisted with NAT 647

ANT 648 - Imperial Remains: The Archaeology of Colonialism   E
This course provides an introduction to the archaeology and anthropology of colonialism, with a particular focus on the variety of approaches to the study of colonization used by archaeologists.

ANT 649 - World Heritage Sites   E
A seminar exploring global perspectives on UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Review of laws and policies aimed at protecting cultural and natural sites that have been defined as universally significant. Includes evaluation and critique of policies and practices.

ANT 651 - Classics in the Sociology of Religion and Morals   IR
Classical sociological writings of Emile Durkheim and Max Weber and their contemporary significance.
Crosslisted with REL 651, SOC 651

ANT 652 - Anthropology Public Policy   IR
Cultural aspects of the development and implementation of public policy. Emphasizing decision-making methodologies and ethnographic studies of the consequences of implemented policies.

ANT 653 - Poverty, Policy and Human Services   IR
National programs and local interventions that address poverty related social conditions in Syracuse and Onondaga County. Field study of current policies and practices in government and in health, education, and human services agencies.

ANT 655 - Culture and AIDS   Y  
Relationship between AIDS and cultures in which it spreads. Cultural practices and sexuality and social effects of widespread AIDS, including healthcare in Asia, Africa, Latin America and USA.
Crosslisted with WGS 655

ANT 656 - Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Popular Cultures   IR
Contested images used by colonizers and other non-indigenous people to represent Native Americans and other indigenous peoples. How indigenous people represent themselves in different types of media.
Crosslisted with NAT 656

ANT 659 - Contemporary Native North American Issues   IR
Contemporary issues including federal Indian Policy, population controls, fishing rights, religious freedom, land disputes, gaming, repatriation, environmental colonialism and Native American artistic response.
Crosslisted with NAT 659

ANT 661 - Museums and Native Americans   IR
The contested relationships among Native North Americans and Museums from earliest contact until the present. Topics include: “salvage” ethnography, collecting practices, exhibition and recent shifts in power.
Crosslisted with NAT 661

ANT 662 - Culture and Reproductive Health and Medicine   IR
Cultural anthropological approaches to cross-cultural variations in reproductive practices (pregnancy, childbirth, infertility, etc.) Impact of globalization, biomedicalization, international development on reproduction and reproductive health. Medical anthropology and gender studies.
Crosslisted with PHP 662

ANT 663 - Global Health   IR
Global health in anthropological perspective. Examines how culture affects people’s experience and response to morbidity and mortality. Considers topics like gender and health, reproductive health, infectious disease, health and inequality and health and war.
Crosslisted with PHP 663

ANT 665 - Critical Issues in Medical Anthropology   O  
Illness and healing in ecological and cross-cultural perspectives; strengths and weaknesses of Western and non-Western methods of healing; problems of introducing Western medicine to other cultures.

ANT 666 - Culture and Sexual Behavior   IR  
Cross-cultural patterns of dating and courtship, sexuality, marriage, fertility and divorce from biosocial and medical perspectives.

ANT 667 - Culture and Mental Disorder   E
Mental disorders viewed as illnesses or social constructions. Cross-cultural variation and universals. Western and non-Western methods of treatment.

ANT 668 - Middle East in Anthropological Perspective   IR
Anthropology of the social, cultural, geographical, and political realities of the Middle East.
Crosslisted with MES 668, PAI 668

ANT 669 - Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective    O
Interaction of biological and cultural factors in disease causation, diagnosis, and treatment in Western and non-Western societies. Introducing Western medicine to non-Western cultures.

ANT 670 - Experience Credit   S
Participation in a discipline or subject related experience. Student must be evaluated by written or oral reports or an examination. Permission in advance with the consent of the department chairperson, instructor, and dean. Limited to those in good academic standing. 
Repeatable

ANT 671 - Dimensions of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism   Y
Foundations, theory, and practice of bilingual/bicultural education. Critical concepts of linguistic, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic issues and methods as applied to bilingualism/multiculturalism.
Crosslisted with LIN 671

ANT 672 - Language, Culture and Society   Y
Cross-cultural survey of the role of language in culture and society, including cognition and language usage along the dimensions of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and social status.
Crosslisted with LIN 672, WGS 672

ANT 673 - Peace and Conflict in the Balkans: Anthropological Perspectives   IR
Introduction to Balkan histories, cultures, and societies. Topics include ethnic nationalism, the wars of Yugoslav dissolution, effects of international humanitarian interventions on everyday life, and politics of reconciliation and reconstruction.

ANT 674 - Topics in Sociolinguistics   Y
Functions of language in society. Geographical, socioeconomic, and male-female differentiation. Functions of various types of speech events.
Crosslisted with LIN 674, SOC 671

ANT 675 - Culture and Disputing    IR
Explores modalities of disputing, dispute resolution, and conflict management in cross-cultural perspective. Decision making in meetings and organizations, negotiation, mediation, inter-cultural negotiation, and third party interventions. Ethnographic materials are drawn from many cultures.

ANT 675 - Forensic Linguistics   Y
Examines the application of core linguistic concepts (including concepts of sociopsychological/pragmatic/discourse analysis), and interpretive techniques to investigate crimes, and other legal matters in which language data is used as pertinent evidence.
Crosslisted with LIN 675

ANT 676 - Women, War and Peace   E
Examines global politics, war and violence through a gender-sensitive lens. The topics include human trafficking, prostitution, militarization, poverty, nationalism, ethnic conflict, war-rapes, torture, genocide, reconciliation and recovery.

ANT 677 - Culture and Conflict   IR
An overview of conflict in cross-cultural perspective. Covers a variety of approaches to using cultural analysis in the study of conflict and reviews case studies of specific conflicts.

ANT 678 - Language Variation and Change   IR
An exploration of the theories, qualitative and quantitative methods, and the ideological, social, cultural, linguistic, and structural factors involved in the study of language variation and change.
Crosslisted with LIN 673

ANT 679 - Anthropology of Global Transformations   IR
Impact of global processes, including industrialization, capitalist expansion, transnational migration, environmental change, and international tourism on the daily lives of men and women in Third World contexts.

ANT 681 - Ethnographic Techniques   O
Research methods and techniques in cultural anthropology. Participant observation, interviewing, establishing rapport, research design, recording and analyzing field data, etc.

ANT 682 - Life Histories/Narratives   IR 
Evaluation of personal narratives (fieldwork memoirs, reflexive writing), oral histories and testimonials of respondents, a means of personalizing ethnographic discourse, giving more direct voice to respondents, and increasing multivocality. Issues of reflexivity, subjectivity, authority.

ANT 683 - Social Movement Theory   IR  
Theoretical approaches to analysis of social movements including Marxist and other Utopian traditions of social analysis, rational choice and resource mobilization models, new social movement theory, and Gramscian analysis of power and resistance.

ANT 686 - Comparative Cultural Analysis: Africa   Y
Africa through social anthropology complemented by history. Discuss diverse societies to illustrate principles and features of societal life and organization. The major cultural focus is on West Africa, traditional society, colonial legacy, and change.

ANT 689 - Memory, Culture, Religion   IR
Collective memory and constructions of the past as cultural phenomena; the roles religious identities, values, and institutions play as individuals, communities, and nations recollect particular moments, eras, crises, and localities.
Crosslisted with REL 689

ANT 690 - Independent Study  S
Exploration of a problem, or problems, in depth. Individual independent study upon a plan submitted by the student. Admission by consent of supervising instructor(s) and the department. 
Repeatable

ANT 691 - Critical Issues in the Study of Native Americans   IR  
Methodological issues related to studies of indigenous traditions and develops interpretive strategies for using literature about Native American religions.
Crosslisted with REL 642

ANT 694 - Underground Railroad   SI
Myth and history of the Underground in the context of African American freedom efforts. Emphasis on events, personalities, and sites in Upstate New York. Student field research and exploration of archival and Internet resources.
Crosslisted with AAS 634, HST 634

ANT 699 - Writing Religions and Cultures: Ethnographic Practice   IR
A range of aims and strategies for writing ethnographies of religion in the multiple contexts of culture, history, and politics.
Crosslisted with REL 699

ANT 700 - Selected Topics    SI
Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.
Repeatable

ANT 701 - Seminar on Multilateral Peacekeeping   IR  
One-week intensive course in New York City between Fall and Spring semesters. Combination of peacekeeping theory and analysis and practice of operations. Guest speakers from the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, and U.S. government.
Crosslisted with PAI 701

ANT 707 - Culture in World Affairs   Y
A systematic survey of the ways in which local, organizational, and transnational issues in world affairs are affected by culture.
Crosslisted with MES 707, PAI 707

ANT 711 - Current Anthropological Theory   Y
Theoretical Issues of the past two decades. Includes feminism and anthropology. Reflexive and interpretive ethnography. Sociobiology versus culturology. Marxist anthropology.

ANT 713 - Proposal Writing  SS
A two-week workshop during which graduate students draft a proposal for dissertation or other research; includes extensive evaluation of ongoing drafts.
Crosslisted with CAS 713

ANT 741 - Archaeological Theory   Y
In-depth examination of contemporary theory in archaeology and application to archaeological research. While focusing on processual approach, the course will examine critical, post-processual, structural and symbolic archaeology.

ANT 756 - Development Anthropology   IR 
Provides students of public administration with an overview of the use of sociocultural analysis in international development policy, planning, project implementation, impact analysis, monitoring, and evaluation. Political and ethical issues regarding development professionalism.

ANT 764 - Gender and Globalization    IR
The impact of the increasing hyper-mobility of capital and culture flows across borders on gender relations.
Crosslisted with GEO 764, WGS 764

ANT 800 - Selected Topics  SI
Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester. 
Repeatable

ANT 970 - Experience Credit  S
Participation in a discipline or subject related experience. Student must be evaluated by written or oral reports or an examination. Permission in advance with the consent of the department chairperson, instructor, and dean. Limited to those in good academic standing.
Repeatable 

ANT 990 - Independent Study  S
Exploration of a problem, or problems, in depth. Individual independent study upon a plan submitted by the student. Admission by consent of supervising instructor(s) and the department. 
Repeatable

ANT 997 - Masters Thesis   S  
Repeatable

ANT 999 - Dissertation    S  
Repeatable

In addition, many graduate students take courses for credit in other departments at the university. For example, students with interests in development may take courses in Geography, Political Science, or Environmental Sciences. Students interested in gender issues may take courses in Philosophy, English and Textual Studies, History, Education, or Sociology.