The relevancy of cultural anthropology for an understanding of the human condition will be stressed. Topics to be covered include the nature of primitive societies in contrast to civilizations, the concept of culture and cultural relativism, the individual and culture, the social patterning of behavior and social control, an anthropological perspective on the culture of the United States. This course is concerned with the behavior of individuals who occupy positions in social structures, organizations and groups. This course will also explore symbolic interactionism, a major theoretical perspective in sociology which focuses primary attention on the way in which individuals define and continually redefine reality on the basis of social interaction. In studying the research process in sociology-anthropology, attention is given to the process of designing and administering both qualitative and quantitative research.
Students complete an original field work project in a public setting.
Additionally, students will learn to compile and analyze quantitative data through a micro computer statistical software package. The course must be taken in the junior year. This course investigates the development of feminist social thinking throughout American history, gender role socialization, and women s roles in social institutions. The focus of the course is contemporary American society with an examination of the way in which gender is created and recreated through human activity, including institutionalized gendered practices. An examination of the roles of women in several social institutions may include family, work, politics, law, and health.