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Course Offerings at Wellesley College

 

Anthropology 204 - Physical Anthropology

This course offers a detailed introduction to the discipline of physical/biological anthropology through a presentation of the human evolutionary record and a consideration of the present diversity of Homo sapiens sapiens. It first traces human evolution from its earliest primate beginnings over four million years ago to the appearance of anatomically modern man, at least c. 40-35,000 B.C. After briefly sketching the birth and development of evolutionary thought, the course proceeds with a description of the advanced physical and behavioral characteristics of the primate order. In addition to the consideration of the fossil palaeontological record, archaeological materials and biochemical evidence are presented to document the story of our evolution. The course then discusses theories on the origin of contemporary human diversity and details the present variation of the human species in respect to physical features, such as blood types and body forms, and environmental adaptations.

Anthropology 206 - Archaeology

This course introduces the basic field methods and techniques of archaeology. Specific methods (e.g., excavation strategies, typologies, technical analyses of artifacts, dating procedures, etc.) are related to interpretative approaches for understanding the archaeological record. Specific methods of historical archaeology are introduced through an examination of an archaeological site from New England. Students are taught to analyze material culture remains and to "piece together the past" by solving workbook exercises and discussing prepared case studies representative of typical archaeological problems (see TAW below). The famous prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge will be analyzed through the use of an interactive CD-ROM (Investigating Olduvai or IO below). The course also presents a general overview to world prehistory, beginning with developments in the Old Stone Age (or Palaeolithic) through the development of sedentary communities and the beginnings of agriculture to the rise of state-structured societies (early civilizations) in both the Old and New Worlds.

The investigation of a prehistoric pueblo site in the American Southwest (Life in the Pueblo or LIP below) will be studied to illustrate contemporary archaeological field procedures. Students also will read a critical history of North American archaeology: its accomplishments and shortcomings (The Land of Prehistory or LOP below), including today’s problematic relations between Native Americans and American archaeologists. Contemporary theoretical and social developments in archaeology will be presented, including consideration of archaeology’s relationship with nationalism, the antiquities market and the plundering of the past, and the growing phenomenon of archaeological tourism. A class field trip will be planned to a nearby archaeological site or museum.

Anthropology 242 - The Bronze Age and the Rise of Civilization

This course is concerned with the beginnings of civilization and the emergence of the earliest class-stratified societies and their interactions with their less socially developed or “barbarian” neighbors on their periphery. The course begins with a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of the archaeological and the earliest historic record for understanding this period of cultural evolution and briefly reviews archaeological evidence documenting the beginnings of food production, settled life, and advances in metallurgy. The course then concentrates on developments in western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean basin, particularly in Mesopotamia and Egypt, which lay the foundation for the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. The course also examines developments on the northern and eastern peripheries of the ancient Near East, reviewing the archaeological record for the development of social complexity in South Asia (the so-called Indus Valley or Harappan civilization) and Central Asia (the so-called Oxus civilization). It also briefly discusses the beginnings of civilization in East Asia. Finally, the last third of the course considers the rise of civilization in the New World, focussing in particular on the developments in Mesoamerica and Peru that culminated respectively in the emergence of the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Archaeological evidence will be supplemented with textually derived or historical information wherever possible and comparisons will be made with ethnographically documented early state societies.

Anthropology 247 - Societies and Cultures of Eurasia

This course offers a general ethnographic overview to the diverse cultures of the former Soviet Union, concentrating particularly on the non-European peoples of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Kazakhstan, Siberia, and the Far North. Other non-Russian ethnic groups within Russia and Ukraine, such as the Crimean Tatars and peoples of the Middle Volga, also will be considered. Changes in Russian identity, particularly for Russians still living in non-Russian Republics of the former Soviet Union, will be discussed at the end of the class. Larger and smaller ethnic groups within the European part of the Soviet Union (including Moldovans, Belorussians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Russian Jews, etc.), which are not covered directly in the readings or class lectures, may be investigated individually by students as possible subjects for their final papers. The course will review how the ‘traditional’ cultures in the covered areas changed during the 70 years of Soviet rule and will examine the problems they face today associated with the dissolution of the USSR and their newly established independence or greatly enhanced autonomy. Current ethnic conflicts, such as those burning or simmering in Chechnya/Russia, Georgia/Abkhazia and Armenia/Azerbaijan, and the rise of different Islamic militant movements in Central Asia that are connected with exploitation of natural resources (gas, oil) and political developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan to the south, also will be discussed.

The course, however, is primarily an introduction to the societies and cultures of the vast area encompassed by post-Soviet space (or the Commonwealth of Independent States – SNG) and is not primarily focussed on contemporary political developments, nor structured around such controversies. The distinctive features of Soviet ethnography also will be introduced, including its inevitable political utilization by the Soviet state. Emphasis throughout will be placed on the history, literature, and reconstruction of the ‘traditional lifeways’ of the diverse peoples of Eurasia.

Anthropology 319 - Nationalism, Politics, and the Use of the Remote Past

This seminar critically examines the use of prehistory and antiquity (Classical, Biblical, early historical) for the construction of accounts of national origins, historical claims to specific territories, or the exaggerated contributions and abilities of specific peoples. The course begins with a review of anthropological approaches to ethnicity and nationalism and then examines the phenomenon of nationalism and the historically recent emergence of contemporary nation-states. It then proceeds comparatively, selectively examining politically motivated appropriations of the remote past on a global basis that either were popular earlier in the 20th century or that have ongoing relevance for some of the ethnic conflicts raging throughout the world today (e.g., the political manipulation of archaeological materials in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union). Particular reconstructions of national origins will be studied in depth. The course will attempt to develop criteria for distinguishing credible and acceptable reconstructions of the past from those that are unbelievable and/or dangerous. The course will also examine the responsibilities of ancient historians and archaeologists in reconstructing specific features of the remote past on the basis of limited and problematic sources.

Anthropology 344 - The Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives

The first part of the course will discuss the physical and modern political geography of the Middle East and the nature of Islam and its varied expressions in reference to specific sects and countries. It will also analyze the traditional subsistence economies of irrigation agriculture and pastoral nomadism and tribal forms of social organization. The course analyzes the transformation of such traditional societies with the emergence of independent territorial nation-states, the growth of cities, and the advent of oil wealth during the 20th century. The course considers different sects and expressions of Islam in specific countries and discusses kinship structures and family relationships, including the varying roles of women in specific societies, particularly in relation to current conditions in Afghanistan and Iran. Contemporary political and economic issues and conflicts in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine will be studied from an anthropologically informed perspective of cultural continuity and change and the continuous refashioning of religious, ethnic, and national identities over time. Finally the course will analyze two contemporary Middle Eastern situations which are receiving much academic and popular attention due to the ongoing violence and political instability characterizing them 1) Iraqi efforts to establish representative democracy in the wake of regime change, occupation and insurgency, and the open expression of sectarian factionalism; and 2) the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - background to this long-standing confrontation and its political and symbolic significance throughout the entire Middle East.