Anthropology - MIT
ANTHROPOLOGYANTHROPOLOGYFor additional information, visit the anthropology website jects.html).Anthropology studies humankind from a comparative perspectivethat emphasizes the diversity of human behavior and the importanceof culture in both describing and explaining that variety. While thediscipline encompasses the biological nature of our species andthe material aspects of human adaptation, it takes as fundamentalthe idea that humans respond to nature and natural forces in largepart through culture—that is, the system of practices and signsthrough which people interact and communicate. Anthropology,then, is the study of human beings as cultural animals. Socioculturalanthropology, the focus of the MIT program, draws its data fromthe direct study of contemporary peoples living in a wide variety ofcircumstances, from peasant villagers to tropical forest hunters andgatherers to professionals working in technological organizations tourban populations in modern societies.Students taking a concentration in anthropology should enroll ineither 21A.00 Introduction to Anthropology: Comparing HumanCultures or 21A.01 How Culture Works, and two other subjects.Anthropology subjects qualify for several interdisciplinaryconcentrations, including those in Women's and Gender Studies,Latin American and Latino/a Studies, and Science, Technology, andSociety.Anthropology at MIT o ers students a broad exposure to scholarshipon human culture. The eld is more generally distinguished fromother humanities and social science disciplines by its insistencethat understanding people's ways of life is o en best accomplishedby living and working among them—that is, by doing eldwork.This immersive work—o en described as ethnography—reveals themultiple positions and perspectives that constitute social worlds.Ethnographic representations in texts and lms can provide excellentcontextual resources for work in engineering, science, and other elds in the humanities, social sciences, and management.Undergraduate StudyMIT’s Anthropology Program provides introductions to intensivestudies in such areas as environmentalism; agriculture and foodproduction; the organization and cultures of science, medicine, andtechnology; gender, sex, race, and class; and nationalism and ethnicidentity.Excluding Independent Study, Thesis, and Special Subjects, theAnthropology curriculum is divided into six topic clusters thatprovide depth on related topics: 21A.00 and 21A.01 are core subjects. 21A.100 to 21A.199 address general issues related to culture andidentity. 21A.300 to 21A.399 examine health, disease, medicine, andbiology in global and local settings. 21A.400 to 21A.499 investigate issues and conflicts related tothe environment. 21A.500 to 21A.599 focus on science, technology, and media invarious institutional, economic, and political contexts. 21A.800 to 21A.899 are methods and theory subjects.Bachelor of Science in Anthropology (Course 21A)The undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelorof Science in Anthropology (Course 21A) -course-21a) provides a thoroughgrounding in cultural anthropology.Majors learn about the concept of culture and the processesby which humans make meaningful transactions, the nature ofethnographic eldwork, and the connections between anthropologyand the other social sciences. Majors study the theories explaininghuman behavior as well as the range of methods anthropologistsuse to analyze empirical data. Students can focus on particulargeographical areas, such as Latin America, Europe, North America,Africa, or Asia, and on issues like neocolonialism, ethnic conflict,human rights, environmental movements, globalization, orexpressive, medical, or scienti c cultures.The anthropology student comes to understand that the hallmark ofthe discipline is the comparative study of human societies. Emphasisis on understanding diversity and the importance of the concept ofculture in explaining that variety, as well as on learning about theuniversals of behavior that may underlie diversity.Joint Degree ProgramsJoint degree programs are o ered in anthropology in combinationwith a eld in engineering or science (21E, 21S). See the joint degreeprograms cialsciences/humanities/#undergraduatetext) listed under Humanities.Either 21A.00 Introduction to Anthropology: Comparing HumanCultures or 21A.01 How Culture Works is strongly recommended as apreliminary subject for all anthropology degree programs.Minor in AnthropologyThe Minor in Anthropology consists of six subjects arranged intotwo tiers as shown below. Students create individual programs withthe help of the minor advisor to ensure that they gain a coherentunderstanding of the methods, approaches, and some of the resultsof the discipline.Tier I21A.00or 21A.01Introduction to Anthropology:Comparing Human Cultures12How Culture WorksAnthropology 3
ANTHROPOLOGYTier IIWith approval of the minor advisor, select ve subjectswith a unifying theme (not to include 21A.00 or 21A.01)54-60Total Units66-72Christine Walley, PhDProfessor of Anthropology(On leave, fall)11Examples of ve subjects with a unifying theme are: Global Health (foursubjects from 21A.300[J] - 21A.311 and 21A.331); Gender (21A.103[J],21A.111[J], 21A.141[J], 21A.143[J] and 21A.504[J]); or Culture and Identity(21A.104, 21A.111[J], 21A.130[J], 21A.150 and 21A.155).Graduate StudyHASTS Graduate ProgramThe Anthropology Program, the History faculty, and the Programin Science, Technology, and Society collaborate in the graduateprogram History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, andSociety (HASTS) leading to a PhD. See the description under theProgram in Science, Technology, and Society ext).InquiriesFurther information on subjects and programs may be obtained fromthe Anthropology O ce, Room E53-335, 617-452-2837.Faculty and Teaching Sta Heather Anne Paxson, PhDWilliam R. Kenan, Jr. ProfessorProfessor of AnthropologyHead, Anthropology ProgramProfessorsIan Condry, PhDProfessor of Comparative Media Studies/WritingProfessor of AnthropologyMichael M. J. Fischer, PhDAndrew W. Mellon Professor in the HumanitiesProfessor of Science and Technology StudiesProfessor of AnthropologyStefan Helmreich, PhDElting E. Morison Professor in HumanitiesProfessor of AnthropologySusan S. Silbey, PhDLeon and Anne Goldberg Professor of HumanitiesProfessor of Sociology and AnthropologyProfessor of Behavioral and Policy StudiesMember, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society4 AnthropologyAssociate ProfessorsManduhai Buyandelger, PhDAssociate Professor of AnthropologyErica C. James, PhDAssociate Professor of Medical Anthropology and Urban StudiesAssociate Professor of AnthropologyGraham M. Jones, PhDAssociate Professor of AnthropologyAmy Moran-Thomas, PhDAlfred Henry and Jean Morrison Hayes Career Development ProfessorAssociate Professor of Anthropology(On leave, spring)Bettina Stoetzer, PhDClass of 1948 Career Development ProfessorAssociate Professor of AnthropologyAssistant ProfessorsHéctor Beltrán, PhDAssistant Professor of AnthropologyM. Amah Edoh, PhDBurnell Career Development ProfessorAssistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies(On leave, fall)Professors EmeritiJames Howe, PhDProfessor Emeritus of AnthropologyJean E. Jackson, PhDProfessor Emerita of AnthropologyArthur Steinberg, PhDProfessor Emeritus of AnthropologyThe anthropology subjects described below are grouped withinseven areas: Core Subjects; Culture and Identity; Global Health;Environment, Development, and Conflict; Science, Technology, andMedia; Cross-cultural Dialog and Investigations; and IndependentStudy, Special Subjects, and Thesis.
ANTHROPOLOGYCore Subjects21A.00 Introduction to Anthropology: Comparing HumanCulturesPrereq: NoneU (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-SThrough the comparative study of di erent cultures, anthropologyexplores fundamental questions about what it means to be human.Seeks to understand how culture shapes societies, from the smallestisland in the South Paci c to the largest Asian metropolis, anda ects the way institutions work, from scienti c laboratories toChristian mega-churches. Provides a framework for analyzing diversefacets of human experience, such as gender, ethnicity, language,politics, economics, and art.G. Jones21A.01 How Culture WorksPrereq: NoneU (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SIntroduces diverse meanings and uses of the concept of culturewith historical and contemporary examples from scholarshipand popular media around the globe. Includes rst-handobservations, synthesized histories and ethnographies, quantitativerepresentations, and visual and ctionalized accounts of humanexperiences. Students conduct empirical research on culturaldi erences through the systematic observation of humaninteraction, employ methods of interpretative analysis, and practiceconvincing others of the accuracy of their ndings.M. BuyandelgerCulture and Identity21A.103[J] The Science of Race, Sex, and GenderSame subject as STS.046[J], WGS.225[J]Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SSee description under subject WGS.225[J].A. Sur21A.104 Memory, Culture, and ForgettingPrereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: U (Fall)Acad Year 2021-2022: Not o ered2-0-7 units. HASS-SIntroduces scholarly debates about the sociocultural practicesthrough which individuals and societies create, sustain, recall, anderase memories. Emphasis is given to the history of knowledge,construction of memory, the role of authorities in shaping memory,and how societies decide on whose versions of memory are more"truthful" and "real." Other topics include how memory works in thehuman brain, memory and trauma, amnesia, memory practices in thesciences, false memory, sites of memory, and the commodi cation ofmemory.M. Buyandelger21A.111[J] For Love and Money: Rethinking the FamilySame subject as WGS.172[J]Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-SCross-cultural case studies introduce students to the anthropologicalstudy of the social institutions and symbolic meanings of family,gender, and sexuality. Investigates the di erent forms familiesand households take and considers their social, emotional, andeconomic dynamics. Analyzes how various expectations for,and experiences of, family life are rooted in or challenged byparticular conceptions of gender and sexuality. Addresses questionssurrounding what it means to be a "man" or a "woman," as well as afamily member, in di erent social contexts.H. Paxson21A.120 American Dream: Exploring Class in the USPrereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SExplores the experiences and understandings of class amongAmericans positioned at di erent points along the US socialspectrum. Considers a variety of classic frameworks for analyzingsocial class and uses memoirs, novels and ethnographies to gain asense of how class is experienced in daily life and how it intersectswith other forms of social di erence such as race and gender.C. WalleyAnthropology 5
ANTHROPOLOGY21A.130[J] Introduction to Latin American Studies21A.136[J] Global Africa: Creative Cultures (New)See description under subject 17.55[J].T. Padilla, P. DuongExamines contemporary and historical cultural production on andfrom Africa across a range of registers, including literary, musicaland visual arts, material culture, and science and technology.Employs key theoretical concepts from anthropology and socialtheory to analyze these forms and phenomena. Uses case studiesto consider how Africa articulates its place in, and relationship to,the world through creative practices. Discussion topics largely drawnfrom Francophone and sub-Saharan Africa, but also from throughoutthe continent and the African diaspora. Taught in English. Limited to18.A. EdohSame subject as 17.55[J], 21G.084[J], 21H.170[J]Subject meets with 21G.784Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: U (Spring)Acad Year 2021-2022: Not o ered3-0-9 units. HASS-S; CI-H21A.132[J] Race and Migration in EuropeSame subject as 21G.058[J]Subject meets with 21G.418Prereq: NoneU (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-HSee description under subject 21G.058[J]. Limited to 18.B. Stoetzer21A.135[J] Africa and the Politics of KnowledgeSame subject as 21G.026[J]Subject meets with 21G.326Prereq: NoneU (Spring)Not o ered regularly; consult department3-0-9 units. HASS-S21A.137[J] African Migrations (New)Same subject as 21G.025[J]Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SSame subject as 21G.028[J]Subject meets with 21G.328Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: U (Spring)Acad Year 2021-2022: Not o ered3-0-9 units. HASS-SConsiders how, despite its immense diversity, Africa continuesto hold purchase as both a geographical entity and meaningfulknowledge category. Examines the relationship betweenarticulations of "Africa" and projects like European imperialism,developments in the biological sciences, African de-colonization andstate-building, and the imagining of the planet's future. Readingsin anthropology and history are organized around ve themes:space and place, race, representation, self-determination, and time.Enrollment limited.A. EdohExamines West African migration to France and to the United Statesfrom the early 20th century to the present. Centering the experiencesof African social actors and historicizing recent dynamics, studentsconsider what migration across these three regions reveals aboutAfrican projects of self-determination, postcolonial nation-building,and global citizenship. Students also comparatively analyze theworkings of contemporary French and American societies, inparticular, the articulations of race and citizenship in the twonations. Taught in English. Limited to 18.A. Edoh6 Anthropology
ANTHROPOLOGY21A.140[J] Cultures of East AsiaSame subject as 21G.047[J]Prereq: NoneU (Fall)Not o ered regularly; consult department3-0-9 units. HASS-SExplores diverse cultures, everyday experiences, and politicaleconomies in East Asian countries, such as China, Japan, Korea,and Singapore, with additional examples from the surroundingregions. Examines the di erent ways people in these regionsexperience and understand globalization, as well as the changingstructures of kinship and family, work and organizational culture,media, consumption, and the role of government. Readings coverethnographic studies of the world's largest seafood market in Tokyo,the e ect of the Asian nancial crisis on South Korea, the role ofscience in formulating China's one child policy and its economic andsocial implications, and the state and ethnic diversity in Singapore.M. Buyandelger21A.141[J] Images of Asian Women: Dragon Ladies and LotusBlossomsSame subject as 21G.048[J], WGS.274[J]Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SExplores some of the forces and mechanisms through whichstereotypes are built and perpetuated. In particular, examinesstereotypes associated with Asian women in colonial, nationalist,state-authoritarian, and global/diasporic narratives about genderand power. Students read ethnography, ction, and history, andview lms to examine the politics and circumstances that create andperpetuate the representation of Asian women as dragon ladies,lotus blossoms, despotic tyrants, desexualized servants, and docilesubordinates. Students are introduced to debates about Orientalism,gender, and power.M. Buyandelger21A.143[J] Gender and Japanese Popular CultureSame subject as 21G.039[J], WGS.154[J]Subject meets with 21G.591Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-H21A.150 Teaching and Learning: Cross-Cultural PerspectivesPrereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SExplores the diverse ways that people teach and learn in di erentcountries, disciplines, and subcultures (computer gamers,magicians, jazz musicians, etc.). Compares schooling to other formsof knowledge transmission, from initiation and apprenticeship torecent innovations in online education. Students discuss variouslearning theories and apply them to a variety of in-class activitiesusing qualitative methods to conduct original research on topics oftheir choice. Limited to 15.G. Jones21A.151 Language, Communication, and CulturePrereq: NoneU (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SProvides an introduction to linguistic anthropology, whichdeals with the role of language in social, cultural, and politicalprocesses. Considers language as more than just a neutral conduitfor exchanging information, but rather as a factor shaping andshaped by interpersonal relationships, national identity, andperception of the world. Drawing on case studies and rst-handobservations, students apply methods for analyzing communicationand miscommunication in everyday conversation, professionaldiscourse, verbal performance, online interaction, political rhetoric,and more.G. Jones21A.155 Food, Culture, and PoliticsPrereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-SExplores connections between what we eat and who we are throughcross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groupsare formed via food production, preparation, and consumption.Organized around critical discussion of what makes "good" foodgood (healthy, authentic, ethical, etc.). Uses anthropological andliterary classics as well as recent writing and lms on the politicsof food and agriculture. Instruction and practice in written and oralcommunication provided.H. PaxsonSee description under subject 21G.039[J].I. CondryAnthropology 7
ANTHROPOLOGY21A.157 The Meaning of LifePrereq: NoneU (Spring)3-0-9 units. HASS-SExamines how a variety of cultural traditions propose answers tothe question of how to live a meaningful life. Considers the meaningof life, not as a philosophical abstraction, but as a question thatindividuals grapple with in their daily lives, facing di cult decisionsbetween meeting and defying cultural expectations. Provides toolsfor thinking about moral decisions as social and historical practices,and permits students to compare and contextualize the ways peoplein di erent times and places approach fundamental ethical concerns.S. Helmreich, H. PaxsonGlobal Health21A.301 Disease and Health: Culture, Society, and EthicsPrereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-SFrom a cross cultural and global perspective, examines how medicineis practiced, with particular emphasis on biomedicine. Analyzesmedical practice as a cultural system, focusing on the human andsocial side of things. Considers how people in di erent societiesthink of disease, health, body, and mind. Enrollment limited.A. Moran-Thomas21A.302[J] Dilemmas in Biomedical Ethics: Playing God or DoingGood?Same subject as 11.133[J], WGS.271[J]Prereq: NoneU (Fall)Not o ered regularly; consult department3-0-9 units. HASS-SSee description under subject 11.133[J].E. C. James8 Anthropology21A.303[J] The Anthropology of BiologySame subject as STS.060[J]Prereq: NoneAcad Year 2020-2021: Not o eredAcad Year 2021-2022: U (Fall)3-0-9 units. HASS-SApplies the tools of anthropology to examine biology in the age ofgenomics, biotechnological enterprise, biodiversity conservation,pharmaceutical bioprospecting, and synthetic biology. Examinessuch social concerns such as bioterrorism, genetic modi cation, andcloning. O ers an anthropological inquiry into how the substancesand explanations of biology — ecological, o
the Anthropology Oce, Room E53-335, 617-452-2837. Faculty and Teaching Sta Heather Anne Paxson, PhD William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor Professor of Anthropology Head, Anthropology Program Professors Ian Condry, PhD Professor of Comparative Media Studies/Writing Professor of Anthropology Michael M. J. Fischer, PhD
15 Urban Anthropology 265 Kristin V. Monroe 16 Locating the 'Rural' in Anthropology 282 Vanessa Koh, Paul Burow, Lav Kanoi, and Michael R. Dove 17 Maritime Anthropology 297 Edyta Roszko 18 Political Anthropology 316 Martijn Koster 19 Anthropology of Law 334 Alan Smart 20 Business Anthropology 350 Sarah Lyon 21 Medical Anthropology 369
anthropology called Physical anthropology. In the contemporary context the term Physical anthropology and Biological anthropology are synonymous. Definition of Physical Anthropology: The emergence of anthropology as a branch of science goes back to the remote past. But Aristotle was given the credit in the 16th century only for
Introduction ON THEComparative, Integrative and WAY TO PRET ORIA CONTENTS I Meaning and Natur e of Anthr opology · Etymology and Definitions · Bio-social nature Holistic nature · Anthropology as a Field Science II Major Branches of Anthr opology · Biological Anthropology · Social Cultural Anthropology · Archaeological Anthropology · Linguistic Anthropology
study. It is comprised of four subfields that in the United States include cultural anthropology, archaeol-ogy, biological (or physical) anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Together, the subfields provide a multi-faceted picture of the human condition. Applied anthropology is another area of specialization
Applied Anthropology Ethnomusicology Anthropology of Arts Anthropology of Gender Forensic Anthropology Cultural Theory Family Studies Death and Dying Other Anthropology and Anthropological Studies n.e.c. Adjudication Legal Education Legal Practice Professional Ethics Other Professional Development of Law Practitioners n.e.c.
Introduction to Physical Anthropology Lecture 1: Introduction and Chapter 1 1. Summary 1. Class red tape and introduction 2. Anthropology - An Overview 3. Physical Anthropology - A Survey 4. Physical Anthropology - A closer
Introduction to physical anthropology 3. Science *All from chapter 1 8. Introduction: What is anthropology? 1. Anthropology is the study of humankind 2. Four subfields Subfield 1: Cultural anthropology-observe human soci
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