Anthropology

ANTH 504. Human Rights, Peace, and Justice. 3 Hours.

This is a companion course to ANTH 505, designed for first-year Masters students. Both courses explore the central themes of the MA program, including peace systems, human rights, social justice, and global ecological and sociopolitical interdependence. Both analytical and applied approaches to anthropological research and practice are examined. In the first semester, in ANTH 504, these central themes are explored empirically, primarily through an intensive survey of select ethnographic literature.

ANTH 505. Anthropology of Peace, Justice, and Ecology. 3 Hours.

This is a companion course to ANTH 504, designed for first-year Masters students. Both courses explore the central themes of the MA program, including peace systems, human rights, social justice, and global ecological and sociopolitical interdependence. In the second semester, in ANTH 505, these central themes are explored through a critical examination of comparative and theoretical literature. This is a team-taught course, directed by a course master and involving select faculty from the department and across the University.

ANTH 508. Conflict Resolution in Cross-Cultural Perspective. 3 Hours.

This course explores conflict and conflict management from an anthropological perspective. It includes ethnographic examples from around the globe. Do all societies engage in war? How are conflicts handled in other cultures? The course will challenge a Western view that humans are naturally violent and warlike and consider some interesting anthropological controversies. Specific topics considered include conflict models, origins of war, conflict resolution, socialization of conflict styles, third party mediation, and ways to reduce violence and prevent war.

ANTH 509. Methods in Peace & Human Rights Research & Practice. 3 Hours.

The study of peace, justice, ecology, and human rights draws on a diverse methodological tool-kit and comprehensive skill-sets. This course introduces students to some of these methods such as using online databases, conducting interviews, text analysis, meta-analyses and literature reviews, participant observation, behavior observation, and content analysis. Concrete examples of research methods and practice reveal the interconnectedness of basic and applied research as well as theory and practice.

ANTH 512. Peaceful Societies and Peace Systems. 3 Hours.

This course explores peaceful societies, some of which are internally peaceful and some of which do not make war, as well as peace systems, that is, clusters of neighboring societies that do not make war on each other and possibly not with any outside groups either. The main questions addressed in the course are: How do peaceful societies and peace systems manage to successfully keep the peace? What lessons do peaceful societies and peace systems hold for creating a less violent and warless world?.

ANTH 513. Peace & Environmental Sustainability. 3 Hours.

By highlighting that ecology sets the stage for the social and economic domains, this course traces our interdependence with nature and makes the case that sustaining the natural conditions that are essential for the functioning of the ecosystem on which our lives depends equals sustaining peace. The course takes a positive peace perspective on environmental sustainability goals and methods to achieve them.

ANTH 514. Prehistory of War and Peace in North America. 3 Hours.

This course explores the origins, development, and consequences of conflict and warfare among the prehistoric and early historic Indigenous cultures of North America, as well as the complimentary processes of cooperation and peace-making. Archaeological, biological, and ethnohistorical sources are utilized to understand the ways in which war and peace were carried out among a wide variety of Native American cultures from the earliest evidence of human occupation to European contact and beyond. Both Indigenous and European practices of war and peace are considered.

ANTH 515. Peace through Global Governance. 3 Hours.

Global governance represents a new dimension in social organization. Anthropology has much to contribute to understanding it. Global governance has the potential to promote social progress and human development, the protection of human rights, peace, and human security. The course examines security—-military, collective, and human security—-and the evolution of international identity, norms, values, and laws and their contributions to the development of global civil society.

ANTH 516. War & Peace in Ancient Mesopotamia. 3 Hours.

“War & Peace in Ancient Mesopotamia” (ca. 10,000 - 323 BCE) begins with an introduction to the advent of farming, urban life, various crafts, writing, and other innovations in the region of the "Two Rivers," namely the Tigris and Euphrates' flood plain. It proceeds with the rise and fall of early state complex societies and empires in the Bronze and Iron Ages, and terminates in the Persian period. Although providing much focus on diverse issues dealing with war, alliances, diplomacy, treaties, and peace, this course also integrates a comprehensive background context and overview of other aspects of past societies in this region, including history, archaeology, language, literature, religion, architecture, art, material culture, and trade.

ANTH 517. Peace Ethology. 3 Hours.

This course provides insights into causes, mechanisms, development, function, and evolution of peaceful behavior in humans and nonhuman animals. The course shows how studying the role of peaceful behavior in the survival and propagation of animal life has direct significance for improving our understanding of the evolved abilities for peace in humans.

ANTH 518. The Power of Nonviolence. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of nonviolence as a manner of social change and as a philosophy. The course explores some of the classic writings on nonviolence such as those by Tolstoy, Gandhi, and King as well as current research findings on the efficacy of nonviolent social change, for instance, the work of Sharp, Nagler, Ackerman, and Chenoweth. Readings, films, small group and whole class discussions, guest lectures by activists will contribute to an understanding of the necessary skills for practicing and promoting nonviolent social change. Students will develop projects and presentations that utilize an online nonviolence database.

ANTH 519. Religion, Reconciliation, & Forgiveness. 3 Hours.

This course examines the role of religion, spirituality, reconciliation, apology, and forgiveness in conflict situations, from the individual to the global. Topics include the role of religion in both war and peace. The course has a cross-cultural and inclusive dimension and goes well beyond Christianity to also consider Buddhism, Confusianism, Islam, and other religions. The spiritual dimensions of Gandhian nonviolence are also considered.

ANTH 521. Technological Monitoring of Cultural Resources, Human Rights and Conflict. 3 Hours.

This class will give students an overview of how cultural heritage and humanitarian work intersects with innovation and technological advances. The class will introduce students to how social media, remote sensing technologies/drones, cell phones, open source, crowd sourcing, Big Data, cloud computing, the Internet, and sensors are all changing how we collect data and interpret the world around us, and how that information is revolutionizing cultrual preservation efforts as well as humanitarian and conflict monitoring.

ANTH 523. Vikings: Raiders, Traders, Farmers. 3 Hours.

The Vikings are most popularly thought of as warriors raiding settlements along the northern coastline of Europe during the Viking Age (ca. 793 – 1050 AD), but their society and activities extended well beyond this scope. This course furnishes an overview of Viking social structure, subsistence, art, architecture, religion, language, and literature. It covers hostile and peaceful interactions with the peoples of Greenland, the Arctic, Labrador and Newfoundland and considers the evidence for Norse explorations and influence in North America.

ANTH 524. Transitional Justice and Human Rights. 3 Hours.

Significant developments in politics, law, and human rights occur during periods of transitional justice. Anthropology is invaluable for understanding these developments, including conceptions of justice, truth-seeking, memory and memorials, reparations, institutional reform, and human rights discourse. This course begins with the Nuremberg Trials and progresses through the major historical events that shaped transitional justice throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. These include the abuse of amnesty laws during the Cold War; the development of truth and justice commissions, international criminal tribunals, and hybrid courts in the 1990s; and the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the 2000s. The course concludes by examining contemporary issues such as reparations, war torts, post-conflict memory and education, ongoing conflicts worldwide, and the future of the ICC.

ANTH 526. NAGPRA, Repatriation, and Indigenous Rights. 3 Hours.

Debates over the return of Native American cultural property from university and museum settings across the country lie at the forefront of modern archaeological research in the United States. Central to these debates are critical questions about the rights of Indigenous peoples, the intellectual freedom of researchers, the importance of cultural resource and heritage management, and the history and role of museums today. This seminar course introduces students to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) as federal law and further examines the impacts of this law through a multiplicity of involved perspectives. Class discussions will examine legal, ethical, anthropological, museum, and tribal perspectives, including both the theoretical and practical aspects of NAGPRA compliance and repatriation.

ANTH 528. Drugs and Culture. 3 Hours.

This course takes a cross-cultural perspective on experiences with mind-altering substances. It explores world views about what counts as a ‘drug’ and how drugs fit in with systems of moral judgement and social relationships. Together, we will consider case studies that explore how drugs fit into cultural and social contexts around the world. Specific topics include drug use in human history, drugs in contexts of healing, spirituality, and recreation; addiction, drug production and trade as a form of livelihood, and legality and the War on Drugs (considering drug penalties, public health vs. criminal approaches, social justice & human rights, etc.). We will also examine career contexts where cross-cultural knowledge of drugs would be beneficial.

ANTH 531. Memory and Memorialization. 3 Hours.

This class explores memory, collective memory, and the uses made of historical narratives, artifacts, and memorials in diverse cultural settings. The course begins with an exploration of the complex relationship between history, cultural identity, and collective memory. It then considers collective memory at multiple levels of society, including nationalism and national memory, post-conflict settings and the development of traumatic memory and social amnesia, and conflicting narratives over peace and war monuments and memorialization.

ANTH 532. Villains, Victims, & Vigilantes. 3 Hours.

This course examines ways in which the concepts of “rights” and “justice” are understood and enacted in local communities, particularly in regions of the world experiencing high rates of violent criminality. Beginning with a review of formal law and legal principles underlying state systems of justice, the course surveys settings in which dissatisfaction with state efforts to protect rights have induced communities to develop alternate policing and judicial institutions.

ANTH 533. Anthropology of Art. 3 Hours.

This course surveys the anthropology of art, focusing on economic, historical, and aesthetic dimensions of Western and non-Western art forms. The course considers the problem of whether “art” is a universal cultural phenomenon and examines cross-cultural aesthetics; form, style, and meaning in multiple cultural contexts; and the convergence of anthropology, art history, museum studies, and the marketing of culture. The course concludes with a brief discussion of contemporary art practices with respect to expressive culture and considers the power of art as it relates to knowledge, language, and culture.

ANTH 543. Propaganda, Fake News, and Hate Speech. 3 Hours.

This course examines the challenges of propaganda, fake news, and hate speech for human rights and peacebuilding. It begins with a brief history of propaganda and explores the relationship between technology and mass persuasion, including the speed and scope of social media in the current global context. The course then draws from anthropology to understand how misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech interact with culture, politics, and public discourse, and ultimately influence individual decision-making. The course then turns to human rights, peace studies, and law to explore open questions regarding speech freedoms, prohibitions against hate speech, international speech crime trials, and current measures taken by social media companies, courts, and governmental agencies to regulate speech online.

ANTH 587. Special Problems in Peace Research. 3 Hours.

Supervised study of specified topic area in peace studies; defined problem explored in depth. Topics are determined by student and instructor interest.

ANTH 588. Special Problems in Human Rights. 3 Hours.

Supervised study of specified topic area in Human Rights; defined problem explored in depth. Topics are determined by student and instructor interest.

ANTH 601. Forensic Anthropology. 4 Hours.

Forensic Approaches to Osteology Applied human osteology, emphasizing ability to identify age, sex, and population type of skeletal material. Effects of disease and behavior on bones.

ANTH 602. The Conquest of Mexico. 3 Hours.

This course examines the Spanish conquest of Mexico from both Spanish and indigenous perspectives. It further surveys the institutionalization of Spanish control over the fallen Aztec Empire and the broader intellectual and material consequences of the conquest.

ANTH 605. Advanced Cultural Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Advanced Cultural Anthropology Critical review of theoretical approaches in cultural anthropology.

ANTH 608. Advanced Linguistic Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Advanced LINGUISTIC Anthropology Historical development of theory and field practice of linguistics; psycholinguistics, sociolinguists, nonverbal communication, semiotics, and ethnosemantics; applied linguistics.
Prerequisites: ANTH 120 [Min Grade: C]

ANTH 609. Archaeological Ethics and Theory. 3 Hours.

Advanced Archaeological Anthropology Principal theoretical approaches to 19th/20th century archaeology; historical, processual, and post-processual.

ANTH 610. Advanced Biological Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Advanced Biological Anthropology Human evolution, primatology, race, human genetics. Tasks performed by physical anthropologists.

ANTH 611. Field Archaeology. 3-6 Hours.

Field Archaeology Archaeological field and laboratory techniques, including excavation, surveying, and artifact analysis and description; general problems of archaeological interpretation.

ANTH 613. Human Osteology. 3 Hours.

The identification of human skeletal remains. This laboratory/lecture course provides the groundwork for much of the work in physical anthropology. The first course of the sequence into ANTH 401/601.

ANTH 615. Ethnographic Field Methods. 3-6 Hours.

Ethnographic Field Methods Classroom instruction and practical experience in techniques of ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, household surveys, structured and unstructured interviewing, and genealogies.

ANTH 619. Food and Culture. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to present a broad view of the role of food in human culture through time and in a variety of geographic settings, offering students and opportunity to reflect on the cultural meanings of food in human life. Class lectures, assigned readings, and films will be used to enhance each student s understanding of the subject from a cross cultural perspective. We will examine the biological basis of diet how foodways develop and change, how and why anthropologists study diet, and variations in foodways around the world.

ANTH 622. Landscape Archaeology. 3 Hours.

The course will cover the techniques and strategies employed by archaeologists to reconstruct past landscape, which involves scientific testing, remote sensing, GIS, survey, excavation and environmental analysis. Examples will be drawn from projects across diverse landscape types in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central America and Asia. In-field and laboratory application of techniques will be emphasized.

ANTH 624. The Law of Historical and Cultural Resources. 3 Hours.

This survey course will familiarize students with federal and state laws and regulations relevant to archaeology and anthropology, such as the Antiquities Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Archeological and Historic Preservation Act (AHPA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), among others. It will also introduce students to other legal issues such as obtaining National Register listings, preservation easements and federal income tax rehabilitation credits.

ANTH 625. African-American Archaeology. 3 Hours.

African American Archaeology is one of the better established research interests within U.S. Historical Archaeology. This course will examine the development of the archaeology of the African diaspora from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present day. Its principal focus will be the plantation of the Southern United States. The course will include an examination of history of the plantation economy as well as an exploration of issues currently of interest to archaeologists studying the archaeological record of African American life.

ANTH 627. Archaeological Laboratory Methods. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to the principles and practice of archaeological laboratory research. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the stages of archaeological research that follow fieldwork and precede publication. Emphasis is placed on practical, hands-on experience in identifying and analyzing archaeological remains, as well as building interpretations of the past through their analysis.

ANTH 628. Comparative Religion. 3 Hours.

Human behavior in relation to the supernatural; religion as a system of social behavior and values; theories of religion.

ANTH 629. Egypt: Arch Field School. 6 Hours.

Two week field school in Egypt. Students will visit Egypt old and new, including Islamic Cairo, Coptic churches, the pyramids of Giza, Alexandria, the tombs and temples of Luxor (Valley of the Kings), Aswan (Abu Simbel), and an archaeological excavation. Experience Egyptian folklore through dance and musical performances.

ANTH 630. Zooarcheaology. 3-6 Hours.

This course includes an introduction to methods and theories of zooarchaeological research. Practical experience in processing, identification, and interpretation of animal bone remains from archaeological sites forms a large part of class time.

ANTH 634. Observing the Earth from Space. 3 Hours.

The course will give students the ability to analyze remotely sensed data from satellite images. Students will learn about the physics and mathematics behind remote sensing. They will also learn about the wide range of satellite images and techniques to analyze them via ERDAS Imagine, ER Mapper and other programs. Applications of remote sensing to a variety of fields will form a key component of the class. The course will culminate in a term project involving remote sensing applications to UAB faculty-led initiatives in health, medicine, geography and anthropology. There will be a weekly lab component of the course.

ANTH 636. Community Internship. 3-6 Hours.

Application of anthropological approaches to the efforts of a public or private sector. Institutional approval of both the host institution and the department of anthropology required before registration.

ANTH 637. Real World Remote Sensing App. 3 Hours.

This course will be offered as a research seminar focusing on real world applications of remote sensing technology. Students will work closely with UAB professors and scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville doing original remote sensing research on new satellite datasets. These datasets cover diverse areas including terrorism, global warming, health, anthropology / archaeology, atmospheric studies, urban expansion and coastal management. Students will be responsible for analyzing the satellite imagery and presenting papers to NASA.

ANTH 640. Arch and Hist Bible Lands. 3 Hours.

Archaeology and History of the Bible Lands. Examination of region spanning modern Syria, Lebanon, Isreal, and Jordon from 10,000-585 BC.

ANTH 641. Anthropology of Human Rights. 3 Hours.

Examination of conceptual, political, and legal aspects of human rights from an anthropological perspective. Topics considered may include: state violence; the history of human rights claims; the opposition of cultural rights and human rights claim; human rights as a form of political discourse; human rights practices in select contemporary settings.

ANTH 642. Historical Archaeology. 3 Hours.

This course involves all stages of archaeological filed work at a historical archaeology site. Students will learn survey skills, excavation, mapping, recovery, and post-field analysis techniques.

ANTH 645. Medical Anthropology & Health Disparities. 3 Hours.

This course explores the bio-cultural basis of health and cross-cultural variation in illness and healing which includes theoretical bases of medical anthropology, comparative health care systems, and social, political, and economic issues related to health care delivery.

ANTH 646. Explorers, Mummies and Hieroglyphs. 3 Hours.

This course provides a thematic approach to pharaonic Egypt in general, with one portion covering diverse aspects such as geography, an overview of the history of Dynasties 1-31, society and government, daily religion, mortuary religion, architecture, literature, the military, trade, economy, and daily life. Another portion of the course provides several documentaries regarding early to more recent explorers and Egyptologists. The third focus introduces Egyptian hieroglyphs in eight grammar classes and follow-up user-friendly, in-class exercises, aiming to enable students to translate basic hieroglyphic texts.

ANTH 647. Advanced Peace Studies. 3 Hours.

Intensive exploration of concepts and issues involved in the study of peace, social justice, nonviolence and conflict resolution. Students will engage in an in-depth examination and critique of anthropological approaches to peace and the associated theoretical and practical problems and applications.

ANTH 649. Egyptian History & Arch. 3 Hours.

ANTH 650. Nationalism Ethnicity and Violence. 3 Hours.

Social and cultural analysis of ethnicity and nationalist ideologies particularly where these have led to violent confrontations within modern nation-states. Considers primordialist versus constructionist theories of difference; the varying weight to be attributed to political, historical and cultural factors in the study of nationalism; and the politics of culture vs the culture of politics.

ANTH 652. Sustainable Peace Seminar. 3 Hours.

This course will focus on the integration of knowledge related to peace, justice, ecology, and human rights, or in other words, on the numerous interrelated aspects of the “positive peace” concept. This course is a seminar, meaning that participants will engage in much discussion. In turn, participants will present topics for discussion and others will respond and engage in dialogue. At times the focus will be on one participant’s research, and at other times the focus will be on a particular book or set of readings.

ANTH 653. Primatology. 3 Hours.

Biology, behavior, and distribution of living non-human primates Emphasis on field studies of old-world monkeys and apes.

ANTH 654. Biological Anthropology and Contemporary Issues. 3 Hours.

This course applies a biological anthropological perspective to explore what it means to be human and to develop critical perspectives on our culture, science, and media. How did humanity arrive in its current position? How do we understand human diversity? What can we learn from the differences among people, their overwhelming biological similarity, and their common humanity? How do we use this knowledge to build a sustainable future for ourselves?.

ANTH 655. Archaeology of Alabama. 3 Hours.

This course explores the archaeology of Alabama and adjacent areas of the Southeastern United States, spanning some 13,000+ years of human history. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to the rich history and diversity of Indigenous cultures of the Southeast, from big game hunters of the Ice Age to the rise of large, complex chiefdoms. Case studies are used to demonstrate how archaeologists use the archaeological record to make interpretations about the lives of past peoples throughout the ancient Southeast.

ANTH 657. Anthropology of Gender. 3 Hours.

Cultural construction of gender differences in human societies; shifting definitions of proper male and female roles across cultures and through time.

ANTH 658. Human Sexuality. 3 Hours.

This course will explore human sexuality and gender from an anthropological perspective, including biological and cultural perspectives, as well as the areas where anthropology meets psychology. The evolution of sexual behavior in humans and in non-human primates will be examined, as well as how sexuality is embedded in socio-cultural context both across and within societies.

ANTH 659. Politics, Drugs and Society in Latin America. 3 Hours.

This course will examine the role of drug production and the drug trade in the economic and political life of Latin American societies. Viewed historically and ethnographically, the course will include coverage of the traditional uses of drugs in indigenous societies as well as the more recent globalization of the industry.

ANTH 660. Ecological Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Examines interactions among behavioral, technological, organizations, and ideological features of human cultures that serve to adapt societies to their physical environment.

ANTH 664. Political Anthropology. 3 Hours.

The Comparative analysis of political structures and process throughout the world, focusing especially on non-Western forms; a survey of anthropological attempts to understand the complex interplay of culture and power in human societies.

ANTH 667. Museum Studies. 3 Hours.

Designed for students interested in museums and museum-related careers, this course introduces the field of museum studies, with a focus on anthropology and natural history museums. This course uses case studies, guest lectures and field trips, hands-on collections work, and problem-based learning exercises to demonstrate real-world museums work to students. Topics covered include museum legal and ethical guidelines, standard collections care, organization and display of exhibits, and collaboration with museum communities and visitors, as well as key contemporary issues such as contested rights to collections and the representation and interpretation of cultures in museum settings.

ANTH 669. Ethnography of Mexico. 3 Hours.

Comparative and historical analysis of rural Mexican communities, emphasizing the impact of neoliberal economic policies and democratic political reforms.

ANTH 686. Special Problems in Applied Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Supervised study of specified topic area in peace studies; defined problem explored in depth. Topics are determined by student and instructor interest.

ANTH 691. Special Problems in Cultural Anthropology. 1-6 Hour.

Special Problems in Cultural Anthropology Supervised study of specified topic area; defined problem explored in depth. Topics determined by student and instructor interest in cultural anthropology.

ANTH 692. Special Problems in Archaeology. 1-6 Hour.

Special Problems in Archaeology Supervised study of specified topic area; defined problem explored in depth. Topics determined by student and instructor interest in archaeology.

ANTH 693. Special Problems in Linguistics. 1-6 Hour.

Special Problems in Linguistics Supervised study of specified topic area; defined problem explored in depth. Topics determined by student and instructor interest in linguistics.

ANTH 694. Special Problems in Biological Anthropology. 1-6 Hour.

Special Problems in Biological Anthropology Supervised study of specified topic area; defined problem explored in depth. Topics determined by student and instructor interest in special topics in biological anthropology.

ANTH 697. Special Topics in Anthropology. 0-3 Hours.

Topics vary. See class schedule for topic.

ANTH 699. Thesis Research. 1-6 Hour.

Thesis Research Independent development of research project.
Prerequisites: GAC M