Faculty The Afro-American and African Studies faculty comprises professors in departments grounds-wide who teach courses directly related to topics in Afro-American and/or African Studies. Departmental offerings vary from year to year, but currently these departments include: Anthropology, Art History, Drama, Economics, English, French, Government and Foreigh Affairs, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies, Slavic, and Sociology. Each year the AAS program also supports the teaching of special AAS seminars by visiting scholars.
The current Steering Committee for the AAS undergraduate program is as follows, with departmental affiliation: Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton, Director of the AAS Program and Chair of the Steering Committee; Reginald Butler, History; Ellen Contini-Morava, Anthropology; Scott DeVeaux, Music; Gertrude Fraser, Anthropology; William Johnson, Economics; Adria LaViolette, Anthropology; John Mason, History; Tejumola Olaniyan, English; Benjamin Ray, Religious Studies; Milton Vickerman, Psychology; and Melvin Wilson, Psychology Department. These faculty are available as advisors to AAS majors and minors.
Students There are approximately 50 undergraduates majoring in Afro-American and African Studies in a given year, quite a number of whom double-major with disciplines in the humanities or social sciences. Although there are distributional requirements within the AAS major, students have a great deal of freedom in shaping the major to reflect their particular area, topical and disciplinary interests. Students also have ample opportunity for independent study with faculty members. In addition, some students study abroad in Africa or the Carribbean through the University of Virginia or other programs, and receive credit in the AAS major for such experiences. Students minoring in AAS are usually those who are majoring in sciences, or are enrolled in non-College programs (Architecture, Engineering, Commerce).
Graduates with a degree in Afro-American and African Studies use their interdisciplinary training, and skills in reading, writing and thinking, as a basis for a wide variety of careers. Recent graduates are pursuing professions in such fields as law, international development, teaching, social work, small and corporate business, banking, and public administration. Every year AAS majors also begin graduate training, including M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the humanities and social sciences, law school, and medical school. Consider an AAS major a springboard from which anything is possible.
Special Resources The Carter G. Woodson Institute for Afro-American and African Studies provides a home base and support for the AAS major. The Institute is named after Virginia-born historian Carter Godwin Woodson, who played a pioneering role in the institutionalization of the study of the black experience, founded and was editor of the Journal of Negro History from 1916 until his death in 1950. The Woodson Institute supports advanced research in black studies, every year providing pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to scholars from within and outside the University. The Woodson Fellows conduct research in Afro-American and/or African studies on the premises of the Institute, and undergraduates should consider them a resource. The Woodson Institute also sponsors an annual lecture series on topics related to Afro-American and African Studies, open to the university community and the public.
Requirements for Major The Afro-American and African Studies interdisciplinary major comprises 9 courses (29 credits) taken within a program approved by any member of the AAS Steering Committee, who acts as the student's advisor. These courses may include courses taken before declaration of the major. In order to declare a major, a student must have taken AAS 101 and 102 and earned a grade of C or better in each course. Students must have an average of 2.0 in the major for it to be considered complete.
The major requires a distribution of courses in the following areas and levels, all to be selected from the AAS Course Offering Directory:
Each semester the Carter G. Woodson Institute publishes a list of courses that satisfy the above requirements. Students should speak with an advisor if they have any questions about how to distribute the above courses.
Students frequently find that Afro-American and African Studies works well as a double-major with another discipline in the humanities and social sciences. Up to 11 credits in another departmental major may count toward an AAS major, if the courses are among those listed in the AAS Course Offering Directory. Up to 6 transfer credits from relevant study abroad may be counted toward the major, with the advance written permission of the director of the major. Up to 3 credits of an appropriate language course may be counted toward the major.
Exceptions to any of these requirements is made only upon written petition to the director of the AAS major. No petitions are accepted after the completion of a student's seventh semester.
Requirements for Minor A Minor in Afro-American and African Studies consists of the following:
Independent Study in AAS AAS 401 allows students to work on an individual research project. Students wishing to pursue this should pick up an informational sheet at the Woodson Institute which explains the procedure and requirements. Students must propose a topic to an appropriate faculty member, submit a written proposal for approval, prepare an extensive annotated bibliography on relevant readings comparable to the reading list of a regular upper-level course, and complete a research paper of at least 20 pages.
Distinguished Majors Program in Afro-American and African Studies Third year students with superior academic performance are encourage to apply for the AAS Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) in which they conduct research and write a thesis demonstrating originality and independent study of high quality. Participants are eligible for graduation with distinction. The requirements for admission to the DMP are as follows:
Once the advisor has been secured, students should seek two additional faculty members who agree to read the thesis. The students register for three credits of AAS 451 (Directed Research) in the first semester of the fourth year. In this course, the students conduct research for, and write the first draft of, their thesis. In the second semester, students register for AAS 452 (Thesis) and revise the draft based on the committee's recommendations, producing a finished thesis of about 8,000 words or 40 pages, which must be approved by the committee and deposited at the Woodson Institute. The thesis committee makes a recommendation to the AAS Steering Committee for final approval of the thesis. Students wishing help in setting up this program should see their advisor.
Additional Information For more information, contact
Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton, Director
Carter G. Woodson Institute
102 Minor Hall
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 924-3109
Students should check the AAS Course Offering Directory, produced every term, for the seminar topics to be offered in the following term.
AAS 101 - (4) (Y)
Introduction to Afro-American and African Studies I
An introductory survey with an emphasis on major historical transformations
within Africa, and including the Atlantic slave trade and its
effects on Africa; comparative slavery in the Americas with a
focus on economics, culture, and community; and the politics of
slavery and anti-slavery in the U. S. to the eve of emancipation.
AAS 102 - (4) (Y)
Introduction to Afro-American and African Studies II
An introductory survey with an emphasis on African-American culture,
including 19th-20th century intellectual traditions; comparative
race relations in the Americas; literature and other cultural
expressions; and especially the black experience in the U. S.
AAS 205, 206 - (3) (IR)
Introductory Seminar in Afro-American and African Studies
Reading, class discussion, and research on a special topic of
Afro-American and African Studies, intended for first- and second-year
students. Subjects change from term to term, and vary with instructor.
AAS 401 - (3) (S)
Independent Study
See description under "Independent Study in
AAS" above.
AAS 405, 406 - (3) (S)
Advanced Seminar in Afro-American and African Studies
Reading, class discussion, and research on a special topic of
Afro-American and African studies culminating in the composition
of a research paper. Topics change from term to term, and vary
with the instructor. Primarily for fourth-year students but open
to others.
AAS 451-452 - (6) (Y)
Directed Reading and Research
Similar in format to AAS 401, but meant to be equivalent to twice
as much work (6 credits), and taken over a full year. Students
in the DMP enroll under these numbers for thesis writing.
Supporting Courses
The AAS program's Course Offering Directory, produced each term, lists the courses grounds-wide that fulfill the AAS major requirements for the coming term. Below is a listing of those courses which appear most consistently, but students should check the most recent AAS Directory, available at the Woodson Institute, for complete and updated information.
ANTH 224 - (3) (Y)
Race, Gender, and Medical Science
ANTH 225 - (3) (Y)
Racism, Nationalism, and Multiculturalism
ANTH 232 - (3) (IR)
Symbol and Ritual
ANTH 234 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to Folklore
ANTH 256 - (3) (Y)
Peoples and Cultures of Africa
ANTH 281 - (3) (Y)
Human Origins
ANTH 329 - (3) (Y)
Culture of Underdevelopment
ANTH 341 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to Sociolinguistiscs
ANTH 346 - (3) (Y)
African Oral Literature
ANTH 357 - (3) (Y)
Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean
ANTH 358 - (3) (IR)
Creole Narratives
ANTH 384 - (3) (Y)
Archaeology of Egypt and Mesopotamia
ANTH 388 - (3) (Y)
African Archaeology
ANTH 549 - (3) (IR)
African Language Structure
ARTH 345 - (3) (IR)
African Art
ECON 415 - (3) (Y)
Economics of Labor
ENLT 247 - (3) (Y)
Black Writers in America
ENAM 313 - (3) (Y)
African-American Survey I
ENAM 314 - (3) (Y)
African-American Survey II
ENAM 385 - (3) (IR)
Folklore in America
ENAM 482 - (3) (Y)
Advanced Studies in American Literature II: Harlem Renaissance
ENTC 331 - (3) (IR)
Major African-American Poets
FREN 411 - (3) (Y)
Francophone Literature of Africa
FREN 570 - (3) (IR)
African Literature
GFAP 344 - (3) (Y)
Urban Government and Politics
GFAP 351 - (3) (Y)
Minority Group Politics
GFCP 312 - (3) (Y)
Politics of Developing Areas
GFCP 581 - (3) (Y)
Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa
GFCP 583 - (3) (Y)
Politics of South Africa
HIAF 202 - (3) (Y)
Africa Since the 1800s
HIAF 203 - (4) (Y)
Africa Diaspora to 1850
HIAF 302 - (3) (Y)
History of Southern Africa
HIAF 401 - (3) (Y)
Seminar in African History
HILA 306 - (3) (Y)
Modern Brazil
HIME 201 - (3) (Y)
History of the Middle East and North Africa, ca. 570-1500
HIME 202 - (3) (Y)
History of the Middle East and North Africa, ca. 1500 to 1980
HIST 507 - (3) (IR)
Internship: African-American Interpretation at Monticello
HIUS 201 - (4) (Y)
American History 1607-1865
HIUS 202 - (4) (Y)
American History since 1865
HIUS 323 - (3) (IR)
The American South in the 19th Century
HIUS 324 - (3) (IR)
The American South in the 20th Century
HIUS 346 - (3) (IR)
History of Urban America
HIUS 365 - (3) (IR)
African-American History Through
Reconstruction
HIUS 366 - (3) (IR)
Afro-American History, 1865 to Present
HIUS 367 - (3) (S)
History of the Civil Rights Movement
LING 208 (3) (IR)
Introduction to Swahili Language
LING 209 - (3) (IR)
Intermediate Swahili Language
LNGS 222 - (3) (IR)
Black English
MUSI 208 - (3) (IR)
Black Popular Performance
MUSI 212 - (3) (Y)
History of Jazz Music
MUSI 260 - (3) (Y)
Jazz Improvisation
MUSI 369 - (3) (Y)
African Drumming and Dance Ensemble
PSYC 311 - (3) (Y)
Psychology of Language
PSYC 465 - (4) (Y)
Oppression and Social Change
PSYC 467 - (3) (Y)
Psychology of the African-American Athlete
PSYC 487 - (3) (Y)
The Minority Family: A Psychological Inquiry
RELA 275 - (3) (IR)
African Religions
RELA 410 - (3) (Y)
Yoruba Religion
SOC 341 - (3) (Y)
Race and Ethnic Relations
SOC 368 (3) (Y)
Problems of Urban Life
SOC 410 - (3) (Y)
African-American Communities
SOC 453 - (3) (Y)
Sociology of Education
Faculty There are currently twenty-five anthropology faculty members. Five of the faculty are archaeologists, who specialize in North American prehistoric and historic archaeology, the ancient Near East, and Africa. Five are linguists, with particular expertise in African, Native American, and Southeast Asia languages and sociolinguistics. One member of the faculty is a folklorist, who focuses on the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The majority of the faculty consists of social anthropologists, whose teaching and research interests span the globe. Particular concentrations include the cultures of South Asia, East Asia, Indonesia, Melanesia, the Caribbean, Africa, and North America.
Students There are currently 110 students majoring in anthropology. While this number represents a diverse group of students with a wide range of interests, it is small enough to maintain a high rate of faculty-student interaction. Students are encouraged to participate in faculty research, and many have worked with faculty on archaeological field work.
Upon graduation, some students pursue graduate degrees in specialized areas, preparing themselves for careers in teaching, research, or applied anthropology. Many go on to careers in law and medicine, aided by their knowledge of anthropological concepts such as cultural diversity and human evolution. Today, there are also more business opportunities open to the anthropologist, as our current era of global economics demands the appreciation of different cultural perspectives. Still, many enter educational fields and social services: teaching in the U.S. and abroad; joining the Peace Corps; and working in museums and on archaeological excavations.
Requirements for Major Eleven courses (31 credits) taken within a program approved by a departmental undergraduate advisor are required for a major. These eleven courses may include courses taken before declaration of the major, and up to two from outside the Anthropology Department. Courses taken outside the Anthropology Department, including courses transferred from other institutions or study abroad programs, may count toward the area requirements for the major (subject to approval by a major advisor), but normally may not count toward the above 300-level requirement for the major. In order to declare a major, a student must have taken at least one Anthropology course, or be currently enrolled in one. At least 18 credits must be taken after declaration of the major. The major requires a distribution of courses in the following areas:
Each semester the department will publish a list of the current courses that satisfy the above requirements.
Students frequently find that anthropology provides a cognate discipline which can be paired with other studies in the humanities and sciences. Many of these students choose to double-major in anthropology and another discipline. Up to six credits in another department major may be counted toward an anthropology major if they are consistent with a student's overall program. Specific courses, therefore, may be counted toward both majors, but the student must receive approval from a departmental advisor in advance.
Exceptions to any of these requirements will be made only upon written petition to the undergraduate committee of the Department of Anthropology. No petitions will be accepted after the completion of a student's seventh semester.
A number of informal activities are associated with the Department. Among these is the Anthropology Association of the University of Virginia. Majors are encouraged to attend meetings of the group and to attend lectures and symposia sponsored by the department.
Requirements for Minor Students majoring in a diverse array of disciplines choose to minor in Anthropology. Courses taken in other disciplines may not count toward a minor. A maximum of one anthropology course taken at another institution may count toward the minor, if approved by a major advisor.
A minor consists of six three-credit courses and Anthropology 300. All minors must take:
Independent Study in Anthropology For students who want to work on an individual research project, ANTH 496 allows considerable flexibility. There is no formal limitation on the kind of project as long as a faculty member is willing to direct it, but the projects should not duplicate what is already available in a regular course. Applicants should have their projects roughly defined when they apply to the faculty member. The normal requirements for ANTH 496 are a reading list comparable in substance to those in regular courses and a term paper and oral examination at the end of the semester.
Distinguished Majors Program in Anthropology (Departmental Honors) Students with superior academic performance are encouraged to apply for the departmental distinguished majors program in which they write a thesis demonstrating independent study of high quality. The requirements for admission to the distinguished majors program are as follows:
After gaining admission to the program by selecting a topic approved by an advisor, the student registers for three credits of ANTH 497 in the first semester of the fourth year. In this course the student produces the first draft of his or her thesis. In the second semester, the student registers for ANTH 498 and, taking into account the criticisms and suggestions of his or her advisor and other interested faculty members, produces a finished thesis of approximately 10,000 words which must be approved by a committee of three faculty members and deposited in the departmental office. Students wishing help in setting up their program should contact a major advisor.
Additional Information For more information, contact
Ellen Contini-Morava
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Anthropology
Brooks Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 924-7044
FAX: (804) 924-1350 Anthropology faculty
ANTH 101 - (3) (S)
Introduction to Anthropology
Integrative survey of anthropology: biological anthropology, archaeology and prehistory, anthropological linguistics, ethnology, social anthropology, and applied anthropology. This course is a prerequisite to all courses in the department beyond the 200 level.
ANTH 101D - (1) (S)
Introduction to Anthropology Discussion
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in ANTH 101
An optional discussion section which may be taken with ANTH 101. Discussion sections are not always available for every lecture section. Students should consult the Course Offering Directory for sections offered.
ANTH 109 - (3) (Y)
Colloquia for First-Year Students
Colloquium designed to give first-year students an opportunity to study an anthropological topic in depth in a small-scale, seminar format. Topics will vary. May be repeated for credit.
ANTH 300 - (1) (Y)
Perspectives of Anthropology for Majors
A course for majors and minors in the department designed to introduce them to a number of topics of concern to current anthropology. Majors and minors are expected to take this course at their first opportunity after joining the major program.
ANTH 301 - (3) (Y)
Theory and History of Anthropology
Overview of the major theoretical positions which have structured
anthropological thought over the past century.
ANTH 401 - (3) (S)
Senior Seminar in Anthropology
An integration of the major subdivision of anthropology with
emphasis on selected theoretical topics and primary sources. Primarily
for majors in their final year.
ANTH 221 - (3) (Y)
Marriage and the Family
Comparison of domestic groups in Western and non-Western societies.
Considers the kinds of sexual unions legitimized in different
cultures, patterns of childrearing, causes and effects of divorce,
and the changing relations between the family and society.
ANTH 223 - (3) (Y)
Fantasy and Social Values
An examination of imaginary societies, in particular those
in science fiction novels, to see how they reflect the problems
and tensions of real social life. Attention is given to "alternate
cultures" and fictional societal models.
ANTH 225 - (3) (Y)
Nationalism, Racism, Culture, Multiculturalism
Introductory course in Anthropology, the concepts of culture,
multiculturalism, race, racism, and nationalism are critically
examined in terms of how they are used and structure social relations
in American society and, by comparison, how they are defined in
other cultures throughout the world.
ANTH 226 - (3) (S)
Poverty and Meritocracy
An anthropological perspective on American ideas about achievement and
failure in relation to individualist ideology. Readings include Locke,
Rousseau and Tocqueville, ethnographies of non-western alternatives to
modern societies, and contemporary readings on poverty, welfare,
meritocracy, and social class.
ANTH 227 - (3) (Y)
Race, Gender, and Medical Science
Explores the social and cultural dimensions of biomedical practice and experience in the United States. Focuses on practitioner and patient, asking about the ways in which race, gender, and socio-economic status contour professional identity and socialization, how such factors influence the experience and course of illness, and how they have shaped the structures and institutions of biomedicine over time.
ANTH 231 - (3) (IR)
Symbol and Myth
Foundations of symbolism from the perspective of anthropology.
Topics: sign and symbols; the symbolism of categorical orders
as expressed in cosmology, totemism, and myth.
ANTH 232 - (3) (Y)
Symbol and Ritual
Explores the ways that rituals and ceremonies of exotic societies
may be understood and used to throw light on the cultures that
produce them. Topics include rites of passage, sacrifice, totemism,
magic, witchcraft, and food symbolism, and animal cults.
ANTH 233 - (3) (IR)
Cults and Prophets: Symbols of Social Change
This course examines how ideologies can produce violent social
change. Beginning with nativistic cults in simple societies, it
progresses to revolutionary movements in complex societies. Topics
include cargo cults, early Christianity, witch cults, and fascism.
ANTH 234 - (3) (IR)
Anthropology of Birth and Death
A comparative examination of beliefs, rites and symbolism
concerning birth and death in selected civilizations. No prior
knowledge of anthropology expected.
ANTH 235 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to Folklore
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Introduction to the materials and methods of folklore study with
emphasis on practical experience in the collection and analysis
of folklore.
ANTH 236 - (3) (Y)
Don Juan and Castaneda
An extensive analysis of the conceptual content in Castaneda's
writings, as an exploration of an exotic world view. Attention
is given to concepts of power, transformation, and figure-ground
reversal.
ANTH 237 - (30) (Y)
The Culture of Still Photography
Covers the nature of still photography as a form of communication
from its introduction in 1839 to 1940. Four broad topics are examined:
The phenomenology of photography -- its distinctive character
which sets it apart from other graphic media; the history of photography
from its very beginning; the use of photography in "viewing"
the world; and the development of documentary photography in the
first half of the 20th century.
ANTH 320 - (3) (Y)
Marriage, Gender, Political Economy
Cross-cultural comparison of marriage and domestic groups,
analyzed as a point of intersection between cultural conceptions
of gender and a larger political economy.
ANTH 321 - (3) (IR)
Kinship and Social Organization
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Cross-cultural analysis and comparison of systems of kinship and
marriage from Australian aborigines to the citizens of Yankee
city. Covers classic and contemporary theoretical and methodological
approaches.
ANTH 322 - (3) (IR)
Introduction to Economic Anthropology
Comparative analysis of different forms of production, circulation
and consumption in primitive and modern societies. Exploration
of the applicability of modern economic theory developed for modern
societies to primitive societies and to those societies being
forced into the modern world system.
ANTH 323 - (3) (IR)
Introduction to Legal Anthropology
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
A comparative survey of the philosophy and practice of law in
various societies. Includes a critical analysis of principles
of contemporary jurisprudence and their application.
ANTH 325 - (3) (Y)
Anthropological Perspectives on the Third World
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Analysis of western impact on third world societies during the
colonial epoch: the nature of colonial regimes, the responses
of the subject societies, and their legacy in the modern world.
ANTH 326 - (3) (IR)
The Anthropology of Local Development
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Contributions of anthropology to social problems in complex and
developing societies; problems in the applied anthropology of
such issues as social change, hunger, and overpopulation.
ANTH 327 - (3) (Y)
Political Anthropology
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Reviews the variety of political systems found outside the western
world. Examines the major approaches and results of anthropological
theory in trying to understand how radically different politics
work.
ANTH 328 - (3) (IR)
Deviance: Individual and Society
Examines the relationship between individual and society by
focusing on various theories of deviance. Topics: Freudian psychology
and the normal-abnormal continuum, deviance and the person across
cultures, the social construction of deviance in our society,
stigmatization, deviance and power, and the "other"
as deviant.
ANTH 329 - (3) (Y)
Marriage, Fertility, and Mortality
Explores the ways that culturally formed systems of values
and family organization affect population processes in a variety
of cultures.
ANTH 332 - (3) (IR)
Anthropology of Time and Space
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Analysis of the culturally variable structuring of social space
including interpersonal proxemics, architectural forms, and the
comparative nature of cities.
ANTH 333 - (3) (O)
Ethno-Poetics, Primitive Art, and Aesthetics
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Discussion of artistic expression in pre-modern societies. An
attempt to understand the form and meaning of traditional art,
poetry, and song in a social context. Specific ethnographic examples
will be examined in detail.
ANTH 335 - (3) (Y)
Museum in Modern Culture
Topics include: the politics of cultural representation in
history, anthropology and fine arts museums; and the museum as
a bureaucratic organization, an educational institution, and
a nonprofit corporation.
ANTH 336 - (3) (O)
Life History and Oral History
An introduction to oral history methodology and life history
as a sociocultural document. Readings focus on various uses that
have been made of oral history and life histories. Students
conduct interviews and write a life history.
ANTH 360 - (3) (E)
Sex, Gender, and Culture
Examines the manner in which ideas about sexuality and gender
are constructed differently across cultures and the ways in which
these ideas give shape to specific cultural understandings about
the nature of the world and of social relations and practices.
ANTH 361 - (3) (Y)
Native American Women
Explores the lives of Native American women through reading
and discussion of life histories, autobiographies, ethnographies,
and articles addressing specific questions of the roles and status
of women in Native American societies before and after contact
with Europeans.
ANTH 520 - (3) (O)
History of Kinship Studies
A critical assessment of major theoretical approaches to the study
of kinship and marriage (from the 19th century to the present)
and of the central role of kinship studies in the development
of anthropological theory.
ANTH 521 - (3)(E)
Reconfiguring Kinship (Studies)
Prerequisite: ANTH 520 or permission of instructor
Examines the ways in which the forms of kinship have been reconfigured
in contemporary societies, and how traditional kinship
studies have been reconfigured by their intersection with culture
theory, feminist theory, gender studies, postmodern theory, gay
and lesbian studies, and cultural studies of science and medicine.
ANTH 522 - (3) (E)
Economic Anthropology
Consideration of western economic theories and their relevance
to non-western societies, and a comparative analysis of different
forms of production, consumption, and circulation.
ANTH 523 - (3) (IR)
Political Systems
Comparative study of decision-making processes and authority
structures in selected simple and complex societies. Relationship
of political processes to social organization and social change.
ANTH 524 - (3) (IR)
Religious Organization
Analysis and comparison of social organization in selected
communities from the perspective of systems of belief, ritual,
and ceremonialism.
ANTH 525 - (3) (Y)
The Experience of Illness in American Society
Postulates that the experience of illness/disease
is at once a biological and cultural condition; focuses
on narratives of the sick as a lens into the interrelationships
between the body and society, medicine and culture. Considers
the individual experience of illness and self
in one Western society, and progresses to the creation of a theoretical
framework with which we can begin to conceptualize cultural institutional
responses to and definitions of disease and ill-health.
ANTH 529 - (3) (Y)
Selected Topics in Social Anthropology
Seminars and classes in topics of specific interest to faculty and
advanced students are announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 530 - (3) (Y)
Foundations of Symbolism
An interdisciplinary course on selected topics in the study of symbolism. Special emphasis will be on symbolic anthropology.
ANTH 531 - (3) (E)
Feminist Theory in Anthropology
A critical overview of the historical development of issues
central to feminist theory in anthropology, and their relation
both to specific ethnographic problems and other theoretical
perspectives within and outside this discipline.
ANTH 532 - (3) (E)
Structural Anthropology
A detailed examination of the works of Levi-Strauss and other
structuralists, an assessment of critical responses to these works, and
the relationship of structuralism to other analytic modes. Emphasizes
a clear understanding of structural methods and their application to
ethnographic data.
ANTH 533 - (3) (E)
Folklore and Ethnohistorical Research Methodology
Prerequisite: Graduate student standing or permission of instructor
Introduction to folklore and ethnohistorical research
methods and analysis.
ANTH 535 - (3) (E)
Folk and Popular Health Systems
A survey of various medical beliefs and practices. Considers
the traditional health systems of several American groups, and
examines in detail various influences on local traditional health
systems.
ANTH 536 - (3) (O)
Selected Topics in Folklore
Topics of specific interest to faculty
and advanced students are announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 537 - (3) (O)
Psychological Anthropology
An introduction to and survey of the epistemology and methodology
of personality theory as they relate to the study of other cultures.
ANTH 539 - (3) (SI)
Selected Topics in Symbolic Anthropology
Topics of specific interest to faculty
and advanced students are announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 571 - (3) (IR)
The Interpretation of Ritual
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Begins with an overview of anthropology's approach to ritual during
a century of diverse speculation on the nature and origins of
religions, with discussion of such figures as James Frazer, A.M.
Hocar, Claude Levi-Strauss, Max Gluckman, and Victor Turner. Focuses
on an issue selected anew on each occasion to cater to the research
interests of instructor and students, relating that issue to the
whole tradition of interpretation of ritual in anthropology. Issues
pursued in previous courses include: the nature of sacrifice,
the expression of hierarchy in ritual, and the compatibility of
historical approaches with ritual analysis.
ANTH 572 - (3) (Y)
Ritual Experience and Healing
Studies the rituals of different cultures, using not only anthropological
terms of analysis but also trying the viewpoint of the cultures
themselves. Examines changing attitudes in the study of ritual,
and the problem of the wide variability of religious expression.
Explores new directions in the anthropology of experience in the
light of recent work in healing and spirit possession.
ANTH 577 - (3) (IR)
Critiques of Symbolism
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Selected topics in the theories and heuristic bases of cultural
meaning or signification, including but not limited to semiotic,
psychological, structural or "formal," pragmatic, and
religious or "spiritual" approaches.
ANTH 242 - (3) (O)
Language and Gender
How differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, choice, non-verbal
communication, and/or communication style serve as social markers of
gender identity and differentiation in Western and non-Western cultures.
Includes critical
analysis of theory and methodology of social science research on gender
and language.
ANTH 341 - (3) (Y)
Sociolinguistics
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Reviews and findings of sociolinguists and others concerning the
way language is used to express identity and relations of social
superiority and inferiority.
ANTH 345 - (3) (Y)
Native American Languages
Introduction to the native languages of North America and
the methods that linguists and anthropologists use to record
and analyze them. Introduction to the use of grammars,
texts and dictionaries of individual languages, affording insight
into the diversity among them.
ANTH 540 - (3) (IR)
Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
Reviews the many ways in which language is central to the
theoretical issues and research of anthropology.
ANTH 545 - (3) (I)
African Linguistics
Introduction to the variety of linguistic structures found
in sub-Saharan Africa. Topics include survey of phonological and
grammatical features; the classification of African languages;
linguistic evidence for culture history and migration; lexicography
and aspects of socio-linguistics.
ANTH 549 - (Credit to be arranged) (IR)
Selected Topics in Theoretical Linguistics and Linguistic Anthropology
Topics of specific interest to faculty and advanced students are announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 253 - (3) (Y)
North American Indians
Ethnological treatment of the aboriginal populations of the
New World based on the findings of archaeology, ethnography, linguistics,
biological anthropology, and social anthropology.
ANTH 256 - (3) (Y)
African Cultures
A survey of the traditional cultures of Africa focusing on
kinship, political organization, religion, food production, and
problems of modernization.
ANTH 260 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to Civilization of India
An introduction to the society and culture of India, Pakistan,
and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Discussion of traditional social, political,
and economic organization; religions, religious festivals, and
worship; art and architecture; dance and song.
ANTH 266 - (3) (IR)
Peoples of Polynesia
The peoples of Polynesia and Indonesia, sharing a cultural
and linguistic heritage, have spread from Madagascar to Easter
Island. Examines reviews their maritime migrations, the societies
and empires that they built, and recent changes affecting their
cultural traditions.
ANTH 350 - (3) (Y)
Readings in Ethnography
Focuses on ethnographies, assessing
the resources and devices of ethnographic writing through close
readings of six or more examples. The ethnographies, for the most
part, are concerned with non-Western cultures.
ANTH 352 - (3) (IR)
Amazonian Peoples
Analyzes ethnographies on the cultures and the
societies of the South American rain forest peoples,
evaluating the scholarly ways in which anthropology has produced,
engaged, interpreted, and presented its knowledge of the "Amerindian."
ANTH 354 - (3) (O)
Indians of the American Southwest
Ethnographic coverage of the Apaches, Pueblos, Pimans, and
Shoshoneans of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Northwestern
Mexico. Prehistory, socio-cultural patterns, and historical development.
ANTH 355 - (3) (Y)
Anthropology of Everyday American Life
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
An anthropological perspective of modern American society. Traces
the development of individualism through American historical and
institutional development, using as primary sources of data religious
movements, mythology as conveyed in historical writings, novels,
and the cinema, and the creation of modern American urban life.
ANTH 357 - (3) (Y)
Peoples, Cultures, and Societies of the Caribbean
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Explores the histories and politics that have shaped the nations
and dependencies that are geographically and politically defined
as Caribbean, including French, English, and Spanish. Takes a
regional and national perspective on the patterns of family
and kinship; community and household structures, political economy,
ethnicity and ethnic relations; religious and social institutions;
and relations between Caribbeans abroad and at home.
ANTH 358 - (3) (IR)
Native American Mythology
Focuses on the myths of Native Americans north of Mexico,
and their roles in Native American cultures.
ANTH 363 - (3) (E)
Social Structure of China
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
Studies the structures of small and large social units
in traditional China. Units compared are: kinship group and village;
urban neighborhood and city; family gods, demons and high gods;
spirit-mediums and priests; local leaders and magistrates. Sources
are anthropological and historical studies. Post-revolutionary
social change is also addressed.
ANTH 364 - (3) (E)
Ethnology of Southeast Asia
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or permission of instructor
The ethnology and social anthropology of major cultures and societies
of mainland and insular Southeast Asia from their prehistoric beginnings
to contemporary national adaptations. (Mainland: Burma, Thailand,
Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia; Insular: Singapore, Indonesia,
Philippines, and portions of other nations abutting the area.)
ANTH 365 - (3) (Y)
Asian American Ethnicity
Problems in ethnicity are posed through study of the experiences
of the Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Vietnamese in
the United States. Topics include the history of immigration,
early communities in the U.S., race relations, recent changes
in immigration and communities, family values, and questions of
identity.
ANTH 366 - (3) (Y)
China: Empire and Nationalities
Prerequisite: ANTH 101 or equivalent, a course in Chinese history,
or permission of instructor
Explores the distant and recent history of Han and non-Han nationalities
in the Chinese empire and nation-state. Examines the reaction
of minority nationalities to Chinese predominance and the bases
of Chinese rule and cultural hegemony.
ANTH 534 - (3) (E)
Ethnographies of Illness and the Body
Prerequisites: For undergraduates: ANTH 224,
ANTH 360,
SOC 428;
permission of instructor for graduate students
Focuses on illness because it is often at moments of intense ruptures
in the normalcy of the body's functioning that individuals/societies
reflect on the taken for granted assumptions about self, family
community, social and political institutions, the relation between
normal and pathological, the roles of healers and patients, life
and death. Writing about illness and the body is a form of therapeutic
action. Examines such claims and writings done by those facing
bodily distress.
ANTH 553 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of Latin America
Seminars in topics announced prior to each semester. Current
offerings include the following:
Ethnology of Highland South America The prehistoric and Spanish colonial roots of modern Indian and Mestizo culture in the Andean highlands; the place of Indian and Mestizo peoples in the changing national social structures -- especially of Peru and Bolivia; nationalism, indigenism and native cultural traditions.
Ethnology of Lowland South America The prehistoric and Spanish colonial roots of modern Indian Mestizo culture in the lowlands; the place of Indian and Mestizo peoples in the changing national social structures, especially of Brazil; theoretical and comparative implications of indigenous social systems and beliefs.
ANTH 554 - (3) (IR)
Ethnology of Europe
Interrelations and distributions of the ethnic groups of Europe
from several perspectives -- culture areas, geography, historical
movements, political boundaries, population genetics and language
affiliation.
ANTH 555 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of Europe
Topics announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 558 - (3) (IR)
Ethnology of the Middle East
A survey of the recent, traditional and modern peoples and
cultures of the Middle East.
ANTH 559 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of the Middle East
Topics announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 560 - (3) (IR)
Ethnology of South Asia
Forms of social organization and cultures of the Indian subcontinent:
family, caste, village, region. Examination of cultural traditions
and the processes of modernization.
ANTH 561 - (3) (Y)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of South Asia
Topics announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 562 - (3) (IR)
Ethnology of East Asia
The ethnology and social anthropology of traditional and modern
groups of East Asia.
ANTH 563 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of East Asia
Topics announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 565 - (3) (Y)
Creole Narratives
Prerequisites: ANTH 357 strongly recommended
18th, 19th, and 20th century Caribbean intellectual life; imperialism;
island nationalism; slavery; colonized values; race; class; religion.
ANTH 566 - (3) (IR)
Conquest of the Americas
Exploration of power and personhood specifically related to the
Americas: cultural frontiers; cultures contact; society against the
state; shamanism and colonialism; violence; resistance.
ANTH 567 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology of Oceania
Topics announced prior to each semester. Current
offerings include: Ethnology of Western Melanesia, a general
introduction to the theoretical treatment of selected peoples
of the island of New Guinea and the Bismark Archipelago, with
emphasis on ideology and symbolism. The ethnology of highland
New Guinea is particularly stressed.
ANTH 568 - (3) (IR)
Ethnology of Australia
A general introduction to the theoretical treatment of selected
peoples of the northern and central desert regions of Australia,
with emphasis on ideology and symbolism. The relationships between
social structure (marriage/sections) and ritual life (the "synthesis
of country") are stressed.
ANTH 569 - (3) (IR)
Selected Topics in Ethnology
Topics of specific interest to faculty and advanced students will be
announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 575 - (3) (Y)
Buddism, Politics and Power
A discussion of the political culture of Buddhist societies of South and
Southeast Asia.
ANTH 281 - (3) (Y)
Human Origins
The physical and cultural evolution of humans from the initial
appearance of hominids to the development of animal and plant
domestication in different areas of the world. Topics discussed
include the development of biological capabilities such as bipedal
walking and speech, the evolution of characteristics of human
cultural systems such as economic organization and technology,
and explanations for the development of domestication.
ANTH 282 - (3) (Y)
Rise of Civilization
A survey of the patterns in the development of prehistoric
civilizations in different areas of the world including the Inca
of Peru, the Maya, the Aztec of Mexico, and the ancient Near East.
ANTH 285 - (3) (Y)
American Material Culture
Patterns of change in American material culture from the seventeenth
through the nineteenth centuries. Consideration of how these changes
reflect shifts in perception, cognition, and world view.
ANTH 382 - (3) (Y)
Field Methods in Historical Archaeology
Introduction to the basic field methods used in conducting
archaeological investigations of historic sites. Surveying, excavation,
mapping, and recording are all treated.
ANTH 383 - (3) (Y)
North American Archaeology
A survey of the prehistoric occupations of
North America with an emphasis on the eastern United States, the
Plains, California, and the Southwest. Topics include the date of human migration into the New World, the economy
and organization of early Paleo-Indian populations, and the evolution
of organization and exchange systems.
ANTH 386 - (3) (Y)
Archaeology of Flowerdew Hundred
Study of selected collections from the historical sites identified
at Flowerdew Hundred, Virginia.
ANTH 387 - (3) (IR)
Archaeology of Virginia
Reviews the current state of archaeological and ethnohistoric
research in Virginia. Particular attention is paid to the history
and culture of Native Americans in Virginia from the earliest
paleoindian cultures to the period of European colonization.
ANTH 389 - (3) (Y)
Southwestern Archaeology
The northern section of the American Southwest offers one
of the best contexts for examining the evolution of local and
regional organization from the prehistoric to the historic period.
Readings and discussion focus on both archaeological and ethnographic
studies of the desert (Hohokam), mountain (Mogollon), and plateau
(Anasazi/Pueblo) cultures.
ANTH 507 - (3) (Y)
History of Archaeological Thought
A consideration of how archaeological thinking reflects and is
related to more general ethnological theory.
ANTH 508 - (3) (Y)
Method and Theory in Archaeology
Intensive investigation of current research in the principles,
methods, findings, and analysis of anthropological archaeology.
ANTH 580 - (Credit to be arranged) (SI)
Archaeology Laboratory
Field and laboratory training in the collection, processing,
and analysis of archaeological material. Because subject matter
varies from semester to semester, course may be repeated.
ANTH 581 - (3) (SI)
Archaeology of the Eastern United States
Prehistory of the Eastern United States with special emphasis
on cultural development and change. Discussions of archaeological
field techniques and methods, and examination of sites in the
vicinity of the University.
ANTH 583 - (3) (SI)
Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
A review and analysis of archaeological data used in the reconstruction
of ancient Near Eastern societies.
ANTH 584 - (3) (SI)
Archaeology of Complex Societies
Archaeological approaches to the study of complex societies
using case studies from both the Old and New Worlds.
ANTH 585 - (3) (SI)
Archaeological Approaches to Economy and Exchange
Archaeological approaches to systems of production, exchange
and consumption. Data from both the Old and New Worlds are discussed.
ANTH 586 - (3) (SI)
Ceramics, Style and Society
Theoretical and methodological issues in the archaeological
study of ceramics. Topics include ceramic and exchange, and the
uses of ceramics in the study of social interactions.
ANTH 587 - (3) (SI)
Archaeozoology
Laboratory training in the techniques and methods used in
the analysis of animal bone recovered from archaeological sites.
Topics include field collection, data analysis, and the use of
zooarchaeological materials in the reconstruction of economic
and social systems.
ANTH 588 - (3) (SI)
Analytical Methods in Archaeology
Prerequisite: An introductory course in statistics
Quantitative analytical techniques in archaeology. Seriation,
regression analysis, measures of diversity, and classification.
ANTH 589 - (3) (Y)
Selected Topics in Archaeology
Topics of specific interest to faculty and advanced
students are announced prior to each semester.
ANTH 590 - (3) (E)
Issues in Archaeological Analysis
Prerequisites: ANTH 588 or a basic statistics course
Archaeological databases often violate many of the assumptions
made in the application of parametric statistics. Reviews the unique
characteristics of those databases and explores alternative analytical
methods. Case studies are emphasized.
ANTH 591 - (3) (IR)
Gender in Archaeology
Explores the range of case studies and theoretical literature
associated with the emergence of gender as a framework for research
in archaeology.
ANTH 497 - (3) (Y)
Distinguished Majors Thesis Research
Prerequisite: Admission to the Distinguished Majors Program in
Anthropology
Independent research, under the supervision of the faculty DMP
thesis readers, toward the DMP thesis.
ANTH 498 - (3) (Y)
Distinguished Majors Thesis Writing
Prerequisite: ANTH 497
Writing of a thesis of approximately 50 pages, under the supervision
of the faculty DMP thesis readers.
Faculty As an interdisciplinary program, the faculty is composed of seven archaeology faculty members from the anthropology and art departments. In addition, other faculty from architecture, history, religious studies, environmental science, and chemistry offer courses which complement the major. Faculty sponsored field research in archaeology is currently being conducted in the Southwestern United States, Virginia, the Near East, Africa, and Italy.
Students There are currently approximately twenty students majoring in archaeology. Students are required to complete a core program of three courses which include one course in anthropological archaeology (prehistoric), one course in classical archaeology (Greek or Roman), and one in archaeological field methods. Beyond those courses, students may either choose to focus on one area or seek a broad base of study in several time periods and geographical regions.
Upon graduation, many majors pursue a professional career in archaeology which typically requires an advanced degree. The University's archaeology majors are sought by the best graduate programs in the United States, and are often offered significant financial support. Many who wish to pursue field research opportunities following graduation (often prior to entering graduate school) have found professional employment in the area of archaeological resource management, a growing private industry in the environmental impact field. Others have found employment with government agencies and museums. Since archaeology is a liberal arts major that offers a unique merger of both humanistic and scientific thought, many majors draw upon this training in pursuing careers in medicine, law, and a range of other fields.
Requirements for Major All students enroll in a core curriculum of three courses which provide a broad overview of prehistoric and classical archaeology and exposure to field methods both in theory and on an actual archaeological site. Five additional courses, selected in consultation with the program advisors, explore specific areas and issues of archaeological research in various parts of the world. Other courses from the department of anthropology, history, and art may be substituted in consultation with program advisors. The final two courses are selected from such related areas as classics, religious studies, chemistry, and environmental sciences.
Minor in Archaeology The minor consists of the core curriculum and an additional nine credits to be chosen in consultation with a program advisor.
Distinguished Majors Program in Archaeology (Program Honors) Students with superior academic performance are encouraged to apply to the distinguished majors program in which they write a thesis demonstrating independent study of high quality. The requirements for admission to the distinguished majors program are as follows:
Additional Information For more information, contact
Stephen Plog
Department of Anthropology
Brooks Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 924- 3549
Anthropology faculty
ARTH 215 - (3) (O)
Introduction to Classical Archaeology
An introduction to the history, theory, and field techniques
of classical archaeology.
ANTH 381 - (3-6) (SS)
Field Methods in Archaeology
Comprehensive training in archaeological field techniques
is provided through participation in research projects currently
in progress under the direction of the archaeology faculty. The
emphasis is on learning, in an actual field situation,
how the collection of archaeological data is carried out in both
survey and excavation. Students will become familiar with field
recording systems, excavation techniques, survey methods, sampling
theory in archaeology, and artifact processing and analysis. (Field
methods courses outside anthropology or offered at other universities
may be substituted for ANTH 381 with the prior approval of the
student's advisor.)
ANTH 220 - (3) (Y)
Dynamics of Social Organization
ANTH 253 - (3) (Y)
North American Indians
ANTH 281 - (3) (Y)
Human Origins
ANTH 282 - (3) (Y)
Aztec, Inca, and Maya: Civilization of the New World
ANTH 321 - (3) (O)
Kinship and Social Organization
ANTH 322 - (3) (O)
Introduction to Economic Anthropology
ANTH 327 - (3) (Y)
Political Anthropology
ANTH 332 - (3) (SS)
Anthropology of Time and Space
ANTH 333 - (3) (O)
Ethno-Poetics, Primitive Art and Aesthetics
ANTH 354 - (3) (O)
Indians of the American Southwest
ANTH 383 - (3) (Y)
North American Archaeology
ANTH 508 - (3) (Y)
Method and Theory in Archaeology
ANTH 580 - (Credits to be arranged) (SI)
Archaeology Laboratory
ANTH 581 - (3) (SI)
Archaeology of the Eastern United States
ANTH 589 - (3) (Y)
Selected Topics in Archaeology
ARTH 211 - (3) (IR)
Art of the Ancient Near East and Prehistoric Europe
ARTH 213 - (3) (Y)
Greek Art
ARTH 214 - (3) (Y)
Etruscan and Roman Art
ARTH 313 - (3) (IR)
Art and Poetry in Classical Greece
ARTH 315 - (3) (IR)
The Greek City
ARTH 316 - (3) (IR)
Roman Architecture
ARTH 491 - (3) (S)
Undergraduate Seminar in the History of Art
Greek or Roman only.
ARTH 518 - (3) (IR)
Roman Imperial Art and Architecture I
ARTH 519 - (3) (IR)
Roman Imperial Art and Architecture II
CHEM 191 - (3) (IR)
Archaeological Chemistry
HIEU 203 - (3) (Y)
Ancient Greece
HIEU 204 - (3) (Y)
Roman Republic and Empire
HIEU 501 - (3) (IR)
The Rise of the Greek Polis
HIEU 502 - (3) (IR)
The Developed Greek Polis and the Spread of Hellenism
HIEU 503 - (3) (IR)
History of the Roman Republic
HIEU 504 - (3) (IR)
History of the Roman Empire
RELG 214 - (3) (E)
Archaic Cult and Myth
AR H 515P - (3) (Y)
Historical Archaeology