Courses in Sociology/Anthropology
LEVEL I COURSES
115 The Anthropology of War and Peace
This course approaches longstanding questions about the meaning of conflict, violence, and power in human societies from an anthropological perspective. The course examines indigenous traditions of conflict and conviviality and the violence indigenous societies endured in colonial encounters with the West. Students also consider anthropological approaches to modern forms of violence including terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and state violence. Finally, students examine anthropological approaches to the analysis of 21st century wars and contemporary peace movements. Offered during Interim.
116 Modern Elixirs: The Anthropology of Mood-Altering Substances
In many respects, products like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and opium provide the glue that holds together modern life. This course examines the web of these substances from an anthropological perspective. Our focus includes the politics of production, the culturally diverse practices of consumption and the social consequences of regulation. Based on our collective experience at St. Olaf, we consider the mood-altering substances on and off campus, and examine their influence in such things as our social identity, individual consciousness and the structure of authority. Offered during Interim.
120 Anthropology of Jazz
In this course we will explore how jazz music and accompanying cultural forms have reflected as well as shaped American society and culture. Utilizing photographs, film, music and texts, we will examine how race, class and gender structured jazz, as well as politics, urbanization, migration and technology. We will look at jazz in terms of social deviance and as a social movement, including its relationship to slavery, segregation and African cultural roots. Offered Interim.
121 Introduction to Sociology
This course helps students explore the connections between society and their own lives. Students answer challenging questions such as: "Do we have a human nature?" "Why does inequality exist?" "What is race?" "How do societies change?" In answering these questions students will learn to develop a sociological imagination. In doing so they will review the various research methods and theories that form the sociological tradition. Offered Fall and Spring Semesters.
128 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
How do anthropologists study other cultures? Peoples around the world create different realities through the ways they conceptualize experience (cultures) and how they organize themselves to do what they need to do (societies). Anthropologists describe and compare cultures and societies, focusing on different aspects such as family and kinship; inequality and power; religion and values; economy and technology; cultural and social change. Offered Fall and Spring Semesters.
231 Modern Ireland: Conflict and Change in a Postcolonial Society (abroad)
Ireland, renowned for scenic vistas, literary and musical heritage, is also the site of important postcolonial social change. This course examines changes in Irish culture and institutions coinciding with European/Global restructuring and "troubles" in Northern Ireland. We begin in the western (Gaeltacht-Irish speaking), rural counties of Galway and Mayo, move to the Northern Irish city of Derry, and conclude in urban Dublin. Offered Interim.
234 Native North American Cultures and Religions
As an overview of the variety of belief systems and ways of life, this course explores ethnographic case studies of Native American groups from the major culture areas of North America north of Mexico. Topics addressed in the course include language families, social organizational systems, ecological and economic adaptations, material culture, religions and revitalization movements. The course will also examine the impacts of colonial encounters on Native American cultures. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
236 The Arab World
Focusing on present day Arab and Middle Eastern countries, the course will explore the role of the institutions of family and religion in maintaining continuity, while also identifying sources of change such as the colonial experience, regional and global interdependence, the social impact of oil, fundamentalist movements, and the co-existence of traditional and "modern" values. Offered Spring Semester.
237 Forging a Latin American Culture
This course explores the forces that shape contemporary Latin American society, including material and cultural interactions with Europe, Africa and the U.S. Emphasis is placed on understanding the formation of the region in terms of the responses of key groups of actors (indigenous peoples, women, peasants, workers, the poor, revolutionaries), to the actions of outside and/or more powerful forces and institutions (conquerors, the state, the military, missionaries, multinational corporations). Offered Fall Semester.
239 Modern Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is a diverse region, stretching from the sleek high-rises of Singapore to hermetic Rangoon; from Islam to Buddhism; from computer chip manufacture to swidden agriculture. We will read ethnographies, novels and local histories to better understand Southeast Asian family life, religion, language and education. Through focusing on the experience of modernity, we will examine how Southwest Asians make sense of their group affiliations, their pasts and their futures. The course aims to challenge contemporary understandings of place, entitlements and home both in Southwest Asia and beyond. Offered Spring Semester.
242 Contemporary Native American Issues
What do self-determination and cultural identity mean for Native American peoples today? Students examine the impact of colonization on Native American peoples, including federal Indian policies, treaty rights, and sovereignty. Issues include economy and politics on Indian reservations, family and gender roles, persistence and revitalization of religious life and culture, urban life, and recent Native American social movements and organizations. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
245 Social Deviance
Through readings addressing a series of topical issues such as youth, subcultures, gender, organizations, mental health/illness and religion, students will examine critically various understandings of deviance. Discussions will address the different interests these notions represent and the institutions and practices involved in their construction. The course will also explore human agency and collective action in protesting, subverting and articulating the meanings and definitions of what/who is deviant. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
246 GLBT Lives and Issues
This course explores the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from several social science perspectives. Students examine debates about whether gender and sexual orientation (both heterosexual and homosexual) are socially constructed or biologically natural, and what cross-cultural and historical examples can reveal. The course also addresses controversies surrounding the family, religion and politics in regard to GLBT people, along with examining movements for change.
248 Sociology of Dying, Death, and Bereavement
This class investigates death-related behavior from an American and cross-cultural structural perspective, seeking to understand patterns of social interaction surrounding and giving meaning to dying, death, and bereavement. Topics include: death meanings and anxiety, religion and death-related customs, the dying process, hospice as a social movement, biomedical issues, the funeral industry, death rituals, and the social understanding of the bereavement process. Offered Fall Semester.
249 Indigenous Peoples
Hunters and gathers, herders and agriculturalists who have developed successful strategies for utilizing natural resources while maintaining ecological balance are in danger or losing their ways of life. Deforestation, dams, pollution, global warming, desert expansion and population pressure -- the products of globalization and economic development -- are threatening the loss of invaluable cultural knowledge as well as sustainable adaptations. Students explore humans and the environment and the survival of indigenous peoples. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
260 Marriage and the Family
This course provides a social science understanding of the "contemporary American family" and analysis of marriage and family issues from a cross-cultural perspective. Students discuss issues of dating and mate selection, marital and parent-child relationships over the family life cycle, gender issues, work and family roles, and problem-related issues affecting families (divorce, violence and death) caused by rapid changes in society. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
261 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
This course compares gender patterns and issues in various cultures around the world, such as Latin America, the Middle East, India, the U.S. and East Asia. How do cultural expectations for women and men vary? Why do some societies have more gender equality than others? How do economic and political change, including globalization, impact gender roles? How do the U.S. and Third World feminism compare? Offered Spring Semester.
262 Global Interdependence
Approaching the world as a "global village," the course will focus on the development of the world as an interdependent entity, the relationship between the "developed" and "developing" world, alternative explanations for planned social change, and new institutions for this international world. Some global challenges such as the information revolution, population, the status of women, and migration will be analyzed to illustrate this interdependence. Offered Fall Semester.
263 Social Movements
Students explore social, political, and religious movements, focusing on case studies of struggles utilizing both violent and nonviolent tactics. The course emphasizes the historical and cultural contexts of social movements, including tradition, ritual and symbolism; colonialism, national borders, and indigenous peoples. The role of cultural identities in the creation of communities of resistance and movements for social change is also a central issue. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
264 Race and Class in American Culture
Students explore the continuing significance of color, class, and immigration in the U.S., with a focus on the experiences and concerns of African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Asian Americans. The course examines the nature and functions of prejudice; the relationship among race, class, and gender; the persistence of racism and inequality; and social policies and social movements intended to create greater social justice. Offered Fall or Spring Semester.
265 Religion, Culture, and Society
This course examines and analyzes religious beliefs, meanings, rituals, and organizational patterns from an empirical perspective. Students study the social organization and functions of religion, the process of secularization in society, the practice and function of civil religion, religious conversion and defection, and sectarian religious movements. Offered Spring Semester.
267 Medical Anthropology
Students analyze the influence of social and cultural factors on health, illness, and medical treatment. Using novels, monographs, videos, and guest speakers, the course explores the social nature of disease and illness, the social organization of medical care and health professions, medical education, the growth of alternative health care, medical ethics, the ecology of health care, and the connections among faith, healing, and medicine.
291 History of Sociological Theory
This course provides an overview of the major thinkers who sought to create a science of human society, the ideas they found fundamental to a science of society, and how human society changes through history. Classical thinkers such as Marx, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, and Mead are studied along with the schools of theory which they inspired: positivism, interpretive and critical conflict theory. Offered Spring Semester.
292 Anthropological Theory
This course introduces students to anthropological theory and the “culture” of the discipline itself. We will examine anthropology’s formation during the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Empire, which called for new explanations of human differences and gave new significance to the nature and meaning of “culture.” We will explore the method of participant observation research, the question of whether anthropology is a science, the problem of representing one culture to another, and the changing nature of ethnographic writing. Offered Fall Semester.
294 Internship
298 Independent Study
371 Foundations of Social Science Research: Quantitative Methods
Students are given the skills necessary to critically evaluate and conduct quantitative research. Students learn the underlying theoretical assumptions and orientations of quantitative research, including research design, sampling techniques, strategies for data collection and approaches to analysis. Students gain practice in data analysis using SPSS and learn firsthand the steps toward conceptualizing a research project by preparing an original research proposal. Offered Fall Semester.
373 Ethnographic Research Methods
Students learn to design and conduct qualitative research in the tradition of sociological and anthropological ethnography. Students discuss theoretical approaches to ethnography and learn data collection methods through case studies and fieldwork assignments. A central component of ethnographic research is writing, so students learn through their own research how to write, analyze, and interpret field notes and to compose an ethnographic interpretation of their research findings. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Offered Spring Semester. past final papers
394 Internship
398 Independent Research
399 Senior Seminar
This seminar offers in-depth reading, writing and discussion on a selected topic from areas common to sociology and anthropology with an emphasis on contemporary analysis. Specific content will vary from year to year. The seminar is open to senior majors only. Offered Spring Semester.
