What can anthropologists teach us about religion as a social phenomenon? This course traces significant anthropological approaches to the study of religion, asking what these approaches contribute to our understanding of religion in the contemporary world. Topics include religious experience and rationality; myth, ritual and magic; rites of passage; function and meaning; power and alienation; religion and politics. Readings are drawn from important texts in the history of anthropology and from contemporary ethnographies of religion.

This course looks at the cultural construction of illness through an examination of systems of diagnosis, classification and therapy in both non-Western and Western societies. Special attention is given to the role of the traditional healer, the anthropological contribution to international health care and the training of physicians in the United States. Not open to first years. Enrollment limited to 30.

This course explores the similarities and differences in the cultural patterning of human experience, compares economic, political, religious and family structures in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania and analyzes the impact of the modern world on traditional societies. Several ethnographic films are viewed in coordination with descriptive case studies. Limited to first-year students and sophomores. Enrollment limited to 25.

This one-semester course leverages students’ previous coursework to address a real-world data analysis problem. Students collaborate in teams on projects sponsored by academia, government, and/or industry. Professional skills developed include: ethics, project management, collaborative software development, documentation, and consulting. Regular team meetings, weekly progress reports, interim and final reports, and multiple presentations are required. Open only to majors. Prerequisites: SDS 192, SDS 291 and CSC 111.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Laboratory (BIO 133) is recommended but not required.

This course will be organized around the following themes: 1. Intersectionality of systems of racialized violence in the US: Immigration control and domestic policing; mass incarceration and immigrant detention; 2. Global mobility as intrinsic to the restructuring of contemporary capitalism; therefore, studying "global migrations" is a critical vantage point for understanding contemporary capitalism, including questions of why do migrants leave their homes? And where do they (choose to) go? 3.