Active Course List

Individual projects are done in close coordination with faculty member.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Positions may vary considerably, but all involve actual working conditions in various field positions such as museums, state parks, archaeological excavations and agencies.

Prerequisites:

Consent

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Students will work with faculty in the preparation and delivery of course materials in lower division undergraduate courses. Lecture/lab prep, delivery, use of multimedia, leading discussions and exercises. Open to senior majors and minors in good standing.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

A specialized topic of the students' choices. Coordination with a faculty member is necessary.

Prerequisites:

Consent

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

A detailed study of Minnesota archaeology from ca. 12,000 years ago to ca. 1900, with a focus on diverse and changing Native American populations.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

A survey of current knowledge about the prehistoric Native American inhabitants of North America from ca. 15,000 years ago until ca. 1900. Topics will focus on the processes of cultural development, change, and disruption by Euro-American influences.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

A detailed study of Latin American archaeology from ca. 12,000 years ago to ca. 1900, with a focus on diverse and changing Native American populations.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

A review of the history and philosophy of museums, the legal and ethical issues impacting museums, the nature and treatment of collections, creation, exhibition and exhibit design, the role of museums in education, museum personnel and management, and museums in the technological/electronic age.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Programs:

Museum Studies (GC)

Review of how cultural resources are being preserved and managed under current laws and regulations. Emphasis on examination of conservation, preservation and rescue methods in modern archaeology, and problems and issues in historic preservation and resource management.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Programs:

Museum Studies (GC)

An intensive exploration of how to identify, catalogue, and curate archeological materials in a laboratory setting. Topics will include lithics, pottery, faunal, floral, metal, and other materials as well as data structure and recordation.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

An interdisciplinary investigation into Quaternary environmental/climatic change and the impact of change on the behavior and evolution of humans. This course has three segments: 1) an examination of natural systems responsible for climatic change, the impact climatic fluctuations have on Earth systems, timing of Quaternary changes, evidence of climatic/environmental change from spatially distant, climatically distinct environments; 2) investigation into worldwide evidence of human evolution, global dispersion, and adaptation to environmental systems; introduction to various methodological approaches in Quaternary archeologic, geomorphic, and climatic studies. Focus is on proxy records used for climate/environmental reconstruction, archeolgic/geomorphologic field methods, geochronologic dating methods.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

This course examines the history of agricultural systems in world wide perspective, with an emphasis on understanding their social and environmental contexts and the effects on them of climate change. Case examples will highlight the conditions under which agricultural systems emerge, thrive, and fail, and the impacts of these processes on human populations.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

An advanced examination of the human skeletal system and the application of this information in the fields of bioarchaeology, paleonanthrology, and forensic anthropology. This course features hands-on identification and analysis of human skeletal material, with an emphasis on laboratory techniques.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Cross-cultural examination of the response of peoples in non-Western societies to the human universal of illness. Non-Western concepts of disease, health, and treatment.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

This course will acquaint students with the application of human osteological techniques in civil and criminal investigations, including assessment of the recovery scene, determination of identity and analysis of evidence relating to cause and manner of death.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Bioarchaeology focuses on the diet, health, and occupations of past populations through the analysis of their skeletal remains. Readings and lab work will promote a practical understanding of the methods used in the discipline.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

The biological and cultural aspects of death, as seen anthropologically, are the focus of this course. Mortuary behavior, ritual, and treatment of the human body will be addressed both temporally and cross-culturally.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

The contemporary peoples and cultures of Mexico and Central and South America. Emphasis is on cultural patterns and contemporary issues of the region.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

This course introduces concepts and methods of applying anthropological understanding to contemporary problems to bring about the empowerment of affected peoples. Case studies illustrate the impact and problems of culture change with special attention to its affect on powerless groups of people. Students will also design their own applied projects.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Kinship is the most basic principle of organization for all human societies. The course analyzes the main theories and methods of studying social organization, and explores cross-cultural variations in kinship, marriage and family systems.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Major anthropological theories of gender relations are read, discussed, and applied to a variety of contemporary ethnographic case studies.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

An evolutionary and cross-cultural examination of the aging process, status, and treatment of the elderly.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Examines the practical applications of anthropological knowledge to problem-oriented research and the problems of directed sociocultural change among contemporary populations. Selected projects and case studies are used to illustrate the complexity of applied sociocultural change.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

Examination of the intellectual history of anthropology from its nineteenth century roots to today's current theoretical trends. Students will learn about major school of thought in anthropological theory and practice critical examination of their applications.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures

The aim of this course is to make students methodologically literate. Students will learn how to develop research designs that rely on qualitative research methods such as participants observation. They will learn how to apply these methods by participating in small scale studies of human behavior. some quantitative methods will also be discussed. Students will learn to critically examine published data and conclusions.

Areas of Interest:

People and Cultures