Anthropological Theory

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the major theories and debates that inspire and inform anthropological analysis by investigating a range of theoretical propositions concerning topics including agency, structure, history, biology, ecology, social change, power, material culture, and the politics of representation. Each theory will be examined in terms of its analytical and explanatory power for understanding human behavior within its cultural context. Student will also examine theoretical positions within the social and historical contexts that produced them and contexts that are contributing to current dialogues and debate in anthropology.