Anthropology

Courses for ANTH (ANTH)

ANTH 408/808
Cross-Cultural Mentoring I LINKCrosslisted as WMNS 408/808
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Field
Course Delivery: Classroom
ACE Outcomes: 8
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
ANTH/WMNS 408/808 requires weekly meetings with mentee. Pairs UNL student with a refugee and/or immigrant and/or minority K-12 student or adult.
Work with a refugee and/or immigrant and/or minority K-12 student or adult to assist them with the culture transition process, the educational process, problem-solving techniques, and community resources.
ANTH 409/809
Cross-Cultural Mentoring II LINKCrosslisted as WMNS 409/809
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Field
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
ANTH/WMNS 409/809 requires weekly meetings with mentee. Continuation of ANTH/WMNS 408/808.
Continuation of work with refugee and/or immigrant and/or minority K-12 student or adult to assist them with the educational process and/or culture transition.
ANTH 410/810
Women and Men: An Anthropological Perspective LINKCrosslisted as WMNS 410/810
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH.
Cross-cultural meaning and impact of gender definition, with emphasis on women. Gender as a correlate of biology, language, economic systems, social and political structures, and belief systems.
ANTH 412/812
Social Structure LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
Social structure, kin, and local groups.
ANTH 416/816
Topics in Cultural Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
ANTH 212 or permission.
Advanced study of selected topics in cultural anthropology.
ANTH 417/817
History of Anthropological Theory LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH.
Origins and developments of anthropological theory, method, and thought. Historical growth of the discipline and schools of thought from The Enlightenment through The Contemporary Period.
ANTH 418/818
Ethnology and Museums LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
12 hrs anthropology.
An approach to the museum as it relates to the growth of anthropology in general and ethnological studies in particular. Emphasis on the study of non-Western technology and its role in the modern museum.
ANTH 419/819
Art and Anthropology of Native North Americans LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Survey of Native American art, its prehistoric origins, historical development and recent artistic activity in the principal regions of North America. The context of art in traditional culture and the cultural milieu in which change took place. Artistic media considered are: ceramics, textiles, sculpture, basketry, bead and quill work. Powwows and fairs as important venues for presentation of contemporary Native American art.
ANTH 420/820
Ethnic Identity and Ethnic Conflict LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Concept of ethnicity and ethnic groups. Reviews how ethnic groups emerge and ethnic relations affect the modern nation state. Several ethnic conflicts reviewed and examined, accompanied by discussion of the dynamics of each of these situations. How ethnic identity is formed, adjusted and recreated.
ANTH 422/822
Medical Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Biological Anthropology
Culture as it affects health care, disease transmission and prevention and health education.
ANTH 429A/829A
Food Security: A Global Perspective LINKCrosslisted as HORT 429A/829A, AGRO 429A/829A, NRES 429A/829A
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Additional Anthropology Courses
Prereqs:
Junior standing
Overview of the technical and sociocultural dimensions of global food insecurity.

ANTH 430/830
Nutritional Anthropology LINKCrosslisted as NUTR 430/830
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Biological Anthropology
Prereqs:
ANTH 242 or equivalent.
Anthropological approaches to the study of nutrition. Background to nutrition science; bio-cultural aspects of obesity, fertility, lactose intolerance, and infant feeding practices; biological differences in nutritional requirements, fertility, and mortality; interpretation of nutritional deficiencies in skeletal remains; reconstructing prehistoric diets from archaeological evidence; and evaluation of relationships between dietary patterns and dental remains in fossil record.
ANTH 431/831
Historical Archaeology: Current Topics LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Development of Historical Archaeology and current research in the field.
ANTH 432/832
History and Theory of Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
12 hrs ANTH.
Current concepts and theories used in archaeology to interpret the archaeological record.
ANTH 433/833
North American Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
ACE Outcomes: 10
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH including ANTH 232
An areal survey of North American archaeology, methodology, history, and current trends of research. North American prehistory from earliest occupations to The Contact Period.
ANTH 434/834
Introduction to Great Plains Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH including ANTH 232.
Introduction to the history of archaeological research, taxonomic issues, cultural sequences, and current research topics within the Great Plains area of North America.
ANTH 435/835
Introduction to Heritage Management Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
Introduction to the nature and purpose of historic preservation as it pertains to resource management and archaeological research. Legislation that forms the basis for: cultural resource management principles; integration of state programs; and archaeological contractors; within the overall framework of land modification planning.
ANTH 436/836
The Ancient Maya LINKCrosslisted as LAMS 436
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Introduction to the prehistory of the Maya region and its periphery. Features of the Ancient Maya political, economic, religious, gender and material structures. Main substantive, theoretical and political debates in Mesoamerican scholarship. Interdisciplinary research and the types of methods used to create knowledge about Maya civilization.
ANTH 437/837
Borders and Frontiers LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Social and spatial processes of borders and frontiers though historical and contemporary articulations between local, national, and global orders. Commonalities of frontier and border experiences worldwide. Frontiers in the North American and global experience, border formation and maintenance case studies, contemporary issues of globalization, indigenous peoples, conflict and/or cooperation, natural resources, and ethnic identity.
ANTH 438/838
Topics in Old World Prehistory LINKCrosslisted as CLAS 438/838
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
ANTH 242 or equivalent.
Topics drawn from the wide breadth of Old World prehistory. Archaeological data relevant to selected theoretical or topical problems.
ANTH 439/839
Archaeology of Preindustrial Civilizations LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
12 hrs ANTH.
Development and organizational variability of past preindustrial civilizations. State formation and their evaluation through use of the archaeological record. General archaeological and anthropological problems posed by complex societies. Data bases from preindustrial civilizations: Mesopotamia; Africa; Egypt; India; China; Japan; Polynesia; Mexico; and Peru.
ANTH 442/842
Human Variation LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
ACE Outcomes: 9, 10
Groups: Biological Anthropology
Biological variation of modern humas worldwide through time and space. Standard measurements of phenotypic, e.g. elementary anthropometry. Biological adaptation to environment using recent theoretical perspectives.
ANTH 448/848
Human Growth and Development LINKCrosslisted as BIOS 448/848
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Biological Anthropology
Prereqs:
ANTH 242 and 242L, or BIOS 101 and 101L.
Biological diversity from an evolutionary perspective. The history of the study of human physical growth and biological principles of growth. Genetic, epigenetic and hormonal effects on human and other mammal growth patterns, and environmental factors that influence growth. Effects of nutrition, disease, socio-economic status, pollution, etc. Unique features of human growth in its various stages. How anthropologists interpret variation in growth patterns among human populations and the possible adaptive significance of this variation.
ANTH 451/851
Contemporary Issues of Indigenous Peoples in North America LINKCrosslisted as ETHN 451
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
ACE Outcomes: 10
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
Political, economic, and social issues concerning indigenous peoples in North America.
ANTH 454/854
Ethnographic Field School LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per degree: 6
Course Format: Field
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
Permission of instructor.
Advanced comparative study of the contemporary populations in a selected area of North America (occasionally outside of the USA) that may combine the traditional survey of ethnographic literature with personal observation, participation, and experiential learning activities in rural, urban, or traditional settings. The ethnographic focus (e.g., Native Americans, recent immigrants to the USA, historic practices) changes depending on research opportunities.
ANTH 472/872
Belief Systems in Anthropological Perspective LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
12 hrs anthropology.
Cross-cultural examination of the structure, form, and functions of belief systems. Emphasis on the interrelationship between the ideological subsystem of a culture and its social, political, and economic organization. Primitive and contemporary societies.
ANTH 473/873
Ecological Anthropology LINKCrosslisted as NRES 873
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Human adaptive systems and their ecological contexts. The dynamic inter-relationships between subsistence, technology, social behavior, human demography, and ecological variability.
ANTH 474/874
Applied and Development Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
ACE Outcomes: 6
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
Efforts by anthropologists and other trained specialists to influence the process of development and socioeconomic change in the modern world.
ANTH 475/875
Primitive Technology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH.
Survey of the major technologies and industrial complexes of the prehistoric and primitive worlds. Through examination of artifacts, gain familiarity with the ways preindustrial people have manipulated the environment. Develop skills necessary to analyze technology within its cultural setting.
ANTH 476/876
Human Rights, Environment, and Development LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lab 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
Human rights from an anthropological perspective. International human rights, development, and the environment; Western and non-Western perspectives on human rights; individual rights and collective (group) rights; social, economic, and cultural rights; women's rights; gay rights; indigenous peoples and minority groups' rights; and planetary (environmental) rights. Rights to food, culture, development, and a healthy ecosystem.
ANTH 477/877
Hunters-Gatherers LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Cultural Anthropology
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH including ANTH 212.
Survey of hunter-gatherer society and its ecological and social adaptations. Hunters-gatherers and their important role in human history and evolution.
ANTH 478/878
Pro-seminar in Latin American Studies LINKCrosslisted as HIST 478/878, POLS 478/878, SOCI 478/878, MODL 478/878, LAMS 478, GEOG 478/878, EDPS 478/878
Credit Hours: 3
Max credits per degree: 6
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
Junior standing and permission.
Topical seminar required for all Latin American Studies majors.
An interdisciplinary analysis of topical issues in Latin American Studies.
ANTH 481/881
Landscape Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Survey of theory, method, and practice in describing and interpreting archaeological landscapes.
ANTH 482/882
Research Methods in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
Permission.
Is strongly recommended to graduate students in all subfields before starting thesis work.
Introduces advanced students to practical and theoretical issues involved in designing and undertaking anthropological research. The logic and organization of research emphasized.
ANTH 483/883
Advanced Field Methods LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Laboratory and Field Training
Prereqs:
Permission.
Preparation for fieldwork through study of the philosophical and practical problems of anthropological field research. When appropriate, small-scale fieldwork exercises are planned, executed, and analyzed.
ANTH 484/884
Quantitative Methods in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Format: Lecture 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Laboratory and Field Training
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH; STAT 218 or eqivalent.
Collection, management, and analysis of quantitative anthropological data. Methods of exploratory and confirmatory data analysis. Computer-assisted analysis.
ANTH 485/885
Pro-seminar in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 1-3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
Permission.
ANTH 486/886
Community-Based Research and Evaluation LINKCrosslisted as ETHN 487
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Laboratory and Field Training
Prereqs:
Qualitative ethnographic field and research projects. The observation, documentation, data analysis, and theory behind selected research designs. Community-based organizations, agencies, and development advocacy projects.
ANTH 487/887
Analysis of Archaeological Materials LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Max credits per semester: 6
Max credits per degree: 9
Course Format: Lab, Lecture
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Archaeology
Prereqs:
ANTH 487/887 may be repeated. Topics vary by semester.
Survey of vocabulary, techniques, and ideas needed to research major materials found in archaeological sites. A. Ceramics (3 cr) B. Lithics (3 cr) D. Archaeofauna (3 cr) E. Historic Material Culture (3 cr)
ANTH 488/888
Contentious Issues in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
9 hrs of anthropology beyond ANTH 110.
Recent controversial issues through the integration of biological, cultural, and archaeological branches of anthropology.
ANTH 490/890
Advanced Field Work LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per semester: 24
Course Format: Field
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Laboratory and Field Training
Prereqs:
ANTH 290 or equivalent.
Credit towards the ANTH major cannot be earned in only one of: ANTH 290 and 490.
Further practical experience in field research.
ANTH 491/891
Advanced Laboratory Work LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per semester: 6
Max credits per degree: 6
Course Format: Lab
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Laboratory and Field Training
Prereqs:
Permission.
Only 3 credit hours of ANTH 491 will count toward the major in ANTH. Open only to advanced students wishing to complete a research project they have developed with ANTH faculty guidance.
ANTH 495/895
Internship in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per semester: 6
Course Format: Field
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
Sophomore standing.
A structured professional experience outside the traditional academic setting designed to allow students to learn and use anthropological skills and knowledge and to develop professional networks. 496-896. Special Readings in Anthropology (1-6 cr)
ANTH 496/896
Special Readings in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: N/A
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
ANTH 498/898
Advanced Current Topics in Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per degree: 6
Course Format: Lecture
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: Integrative Courses, Research and Reading
Prereqs:
Permission.
Seminar on current issues and problems in anthropology.
ANTH 844
Biology of Human Variation LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Prereqs:
ANTH 110 or permission
Introduction to the scope and meaning of human biological variation with emphasis on present day populations.
ANTH 881
Landscape Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 4
Course Format: Lab, Lecture
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Survey of theory, method, and practice in describing and interpreting archaeological landscapes.
ANTH 887A
Ceramics LINK
Credit Hours: 4
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
ANTH 887B
Lithics LINK
Credit Hours: 4
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
ANTH 887D
Archaeofauna LINK
Credit Hours: 4
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
ANTH 887E
Historic Material Culture LINK
Credit Hours: 4
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
ANTH 894
Internship in Professional Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per degree: 6
Course Format: Field
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Prereqs:
9 hrs ANTH
Structured professional experience in archaeological research, administration, or curation outside the traditional academic setting.
ANTH 899
Masters Thesis LINK
Credit Hours: 6-9
Max credits per degree: 9
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Prereqs:
Admission to masters degree program and permission of major adviser
ANTH 915
Seminar in Ethnology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Intensive study of theory and method in ethnology, with special attention to current research literature.
ANTH 935
Seminar in Archaeology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Theory and method in prehistory and historic archaeology. Current research literature in the field.
ANTH 945
Seminar in Physical Anthropology LINK
Credit Hours: 3
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Intensive study of theory and method in physical anthropology, with special attention to current research literature.
ANTH 994
Seminar in Anthropology and Geography LINKCrosslisted as GEOG 994
Credit Hours: 1-3
Max credits per degree: 6
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
ANTH 996
Research Other Than Thesis LINK
Credit Hours: 1-6
Max credits per degree: 6
Campus:
Course Delivery: Classroom
Research or reading in selected problems in anthropology, including the preparation of research for publication.
POLS 466/866
Pro-seminar in International Relations I LINKCrosslisted as HIST 479/879, SOCI 466/866, ANTH 479/879, GEOG 448/848, ECON 466/866, AECN 467
Credit Hours: 3
Max credits per degree: 3
Course Delivery: Classroom
Groups: International Relations
Prereqs:
Senior standing and permission.
Open to students with an interest in international relations.
Topic varies

Description

For a brief description of the program, application requirements and contact information, view the graduate program summary.

Department of Anthropology Chair: Raymond Hames, Ph.D.

Graduate Committee Chair: Effie Athanassopoulos, Ph.D.

The department offers graduate courses leading to the degree of master of arts. The requirements for admission, for Candidacy, and for courses and thesis are those established and maintained by the Graduate College. Applicants should accompany their application for admission with a statement of educational goals and their scores from the general Graduate Record Examination.

With the exception of students in the Professional Archaeology Specialization, all graduate students will be required to take three core courses in the Department of Anthropology, one from each sub-discipline. Cultural Anthropology: ANTH 812, 817 or 877; Archaeology: ANTH 831 or 832; Biological Anthropology: ANTH 830 or 842. If a student has taken any of these courses at the 400 level (ANTH 412, 417, 430, 431, 432, 442, 477) and they were taken within five years prior to the student’s admission to the Graduate College, they need not be repeated at the graduate level.

Upon admission to this program, all graduate students are required to have a course in statistics. If a statistics course has not been taken prior to admission, this will be regarded as a deficiency, which will have to be remediated.

Any class taken to remediate a deficiency will not count as part of the credits required for the master of arts in anthropology.

Program Assessment

In order to assist the department in evaluating the effectiveness of its program, majors will be required at the end of their graduate program:

    1. to complete an oral examination which focuses on the breadth of the field as well as on the student’s field of specialization.

    2. to complete a written exit survey, submitted anonymously.

The graduate adviser will inform students of the scheduling and format of assessment activities.

These assessment activities will in no way affect a student’s GPA or graduation.

Specializations available:

Environmental Studies; Great Plains Studies; Professional Archaeology; Women's and Gender Studies

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