Courses
Note: The following is a list of courses that comprise the department’s permanent, regular offerings. Given the importance of current research and disciplinary debate to our graduate curriculum, many of the important course offerings any year are topical seminars and special topics courses (e.g., Political Economy of Health; Critical Race Theory; Archaeology and State Theory; Anthropology of Aging; Visual Anthropology), which are not included by title in this list. For more detailed information on courses offered, please consult the course list available on the department's website at www.umass.edu/anthro, where course lists, schedules, and descriptions are posted and frequently updated.
All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.
515 Primate Anatomy
Lecture, laboratory dissection. Emphasizes the structural-functional analysis of skeletons as joint-link systems. Prerequisite to seminar on comparative structure and phylogeny of primates, emphasizing evolutionary trends and adaptive radiations. (Limited to 15 students.) Credit, 4.
520, 521 Economic Anthropology I, II
Patterns of production, distribution and consumption in traditional societies, and social and political matrices in which these occur. Alternative theoretical approaches to selected problems.
527 Repatriation and Issues of Cultural Property
Explores issues of cultural property and repatriation through examination of history of cultural property concepts and issues. Features discusson and application of history, theoretical principles, and process of Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
529 Archaeology of Northeastern North America
Prehistoric record of northeastern North America (Pennsylvania to Labrador). Initial peopling of the area and subsequent demographic and cultural growth, against background of climatic and geomorphic changes of past 12,000 years. Major area problems stressed over regional sequences.
577 Summer Field School in Archaeology
Practical training in archaeological field and laboratory techniques, problem formulation and appropriate methodologies. Emphasis may vary from survey to excavation of prehistoric or colonial sites. Prerequisite: ANTHRO 102 or equivalent. Credit, variable.
578 Theory and Method in Archaeology
Intensive examination of the scientific approach to modern archaeological research and utilization of this approach for deriving and testing theories of prehistory and behavioral patterns. Consent of instructor required.
588 Field and Lab Methods in Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology
Introduces students to major questions in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology including what constitutes data, how excavations and fieldwork are conducted and how field data are analyzed in the laboratory.
621 Prehistoric Cultural Ecology
Analysis of cultural ecology approaches to interpretation of the prehistoric record. Consent of instructor required.
622 Historical Archaeology
Survey of the role of historical archaeology in recovering past landscapes constructed through social relations and/or interrelated oppressions. Case studies illustrate the value of stakeholder collaborations and critical heritage interpretations.
627 Archaeology of Food
Exploration of theoretical and methodological tools archaeologists use to study food use in past populations. Focus on social and cultural contexts of food practices with examples from around the globe.
641, 642 Theory and Method in Social Anthropology I, II
Two-semester sequence devoted to structural functional analysis as developed in British social anthropology. Emphasis on method in analysis of social and political theoretical issues. Credit, 6 (3 each).
649 European Prehistory
Analysis of prehistoric cultures of Europe to end of the Iron Age. Cultural evolution, and long range trends in natural and cultural adaptation emphasized. Consent of instructor required.
652 Indigenous Archaeologies
Indigenous communities are involved in archaeology and cultural tourism and management projects of all sorts. This course explores these projects and the methods used to decolonize archaeology. Some are close to home - being conducted by UMass faculty, others from around the globe.
660 Seminar in European Anthropology
Developing students' research programs prior to starting field investigations in Europe.
664 Problems in Anthropology
Current anthropological thought in regard to specific problems chosen from physical anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Consent of instructor required.
670 Contemporary Issues of Native American Indians: Northeast
This course is designed to inform students of the current issues facing the Native American Indians in the Northeast of North America through presentations by five guest speakers, all Northeast Native American Indians. Credit 4
680 Field Course in European Anthropology
Field course for advanced undergraduates and graduates. Supervised training in cultural anthropological research. Location varies from year to year. Credit, 6.
681 Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
Interpretation and analysis of data from all fields of anthropology. Descriptive statistics, formulation and testing of hypotheses, correlation and regression. Current trends in methodology of anthropological research.
683 Contemporary Anthropological Theory
Nature of social science paradigms and their relationship to society; critique of structural-functional paradigms, including modernization theories; in-depth examination of ecological, evolutionary, Marxian, and neo-Marxian theories in anthropology; implications of anthropological theory for general social science.
685 Seminar in European Anthropology II
Seminar for returning participants of European Field Program in Anthropology.
699 Master’s Thesis
Credit, 1-9.
745 Revolution and Social Change
Drastic social and cultural change. Emphasis on historical background and social contexts of political revolutions and their role in modernizing nations.
748 Language and Culture
Linguistic prehistory and classification; methods and interpretations of comparative linguistic analysis; linguistic methodology and “ethoscientific” approaches; the “Whorf hypothesis” and linguistic relativity.
775 Methods in Anthropological Research
Methods of studying cultures of homogeneous and heterogeneous societies among peoples of the world. Emphasis on various techniques of field work.
784 Human Adaptability
Seminar. Mechanisms of human adaptation to environmental stress; emphasis on human variation. Cultural and biological modes of adaptation. Prerequisite: ANTHRO 372 or consent of instructor.
802 Research in Archaeology
Directed individual research in archaeology. Credit, 1-12.
803 Research in Physical Anthropology
Directed individual research in physical anthropology. Credit, 1-12.
804 Research in Cultural Anthropology
Directed individual research in cultural anthropology. Credit, 1-12.
805 Research in Linguistic Anthropology
Directed individual research in linguistic anthropology. Credit, 1-12.
899 Doctoral Dissertation
Credit, 10.