anth 230 is also an intro course, but focusing just on the field of sociocultural anthropology. the course breaks down anthropological questions to their most basic forms—why do people do the odd things they do? and perhaps even better: what, exactly, are people doing?—and approaches them through perspectives of culture theory, fieldwork, and issues of representation. click for more information.

visual anthropology investigates both anthropology’s use of visual media, and anthropological questions about visibility and the visual world.

anthropology and magic takes a fresh look at a classic anthropological subject, and works to approach magic on its own terms rather than as a simple problem of misplaced belief.

metropolis is a class exploring the emergence of the modern city. with consideration of the effects of mass society, modern technologies, and anonymity on a sense of the everyday, the course contrasts the rise of metropolitan models in 19th c. Paris, London, or New York with the continued global expansion of megacities.

probably no other anthropological contribution has had as much influence as the concept of culture. yet the idea of culture as we know it is a surprisingly recent invention. this course traces the emergence of the concept and its implications for our understanding both of people, and of anthropology as a discipline.