| This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology – its history, methodology, central questions, primary debates and modes of analysis. We begin with a brief overview of the origins of the discipline. From here we move to consideration of a series of key topics within the field, with particular attention to the ways that anthropologists have critically addressed questions about race, gender, class, power and culture in their writings over the last few decades. While we will read many texts by scholars within the field, we will also focus considerable attention on primary texts (including blogs, human rights reports, journalist accounts, comic books) with attention to the ways that anthropological theory and argument helps us make sense of these documents and the contexts from which they emerge. We will also spend considerable time on visual culture, including films, comic books and photojournalism with attention to the relationship between representation and power, using the writings of anthropologists to guide us in our analysis. |
