ANTH 211 - Investigating Contemporary Cultures

Introduces students to the research methods that anthropologists use to study human beings in all their complexity: the range of qualitative, in-depth, and participatory techniques that comprise ethnography. Through a series of hands-on active research projects, students will learn how to investigate the complex social world we live in, and analyze what they find. The course covers the research process from asking compelling questions, to collecting qualitative data and critically analyzing it, to choosing how to present it. The course also addresses the ethical implications and responsibilities that accompany learning about human beings by interacting with them, and then representing them to others. The readings, lectures, and discussions will explore how anthropological knowledge is generated and anthropology’s relationship to political-economic power, historical experience, and personal identity. Students will also gain valuable research methods skills for career choices.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: ANTH 102 or SOAN 102
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No First-year
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None
Formerly: SOAN 211

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