Anthropology 301: History and Theory of Anthropology

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of anthropological theory with a special emphasis on movements to “decolonize” the discipline starting in the 1960s. Organizationally, the course explores various “schools” of thought in anthropology and their differing conceptual and analytical tools for making sense of human social life and cultural experience. Emphasis will be placed on asking how key questions and approaches have taken form in anthropology and have changed over time. For instance, we will consider what constitutes “classical” theory and the composition of a canon of key works, asking what themes and thinkers get included and which do not, and how criteria of inclusion change.  The seminar format emphasizes close reading and active discussion of key texts and theorists.