An 22
Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second, third terms
Introduction to anthropological theory. Exploration of the diversity of human culture. Examination of the relationship between ecology, technology, and subsistence, patterns of marriage and residence, gender and sexual division of labor, reproduction, kinship, and descent. Links between economic complexity, population, social stratification, political organization, law, religion, ritual, and warfare are traced. Ethnic diversity and interethnic relations are surveyed. The course is oriented toward understanding the causes of cross-cultural variation and the evolution of culture.
Instructor:
Ensminger
An 23
Human Evolution
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Introduction to human evolution, which is essential for understanding our species. Natural selection, sexual selection, genetics, systematics, behavioral ecology, and life history theory are covered. The order Primates is surveyed. Primary emphasis is on the hominid fossil and archeological record. Behavior, cognition, and culture of nonhuman primates and humans, as well as physical variation in present-day humans, is examined.
An 101
Selected Topics in Anthropology
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
An 135
Primate Behavior
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
This course will examine how natural selection has shaped the social organization, life histories, reproductive strategies, social behavior, and cognitive abilities of nonhuman primates. It will review natural and sexual selection, examine the ecological and social pressures that shape primate behavior, and consider the role these principles play in shaping modern human behavior.
An/SS 142
Caltech Undergraduate Culture and Social Organization
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Prerequisites: instructor's permission..
Students in this class will help develop hypotheses, methods, and background information for the design of a new class to be offered in subsequent years, which will seek to pose and empirically test questions related to cultural and social aspects of the Caltech undergraduate experience. Central to this project will be an examination of the theory of social networks and the role they play in the academic and social experience. Other qualitative and quantitative methods for future data gathering will also be designed.
An 150 ab
The Caltech Project
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
Prerequisites: instructor's permission.
Hands-on immersion in a social scientific research project examining the Caltech undergraduate community. Core data collection will use social network analysis. As channels of information flow, social networks are key determinants of career success, moral values, learning, diffusion of innovations, voting, disease transmission, and even terrorism. Few topics have drawn the interest of such diverse disciplines as anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, mathematics, medicine, biology, computer science, and physics. What can this and other methods teach us about the Caltech community?
Instructor:
Ensminger
Published Date:
July 28, 2022