Sociology and Anthropology
Joining two disciplines as it does, the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Carleton seeks to present a truly unified vision of the disciplines, both in the major as a whole and in many of the individual courses. Our principal goal is to give students a comparative perspective on human societies, exploring the vast range of similarities and differences among them in space and time.
The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
Requirements for the Sociology/Anthropology Major
Seventy-two credits including:
- Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111
It is recommend but not required that majors and students considering a major take both 110 and 111, preferably by the end of their sophomore year
- Sociology/Anthropology 239 or Mathematics 115 or 215 or a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Math Statistics exam
Students must fulfill the statistics requirement before taking Sociology/Anthropology 240
- Sociology/Anthropology 240
- Sociology/Anthropology 330
- Sociology/Anthropology 331
Students should plan on taking the theory courses, 330 and 331, and the research methods course, 240 no later than their junior year
- Sociology/Anthropology 396, taken fall of the senior year
- Sociology/Anthropology 400
The integrative exercise is spread out over the senior year, with most of the work falling in winter term.
A maximum of 12 credits can be applied toward the major from relevant courses in off-campus programs. Africana Studies 125, Archeology 246, 395, Women's and Gender Studies 200, 205, 240, and 241 may be applied toward the major.
In keeping with our philosophy of comparative studies and commitment to understanding human societies other than the one we live in, majors are strongly urged to develop an in depth study of a culture other than their own. This may be done through regular courses, independent study, or on off-campus programs. Early in their junior year, students should discuss ways of integrating such an in-depth study into their work in the major with their advisers.
Sociology/Anthropology Courses
SOAN 100 Asian Americans: From Forever Foreigner to the Model Minority Are Asian Americans forever foreigners or honorary whites? This class introduces you to the sociological research on Asian Americans. We begin by a brief introduction of U.S. immigration history and sociological theories about assimilation and racial stratification. Paying particular attention to how scholars ask questions and evaluate evidence, we will cover research on racial and ethnic identity, educational stratification, mass media images, interracial marriage, multiracials, transracial adoption, and the viability of an Asian American panethnic identity. The course will examine the similarities and differences among Asian Americans relative to other minority groups when applicable. 6 credits; AI, WR1, IDS; Fall; Liz Raleigh
SOAN 110 Introduction to Anthropology An introduction to cultural and social anthropology which develops the theoretical rationale of the discipline through the integration of ethnographic accounts with an analysis of major trends in historical and contemporary thought. Examples of analytical problems selected for discussion include the concepts of society and culture, value systems, linguistics, economic, social, political and religious institutions, as well as ethnographic method and the ethical position of anthropology. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall, Winter, Spring; Jay Levi, Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
SOAN 111 Introduction to Sociology An introduction to sociology, including analysis of the sociological perspective, culture, socialization, demography, and social class and caste institutions in modern industrial societies and cultures; stability and change in societies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Pros and cons of various theoretical strategies will be emphasized. 6 credits; SI; Fall, Winter, Spring; Annette M Nierobisz, Wes D Markofski, Liz Raleigh
SOAN 114 Modern Families: An Introduction to the Sociology of the Family What makes a family? How has the conception of kinship and the 'normal' family changed over the generations? In this introductory class, we examine these questions, drawing on a variety of course materials ranging from classic works in sociology to contemporary blogs on family life. The class focuses on diversity in family life, paying particular attention to the intersection between the family, race and ethnicity, and social class. We'll examine these issues at the micro and macro level, incorporating texts that focus on individuals' stories as well as demographics of the family. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS; Winter; Liz Raleigh
SOAN 115 Inequality in American Society This course examines the emergence and persistence of inequality in the contemporary United States. We will examine how institutions, ideas and interactions each contribute to the making of inequalities in education, employment, and other major social institutions of society. In doing so, we will pay particular attention to how class, race, gender and other social constructs matter to the making of inequality. We will consider how various theoretical traditions in sociology explain inequality. Finally, we will look at strategies for resistance and challenging inequalities. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 119 Chinese Society in Transition: Up Close and Personal This course examines how China’s post-1979 transition toward a market economy affects people’s everyday lives. We will explore some of the most pressing issues Chinese citizens face today. How did Chinese hospitals evolve into dangerous grounds where patients violently attack their doctors? Why do Chinese women feel “leftover” despite China’s 34 million male-female gender imbalance? Why do we witness increasing public dissent and protest in China today despite the dramatic improvements in standard of living throughout the past thirty years? This course will explore some of the deeply rooted causes behind social phenomenon that may appear inexplicable to onlookers, and examine the causes and consequences of social inequality, social conflict, and social change in contemporary China. Moreover, we will look at China as not only a location where globalization takes effect, but also a site where new cultures, visions, and practices are being produced and making a significant impact on the rest of the world. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 122 Anthropology of Humor Laughter is found in all human societies, but we do not all laugh at the same things. In this course we will discuss why, cross-culturally, some things are funny and others are not, and what forms humor may take (jokes, riddles, teasing, banter, clowning). We will look at such topics as joking relationships, evolutionary aspects of laughter and smiling, sexual inequality in humor, ethnic humor, and humor in religion and language. Some prior exposure to anthropology is desirable but not required. The main prerequisite for the course is a serious sense of humor. 6 credits; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 140 Animals & Society Other-than-human animals are an overwhelming presence in our collective and individual lives. In this course, we will explore questions regarding the intersection of the lives of human and non-human animals from a sociological perspective. Such questions include: Why do we love some animals to the point of considering them family members, but vilify and even eat others? Are “pets” monsters of dependence created by human oppression, or do pets and people co-exist interdependently? Is human treatment of non-human animals related in significant ways to such enduring social problems as racism, sexism, and violence against vulnerable groups? 6 credits; SI; Fall; Emily A Bowman
SOAN 150 Who Cares and Who Gets Care? Women and Health This course will focus on the organization of the health care system in the United States and its impact on women's health. We will explore the politics of women's health from the perspective of women of different races, ethnicities, classes and sexual orientations. Gender and the social construction of health and illness, and women's activism (as consumers and health care practitioners) shall frame our explorations of menstruation, sexuality, nutrition, body image, fertility control, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. We will focus on the medicalization of these processes and explore alternatives that center on reproductive justice. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 151 Global Minnesota: An Anthropology of Our State The state of Minnesota, like the rest of the U.S., has been formed by the migration and settlement of peoples from across the world at different historical moments. Though often hidden from public view, the state is home to peoples with diverse cultural and religious practices, making Minnesota a microcosm of the global. This course will provide an anthropology of Minnesota by examining the different migration histories and experiences of Minnesota’s varied population groups. Through a study of the making of Minnesota and its population groups, the course will examine borders and movement from a global and historical perspective, as well as explore the presence of different cultural and religious groups in Minnesota and the social relations they form. This course will help students see Minnesota and the people that call it home in new ways. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Winter; Ahmed S Ibrahim
SOAN 161 Designing for Diversity: Anthropology and New Technologies Despite increasingly interacting with technology in our everyday lives, the design of technology does not always reflect our diversity as users. As the study of human diversity, anthropology provides a framework to question assumptions about the uniformity of cultural experience. In this course, we apply anthropology to study user experience in order to propose ways to make technologies more inclusive and culturally sensitive. We will read ethnographies of technology and speak with tech industry professionals who use anthropological methods. Students will apply what they learn by conducting user experience research and designing for diversity in Carleton’s IdeaLab. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 170 Investigating (In)Equality: Comparative Welfare States Is health care coverage a right of citizenship, or a commodity purchased in the marketplace? Where does the responsibility of caring for children and the elderly lie? Nations around the world answer these and similar policy questions quite differently, resulting in wide-ranging consequences. Sociologists use the phrase “welfare state” to refer to the role the government plays in protecting and promoting citizens’ well being. By comparing the U.S. welfare state with that of other countries, we will examine the socio-cultural mechanisms that shape equality/inequality and investigate the impact of the welfare state on both social institutions and people’s life chances. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Fall; Emily A Bowman
SOAN 202 Girls Gone Bad: Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice In the examination of arrest statistics, self-report data, and victimization survey responses, a strong and persistent pattern emerges: males commit more crime than females and the types of crime males commit are generally more serious. This relationship between gender and crime is so strong that criminologists Gottfredson and Hirschi once proclaimed: “Men are always and everywhere more likely than women to commit criminal acts.” In this course we examine the outlier: women who engage in criminal activity. Using a sociological perspective, we’ll answer questions such as: what is crime? What kinds of crime do women commit? Is the gender gap in crime now closing? Why do women commit crime? How does the criminal justice system react to female criminals? How do women experience imprisonment? Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; QRE, SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 203 Anthropology of Good Intentions Is the environmental movement making progress? Do responsible products actually help local populations? Is international AID alleviating poverty and fostering development? Today there are thousands of programs with sustainable development goals yet their effectiveness is often contested at the local level. This course explores the impacts of sustainable development, conservation, and AID programs to look beyond the good intentions of those that implement them. In doing so we hope to uncover common pitfalls behind good intentions and the need for sound social analysis that recognizes, examines, and evaluates the role of cultural complexity found in populations targeted by these programs. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
SOAN 204 Media and Society Do you feel lost without your iPhone? Did you feel empty when Breaking Bad ended? Have Twitter and Instagram improved your life? In this course we critically examine the socio-cultural origins and impact of media technologies. Using perspectives from sociology, critical theory and cultural studies, we investigate the ways in which media of communication help shape ourselves and our social world. From mass media to social media, we focus on issues of power and inequality to understand and evaluate our media-saturated world. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 217 Capitalism, Consumption, and Culture Our contemporary world is importantly structured by the market system. In this course we'll explore the significance of the economy for our everyday lives. Grounding our analysis in political economy and critical sociology, we'll explore the nature and origins of our economic system, and the economic dynamics which help to structure our selves, lives, and communities. Significant themes will include inequality, identity, morality, and freedom. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 218 Asians in the United States Are Asian Americans forever foreigners or honorary white? This class introduces you to the sociological research on Asian Americans. We begin by a brief introduction of U.S. immigration history and sociological theories about assimilation and racial stratification. We then cover research on racial and ethnic identity, educational stratification, mass media images, interracial marriage, multiracials, transracial adoption, and the viability of an Asian American panethnic identity. We will also examine the similarities and differences of Asian Americans relative to other minority groups when applicable. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 219 Nations and Nationalism Emergence of national states has been one of the most consequential developments in the modern world in the last two centuries. How did national identities gain such an importance? How do nationalisms differ and on what basis do nations reconstruct their pasts differently? The course begins by considering influential theories of nationalism (and state formation). Extensive case studies from Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, India, and the Middle East advance our theoretical understanding, and examine our theories in context. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 221 Law and Society Law has an impact on every aspect of our lives, from the conditions of our birth to the conditions of our death and everything else in between. As we enter the twenty-first century, the pervasiveness of law continues to grow. We begin this course by exploring the ubiquity of law and the implications of this for our day-to-day lives. Next we examine definitions of law, the development of law, and the extent to which law is shaped by the wider social and cultural contexts in which it is embedded. We conclude by examining specific issues such as legal consciousness, the legal profession, and law and social inequality. Readings include classic and contemporary theoretical works on law and society, and current empirical applications. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 223 Sport and Society Our love of sport is matched only by the belief that it is not worthy of deeper thought, inquiry, or critique. In this course we will work through theoretical approaches that help us understand the social phenomenon and its seemingly paradoxical position as both one of our most powerful and least respected institutions. We will then examine the way sport intersects with and shapes our understanding of important social issues such as gender, race, politics, nationality, and the human body. Our discussions will cover a wide-range of sports and physical practices ranging from the mainstream to the subcultural to the extreme. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 225 Social Movements How is it that in specific historical moments ordinary people come together and undertake collective struggles for justice in social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Me Too, Standing Rock, immigrant, and LGBTQ rights? How have these movements theorized oppression, and what has been their vision for liberation? What collective change strategies have they proposed and what obstacles have they faced? We will explore specific case studies and use major sociological perspectives theorizing the emergence of movements, repertoires of protest, collective identity formation, frame alignment, and resource mobilization. We will foreground the intersectionality of gender, sexuality, race, and class in these movements. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 226 Anthropology of Gender We all lead gendered lives, in our felt identities as well as through how we are perceived, advantaged, and disadvantaged by others. This course examines gender and gender relations from an anthropological perspective, centering and contextualizing the global human diversity of gendered experiences. Key concepts such as gender, voice/mutedness, status, public and private spheres, and the gendered division of labor—and their intellectual history—let us explore intriguing questions such as how many genders there are, and whether gender is mutable. The course focuses on two areas: 1) the role of sex, sexuality, and procreation in creating cultural notions of gender, and 2) the impacts of colonialism, globalization, and economic underdevelopment on gender relations. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 227 Masculinities and Gender In the study of gender, masculinity has been largely hidden as a social construct; yet masculinity informs and shapes nearly all aspects of social life. In this course, we examine how masculinity operates in institutions such as schools, the workplace, sports, and the family; in social interactions and identities in everyday life; and in popular culture, media, and national and social formations. As a socio-historical construct, there is not one, but multiple masculinities. We will therefore adopt a comparative, intersectional lens, examining how masculinity is simultaneously constructed through categories of difference such as race, nationality, class, and sexuality. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 228 Public Sociology of Religion From the discipline’s earliest days, sociologists have considered religion a fascinating and perplexing object of study. Classical sociologists devoted enormous attention to the topic of religion, famously linking it to the development of capitalism and Western modernity (Weber), to social solidarity and symbolic classification systems (Durkheim), to political passivity and social conservatism (Marx), and to the varying forms of social, economic, and political life found in the world’s great civilizations. This course focuses on special topics in the contemporary sociology of religion, with a particular emphasis on religion in public and political life in American and global civil society. Prerequisite: The department recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses number 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Wes D Markofski
SOAN 231 Transnational Migrations and Diasporic Communities This class studies transnational migration and global diasporas. Students will learn theoretical perspectives on contemporary migration, transnational linkages, and the imaginative connections maintained by globally dispersed peoples. Special attention will be paid to the global flow of people across national boundaries and the ways in which dispersed peoples build and maintain social networks across national borders. As such, the course considers: the reasons that impel people to move about the globe, the ways that diaspora and transnational social identities are constructed among globally dispersed peoples, and the challenges that new social formations pose to the nation-state. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 233 Anthropology of Food Food is the way to a person's heart but perhaps even more interesting, the window into a society's soul. Simply speaking understating a society's foodways is the best way to comprehend the complexity between people, culture and nature. This course explores how anthropologists use food to understand different aspects of human behavior, from food procurement and consumption practices to the politics of nutrition and diets. In doing so we hope to elucidate how food is more than mere sustenance and that often the act of eating is a manifestation of power, resistance, identity, and community. 6 credits; SI, IS; Winter; Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
SOAN 239 Social Statistics What does it for something to be statistically significant? This course will ask and answer this question by teaching social science students how to interpret data. This elementary statistics course covers descriptive and inferential statistics up to regression. Whenever possible, we will 'flip' the classroom -- using class time for activities and problem sets, and using out of class time for online lectures to introduce new material. We will focus on calculating and applying social statistics, rather than statistical theory. No prior knowledge of statistics is required. 6 credits; FSR, QRE; Spring; Liz Raleigh
SOAN 240 Methods of Social Research The course is concerned with social scientific inquiry and explanation, particularly with reference to sociology and anthropology. Topics covered include research design, data collection, and analysis of data. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are considered. Student will demonstrate their knowledge by developing a research proposal that is implementable. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111; Sociology/Anthropology 239, Mathematics 215 or Statistics 120 or 250. 6 credits; SI, QRE, WR2; Spring; Annette M Nierobisz
SOAN 241 Guatemala Program: Mesoamerican Cultures Mesoamerica, a major area of pre-Columbian civilization, is a region generally extending from around the Tropic of Cancer in Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. This course will examine both ancient and modern peoples of Mesoamerica, with special reference to the Maya peoples of Guatemala and southern Mexico. Students will cover topics including economic, social, political, and religious organization as well as cosmology and symbolism. Course materials should assist students in selecting a topic for their individual research projects. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18; Jay Levi
SOAN 248 Genocide: An Anthropological Perspective Why is genocide particularly associated with modernity? What is the difference between ethnocide, genocide, and other forms of mass violence? Can there be genocide without the intent to commit genocide? What are the ethical implications of relativism and limits to state sovereignty? How can genocide be prevented? This course considers these and related questions though the lens of the field’s foundational thinkers, such as Raphael Lemkin, Hannah Arendt, Primo Levi, and Zygmunt Bauman, and focuses on specific cases of genocide, including those of indigenous peoples (with emphasis on Native America), Armenia, Stalin’s Terror, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 250 Ethnography of Latin America This course explores the historical development and contemporary experience of selected peoples and cultures of Latin America. We will examine the historical and structural processes that have shaped contact among indigenous, European, and African peoples in Latin America during Conquest and the colonial period, under conditions of global economic expansion and state formation, and in present day urban centers and extractive "frontiers." Special attention will be given to local-level transformations and resistance as well as issues of migration and gender construction. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Spring; Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
SOAN 251 Guatemala Prog: Resource Management and Sustainable Development in the Maya World This course explores contemporary strategies for survival in Maya lands in the face of the global economy by examining how community groups, entrepreneurs, peasant organizations, niche markets, social movements, government and non-governmental organizations play important roles in promoting economic betterment, social justice, locally based decision making, and more equitable, environmentally sound, sustainable development. Through readings, lectures, interviews, and community engagement with human rights activists, conservation experts, development practitioners, and farmers and foragers in the Maya tropical forest, students will learn about the complex interplay between cultural ecology, resource management, and community revitalization. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111. 4 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18; Jay Levi
SOAN 252 Middle East: History and Society in Comparative Perspectives The great majority of the modern Middle East was born in the aftermath of WWI and breakdown of the Ottoman Empire. Iran was an exception as it lay outside the Ottoman fold, but in many respects its modern history developed in tandem as it reacted to the same influences. This course examines the state and society in the Middle East from the early nineteenth century to the present. Particular attention is paid to Turkey, Iran and Egypt, that are here approached comparatively. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 253 Oil, Sand, Water: Environmental Anthropology of the Middle East This course explores anthropological questions about the environments of the Middle East and North Africa. We will start by illustrating key topics in the field of environmental anthropology with regional case studies by anthropologists of the Middle East. This will include classic topics including agriculture and resource distribution as well as the more recent anthropological concerns with climate change and the political ecology of conflict. In the second part of the course, we will follow water, oil, and sand: three central things in the experience and perception of Middle East environments. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 256 Africa: Representation and Conflict Pairing classics in Africanist anthropology with contemporary re-studies, we explore changes in African societies and in the questions anthropologists have posed about them. We address issues of representation and self-presentation in written ethnographies as well as in African portrait photography. We then turn from the visual to the invisible realm of African witchcraft. Initiation rituals, war, and migration place selfhood and belonging back in this-world contexts. In-depth case studies include, among others: the Cameroon Grassfields, the Bemba of Zambia, and the Nuer of South Sudan. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 257 Culture and Politics in India India is a region of immense diversity where more than one billion people live. We will explore social structures in India--through a focus on key areas of everyday life such as family, religion, economy, systems of stratification and social movements. Close attention will be given to religious nationalism, globalization and militarism as dominant trends affecting contemporary India. We will consider: How has India been represented in the Western imagination and why do such representations matter? What are the forces of modernity and tradition in India? What are the similarities and differences in systems of stratification in India and the United States? 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 259 Comparative Issues in Native North America This course examines the cultural and historical situation of indigenous groups in the United States, Mexico, and Canada to develop a comparative perspective for understanding native peoples in North America. How have indigenous peoples variously coped with continuity and change? What strategies have they employed in pursuit of political sovereignty, economic survival, and cultural vitality? In answering these questions, we will explore the politics of representation regarding "the Indian" as a symbol in national consciousness; the negotiation of identity in inter-ethnic contexts; patterns of resistance; the impact of European powers and state agendas; and the resurgence of tradition. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 260 Myth, Ritual, and Symbolism Exploring the ways in which people make sense of their world through myth, ritual and symbolism, this course takes an anthropological approach to the study of comparative religion. What is the relationship between "myth" and "history?" How do animals, food, color, music, and the human body function as idioms of symbolic communication? Why is ritual credited with the ability to heal illnesses, offer political commentary, maintain cosmic harmony, and foster social cohesion through the exhibition of interpersonal tensions? Examining major theories in the anthropology of religion, students learn to record and analyze both "familiar" and "unfamiliar" myths, rituals, and symbols. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18; Jay Levi
SOAN 261 Designing for Diversity: Anthropology and New Technologies Despite increasingly interacting with technology in our everyday lives, the design of technology does not always reflect our diversity as users. As the study of human diversity, anthropology provides a framework to question assumptions about the uniformity of cultural experience. In this course, we apply anthropology to study user experience in order to propose ways to make technologies more inclusive and culturally sensitive. We will read ethnographies of technology and speak with tech industry professionals who use anthropological methods. Students will apply what they learn by conducting user experience research and designing for diversity in Carleton’s IdeaLab. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 262 Anthropology of Health and Illness An ethnographic approach to beliefs and practices regarding health and illness in numerous societies worldwide. This course examines patients, practitioners, and the social networks and contexts through which therapies are managed to better understand medical systems as well as the significance of the anthropological study of misfortune. Specific topics include the symbolism of models of illness, the ritual management of misfortune and of life crisis events, the political economy of health, therapy management, medical pluralism, and cross-cultural medical ethics. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Winter; Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
SOAN 263 Terrorism In recent years, Muslim communities in Western countries have come to be seen as national security threats. In tandem, efforts to stem the flow of Muslim migrants into the U.S. and Europe, under the logic of combating terrorism, has shaped world events, from Trump’s election to Brexit. Through a reading of works in political ethnography and the anthropology of religion, this course will examine the presuppositions that inform discourses on Muslim migration as a threat, as well as the “countering violent extremism” (CVE) programs directed at Muslim communities here in the U.S. We will look at the assumption of an affinity between religion, particularly Islam, and violence that undergird CVE programs; the tensions such programs expose between a liberal secular democracy’s commitment to religious freedom and its aspiration to govern and reform religious traditions; and the culture of surveillance and the marginalization of Muslim communities these programs spawn. Prerequisite: Previous courses in anthropology or religion would offer helpful background, but are not required. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Spring; Ahmed S Ibrahim
SOAN 272 Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in the United States The purpose of the course is to provide a broad overview of the scholarly literature on race and ethnicity from a sociological perspective, paying particular attention to racial inequality in the U.S. When feasible, we will include research to highlight how social class, citizenship, and to a lesser extent gender and sexuality, intersect with race and ethnicity. Drawing on population-based research and qualitative studies, we will explore several facets of racial identity and racial categorization including (but not limited to): the evolution of racial categories and the U.S. Census, the role of genetic testing and racial/ethnic identity formation, and racial disparities in housing and health, and the movement toward multiracial identification. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IDS, QRE; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 278 Urban Ethnography and the American Experience American sociology has a rich tradition of focusing the ethnographic eye on the American experience. We will take advantage of this tradition to encounter urban America through the ethnographic lens, expanding our social vision and investigating the nature of race, place, meaning, interaction, and inequality in the U.S. While doing so, we will also explore the unique benefits, challenges, and underlying assumptions of ethnographic research as a distinctive mode of acquiring and communicating social knowledge. As such, this course offers both an immersion in the American experience and an inquiry into the craft of ethnographic writing and research. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Spring; Wes D Markofski
SOAN 283 Immigration and Immigrants in Europe and the United States Immigration has always been a defining feature of American society, yet in European countries it has also been raising a number of questions about national identity, citizenship, belonging and rights. Who are contemporary immigrants in the United States and Europe? How are they received in host societies? How do they participate in and become incorporated into the host society? What ties do they maintain to their countries of origin? How do policies respond to and shape immigrants and immigration? In this course, we will consider these questions and more from the perspectives of immigrants as well as host societies. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 285 The Ethics of Civic Engagement In this course, students will discuss the ethical questions that arise when they engage with others in research, service, organizing, or policy work. Students will read and talk about the meanings and forms of civic engagement and use these readings to reflect upon their own research or service projects, or to reflect upon the college's role in Haiti or Faribault, two areas where college members are actively engaged. Gaining insights from sociological and practice based readings, we will examine different perspectives on the ways that power and privilege relate to civic engagement. 3 credits; S/CR/NC; SI; Spring
SOAN 295 Guatemala Program: Field Methods and Individual Research Project The first part of the course is designed to prepare students for their individual field research projects. Students will cover participant observation, interview methods, research ethics, and develop a prospectus for their field research. In the second part of the course, students will apply their knowledge of field methods and conduct four weeks of ethnographic research in a highland Maya community in western Guatemala based on their prospectus, followed by a one week period in Quetzaltenango during which students will write their research papers and present their findings in a research symposium. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18; Jay Levi
SOAN 302 Anthropology and Indigenous Rights This seminar examines the relationship between culture and human rights from an anthropological perspective. By asking "who are indigenous peoples?" and "what specific rights do they have?" this course introduces students to a comparative framework for understanding cultural rights discourse. Given the history of intolerance to difference, the seminar demonstrates the need to explore the determinants of violence, ethnocide, and exploitation routinely committed against the world's most marginalized peoples. At the same time, it also asks about the limits of tolerance, if human rights abuses are perpetrated under the banner of cultural pluralism. Students will analyze case studies drawn from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, as well as issues that cross-cut these regions. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110, 111 or permission of the instructor; upper division coursework in anthropology, sociology, history or philosophy recommended. 6 credits; SI, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 314 Contemporary Issues in Critical Criminology This course examines contemporary criminological issues from a critical, sociological perspective. Our focus is on the United States with topics under examination including white collar crime, racial disparities in the criminal justice system, mass incarceration and other transformations in punishment, prisoner reentry, and the risk of recidivism. In addition to understanding both classic and contemporary sociological research and theory, we will seek answers to questions like: What is crime? Who is considered a criminal? What social changes drove the United States to get "tough" on crime? What effects does incarceration have on prisoners, their families, their neighborhoods and communities? What happens when prisoners return to society? Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, QRE, IDS, WR2; Winter; Annette M Nierobisz
SOAN 322 Buddhist Studies India Program: Contemporary Buddhist Culture This course introduces students to the complexity and plurality of Buddhist traditions that have flourished in diverse societies and cultures in the modern era. This course enables students to sympathetically understand and critically investigate various Buddhist traditions and their historically and culturally specific configurations of philosophical beliefs, cultural values, everyday practices, social institutions, and personal experiences. Focusing on Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia, Japan, and Tibet, we explore topics including syncretism and popular religion, monasticism, gender, economic development, social movements, political violence, and religious revival. Students expand their research skills in anthropology through field assignments in Bodh Gaya. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Buddhist Studies Program required. 7-8 credits; NE; Fall; Arthur P McKeown
SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment Why are so many sustainable development projects anchored around women's cooperatives? Why is poverty depicted as having a woman's face? Is the solution to the environmental crisis in the hands of women the nurturers? From overly romantic notions of stewardship to the feminization of poverty, this course aims to evaluate women's relationships with local environments and development initiatives. The course uses anthropological frameworks to evaluate case studies from around the world. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 325 Sociology of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Where do babies come from? Whereas once the answer was relatively straight forward, the growth of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and adoption has changed the field of potential answers. Nowadays babies can come from birthmothers, egg donors, and surrogates. In this course we will examine the meaning and making of families across these different types of formations and contextualize the popularity of ART relative to the decrease in adoption. We will take a sociological approach to analyzing these issues, paying particular attention to questions surrounding women's rights, baby "markets," and the racialization of children placed for adoption in the U.S. Prerequisite: Prior Sociology/Anthropology course or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Fall; Liz Raleigh
SOAN 330 Sociological Thought and Theory Many thinkers have contributed to the development of sociology as an intellectual discipline and mode of social inquiry; however, few have had the influence of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. This course focuses on influential texts and ideas generated by these and other theorists from sociology’s “classical era,” how these texts and ideas are put to use by contemporary sociologists, and on more recent theoretical developments and critical perspectives that have influenced the field. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2; Fall; Wes D Markofski
SOAN 331 Anthropological Thought and Theory A systematic introduction to the theoretical foundations of social and cultural anthropology with special emphasis given to twentieth century British, French and American schools. The course deals with such seminal figures as Morgan, Boas, Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Levi-Straus, Harris, Sahlins, Bourdieu, Geertz, and Appadurai. The reading strikes a balance between ethnographic accounts and theoretical statements. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111, and at least one 200- or 300-level SOAN course, or permission of instructor. 6 credits; SI, IS, WR2; Winter; Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
SOAN 333 Environmental Anthropology Can we learn to use resources sustainably? Are there people in the world that know how to manage their environment appropriately? What are the causes behind environmental degradation? These questions are commonly asked in public and academic forums but what discussions often overlook is the fact that these are fundamentally social questions and thus social analysis is needed to understand them fully. This course aims at exploring key issues of human/nature interactions by using anthropological critiques and frameworks of analysis to show how culture is a critical variable to understanding these interactions in all their complexity. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Fall; Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
SOAN 340 Topics in Critical Social Theory Within sociology and social science generally, the term "theory" possesses a host of meanings. This seminar moves beyond conceptions of theory as explanation and generalization to explore the idea of theory as critique. Rather than examining the "classical" origins of social critique (Marx, Nietzsche, Freud), we'll choose a significant theme within current debates and explore it though a variety of contemporary critical perspectives. Possible themes include self and identity, equality and difference, class and power, ethics and justice. Schools of thought may include feminism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, psychoanalysis, queer theory, Marxism. Key thinkers may include Seyla Benhabib, Pierre Bourdieu, Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Donna Haraway, Axel Honneth, Julia Kristeva, Paul Ricoeur, Edward Said, Dorothy Smith. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 330 or instructor permission. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2017-18
SOAN 350 Diversity and Democracy in America The classical American pragmatist tradition of Jane Addams and John Dewey presents us with a vision of ethical democracy that accounts for the vast ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of the United States. But what are we to make of this vision in practice? Can the cultivation of diverse human experiences and relationships among citizens lead to more robust and ethical democratic institutions? Or, as the culture war thesis implies, are our differences so great that American democracy is doomed to a future of intractable conflict? We will explore these questions drawing on influential studies of democratic theory and practice. Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses number 200 or above. 6 credits; SI, IDS; Spring; Wes D Markofski
SOAN 395 Ethnography of Reproduction This seminar explores the meanings of reproductive beliefs and practices in comparative perspective. Using ethnographies, it explores the relation between human and social reproduction. It focuses on (but is not limited to) ethnographic examples from the United States/Canada and from sub-Saharan Africa (societies with relatively low fertility and high utilization of technology and societies with mostly high fertility and low utilization of technology). Topics examined include fertility and birth, fertility rites, new reproductive technologies, abortion, population control, infertility, child survival and child loss. 6 credits; SI, WR2, IS; Spring; Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
SOAN 396 Advanced Sociological and Anthropological Writing This course explores different genres of writing and different audiences for writing in the social sciences, focusing particular attention on scholarly articles published in professional journals in sociology and anthropology. To that end, students both analyze sociological and anthropological articles regarding commonalities and differences in academic writing in our two sister disciplines. Students work on their own academic writing process (with the help of peer-review and instructor feedback). The writing itself is broken down into component elements on which students practice and revise their work. S/Cr/NC Prerequisite: Completion of Sociology/Anthropology 240 or submission of a topic statement in the preceding spring term and submission of a comps thesis proposal on the first day of fall term. Senior Sociology/Anthropology major or instructor permission. 6 credits; S/CR/NC; SI, WR2; Fall; Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg
SOAN 400 Integrative Exercise Senior sociology/anthropology majors fulfill the integrative exercise by writing a senior thesis on a topic approved by the department. Students must enroll in six credits to write the thesis, spread as the student likes over Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. The process begins with the submission of a topic statement in the preceding spring term and concludes with a public presentation in spring of the senior year. Please consult the Sociology and Anthropology website for a full description. 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring; Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Jay Levi, Annette M Nierobisz, Wes D Markofski, Liz Raleigh, Constanza Ocampo-Raeder
Other Courses Pertinent to Sociology/Anthropology:
- AFST 125 New African Migrations
- ARCN 246 Archaeological Methods & Lab (not offered in 2017-18)
- ARCN 395 Archaeology: Science, Ethics, Nationalism and Cultural Property (not offered in 2017-18)
- WGST 200 Gender, Power and the Pursuit of Knowledge (not offered in 2017-18)
- WGST 240 Gender, Globalization and War
- WGST 241 India Program: Gender & Sexuality in India (not offered in 2017-18)