Cultural anthropology is the “study of the full scope of human diversity and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another.”^[1] This course covers a cross-section of some of the driving conversations in this diverse and dynamic field in order to provide an introductory survey of the discipline and demonstrate its utility as a powerful set of tools for understanding the world around you.

The goal of this course is not to memorize facts, but to develop and articulate a way of reading, writing, and thinking like an anthropologist. As such, we will be reading articles on a wide range of topics, practicing ethnographic writing, and reading ethnography. Each topical category has been designed in order to provoke discussion and challenge assumptions, and, as the saying goes, “make the familiar strange and the strange familiar.” 

By the end of this course, a successful student will have:

1. Developed an idea of the type of questions anthropologists ask, and the way that they go about researching and writing about those questions.
2. Developed new ways of looking critically at a range of issues, and an ability to use the analytical frameworks provided by anthropology to aid them in their daily/scholarly life.
3. More confidence in their ability to read deeply and critically, and a developing voice as a writer.
4. Gained an understanding of some important concepts and themes in anthropology, including culture, class, religion, race, gender, colonialism, and capitalism. 

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