Human osteology is the study of our bones. Osteology is relevant to disciplines that depend on detailed knowledge of the human body, e.g., forensic anthropology and paleoanthropology. Students will learn to identify and describe bones and use a comparative approach to understand their function and evolution.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students explore in greater depth the evolutionary roots of the human skeletal system through one or more of the following: reading and discussing with the instructor sections from the following books: • The Human Strategy: An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Anatomy, by John Langdon • Human Evolutionary Anatomy, by Leslie Aiello and Christopher Dean; writing and presenting an in-depth research paper (10 pages) focusing on a particular aspect of human osteology based on study of natural specimens and the primary scientific literature; guest-lecturing on their own ongoing research interests.

Students will gain an understanding of different approaches to studying the evolution of monumental architecture and sculpted monuments. Students will utilize archaeological and historical data to recognize patterns and interpret trajectories in monumentality across time and space. Students will become familiar with recent examples and relate monumentality to past societies. 

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students will be required to read additional readings and lead discussions.

Methods of archaeometric analysis including chronometric and instrumental techniques. Absolute age dating and characterization of archaeological materials by physico-chemical analysis.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: More extensive term paper/project and presentation.

The archaeology and history of eastern North America. Topics to be explored include Indigenous population movements, human-environment interactions, cultural differentiation and ethnogenesis, economy and exchange systems, mortuary practices, social organization and stratification, European exploration, settler colonialism and enslavement, and how archaeology intersects with contemporary social and political issues.

Explores contemporary and past hunter-gatherer societies. The course examines cultural anthropologists' attempts to understand the similarities and differences between the lives of foragers and ourselves, ecological anthropologists' attempts to explain diversity of foraging behaviors, and indigenous peoples' current struggles for legal rights and cultural survival.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students will complete additional readings that follow the schedule of topics. They will meet with the instructor on alternating weeks for discussion of these readings. Students will be assigned two professional-level term papers.

This introductory survey-level course in the field of modern underwater archaeology includes a study of prehistoric and early “historic” archaeological sites in Europe and North America. It will focus on ancient and indigenous watercraft as well as inundated habitation/specialized sites. This is not a course in historic shipwreck archaeology.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: The graduate students will write a professional-level project paper on an underwater research subject. They will gather data (individually or as a team) to put in these individual reports. Depending on the project, undergraduate students might be able to serve as research assistants for the graduate students.

Human-environment interaction, adaptation, and system dynamics. Students will demonstrate natural and social science reasoning to describe the past through present human biological, behavioral, and cultural adaptations to ecological systems, and to describe social institutions and collective action to manage resources and working landscapes.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students will write a paper on an advanced topic.

History of ships, harbors, and human-sea interaction, particularly in the Mediterranean and Near East, until the Industrial Revolution. Covers archaeological methods for identifying and analyzing maritime sites; the evolution of shipbuilding technology and seafaring; and contemporary issues of heritage management, climate change, and human impacts on maritime heritage within marine ecosystems.

When this course is taught as a split level, additional requirements for graduate students: Graduate students will be required to write a final paper on a topic in maritime archaeology. Their responses to discussion topics will be thoughtful and thorough reflections commensurate with their educational background in archaeology.

This course empowers students by teaching them how to turn their degree in anthropology into a career. Themes explored include professional qualifications, standards, ethics, job searches, CV and resume building, and communication skills. Academic and applied pathways are explored. Students will produce an employment portfolio as a final product.

How health is shaped by beliefs, behaviors, and conditions in the United States. What is health and what does it mean to be healthy for different groups in the United States? In our examination of U.S. healthcare, we will begin with a discussion of how culture shapes health. We will then examine how health emerges from the interactions between biology, society, and culture. Throughout the course, we will also pay special attention to considering health patterns and healthcare among ethnic and social groups in the United States.