Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology (Lec A - Bernal, V.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology (Lec B - Douglas, T.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Introduction to Biological Anthropology (Egan, J.)
Evolutionary theory and processes, comparative primate fossil record, human variation, and the adequacy of theory, and empirical data.

Intro to Archaeology (Drover, C.)
Archaeological theory and cultural processes with emphasis on the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, and Mesopotamia.

Probability & Stats (Huffman, M.)
An introduction to probability and statistics. Emphasis on a thorough understanding of the probabilistic basis of statistical inference. Emphasizes examples from sociology, anthropology, and related social science disciplines.

Environmental Injustice (Fortun, K.). Course Website
Explores how pollution, climate change, and other environmental problems impact people around the world, often worsening social inequality. Students use social science frameworks to understand environmental problems, different interpretations of these problems, and how people have organized for political change.

Global Cultures and Society (Douglas, T.)
Offers a general overview of the rise of global interdependence in political, economic, demographic, and cultural terms. Considers what drove people from relative isolation into intensified intercourse with one another, and investigates the consequences of this shift.

Ethnography and Anthropological Methods (Section A - Peterson, K.) Course Flyer
Anthropological research, learning ethnographic methods, and how to choose a research topic, construct research questions, explore library resources, collect data, and write an analytical paper on research findings.

Ethnography and Anthropological Methods (Section B - Hundle, A.) Course Flyer
Anthropological research, learning ethnographic methods, and how to choose a research topic, construct research questions, explore library resources, collect data, and write an analytical paper on research findings.

Economic Anthropology (Egan, J.) (xlist Econ 152A)
Economic systems in comparative perspective: production, distribution, and consumption in market and non-market societies; agricultural development in the third world.

Psychological Anthropology (O'Rourke, S.)
Cultural differences and similarities in personality and behavior. Child-rearing practices and consequent adult personality characteristics, biocultural aspects of child development and attachment, culture and behavior evolutionary models, politically linked personality, cognitive anthropology, psychology of narrative forms, comparative national character studies.

Medical Anthropology (Hamdy, S.) (xlist Chc/Lat 178A) (MSTS Course)
Introduces students to cross-cultural perspectives and critical theories in anthropological studies of medicine. Special attention is given to diverse ways of understanding bodies, illnesses, and therapeutic practices in our changing world.

Cultures of Biomedicine (Fletcher, E.)
An introduction to the anthropological study of biomedicine and biotechnology. Topics include medicalization, experimentation and discovery, diagnosis, expertise, health activism, and biotechnology

Anthropology of the Body (O'Rourke, S.)
Examines human bodies as both biological and socio-cultural entities and explores the relationship among mind, body,and society cross-culturally. Topics include embodiment; race, sex, gender and the body; somatization; control of the body; commodified bodies; and hybrid/cyborg bodies.

Black Public Culture (Lecture A - Sojoyner, D.)
The focus of Black Public Culture is to analyze both the politics of the business of Black music and the artists and cultural practitioners who contributed to the development of Black communities, yet who are largely forgotten. At the conclusion of the course we will have discussed, read, listened to and viewed material pertaining to Black cultural production from the 1980's to the present.

Law and Violence (Lecture B - Al-Bulushi, S.)
What does it mean to act, govern, or protest in the name of 'humanity'? What sense can we make of the idea that compassion, violence, and the law are so intimately intertwined in today's world? As states, NGOs, and international institutions are increasingly preoccupied with the question of 'security,' this class will grapple with the reality that seemingly benign entities (e.g. the United Nations) are tasked with managing and policing the populations they claim to serve. We will critically engage with the idea of a purportedly universal 'humanity,' and with the notion of humanitarianism as an ethos, a set of laws, and a form of power. At the same time, we will grapple with questions of solidarity and justice, studying the convergences and divergences between imperial and anti-imperial invocations of 'humanity.' Drawing on ethnographic texts, we will explore the cultivation of sensibilities about grievable life, and consider how race, gender, and class shape policies and popular struggles that contend with how violence is named and how it is addressed.

Islam in American (Hamdy, S.)

This course is about the history of Islam and Muslims in the United States, with special attention to the role of slavery, extractive labor, migration, race, nationalism, citizenship, and the media. We will learn the core tenets of Islam and what wide varieties of Muslims believe and practice as they relate to institutions such as kinship, spirituality, and family life. We will pay attention to inequalities in the distributions of resources; to how particular cultural practices are depicted; and to how these intersect with race, class, national background, gender, and sexual orientation.

Archaeology in the Islamic World (Straughn, I.)
For nearly 1500 years Islamic culture has played a prominent role in the transformation of landscapes, cities, ideas and objects. This course uses the archaeological record from across the Middle East and beyond to explore those changes and what it can tell us about the various cultures and peoples (Muslim and non-Muslim alike) impacted by Islam.

Peoples of the Pacific (Egan, J.)
The cultural history and recent developments among the Pacific peoples of Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia

SE AS & SE AS Immigrants (Section A - Douglas, T.)
This class provides on overview on some of the histories and cultures of Southeast Asia and also looks at some groups of Southeast Asian immigrants who have come to the US. Geographically, Southeast Asia includes Insular Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Brunei, The Philippines, as well as Mainland Southeast Asia – Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Ecologically and culturally, we can also consider parts of southwestern China - Yunnan Province and parts of Szechuan Province, up to the borders of Tibet to be included as part of Southeast Asia.

Gold: Culture of a Barbarous Relic (Straughn, I.)
Before bitcoin, before derivatives and mortgage-backed securities, before even writing itself, there was gold. It reigned supreme for millennia in many cultures and its special qualities offer a lens through which this course will examine the workings of culture, politics and power. While we may not settle the conspiracy about whether there still is gold in Fort Knox, this course will analyze gold's unique hold over human imagination and cultural practice.

Culture, Space, Design (Anthro Major Seminar) (Section A - Marcus, G.)
This course will examine the uses of design techniques (especially drawn from theater design, or scenography) in
imaginatively addressing problems and ideas in anthropological analysis embedded in the narratives of past and well known contemporary ethnographic studies. Weekly short papers will revise and enhance ethnographic descriptions through proposing scenic design interventions.

Exploring Narrative (Anthro Major Seminar) (Section B - Varzi, R.)
Exploring Narrative is a writing workshop in which we will be reading form a selection of narrative styles and genres to the end of becoming better writers. We will explore ethnography, storytelling, expository essays, books on writing and participating in various writing exercises while working on a single writing project throughout the term.

Honors Field Research (Jenks, A.)
Students begin or continue ethnographic field research and gain experience with a variety of data collection methods, including participant-observation, interviews, surveys, and the study of archival and documentary materials.

Intro to Socio-cultural Anthro (Lec A) (Kim, E.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Intro to Socio-cultural Anthro (Lec B) (Egan, J.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Introduction to Biological Anthropology (Egan, J.)
Evolutionary theory and processes, comparative primate fossil record, human variation, and the adequacy of theory, and empirical data.

Intro to Language and Culture (Murphy, K.)
Explores what the study of language can reveal about ourselves as bearers of culture. After introducing some basic concepts, examines how cultural knowledge is linguistically organized and how language might shape our perception of the world.

Probability & Statistics (Staff)
An introduction to probability and statistics. Emphasis on a thorough understanding of the probabilistic basis of statistical inference. Emphasizes examples from sociology, anthropology, and related social science disciplines.

People, Cultures, and Environmental Sustainability (Egan, J.)

Anthropological consideration of global environmental sustainability from the perspective of human cultures and communities. Causes and consequences of population growth, natural resource management, environmental law, environmental ethics. Case studies emphasize tropical rain forests, arid lands of Africa and North America.

Global Issues in Anthropological Perspective (Douglas, T.)

Explores anthropological perspectives on issues of importance in an increasingly global society. Topics include emphases on ethnic conflict; identity; immigration and citizenship; religion and religious diversity; medical anthropology; legal anthropology; development and economic change; gender.

Global Cultures & Society (Douglas, T.)
Offers a general overview of the rise of global interdependence in political, economic, demographic, and cultural terms. Considers what drove people from relative isolation into intensified intercourse with one another, and investigates the consequences of this shift.

Ethnography and Anthropological Methods (Olson, O.)
Anthropological research, learning ethnographic methods, and how to choose a research topic, construct research questions, explore library resources, collect data, and write an analytical paper on research findings.

Transnational Migration (Chavez, L.)
Examines the movement of people across national borders, governmentality and the role of state practices to control populations, and issues of citizenship, belonging, and identity. Examples are drawn from the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Anthropology of Debt (Straughn, I.)
The United States has accumulated a $20+ trillion national debt. The financial company Experian declares: "Credit isn't just a score, it's a skill." Debt resistors have declared: "You are not a loan". Those striving for an education face a student loan burden in the US that rapidly approaches two trillion dollars. This course explores how debt, whether financial or in some other form, has shaped various cultures and our relationships with the earth, each other and even how we value ourselves. 

Medical Anthropology (Jenks, A.)(xlist Chc/Lat 178A)(MSTS Course)
Introduces students to cross-cultural perspectives and critical theories in anthropological studies of medicine. Special attention is given to diverse ways of understanding bodies, illnesses, and therapeutic practices in our changing world.

Anthropology of the Body (O'Rourke, S.)
Probes culture and politics of the female body in contemporary American life. Focusing on "feminine beauty," examines diverse notions of beauty, bodily practices, and body politics embraced by American women of different classes, ethnicities, and sexualities.

Critical Awareness & Social Justice (Peterson, K.)
This experimental course examines social realities, ethical action, and the imaginative possibilities of how life can be lived. It will do so through several means: via American secular interpretations of very early Buddhist texts as well as liberatory and political thought put forth by scholars, public thinkers, creative writers, and activists across multiple fields. We will develop a framework for critical awareness as we think with anthropology throughout the course. While the course will engage multiple textual forms, insight meditation and yoga practices will enhance intellectual insights. The course will examine how a combination of learning experiences can open new insights into the world as we relationally inhabit and imagine it.

Global Mental Health (Fletcher, E.)
Over the last several decades, the Movement for Global Mental Health has coalesced as High-Income countries and the Global South exchange ideas and practices related to mental health services. This course will examine the Movement for Global Mental Health in a critical manner. Namely, we will trace the political economies of the global psychiatric industrial complex-- which include pharmaceutical industries, international development agencies, public health departments, prisons, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We will also explore cultural tensions associated with the biomedicalization (biopsychiatrization) of mental illness throughout the world by reading the scholarly work of psychiatric anthropologists and other critical mental health scholars, who highlight the global variance of altered mental states and the need to address structural inequities which contribute to poor mental health outcomes. The course will conclude with a discussion of some strategies that psychiatric user/survivor groups and other patient rights advocates have used in their efforts to decolonize mental health by promoting local understandings of community mental wellbeing.

Anthropology of Religion (Varzi, R.)
Through close readings of contemporary ethnography, fiction and philosophy this class will look at the intersection of religion, daily life and popular culture; how religions spread and get cross-pollinated and translated cross-culturally and how (in the case of Iran) it is used politically.

Encounters and Identities (Douglas, T.)
This course is an examination of how cultural anthropologists have examined and critiqued the concept of racial and ethnic identity, particularly within the United States. Through lectures, class discussion, readings and videos, students will engage the various intersections of identity constructs such as race, nation, gender, and socio-economic class. In this course an emphasis will be placed on various theoretical developments in the discipline such as post-modern and post-colonial approaches to the study of contemporary identity formation. Course materials will draw from a wide range of sources beginning with the European conquest of the Americas in the 16th century and concluding with anthropological research from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Ancient Civilization of Mexico and the Southwest (Drover, C.)
The prehistory and cultural evolution of the civilization which originated in Mexico, including the Olmecs, Aztecs, Toltecs, Maya, and Zapotec, as well as the Pueblos of the Southwestern U.S. Topics include the origins of food production and of the state.

Egyptomania (Straughn, I.)
Through an introduction to the archaeology and culture of ancient Egypt, this course examines the fascination with all things Egypt. How did it become transformed into a field of study – Egyptology – and also emerge as a commercial, artistic and even spiritual passion. From archaeologists who toil to unearth the next great tomb, to purveyors of contemporary popular culture that seek to exploit the pyramids and their mysteries for commercial success, this course explores how the Egyptian past has shaped our perception of Egypt today as well as defining ourselves as consumers of its strangeness.

Writing Ethnography (Anthro Major Seminar) (Zhan, M.)
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Writing Sciences (Anthro Major Seminar) (Fortun, M.)
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Honors Research Analysis (Jenks, A.)
Students apply qualitative data analysis techniques to ethnographic data collected as part of their Honors research.

Intro to Socio-cultural Anthro (Lec A) (O'Rourke, S.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Intro to Socio-cultural Anthro (Lec B) (Douglas, T.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Intro to Socio-cultural Anthro (Lec C) (Egan, J.)
Introduction to cultural diversity and the methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Family relations, economic activities, politics, gender, and religion in a wide range of societies. Stresses the application of anthropological methods to research problems.

Introduction to Biological Anthropology (Egan, J.)
Evolutionary theory and processes, comparative primate fossil record, human variation, and the adequacy of theory, and empirical data.

Intro to Archaeology (Straughn, I.)
What the heck is the archaeological record and why does it matter? This course explores how scholars and others derive knowledge of the past, examine cultural practices, and construct notions of heritage through the things we leave behind. Using case studies from across the globe students will learn how this field deploys various methods and theories in pursuit of the past and its peoples.

Probability & Stats (Staff)(Home Dept. is Soc Sci)
An introduction to probability and statistics. Emphasis on a thorough understanding of the probabilistic basis of statistical inference. Emphasizes examples from sociology, anthropology, and related social science disciplines.

Global Cultures & Society (Douglas, T.) (xlist IS 11) (Belongs to International Studies this quarter)
Offers a general overview of the rise of global interdependence in political, economic, demographic, and cultural terms. Considers what drove people from relative isolation into intensified intercourse with one another, and investigates the consequences of this shift.

Science, Culture, Power (Fortun, M)
Examines science in historical and cultural context (Scientific and Darwinian Revolutions, Manhattan Project, contemporary biosciences) to understand scientific truths and their limits, scientists as social actors, and vital intersections of sciences with religion, politics, gender, and other forms of culture.

Anthropology Careers (Richland, J.)

Gives students the skills and perspective needed to leverage undergraduate anthropology education in diverse career domains. Students explore different career domains (health care, tech development, environmental governance, etc.) and learn to represent themselves professionally.

Kinship and Social Organization (Egan, J.)

Organization of social life primarily in preindustrial societies. Theories of kinship, marriage regulations, sexual behavior, and social roles. Comparisons of biological, psychological, sociological, and economic explanations of social organization.

Cross-Cultural Studies in Gender (Mahmud, L.)(xlist IS 153B) (Fulfills GE VII Multicultural)

Explores the construction of gender in national and transnational contexts. Special attention is given to how race, sexuality, class, and global inequalities shape different experiences of gender, and how gender structures political, institutional, and social life across the world.

Race, Gender, and Science (Jenks, A.)
Perfect for pre-health, science and social science majors wanting to appreciate how science and society interact. Race and gender as biological and socio-cultural constructs are examined. Questions explored: What is disease? What is science? What are social and biological differences?

Digital Cultures (Boellstorff, T.)(MSTS Course)
Explores cultural and political implications of the infotech revolution and the ways new media are used around the world, new cultural practices and spaces (e.g., cybercafes), debates surrounding the meanings of these new technologies, and their implications for transforming society.

Standing with Standing Rock (Richland, J.)

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Psychological Anthropology (O'Rourke, S.) (xlist Psych 173A)(MSTS Course)

Cultural differences and similarities in personality and behavior. Child-rearing practices and consequent adult personality characteristics, biocultural aspects of child development and attachment, culture and behavior evolutionary models, politically linked personality, cognitive anthropology, psychology of narrative forms, comparative national character studies.

Disease, Health, and Inequality (Jenks, A.)
Examines the relationships among disease, health, and social inequality in the U.S. and globally. Topics include infectious and chronic disease case studies, health policy, and strategies for promoting health equity.

History of Anthropological Theory (Douglas, T.)
Provides foundational knowledge in the discipline of anthropology by reviewing competing approaches in anthropological theory, from the nineteenth century to the present. Covers historically fundamental approaches—social evolutionism, functionalism—and recent movements such as feminism, cultural studies, poststructuralism, and postmodernism.

Prisons and Public Education (Sojoyner, D.)(xlist AfAm 159)
Looks at the connections between schools and prisons in the United States. Students learn about ideas that push beyond common trope of the "school to prison pipeline."

Global Themes in Sikh Studies (Hundle, A.)

Sikh Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that is connected to religious studies, Punjab/diaspora studies, and area studies field of South Asia studies. Most scholars agree that the question of "what is Sikh Studies" is an open one that is not self-evident. There have been debates, spanning the South Asian subcontinent and among diaspora intellectuals in the West, which have tried to fix and define what the field is, question what kinds of relations of power are bound up within it, and expand what its disciplinary and theoretical focus and geographical scope should be. In this course, we will approach "Sikh Studies" as a combination of the academic study of Sikhism (a religious, philosophical and ethical tradition), Sikh communities (collectivities organized around the tradition), and the always shifting and changing circumstances and possibilities of "Sikh life"—all according to global and interdisciplinary perspectives. As a class, we will attend to critical and contemporary topics in the field, with attention to the historical and continued development of the field. We will also attend to the development of the field via anthropological approaches and methodologies.

Policymaking & Geopolitics (Al-Bulushi, S.)

Despite the formal end of colonial rule, the forms of knowledge through which global policymaking is apprehended and explained continue to be dominated by Euro-American scholars, 'experts,' and paradigms. If and when people and places in the Global South receive attention, they are often analyzed only in relation to the strategic interests and practices of powerful states. As such, Global South populations provide the data for Global North-based theories but are rarely recognized as theorists or practitioners of policy and so-called 'global' challenges themselves. Through engagement with ethnographic work on the one hand, and Global South thought on the other, this course employs an interdisciplinary approach to decolonize the study of policymaking and geopolitics.

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Anthropology of Social Services (Fletcher, E)

Social service organizations offer health care, housing, food assistance, childcare subsidies, and many other forms of community assistance. Together, these organizations form safety nets for some historically marginalized groups. This upper-level course will examine anthropological research on social service provision and poverty in the United States. We will consider the cultural, moral, and political dilemmas associated with efforts to "rehabilitate" and to otherwise provide care for those in crisis. Students will be introduced to current anthropological theory, research methods associated with institutional ethnographies, and case studies of poverty, housing precarity, justice involvement, and health inequities.

Comics & Medicine (Hamdy, S.)

More and more patients have narrated their illness experiences in comics format, exploiting the medium to push beyond textual representations of pain and suffering. Visualizing illness offers therapeutic effects both for producer and reader and helps to make medical experiences more accessible and understandable to others beyond their own immediate experiences. In this class we will explore major medical anthropology themes through comics, including chronic illness, social determinants of health, mental health, disability, and medicalization. We will analyze how the comics medium lends new insight into different medical experiences and we will also work to produce our own comics to bring greater awareness to issues of health and social justice. No artistic experience or talent is required.

 I Dig UCI (Straughn, I.)

An introduction to archaeological fieldwork through participation in an active excavation on campus. Students engage with research design and learn the foundational methods of archaeological recovery: survey, mapping, sampling strategies, documentation, excavation, artifact identification, and interpretation.

 Cognitive Archaeology (Drover, C.)

Cognitive archaeology is the attempt to reconstruct the Ideology of prehistoric cultures from material remains. While challenging, aspects of ritual, magic, religion, cosmology, iconography and epigraphy are reflected in the material remains of all cultures.

 Captain Cook's Voyage (Marcus, G) (xlist HIST 183 (Seed, P.)

 This course traces the three famous voyages of Captain Cook in the Pacific Ocean during the later 18th century and through their contacts with diverse island peoples provide a perspective on how islands came to be occupied through technologies of sailing and navigation, how these people
formed their own cultures, and how ocean and island ecologies affect their character even up to the present day.

 Anthropology Major Seminar (Nam, S.)

 Honors Research Design (Hundle, A.)

Students design a research project and articulate its goals and significance. Written work consists of a research proposal describing the research questions, the relevant literature, methods of data collection and analysis, and ethical considerations 

 Honors Thesis Writing (Jenks, A.)

Students draft a senior honors thesis (typically) with the following sections: problem statement, literature review, ethnographic background, and descriptions of the methods, results, and conclusions.