Page 5 of Albion College Departments and Courses Catalog by Albion College Michigan

Melzer. 129 130 362 Myth, Magic and Mind (1) Fall Prerequisite: A S 105 or permission of instructor. Survey of anthropological theories of culture and symbolism. Explores non-Western philosophies and value systems with a focus on the symbolic organization of religious experience: myth, ritual, divination, initiation, trance, spirit possession, magical healing, shamanism, millenarianism, fundamentalism, mysticism, priesthood. Examines cosmology in the context of economic, political and social organization. Primary focus on pre-state societies. Mullin. 363 Myth, Symbol and Ritual (1) Spring Same as Religious Studies 363. Raj. 366 Anthropology of the Media (1) Fall Prerequisites: A S 105 and one other anthropology or sociology course, or permission of instructor. Explores the distinctive perspectives that anthropology brings to media studies. Considers people and their engagements with a wide variety of media in many different parts of the world. Looks at the history of anthropology's use ofmedia (including ethnographic film and photography) and at ways that ``traditional'' anthropological research methods can be used to illuminate how media and media technologies are related to power, inequality and social change. Mullin. Social Institutions 333 The Sociology of Sex and Gender (1) Spring Prerequisite: A S 101 or 105 or permission of instructor. Examines the social construction and social consequences of gender difference and gender inequality with a specific focus on the United States. Gender theory and research will be used to explore masculinity and femininity as identities, as behavioral expectations and as organizing features of social life. Covers belief systems; broad social institutions such as family, employment, media and health; experiences of sexuality and violence; and individual behavior such as personal styles and modes of interacting with others. Focus on how gender as an organizing feature of social life benefits some and is disadvantageous to others, paying special attention to how race, ethnicity, class and sexuality intersect with gender. Melzer. 345 Race and Ethnicity (1) Fall, Spring Prerequisite: A S 101 or 105 or permission of instructor. Alternative theories of racial and ethnic relations, and their application to groups within the United States. Particular attention will be focused on the reasons for ethnic conflict and strategies for conflict resolution. Berkey. 350 Comparative Families: A Global Perspective (1) Spring Prerequisite: A S 101 or 105 or permission of instructor. What is the family? Is the family a "natural" unit or a social construct? Is the family a dying institution or is it merely changing? How do family structures, values and dynamics vary across cultures? How is family structure in the United States different from those in Nigeria, India, China, Sweden and Saudi Arabia? This course utilizes a comparative perspective to explore the changing family in its historical, cultural, economic, social and political contexts. Topics include variations in family patterns; marriage and related issues such as dating, mate selection, divorce, single parenting and family violence; poverty and stress in family life; communication; power relations; gender roles; and family policies in selected societies. Togunde. 353 Healing, Health and Society (1) Spring Prerequisite: A S 101 or 105 or permission of instructor. Covers topics ranging from the embodiment of disease to the social implications of disease. Addresses issues of social inequality to understand health both within a particular culture and between nations. Explores healing within the household, in Western biomedicine, and in other world healing systems such as traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines. Considers the concept of health--what it is, who has the power to define it and whether it is a right or a privilege. Terstriep. 370 Social Stratification (1) Fall Prerequisite: A S 101 or 105 or permission of instructor. An examination of the changing patterns of social stratification within the U.S. since World War II. Topics include income and wealth inequality, education and social mobility, the reorganization of the workplace, poverty and social welfare. Berkey. 375 The World System (1) Spring Prerequisite: Previous work in a social science. Review and evaluation of the major theoretical approaches to the sociological and economic study of development. Topics include the differences between rich and poor nations, the role of women in the international division of labor, and the impact of dictatorships and democracies over the past two decades. Considers such issues as the role of multinational corporations, world debt and global pressures on the environment. Examines the characteristics of technological change and its impact on the competitive advantage of nations such as the United States. Mullin. Theory and Methods Page 5 of 6 Albion College Catalog 2005-2006 Anthropology and Sociology 5/10/2006 http://www.albion.edu/academics/catalog/departments/anthsoc.asp

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