Anthropology
Chair: Marty Otañez
Business Operations Coordinator: Sulastri Carr
Office: North Classroom Building 4002
Undergraduate Advisor: Tiffany Terneny
Graduate Advisor: Jamie Hodgkins
Telephone: 303-315-7328
Website: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/anthropology/
Overview
Undergraduate Information
Anthropology Major
Anthropology is the study of human origins and evolution, the present conditions of human life and the prospects for the future. It considers human beings as biological and social entities and seeks to explain both diversities and commonalities of peoples and cultures. For undergraduates, anthropology provides a rich overview of human life. It also introduces them to a variety of skills and practical research methods anthropologists apply in laboratory and field studies of the ecological constraints on human existence, the cultural bases of individual and organizational behavior and the problems and circumstances relating to the maintenance of today’s healthy, productive human action in general.
Anthropological training provides entry to a variety of careers in archaeology, museology, education, community service, public administration, public health, international affairs and business. The specific skills it provides are useful to students of environmental design, city planning, community development, the medical and nursing professions and allied health sciences, law, public affairs and secondary education.
Click here to see the requirements for the major.
Departmental Honors Requirements
Students wishing to graduate with departmental honors in anthropology must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, with a 3.7 minimum GPA in anthropology for cum laude (3.8 for magna cum laude and 3.9 for summa cum laude), as well as prepare an honors thesis of high quality. They must also take ANTH 4810 Integrating Anthropology. Interested students should inquire in the department no later than two semesters before graduation.
Anthropology Minor
Click here to see the requirements for a minor.
Graduate Information
Please go to the Graduate catalog to read about our graduate programs.
Faculty
Professors:
Christopher Beekman, PhD, Vanderbilt University
Sarah Horton, PhD, University of New Mexico
Tammy Stone, PhD, Arizona State University
David Tracer, PhD, University of Michigan
Associate Professors:
Charles Musiba, PhD, University of Chicago
Marty Otañez, PhD, University of California-Irvine
Assistant Professors:
Jamie Hodgkins, PhD, Arizona State University
Christine Sargent, PhD, University of Michigan
Anna Warrener, Washington University St. Louis
Emeritus:
John Brett, PhD, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley
Instructors:
Tiffany Terneny, PhD, University of Texas-Austin
Adjunct Faculty and Affiliated Faculty:
Sharon Devine, PhD, University of Colorado
Jean Scandlyn, PhD, Columbia University
Caley Orr, PhD, Arizona State University
Instructional Faculty:
Nicholas Denning
Michael Kilman
Gail Krovitz
Mary Shirley
Kristen Sweet-McFarling
Greg Williams
Anthropology (ANTH)
ANTH 1000 - Anthropology: Past and Present (3 Credits)
Anthropology is the study of humankind in all of its diversity and complexity. Anthropologists have traditionally approached the study from four distinct perspectives: biological, cultural, linguistic and archaeological. This course considers how anthropologists study humankind from these four perspectives and the robust picture of humanity that emerges. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 1001 - Special Topics in Anthropology (1-4 Credits)
Designed to give students a chance to evaluate critically some practical or theoretical problem under faculty supervision and to present results of their thinking to fellow students and instructors for critical evaluation. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 1111 - First Year Seminar (3 Credits)
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students
ANTH 1302 - Introduction to Archaeology (4 Credits)
Introduces the study of past cultures and their environments. Emphasis is on the scientific method, aspects of research design and analytical techniques used by archaeologists to determine chronology, taphonomy, source production areas, exchange networks, and human-environment interactions. Note: Three hours of lecture and a two-hour lab each week. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 4 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SS3
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Behavioral Sciences; GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SS3, Soc Behav Sci:Hmn Behav, Cul.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 1303 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology (4 Credits)
Introduces the study of human biological evolution, both processes and outcomes, from primate ancestors to fossil hominids to contemporary human populations. Methods of obtaining and interpreting data concerning the genetic, biological and evolutionary basis of physical variation in living and skeletal populations. Note: 3 hours of lecture and a 2 hour lab each week. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 4 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SC1
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Biol Phys Sci - Lec/Lab; GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SC1, Nat Phy Sci:Course w/Req Lab.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 2102 - Culture and the Human Experience (3 Credits)
An application of the concept of culture to several aspects of the human experience, including gender relations, emotion and personality, cognition, language, health and healing and economic behavior. In exploring these dimensions of the human experience, the course focuses on selected cultures from each of the world's major geographic areas. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SS3
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Behavioral Sciences; GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SS3, Soc Behav Sci:Hmn Behav, Cul.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 2400 - Exploring Culture through Social Media (3 Credits)
Introduction to social media and analysis applied to cultural change. Focus on theories and practices of non-fiction image-making and “doing digital ethnography” to examine a range of experience and knowledge among different societies, communities, technologies, policy discourses and ourselves. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 2840 - Independent Study (1-3 Credits)
Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Department consent required. Repeatable. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 3.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 2939 - Internship (1-3 Credits)
Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Note: students must work with the Experiential Learning Center advising to complete a course contract and gain approval. Prereq: Sophomore standing. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
ANTH 3000 - Globalization, Migration and Transnationalism (3 Credits)
Examines the cultural dynamics of globalization, including: the development of special economic zones in the global south, rural to urban migration, transnational migration, the maintenance of transnational ties, and cross-border social formations. Reviews the dynamics of globalization through case studies and film. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, International Perspectives.
Typically Offered: Spring.
ANTH 3045 - Cannabis Culture (3 Credits)
Familiarizes students with anthropological approaches to the culture of cannabis, including medicinal and recreational. Topics: history, cultural uses, legalization, cannabis capitalism, health effects, race and inequality, regulatory policies, retailing and consumption. Ethnographic research for data collection emphasized. Term offered: summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Summer.
ANTH 3072 - Lost Worlds and Crystal Skulls (3 Credits)
This class explores the differences between science and pseudoscience specifically within the realm of anthropology. Scientific method and critical thought are employed in a way that trains students to question and recognize the difference between fact and fiction in data. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Biol Phys Sci - Math.
ANTH 3101 - Foundations of Cultural Anthropology (3 Credits)
Covers current theories in cultural anthropology and discusses the nature of field work. Major schools of thought and actual field studies are explored with an emphasis on anthropological data gathering, analysis and writing. Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall.
ANTH 3121 - Language, Culture, and Communication (3 Credits)
Definitions of language and communication and their relationship to human behavior, thought and culture. The classification of languages, linguistic universals, language acquisition, multilingualism, and nonhuman communication, with consideration of the evolutionary implications of such studies. Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3142 - Cultural Diversity in the Modern World (3 Credits)
An in-depth analysis of the phenomena of culture and application of the culture concept to understanding cultural diversity in the modern world. Applies the concept of culture to several basic aspects of human social life, for example: social class and gender relations, ethnicity, racism and sexism, education, health and economic behavior. Students explore these issues in the context of case studies of particular groups and/or communities, focusing primarily on the diversity of cultural expression in contemporary U.S. Note: This course may count for the International Studies major or minor. See your INTS advisor for more information. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Cultural Diversity.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 3150 - Special Topics in Medical Anthropology (3 Credits)
Seminar series on current issues in medical anthropology. Faculty offer a range of different courses, including the political economy of drugs, health and human rights, and reproductive health. Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3200 - Human Migration: Nomads, Sojourners, and Settlers (3 Credits)
Explores the relationship between human migration, voluntary and forced and social organization and culture in the modern world. Case studies include pastoralists, foragers, refugees, immigrants, sojourners and settlers and their impact on health, culture, identity, ethnicity, tradition and nationality. Cross-listed with PBHL 3200. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3202 - Anthropology of Health Care Policy (3 Credits)
Uses the tools and methods of cultural anthropology to analyze health care reform in the U.S. We examine analyses of the current health care system, debates over its reform, compare the US health care system to that of health care systems worldwide. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3301 - World Prehistory (3 Credits)
Explores of 3.5 million years of human cultural development that examines the prehistory of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Patterns and processes that underlie the earliest hominid expansion out of Africa, tool use, origins of fire, the peopling of the Americas, the development of metallurgy, the domestication of plants and animals and the rise of cities and the state are examined. Emphasis is on both regional developments and landmark projects that have helped clarify prehistory. Note: Introductory course in Archaeology (ANTH 1302) recommended. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
ANTH 3315 - North American Archaeology (3 Credits)
Course provides a survey of the prehistoric and historic archaeology of the United States, Canada and Northern Mexico. Current knowledge of the subject and current debates are discussed. Prereq: ANTH 1302 with a C- or higher. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 1302 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3316 - History of Human Environmental Impacts (3 Credits)
Humans exist as active members of an ecosystem. There is increasing awareness that human actions have changed the environment and continue to do so. While ecologists, climatologists, and engineers work to address current and future environmental problems, the discipline of archaeology can provide a time depth and crosscultural breadth of perspective on how such issues have impacted human societies. This course will investigate and critically assess the claim that environmental and ecological factors have played a key role in the dissolution of once thriving civilizations. Examples will be drawn from across time and space, specifically emphasizing the archaeological record and the perspective it provides on a problem that is of critical relevance today. In this course students will: 1) Learn how humans have engaged with theirenvironments over the course of our species' evolutionary history; 2) Critically assess contemporary discussions of collapse and ecocide by contextualizing humanenvironment interactions within the frameworks of resilience, niche construction, and ecosystem engineering; 3) Use 'lessons from the past' to inform contemporary ecological debates; 4) Objectively evaluate the factual basis of various claims made about how humans affect, have affected, and likely will affect their environments; 5) Actively engage with the community to build sustainable gardens. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3320 - Southwestern Archaeology (3 Credits)
Considers the origins, characteristics, and interrelationships of the major culture areas in the American southwest, including the Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon, Sinagua and Northern Mexico. Note: ANTH 1302 recommended but not required. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3330 - Topics in Archaeology (3 Credits)
A flexible format for addressing specific topics in archaeology. Examples include the archaeology of the Great Plains, the Mediterranean Region, etc. Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: ANTH 2102 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3500 - Human Osteology (4 Credits)
Provides in-depth knowledge of human osteology, including the following topics: skeletal anatomy; age, sex and stature determination; skeletal trauma/pathology; and taphonomy. Recitation component provides hands-on experience with skeletal material. Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher. Max Hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3512 - Human Evolution (3 Credits)
Provides an overview of the fossil and archaeological evidence for human origins. Theory and method in paleoanthropology is emphasized. The goal is to outline current knowledge of human biological evolution and the lifeways of our evolutionary relatives. Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
ANTH 3560 - Human Variation and Adaptation (3 Credits)
This course explores the nature of modern human biological variation and adaptation. We address the evolutionary and biological theory that informs our study of contemporary human anatomy and physiology. Topics covered include, the nature vs. nurture debate, variation in skin pigmentation and the concept of “race”, skeletal adaptations, adaptations to extreme environments and sexbased variation. Term offered: every other year. Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 3590 - Primate Behavior Research at the Zoo (3 Credits)
Students will review information on primates, learn about data collection models, design a behavior observation project on captive primates, collect and analyze behavior data, write and present a formal scientific paper. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3666 - Anthropology of Death (3 Credits)
The primary goal of the course is to identify and understand the range of human expression through the treatment of human remains in anthropological literature with focus on burials, mortuary practices, and associated rituals. Along with more theoretical papers, specific case studies will be used to address a variety of topics and issues, such as historic and prehistoric social organization, bio-archaeology, cannibalism, human sacrifice, mummification, the ethics of studying human remains, and the treatment of pets in prehistory. The time range that we will cover in the course will span from the Neolithic to the early 20th century, and numerous cultures from all parts of the globe will be our subject matter. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3700 - Current Topics in Anthropology (3 Credits)
This undergraduate course offers a flexible format for addressing specific topics of special interest in anthropology, such as: aging, race and prejudice, class, warfare and aggression, ethnicity, myth and folklore, language and communication, Colorado prehistory and topics in evolutionary theory. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
ANTH 3910 - Cross-Cultural Field Experience (3-6 Credits)
An intensive contact with another culture through supervised travel in the U.S. or in a country other than the United States. Written reports required. Note: Class includes pre-trip orientation lectures; in-country lectures by local resource people and supervising CU-Denver faculty. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 3939 - Internship (1-3 Credits)
Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Note: students must work with the Experiential Learning Center advising to complete a course contract and gain approval. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4000 - Special Topics in Anthropology (1-4 Credits)
Designed to give students a chance to evaluate critically some practical or theoretical problem under faculty supervision and to present results of their thinking to fellow students and instructors for critical evaluation. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5000. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4010 - Medical Anthropology: Global Health (3 Credits)
This course is concerned with the underlying biological and cultural determinants of health throughout the human life cycle in global and cross-cultural perspective. Note: The first of a two-course sequence in medical anthropology and global health studies; the second is ANTH 4020. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5014. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4050 - Quantitative Methods in Anthropology (3 Credits)
Surveys the ways of deriving meaning from anthropological data by numerical means, including, but not confined to basic statistical procedures. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5053. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4063 - Ethnographic Methods: Principles, Ethics, and Critiques (3 Credits)
Ethnography is considered the best method to capture the perspectives of various groups, subjective meanings attached to behaviors and identities, and the reasons for patterns of collective behavior. This course will introduce students to the principles of ethnography and will consider the ethics, politics, and critiques of the methodology. Cross-listed with ANTH 5063. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 4080 - Global Health Practice (3 Credits)
A travel-study course that provides students the opportunity to work on global health issues in the context of a supervised internship experience. In addition to a formal internship placement or directed research opportunity, students attend formal lectures and participate in seminars devoted to addressing those health issues most relevant to the country in which the course is being taught. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5080 and PBHL 4080. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4090 - Psychedelic Anthropology (3 Credits)
Psychotropic drugs, both legal and illicit, are a predominant part of our everyday lives. This course examines their use and meaning within cultures of health and wellness, and the plant medicine, spiritual, social, political and economic issues that surround their production, use and misuse. Course activities focus on ethnographic research strategies and arts-based approaches to public scholarship. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5090 and PBHL 4090. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4121 - Zooarchaeology (3 Credits)
Introduction to the theory and methods of zooarchaeology through lectures, readings, and hands-on lab work identifying and analyzing mammalian skeletal material. Students will learns what mammalian remains indicate about biological and cultural evolution of humans. Cross-listed with ANTH 5121. Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: ANTH 1303 with a C- or higher.
ANTH 4200 - Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3 Credits)
A comparative analysis of gender-based status and social roles of women and men, with women's status and roles emphasized due to their near-universal construction as the "Other" sex. Examines in cross- and sub-cultural context the relations among women's status and their subsistence and reproductive activities; and the division of labor by sex, ideology and political economy. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5200. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4230 - Fieldwork Methods (3 Credits)
This experiential course explores anthropological critiques, decolonizing approaches, and multi-media strategies to fieldwork methods with a focus on oral histories, visual narratives, community based participatory research, and indigenous ways of knowledge creation. At the end of the course, the student should have the cultural understanding and the methodological skills to complete a team-based fieldwork project successfully. Cross-listed with ANTH 5230. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall.
ANTH 4260 - Human Reproductive Ecology (3 Credits)
Considers the determinants of fertility variation within and among traditional human societies. Biocultural and ecological perspectives on pubertal timing, marriage patterns, birth seasonality, duration of birth intervals and reproductive senescence. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5260. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4270 - Anthropology of the Body (3 Credits)
Explores how society, through culture, creates collective and individual bodies; embodied experience across the life course; and the body as an expression of social power, bodily modification and adornment. Note: ANTH 2102 or ANTH 3101 are recommended be taken before this course for undergraduate students. Cross-listed with ANTH 5270. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
ANTH 4290 - Anthropology and Public Health (3 Credits)
"This course critically explores anthropological approaches to public health problems. Through a number of key issues and case studies, we examine how
public health practice can be enhanced through anthropological research, theory and methodology. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5290. Max hours: 3 Credits."
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4300 - Immigrant Health (3 Credits)
This course examines health issues associated with transnational migration
from an anthropological point of view. It provides students the opportunity
to engage in hands-on fieldwork projects designed in conjunction with local
immigrant and refugee-serving agencies. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5300. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4320 - Archaeology of Mexico and Central America (3 Credits)
Surveys the major prehistoric and protohistoric cultures and societies of that area of Mexico and Central America identified with the evolution of Meso-American civilization. Major topics include early human colonization of the Americas, the domestication of plants and animals, the emergence of regionally-based cultures and societies, trade and exchange and the evolution of urbanism and the state. Primary emphasis on such ancient cultures and societies as those of the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec and Aztec. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5320. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4330 - Lithic Analysis (3 Credits)
Examines the theoretical basis and methodological tools used by archaeologists in the analysis of prehistoric stone tools. Topics of discussion include the mechanics of stone fracture, typologies, use wear analysis and core reduction techniques. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5330. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4350 - Anthropology of Globalization (3 Credits)
This course provides an overview of anthropological contributions to the study of globalization. Particular attention is devoted to: transformations in global capitalism, state and immigration policy, transnational families, health and transnationalism. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5350. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4380 - Archaeology of Hunters-Gatherers (3 Credits)
Explores the theory and methods used by archaeologists to investigate prehistoric hunter gatherers. Topics of concern include mobility, subsistence, procurement, and socio-political organization. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5380. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4390 - Laboratory Methods in Archaeology (3 Credits)
Methods and theories of archaeology are used to scrutinize the collection and interpretation of data and the relationships of archaeology to other disciplines. Core materials emphasize the critique of basic archaeological assumptions. Note: Course content varies slightly each time it is offered, in response to student needs and the availability of projects (e.g., laboratory work, urban excavation, survey and mapping). May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Repeatable. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 3.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4400 - Archaeology of Power and Inequality (3 Credits)
Addresses inequality and power through a long-term archaeological and theoretical perspective. Discusses explanations for the origins of power and inequality and their role in early small-scale societies and emerging complex politics. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5400. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4440 - Museums in the 21st Century (3 Credits)
This is an advanced course on natural history/anthropology museums. It will examine practical issues facing museums, and consider the complex questions that museums raise. The class includes lectures, discussions, and hands-on collection work, and exhibit/ outreach development. Cross-listed with ANTH 5440. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Spring.
ANTH 4500 - Advanced Issues in Human Evolution (3 Credits)
This flexible course offers an advanced treatment of issues in human biological evolution. Topics may emphasize morphological evolution, behavioral evolution, the environment of human evolution, non-human primate comparative information. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5500. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4560 - Human Ecology (3 Credits)
Studies demographic and ecological variables as they relate to human populations. Aspects of natural selection, overpopulation and environmental deterioration are considered. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5560. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4570 - Landscape Archaeology (3 Credits)
Introduces spatial archaeology through intrasite analysis and regional studies. Methods treated include site location and quantitative spatial organization. Theoretical topics include definitions of community, ancient urbanism and the impact of subsistence and politics on relations to the landscape. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5570. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4580 - Neanderthals and the Origin of Modern Humans (3 Credits)
Focuses on the human fossil record for the taxon Homo sapiens, including the earliest members of this group ("early" or "archaic" Homosapiens), the Neanderthals and so-called "anatomically modern" Homosapiens. The goal of the course is to survey the major issues within the area of modern human origins, and to learn about the evolutionary relationships, lifeways and behaviors of these groups. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5580. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4590 - Primate Behavior (3 Credits)
Studies nonhuman primate behavior with emphasis on understanding social behavior, ecology and issues related to human evolution. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5590. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4600 - Medical Anthropology (3 Credits)
Introduces students to the theories and concepts of medical anthropology, the study of human health and illness. Explores conceptions of the body, modalities of healing, the clinical encounter, and new medical technologies. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5600. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4650 - Disability Anthropology (3 Credits)
Drawing from anthropology and interdisciplinary disability studies, this course explores disability and impairment across time and space. Course materials integrate ethnography, archives, novels, films, podcasts, and social media to develop a holistic, empirically grounded understanding of disability as part of human diversity. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5650. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
ANTH 4800 - Special Topics in Medical Anthropology (3-9 Credits)
Seminar series on current issues in medical anthropology. Faculty offer a range of different courses, including the political economy of drugs, health and human rights, and reproductive health. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Repeatable. Cross-listed with ANTH 5800. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4810 - Integrating Anthropology (3 Credits)
Designed to build on specialized course work in the subdisciplines of anthropology, this course emphasizes the basic concepts that integrate and unite the discipline and give it unique perspective. These are the concepts of culture, adaptation and human evolution. In the last several weeks of the course, students consider the applicability of the anthropological perspective to specific human issues. Note: Centers on the critical examination and discussion of presentations made by department faculty and graduate students. Note: this course assumes that students have completed course work equivalent to a minor in anthropology. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5810. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
ANTH 4840 - Independent Study (1-3 Credits)
Directed study based on a specific subfield of anthropology. Note: Permission of instructor required. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Repeatable. Max Hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
ANTH 4880 - Directed Research (1-6 Credits)
Students will engage in original research projects supervised and mentored by faculty. Students must work with faculty prior to registration to develop a proposal for their project and receive permission to take this course. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
ANTH 4910 - Field Experience in Archaeology (3-6 Credits)
Students participate in archaeological field research and data recovery and conduct laboratory analysis of materials recovered in the field. Emphasis is placed on excavation technique and accuracy of record keeping. Prereq: Junior standing or higher. Cross-listed with ANTH 5910. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
ANTH 4995 - Global Study Topics (3-9 Credits)
This course is reserved for CU Denver faculty-led study abroad experiences. The course topic will vary based on the location and course content. Students register through the Office of Global Education. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Additional Information: Global Education Study Abroad.