Anthropology and Archaeology
Division of Social Sciences
The anthropology and archaeology program at Washington College allows students to engage directly with contemporary anthropological topics and applied research. Anthropology provides students with the knowledge to understand complex and diverse human experiences in the past and present, and the practical skills to conduct rigorous research into the social and environmental forces that shape human experiences around the world. Our students learn multiple perspectives for solving theoretical and practical problems through courses in the four subfields: cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and biological anthropology. With a departmental focus on issues of environmental and social justice, cultural heritage ownership, and activism, our students graduate with a broad understanding of human evolution and adaptation, the rise of civilizations and urban life, the diversity of cultural systems, and the human consequences of colonialism and globalization.
We emphasize learning by doing and offer many experiential education opportunities. Our Inside-Out course engages students in collaborative learning with incarcerated women in Delaware, and a Museum Studies course allows students to work alongside local communities to curate and conserve cultural materials, conduct oral history interviews, and develop virtual reality (VR) exhibits. We offer educational-experiential courses in the American Southwest, Cuba, and a summer archaeological field school, as well as assistantships and internships in geographic information systems, our archaeology lab, and other areas.
Trained in data collection and analysis, critical thinking, persuasive writing, and professional presentation, anthropology graduates find employment opportunities in business, national and international government agencies, NGOs, museums, and academia. Recent graduates have continued postgraduate work in anthropology and other fields, and have found careers in geospatial intelligence, foreign service, sociocultural data analysis, international health and medicine, cultural tourism, grant writing, political analysis, international education, law, social justice, journalism, and environmental advocacy.
In conjunction with the Music department, we offer an interdisciplinary minor in ethnomusicology. Many of our students take advantage of our department’s contributions to a range of interdisciplinary majors and minors as they chart their educational pathway.
ANT SCE Senior Capstone Experience 2 Credits
The anthropology Senior Capstone Experience is a significant piece of independent research experience in the form of a thesis or project undertaken by each senior with the guidance and mentorship of a department faculty member. Thesis proposals are typically developed during the spring of the third year in the Anthropology Seminar All senior capstone experiences must include anthropological methods and theory. A student who successfully completes the SCE will receive a grade of Pass or Honors and will be awarded 4 credits. A more extensive description of the SCE is available from the department chair. Discussion of a joint thesis, undertaken by a student with two majors, can be found in the Academic Program section of the catalog.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 104 Intro to World Music & Ethnomusicology 4 Credits
An introduction to music of the world, including popular, folk, religious and classical traditions. Explores the way ethnomusicologists organize and analyze knowledge about the world, while investigating the ways music acquires meaning in performances that are socially, historically, and culturally situated.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 105 Introduction to Anthropology 4 Credits
The study of human diversity with emphasis on cultural anthropology. Topics include the anthropological perspective, resources of culture, organization of material life, systems of relationships and global forms of inequality. The course examines how anthropologists apply their skills to solve contemporary human social problems. Basic ethnographic interviewing skills. Introduction to ethnography.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 107 Intro to Environmental Archaeology 4 Credits
Exploration of the variety of past human societies and cultures through archaeology, with an emphasis upon the interplay between environment and culture. The course covers a wide time span, from the biological evolution of hominids and the origins of culture to the development of complex civilizations and the more recent historical past.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 109 Intro to Geographic Information Systems 4 Credits
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be found throughout our modern society. Programs such as MapQuest and Google Earth have brought this technology into the lives of many citizens of our world. More advanced software systems such as ArcGIS are being used in academia, business, and government to manage large datasets of spatially linked information and provide the users with powerful analytic tools. The course lectures review the fundamental theories of GIS and also focus on the various organizational and ethical issues that impact the implementation and sustainability of GIS in our society. The lab portion of the course teaches the student how to operate the ArcGIS Desktop software product, ArcGIS Pro. Introduction to GIS is taught as a blended course, which means that online content is used to supplement the course. The online content does not replace the traditional lecture and lab components of the course, but is instead meant to enhance the content, and allow for materials to be available outside of class time. Content is reviewed prior to attending class, which provides time for discussion, clarification, and problem-solving during class time. All course materials along with lab assignments, quizzes, and exams are managed in our innovative Canvas virtual learning environment.
Term(s) Offered: Fall, All Years
ANT 137 Culture & Environments of the Chesapeake 4 Credits
An examination of prehistoric and historic societies in the Chesapeake Region. Archaeological, historical, and environmental evidence is used to understand cultural development and the relationships between people and their environment. Topics include the arrival of humans in the region, Native American groups, colonial settlement in the Tidewater, and the 19th Century. This course counts toward the Chesapeake Regional Studies minor.
Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years
ANT 190 Anthropology Internship 4 Credits
The department encourages students with prior courses in anthropology to develop, with a member of the department, internship opportunities. Students interested in pursuing internships should read Internships and Other Opportunities in this Catalog. In addition to the requirements listed there, interns should expect to write a paper describing their experiences, as relevant to anthropology, and connected to a reading list to be developed and agreed upon by the intern and the supervising faculty member. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 194 Special Topics 4 Credits
Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 195 On Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 196 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 197 Independent Study 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 208 Archaeological Method 4 Credits
An examination of the methods of archaeology and theoretical perspectives. Course topics include research design, site surveys, remote sending technology, excavation techniques, dating methods, the analysis of material culture, and theory building. Students will be involved in exploration and research using the wide variety of resources available in the region, including local excavations, local and regional archives, and museum collections.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 107
Term(s) Offered: Fall, All Years
ANT 210 Intermediate Geographic Info Systems 4 Credits
This second course in geographic information systems builds upon the theories discussed in introduction to Geographic Information Systems, and focuses on the more technical aspects of GIS. Laboratory activities teach the student to use more advanced functions of GIS software, and the fundamentals of advanced GIS analysis and display programs. The student will also learn to operate a precision GPS field data collector.
Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years
ANT 215 Sex, Gender, and Culture 4 Credits
The study of the biological differences of sex in relationship to the cultural construction of gender. The importance of modes of production and ideology in forming gender concepts for all human societies. Cross-cultural issues of gender identity, roles, relationships, and equality or inequality.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 105
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 234 Human Evol & Biological Anthropology 4 Credits
This course utilizes a holistic approach to explore the evolution of the human species. Students learn the basics of evolutionary theory, biology, and fossil and archaeological evidence through lectures, discussion, readings, videos and hands-on learning. This course is divided into three main sections titled: (a) how evolution works, (b) the history of human lineage, and (c) evolution, technology, and modern humans.
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 235 Cultures of Latin America 4 Credits
Prehistory of the Americas and survey of indigenous cultures in Latin America today (Mesoamerica, the Andean countries and the Amazonian countries). Introduction to environmental anthropology and applications to environmental issues.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 105
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 247 Medical Anthropology 4 Credits
This course introduces students to the growing field of medical anthropology. We explore the diverse ways that people understand health, illness, the body, and healing, and how those are mediated through cultural beliefs and practices around the world. We also consider a variety of interrelated global processes that shape people's experiences of health and well-being in locally-specific ways. Students learn anthropological methods and theories which complement more mainstream approaches to public health.
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 275 Prisons, Punishment, and Social Control 4 Credits
In this course, we examine both overt and covert forms of surveillance, control, and confinement in historical and contemporary contexts. We consider less repressive forms of control, which are often invisible to us even as they powerfully shape and define our lives, as well as more repressive forms of state power. An anthropological lens helps us consider the many ways that prisons and punishment are deeply entrenched in U.S. culture, social life, and political-economy. We draw upon a variety of theoretical frameworks, including Foucault, Marxism, critical race theory, disability studies, and others, each of which offers a unique way to make sense of our course topics. Rather than approach the prison as a set of buildings and experiences over there (apart from un-incarcerated life), we ask how the same social processes that make prisons possible are woven into many aspects of our social, cultural, political, and economic experiences. We pay particular attention to the intersections of race, class, and gender with prisons/social control throughout U.S. history. Finally, we explore the creative ways that people critique, resist, imagine, and organize for more liberatory futures.
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 280 Traditional Ecological Knowledge 4 Credits
This course introduces students to the anthropological study of indigenous peoples and how they respond to the forces of globalization. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) refers to knowledge base acquired by indigenous and local peoples over many hundreds of years through direct contact with the environment. It includes nomenclature, classification, beliefs, rituals, technology, environmental management strategies and worldviews - all of which have helped shape environments for millenia. This course explores these different forms of knowledge and poses a series of questions about their importance and use, such as: How is globalization affecting TEK? Who possesses TEK? Who owns TEK? Should the owners of TEK be compensated for their knowledge? Does TEK promote sustainability? Can nation-states utilize TEK? What are the impacts on indigenous groups when TEK in promoted? How can traditional knowledge of the natural world be responsibly and ethically collected, studied and applied in modern medicine and global commerce?
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 290 Anthropology Internship 4 Credits
The department encourages students with prior courses in anthropology to develop, with a member of the department, internship opportunities. Students interested in pursuing internships should read Internships and Other Opportunities in this Catalog. In addition to the requirements listed there, interns should expect to write a paper describing their experiences, as relevant to anthropology, and connected to a reading list to be developed and agreed upon by the intern and the supervising faculty member. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 294 Special Topics 4 Credits
Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 295 On Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 296 Archaeological Field School 4 Credits
An introduction to archaeological fieldwork methods and to the theoretical concerns of anthropological archaeology. Includes participation in archaeological survey and excavation as well as lectures, readings, and writing assignments. It typically is a six-week summer program, with a minimum obligation of 20 hours per week. This course is open to all students.
Term(s) Offered: Summer, All Years
ANT 297 Independent Study 4 Credits
Students with an interest and background in anthropology may, working with an ANT faculty member, develop either a research project or a course of study pursuing an ANT subject or topic not covered by regular ANT courses. The student and faculty member agree on a reading list, and either a formal research project or a substantial paper. Students meet regularly with the instructor demonstrating progress in, and knowledge of, the readings; and to discuss, and receive guidance on the project or paper. 45 hours are required per credit. (Students may not use independent study courses to gain academic credit for the SCE).
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 300 Language and Culture 4 Credits
This course introduces the student to the study of linguistics. Concepts of both historical and descriptive linguistics are included. Some of the areas of study are linguistic history and methodology, language origin, language and society, language structure, dialects, and language families.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, Non Conforming
ANT 305 Culture, Power & the Human Experience 4 Credits
In this course, we explore how anthropologists ask and answer questions about culture, power, and the human experience. We learn about a range of methodological and theoretical approaches to anthropological inquiry, with particular attention to the exciting possibilities that arise when thinking across the sub-fields of cultural anthropology and archaeology. Through a series of projects, students learn research design and have the opportunity to apply archaeological, ethnographic, and GIS methods to problems around us.
Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years
ANT 306 Marine Archaeology 4 Credits
Introduction to underwater archaeology. Gives students an overview of the history and methods of the field. In addition to class activities, students are involved in practical exercises such as mapping and data analysis; field trips, including remote sensing work on the college's workboat and visits to historic vessels; and outside lectures on marine history and archaeology. A basic understanding of archaeological method and theory is useful for the course.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 107
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 313 Music of Latin America 4 Credits
Students will be introduced to ethnomusicological theory and method, while focusing on the musical practices of South and Central America and the Caribbean. Folk, ritual, popular, and art/classical traditions will be examined in the contexts of cultural issues such as belief systems, politics, aesthetics, and identity.
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 320 Race and Ethnicity 4 Credits
The dangers of using the concept race. Focus on the cultural construction of ethnic, racial, and national identities in the contexts of immigration, colonialism, nationalism, and globalization. Symbols of ethnic identity, stereotyping, style, tactics of choice, situational ethnicity.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 105
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 329 Cuba Music and Culture 4 Credits
This course introduces students to anthropological, ethnomusicological, and ethnochoreological ethnographic fieldwork methods, including participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and audio/video documentation techniques. Students are exposed to both Afro-Cuban religious and Cuban popular expressive forms. Students learn about the interrelatedness of music, dance, visual arts, ritual, and religious beliefs, as well as Cuban views on Cuban culture, gender, and race. Students attend/observe both formal and informal music performances and take music and dance lessons where they will have an opportunity to engage musicians on a one-on-one basis. In addition to music-oriented activities, students learn about Cuba's cultural and economic history by exploring Havana's rich museums, monuments, and plazas.
Term(s) Offered: Winter, All Years
Fees: $400 2,699 Off Campus Study Fee Cuba Experience
ANT 340 Inside-Out 4 Credits
Inside-Out is a course that brings together an equal number of Washington College [outside] students and incarcerated [inside] students to learn side-by-side at a prison. The class involves weekly class meetings at a prison, and transportation to the prison is provided for Washington College students. Inside-Out is designed to meld theoretical knowledge, practical understanding, and personal experience and the wisdom that derives from that experience. We use a variety of active learning and community-building techniques that require student participation to be most effective. Inside and outside students collaborate on final group projects. The topic of the class may vary, and the class may be repeated with a different topic.
Term(s) Offered: Fall, All Years
ANT 354 Visual Anthropology 4 Credits
Focusing attention on photography, film, and since the 1990s, new media, visual anthropology attempts to untangle issues of subjectivity, marginalization, and meaning making. The course takes an anthropological look at the use of visual media in marketing, documentary filmmaking, gaming, music videos, and artistic installations. Wherever humans use visual images to communicate, an anthropological lens can be applied to develop and critique cultural messages. Students develop research projects that incorporate visual documentation from the earliest planning stages through the final stages of public communication and reflect on how this type of recording affects what is documented, how subjects are represented, the accuracy or reality of ensuing interpretations, and the intent of the visual production.
Term(s) Offered: Fall, Even Years
ANT 360 Museum Studies 4 Credits
The course examines the history of museums - art, anthropology, history, natural science, and children's - and the structuring of knowledge. Explore the politics of display in terms of what is displayed and who writes the narrative, to understand how and why this knowledge may be contested, the influence and outcome of the visitor's experience, and the importance of community collaboration. Learn about the practical considerations of collections acquisition and management, fundraising, and governance.
Term(s) Offered: Fall, Even Years
ANT 374 North American Indians 4 Credits
Pre-Contact North America is extraordinarily rich in histories. The archaeology of North America aims to understand the diversity of histories lived by peoples from the Atlantic to Alaska, from the Plains to the Bayou, from nomadic hunting and gathering groups to large-scale horticulturalists. We explore the human experience on the continent north of Mexico from the first footsteps on the continent to the impact of European contact to the relationship between archaeologists and American Indians today. By the end of this course, you will understand the history of archaeology in North America and the diversity of contemporary Native American cultures.
Term(s) Offered: Fall, Odd Years
ANT 390 Anthropology Internship 4 Credits
The department encourages students with prior courses in anthropology to develop, with a member of the department, internship opportunities. Students interested in pursuing internships should read Internships and Other Opportunities in this Catalog. In addition to the requirements listed there, interns should expect to write a paper describing their experiences, as relevant to anthropology, and connected to a reading list to be developed and agreed upon by the intern and the supervising faculty member. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 394 Special Topics 4 Credits
Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 395 On Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 396 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 397 Independent Study 4 Credits
Students with an interest and background in anthropology may, working with an ANT faculty member, develop either a research project or a course of study pursuing an ANT subject or topic not covered by regular ANT courses. The student and faculty member agree on a reading list, and either a formal research project or a substantial paper. Students meet regularly with the instructor demonstrating progress in, and knowledge of, the readings; and to discuss, and receive guidance on the project or paper. 45 hours are required per credit. (Students may not use independent study courses to gain academic credit for the SCE).
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 405 Seminar in Anthropology 4 Credits
Discussion of significant contemporary issues in anthropology. Application of anthropology to ethical issues and careers. Familiarity with professional literature and and professional style guides. Research design and location and assessment of source materials. Grant writing and research. Exploration of careers and higher studies in anthropology. Required course for all anthropology majors and minors. Should be taken in the spring semester of junior year.
Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years
ANT 415 Cultural Ecology 4 Credits
This course focuses on the human-environment relationship and the state of world ecosystems resulting from this interaction across space and time. The course is focused on four paradigms central to the anthropological understanding of the human-environment relation. The first focuses on fundamental human-ecological principles; the second on the ecological dynamics of foraging and domestication; the third on indigenous ecological knowledge and community-based conservation, and the fourth on new approaches in human ecology.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 105
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 420 Media and Power 4 Credits
By investigating the idea that what we view and express regarding cultural identity and cultural difference is artificial, we can see that popular entertainment, global news broadcasts, monuments and museums, and the internet might be doing more than merely capturing, reporting, or exhibiting. Understanding this, we can uncover something more about how representations are created, how they have been manipulated historically to oppress or devalue certain groups, and how they can be contested. Knowing that images are constructed and not real, we can turn our focus to how people can reclaim their identities and thus their own power through revising or even appropriating the representations that have been made of them.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: ANT 105
Term(s) Offered: Spring, Non Conforming
ANT 474 Hist Preservation & Cultural Resc Mgt 4 Credits
Provides a comprehensive overview of historic preservation and cultural resource management as practiced in the United States. Examines the history of the preservation movement, the role of preservation in American culture, and the legislative framework for historic preservation. Reviews the growing field of cultural resource management, looking at issues in architectural design, contract or salvage archaeology, and heritage tourism. Prerequisite: 200-level coursework in archaeology or American history, or permission of instructor.
Requisites: Pre or co-req: One 200 level ANT or HIS course
Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming
ANT 490 Anthropology Internship 4 Credits
The department encourages students with prior courses in anthropology to develop, with a member of the department, internship opportunities. Students interested in pursuing internships should read Internships and Other Opportunities in this Catalog. In addition to the requirements listed there, interns should expect to write a paper describing their experiences, as relevant to anthropology, and connected to a reading list to be developed and agreed upon by the intern and the supervising faculty member. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 494 Special Topics 4 Credits
Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 495 On Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 496 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits
An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years
ANT 497 Independent Study 4 Credits
Students with an interest and background in anthropology may, working with an ANT faculty member, develop either a research project or a course of study pursuing an ANT subject or topic not covered by regular ANT courses. The student and faculty member agree on a reading list, and either a formal research project or a substantial paper. Students meet regularly with the instructor demonstrating progress in, and knowledge of, the readings; and to discuss, and receive guidance on the project or paper. 45 hours are required per credit. (Students may not use independent study courses to gain academic credit for the SCE).
Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years