Course Descriptions

Anth 101. GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology is the broadest and most eclectic of the social sciences. It is, at its most general, the study of humankind, both modern and extinct and their complex lifeways. The course provides a basic background to three of the four major subdisciplines of contemporary anthropology, including Physical/Biological Anthropology, Cultural/Social Anthropology, and Archaeology.
3 credits

Anth 109. WORLD GEOGRAPHY

Geography is the branch of knowledge that examines spatial patterns in the physical and human environments on the earth. Three geographic themes will be explored through an exploration of the various regions of the world at different scales from the regional to the global: the World in Spatial terms (physical processes and ecosystems of the world); Places (the regionality of the earth’s surface); and Human Systems (the relationship of human populations to the landscape and each other). Students will have the opportunity to explore a number of current issues involving their place in the world through interactive group projects.
3 credits

Anth 112. WORLD CULTURES

In this course, the student is exposed to the basic subject matter and methods of modern socio-cultural anthropology. The great diversity of contemporary and recently extinct human culture is examined from a comparative and evolutionary perspective with an emphasis on the differences and similarities between so-called modern state level societies and their less complex antecedents.
3 credits

Anth 120. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Physical anthropology examines the "human animal" from a biological and cultural perspective. It is the study of human origins and our contemporary and past physical and genetic diversity.
Corequisite: Anth 121 Lab
3 credits

Anth 121. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LAB

This lab course will provide an opportunity for students to obtain "hands on" experience with human bones, fossil human casts, primate observation and forensic anthropology specimens.
Corequisite: Anth 120
1 credit

Anth/Soc 125. INTRODUCTION TO GENDER STUDIES

This interdisciplinary course will cover the theoretical foundations and history of the gender discourse, and address topics central to the discipline of gender studies. The economic, political, ideological and social forces that shape the cultural construction of gender will be discussed and the consequences examined. The discussion will also include the intersection of gender, race, and socioeconomic class, biology and gender, and the gendered body. Through a variety of exercises/discussions and works of fiction, attention will be given to the connection between gender issues and life experiences. Students will also engage with course topics via lectures, readings, and films.
3 credits

Anth 130. ARCHAEOLOGY

This course examines the methods, goals, and substantive results of contemporary anthropological archaeology. It traces the evolution of human culture from its genesis 2.5 million years ago through the rise of the first state level societies in the Old World against a continuously fluid background of plant, animal, and climatic change.
Corequisite: Anth 131 Lab
3 credits

Anth 131. ARCHAEOLOGY LAB

This laboratory course provides the student basic exposure to contemporary archaeological field methods from both a theoretical and "hands on" perspective. Topics include: Archaeological survey techniques; mapping; excavation procedures; screening and data retrieval; field lab processing and documentation.
Corequisite: Anth 130
1 credit

Anth 200. PREHISTORY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

The course is designed to introduce students to the prehistory of our continent’s eastern "half," from initial occupation to European contact. We will survey the cultural history of this vast and varied region and focus on specific issues, problems, and debates that currently dominate research in this field. Particular attention will be given to the archaeology of the Great Lakes region and Pennsylvania.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 201. PREHISTORY OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

Anthropology 200 and 201 are designed to thoroughly introduce the student to the grand sweep of North American Prehistory. From the initial peopling of the New World to the rise of settled village life and the evolution of non-state-level societies, the prehistory of North American is presented against an ever-changing backdrop of flora, fauna, and climate with an emphasis on the complex interplay between humans and their environmental matrix.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 202. INDIANS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

This course addresses the diversity of Eastern North American Indian cultures at the time of and immediately subsequent to Euro-American contact. Particular emphasis is placed on differences in technology and material culture, subsistence strategies, settlement patterns, and environmental variability.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 203. INDIANS OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

This course addresses the diversity of Western North American Indian cultures at the time of and immediately subsequent to Euro-American contact. Particular emphasis is placed on differences in technology and material culture, subsistence strategies, settlement patterns, and environmental variability.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 204. CULTURES IN CONTACT

This course examines the interface between Native American and Euro-American cultures from the arrival of Leif Ericsson in coastal Canada in the A.D. 990s through the better-documented landing of Columbus on 12 October 1492 to the progressive expansion of the frontiers and the ultimate displacement, transformation, or extinction of aboriginal eastern North American societies. The course focuses on the nature of the contact period as it is documented both historically and archaeologically and employs models and theoretical constructs from both Old and New World archaeology to elucidate the issue of cultures in collision.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 205. HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY

This course provides students with the basic methods and protocols of contemporary historic archaeology. The focus of the course is on Post-Colombian archaeology in North America with an emphasis on the initial settling and early development of the mid-west region.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 206. SOUTH AMERICAN PREHISTORY

This course examines the archaeology of South America from the earliest occupation of that continent until the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese. The course emphasizes the transformation of migratory hunting and foraging economies into sedentary societies, some of which ultimately evolve into political states of great complexity.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 207. MESOAMERICAN PREHISTORY

This course treats the prehistory of the area lying between the southern borders of the greater American Southwest and the northern borders of South America. It examines the archaeological sequence of the study area from the initiation of human occupation ca. 12,000 + years ago to Euro-American contact. The course emphasizes the interdigitation of human activity with a constantly changing panorama of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 208. EARLY EUROPEAN PREHISTORY

This course summarizes and examines the archaeology of Europe from its initial colonization ca. 500,000 years ago until the appearance of horticulture in the early Holocene. The course stresses the environmental matrix of nearly one half million years of human socio-cultural evolution and compares and contrasts it to adjacent areas.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 209. LATER EUROPEAN PREHISTORY

This course chronicles the history of human occupation in Europe for 8000 years, from the Upper Paleolithic to the emergence of state societies and Roman expansion. Particular emphasis is placed upon the regional cultural variability, the relationship between human communities and their landscapes, culture contact and trade, the development of social stratification and political centralization, and recent theoretical conceptualizations of various periods and regions. Students have the opportunity to concentrate on particular regional, cultural, and temporal problems.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 212. BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

This course examines the later prehistory and early history of Palestine and immediately contiguous areas. Emphasis is placed on the archaeological elucidation of extant historical documentation and biblical references.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 213. PREHISTORY OF THE NEAR EAST

This course examines and summarizes the prehistory of the Near East from the initiation of human occupation in the Early Pleistocene ca. one million + B.P. to the rise of state level societies, ca. 5,500 years ago. The course emphasizes the complex and fluid interplay between a constantly changing paleoenvironmental paleoclimatic, and geoarchaeological stages and the prehistoric populations who "acted" upon it.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 214. FAR EASTERN PREHISTORY

This course is designed to introduce the student to the prehistoric archaeological record of Northeast Asia. The course will examine the initial peopling of the region during the Pleistocene and will emphasize subsequent Paleolithic and Neolithic adaptations in North China, Japan, Eastern Siberia, and the Korean Peninsula.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 216/Bio 216. PLANTS AND PEOPLE

People depend on plants for food, clothing, shelter, medicines, and a host of other daily needs. This course examines the varied and complex interrelationships between plants and people. Major topics include domestication processes, the Green Revolution, intentional and unintentional modification of plant communities, and an examination of those plants that provide drugs, food, beverages, and fibers necessary to daily life.
Prerequisite: Bio 148
3 credits

Anth 224. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD METHODS

This course is designed to expose students to the full spectrum of field methods now in use in contemporary anthropological archaeology. The rationale, technical details, and expected results of a wide array of field methods are presented in the context of the location, characterization, and full scale data recovery of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites.
Corequisite: Anth 225. Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 225. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD METHODS LAB

Corequisite: Anth 224
1 credit

Anth 226. SUMMER FIELD TRAINING

A - Indicates the Prehistoric field training program B - Indicates the Historic field training program Participants will be exposed to the latest methodologies in archaeology, geoarchaeology, excavation techniques, field photography, mapping, laboratory procedures, artifact analysis, human osteology, computer applications, and many other techniques employed in contemporary archaeological excavations. Students will be taught the techniques of open-site excavation and will be able to witness firsthand the ongoing interpretation of the natural and cultural history of archaeological sites.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 224
3 or 6 credits

Anth 236. ANALYTICAL LAB METHODS IN PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the methods and techniques of processing, classification, analysis, curation, and documentation of the major classes of prehistoric artifactual evidence. The specific classes of data to be examined include, but are not limited to, lithic, ceramics, perishables, macrofloral remains, pollen and phytoliths, and biomolecular residues. Analysis of these materials will also involve addressing a number of anthropological themes such as dietary reconstruction, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and construction of chronologies. The laboratory component of the courses is designed to allow students to employ the methods and techniques of artifact analysis using various "live" collections curated by the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute.
Corequisite: Anth 237. Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 237. ANALYTICAL LAB METHODS IN PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY LAB

Corequisite: Anth 236. Prerequisite: Anth 130
1 credit

Anth 238. ANALYTICAL LAB METHODS IN HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY

This course will introduce students to the analytical and classificatory methods used in the treatment and processing of historic materials recovered from archaeological investigations. Emphasis will be placed on colonial and nineteenth century materials of the eastern United States. Students will assist in the analysis of materials from ongoing Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute field projects.
Corequisite: Anth 239. Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 239. ANALYTICAL LAB METHODS IN HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGYLAB

Corequisite: Anth 238. Prerequisite: Anth 130
1 credit

Anth 240. HUMAN ADAPTATION

This course examines the physiological and anthropological responses of the human body to short and long-term environmental stresses. Studies of native populations living in stressful environments will be discussed and include the effects of extreme heat and cold, solar radiation, and high altitude hypoxia. Other issues to be examined include the effects of undernourishment, disease, and dietary considerations. To provide an understanding of how these stresses effect the human body, a number of biological topics will be touched upon including growth and development, genetics, and human diversity. Cultural responses to these stresses will also be considered.
Prerequisite: Anth 120 and Bio 120
3 credits

Anth 242. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

The value of the application of anthropological principles in the field of criminal investigation has only recently been realized. This course will explore methods by which forensic anthropological principles are used to search for and recover evidence from a variety of crime scenes, as well as reconstruct the life history of the human victim.
Prerequisite: Frsc 150
3 credits

Anth 250. ZOOARCHAEOLOGY

The analysis of faunal remains from archaeological sites can provide valuable information regarding prehistoric diet, seasonality, and socioeconomic factors. In this course, all aspects of zooarchaeology will be discussed, and students will analyze a vertebrate faunal assemblage from an archaeological site and produce a publishable-quality report.
Prerequisite: Anth 120, Anth 130. Corequisite: Anth 251
3 credits

Anth 251. ZOOARCHAEOLOGY LAB

Corequisite: Anth 250
1 credit

Anth 264/Bio 264. PRIMATE ANATOMY

This course is designed to present an extensive consideration of the regions and systems of the primate body. The major biological systems of the primate will also be examined from the perspective of their evolutionary significance and comparisons will be made with the human body.
Corequisite: Anth 265/Bio 265. Prerequisite: Anthropology majors Anth 120 and Bio 120

Biology majors: Bio 144 and Bio 148
3 credits

Anth 265/Bio 265. PRIMATE ANATOMY LAB

The laboratory component of Primate Anatomy is designed to demonstrate the concepts and information presented in Bio 264/Anth 264 and will involve the complete dissection of a primate specimen.
Corequisite: Anth 264/Bio 264
1 credit

Anth 270. PALEOANTHROPOLOGY I

This two-course sequence follows the development of the human species from our remote primate forbearers through the appearance of fully modern Homo sapiens. The student is familiarized with the methods and the data of human paleontology and comparative primatology and is shown the complex relationships which exist between biological and cultural evolution. Part I focuses on primate evolution and the evolutionary history of Australopithecines.
Prerequisite: Anth 120, Anth 130, Anth 270
3 credits

Anth 272. PALEOANTHROPOLOGY II

This two-course sequence follows the development of the human species from our remote primate forbearers through the appearance of fully modern Homo sapiens. The student is familiarized with the methods and the data of human paleontology and comparative primatology and is shown the complex relationships which exist between biological and cultural evolution. Part II will deal with the biological and cultural history of the genus Homo from its roots in the Plio-Pleistocene through the Holocene until the Neolithic.
Prerequisite: Anth 120, Anth 130, Anth 270
3 credits

Anth 300. HUNTERS AND GATHERERS

For 99% of the history of the genus Homo, hunting and gathering formed the basis of our subsistence and strongly influenced the configuration of human society in terms of social organization, religion, political structure, art and aesthetics, and, of course, technology. Hunters and gatherers are examined in both prehistoric and ethnographic perspective, and the unique qualities of this level of human socio-cultural evolution are detailed.
Prerequisite: Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 301. ORIGINS OF FOOD PRODUCTION

This course examines the origins of horticultural, agricultural, and pastoral subsistence strategies throughout the Old and New Worlds during the Holocene. Models and processes of domestication, the relationship between humans and their local floral and faunal communities, routes of transmission, and attendant effects on and consequences for social systems are covered.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 302. RISE OF CIVILIZATION

This course addresses the development and evolution of state level societies in both the Old and New World. It examines the environmental and socio-technological background from which state level societies emerge and attempts to isolate and define similarities in the process of the emergence of so-called civilizations. This course will also explore the origins of agriculture, particularly as it relates to the rise of state level societies. Explanatory models and archaeological evidence will be used to illustrate these developments.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 311. PERSPECTIVES ON THE PLEISTOCENE

This course focuses on the Pleistocene geological period as an event not only in the evolution of the planet but in terms of the development of human culture. It addresses the Pliocene/ Pleistocene boundary, Pleistocene climatic models, glacial and periglacial processes and products, and the dispersal of humankind across the landscape of the New and Old Worlds. The "end" of the Pleistocene and the onset of the Holocene are also examined in terms of timing, character, and consequences.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 430/Geol 430, Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 322. A&B SUMMER FIELD TRAINING FOR UPPER LEVEL UNDERGRADUATES, TAKING ITFOR ASECOND TIME

A - Indicates the Prehistoric field training program B - Indicates the Historic field training program
3 or 6 credits

Anth 324. INSTRUMENTATION FIELD METHODS

This course represents a collateral extension of the standard field methods class (ARCH 201) and will address the ever-increasing application of sophisticated state-of-the-art technologies for the prospection, mapping, and recording of archaeological resources. Students examine the methods and practice of using devices such as computerized infrared total electronic stations, conductivity/resistivity instruments, global positions systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), among others.
Corequisite: Anth 325. Prerequisite: Anth 224/225
3 credits

Anth 325. INSTRUMENTATION FIELD METHODS, LAB

Corequisite: Anth 324. Prerequisite: Anth 224/225
1 credit

Anth 326. HUMAN OSTEOLOGYI

The focus of this class will be the identification of complete and fragmentary human skeletal and dental remains. Students will be required to be able to identify isolated bone specimens by touch only. Introductory lectures will deal with growth and development of osseous and dental structures, variation in biological tissues, and modification of these tissues through traumatic, pathologic and taphonomic factors.
Corequisite: Anth 327. Prerequisite: Anth 120/121
3 credits

Anth 327. HUMAN OSTEOLOGY I LAB

Laboratory component of the Human Osteology course in which students will work with human skeletal and dental remains derived from biological supply houses, prehistoric archaeological assemblages and forensic case contexts.
Corequisite: Anth 326
1 credit

Anth 328. PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY

This course provides the rationale and protocols for the analysis, documentation, and interpretation of both durable and perishable artifactual remains from prehistoric and historic archaeological sites. The analysis of lithic material, bone and wooden artifacts, cordage, basketry, and textiles are emphasized. A treatment of prehistoric and historic ceramic analysis is also provided.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 236/237
3 credits

Anth 332. PERISHABLES ANALYSIS

This course provides the rationale and protocols for the analysis, documentation, and interpretation of twined, coiled, and plated basketry, along with cordage by-products. The delineation and recordation procedures of technological attributes, as well as the identification of plant and other organic raw materials used in the construction of perishable materials will also be emphasized.
Corequisite: Anth 335
3 credits

Anth 333. HUMAN SKELETAL BIOLOGY II

This course serves as a continuation of Human Skeletal Biology I in which methods in the identification of osteological remains, determination of chronological age, sex, ancestry and stature are discussed in detail. Skeletal pathology, trauma and non-metric/metric data will be also included.
Prerequisite: Anth 326, Anth 327. Corequisite: Anth 334
3 credits

Anth 334. HUMAN SKELETAL BIOLOGY II LAB

Corequisite: Anth 333
1 credit

Anth 335. PERISHABLES ANALYSIS LAB

The perishables analysis laboratory will be devoted to the documentation of twined, coiled, and plated basketry, as well as cordage and cordage by-products. It will involve not only the delineation and recordation of technological attributes, but also the identification of plant and, in some cases, other organic raw materials used in the construction of these items. Students will engage with the material through a number of individual and group activities and projects.
Corequisite: Anth 332
1 credit

Anth 336. HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY

This course is designed to address, through an examination of the history of anthropology, the theoretical developments, schools of thought, and ideas accounting for the nature of culture and cultural development. The specific contributions of the principal figures representative of each of the major schools of thought will also be identified and examined. While theories of culture are the focus and form the core of this course, the history and theoretical developments of archaeology will be simultaneously considered.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 338. INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICALTHEORY

This course is designed to introduce students to the development of ideas about why we do archaeology, the nature of our encounter with the material record of the past, how we make the past meaningful in the present, and the specific character of archaeology as a human science. This historical review considers both the contributions of specific scholars/schools of thought, and the relationship of their ideas to wider cultural trends which have shaped the social sciences and humanities.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 340. PRINCIPLES OF EVOLUTION

This course will include discussions of most aspects of the study of evolution including the history of evolutionary thought, Darwin’s contributions, Natural Selection, and micro- and macro-evolutionary principles.
Prerequisite: Anth 120
3 credits

Anth 342. FUNERARY ARCHAEOLOGY

This course will have several aims. The first is to expose students to how archaeologists and anthropologists have conceptualized death and what effect this has had on the contribution of funerary material/activities to particular studies of social and economic development and change through the years. The second aim is to introduce students to the diversity of funerary practices in both the past and in the present, and more specifically, to explore the role of funerary rituals within the economic and social reproduction of particular communities. The third aim is to address how death has become politicized in the ongoing conflict between indigenous peoples and scientists over the ownership and control of human remains and their past.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 344 THE ANTHROPOLOGYOF RITUAL

This course is intended to introduce students first to the variety of anthropological theories which have attempted to make ritual practice intelligible to observers, and second, to the kinds of rituals in which humans participate during the course of their lives. Particular attention will be paid to how material culture and space are manipulated within ritual practice, in an ongoing discussion of how archaeologists explore rituals in the past.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 346. ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER

This course has the main objective of introducing students to gender issues in anthropology and archaeology via lectures, practical exercises and a term project. Topics to be covered include gender bias in popular and academic archaeological/ anthropological discourse, gender and scientific practice, gender and archaeological theory, and "engendering" the past. A number of case studies will be considered.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 112
3 credits

Anth 350. METHOD AND THEORY IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

This is the third course in the human osteology sequence. Topics to be covered include in-depth analysis of taphonomic issues and interpretation of skeletal trauma.
Prerequisites: Anth 333/334. Corequisite: Anth 351
3 credits

Anth 351. METHOD AND THEORYIN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY LAB

Hands-on demonstration and examination of Forensic case specimens associated with topics discussed in lecture.
Corequisite: Anth 350
1 credit

Anth 360. ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT PREPARATION

This course will introduce students to selected aspects of archaeological reporting, placing particular emphasis on practical applications. Topics to be covered will include the "anatomy" of an archaeological report, technical writing and editing, scholarly style, data presentation, desktop publishing, and illustration.
Prerequisite: Computer Literacy
3 credits

Anth 362. ARCHAEOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT

The management and study of archaeological resources as mandated by laws and regulations forms the focus of this course. Specifically, the laws and government regulations that pertain to archaeology, the history of cultural resource legislation, ethics and the distinction between ethical and legal conduct, as well as the management of an archaeological project from the initial proposal to the final report will all be addressed. In its entirety, this course is designed to provide a sound understanding of professionalism in archaeology.
Prerequisite: Anth 130
3 credits

Anth 390. RESEARCH DESIGN

Research Design focuses on the development of academic tools required to delineate and prepare an undergraduate research proposal. Students will select a general topic of research, narrow its scope, define a series of research objectives and tasks related to that topic, define appropriate methodological/interpretative avenues, and prepare a formal written research proposal. This proposal will serve as the basis for the student work in Anth 490, Senior Research.
Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 236/237, or Anth 238/239
1 credit

Anth 406. DIRECTED READINGS IN ANTHROPOLOGY

Independent study. Prerequisite: Permission from instructor
3 credits

Anth 422. A&B SUMMER FIELD TRAINING FOR POST-BACCALAUREATE STUDENTS*

A - Indicates the prehistoric field training program. B - Indicates the historic field training program.
3 or 6 credits

Anth 430/Geol 430. GEOARCHAEOLOGY

Geoarchaeology (archaeogeology) examines in detail the interface which exists between the fields of geology and the anthropological subdiscipline of archaeology. The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student not only with the history of the interrelationship between these academic specialties but also to document and illustrate the range of geological techniques which are useful to the contemporary archaeologist. More specifically, via lectures and laboratory work, this course will detail how geological methods may be employed in the location, excavation, and interpretation of archaeological sites and materials.
__Corequisite: Anth 431 Lab. Prerequisite: Anth 130, Anth 224, Geol 100, Geol 245/246, Geol 247/248.
3 credits__

Anth 431/Geol 431. GEOARCHAEOLOGY LAB

This laboratory course exposes the student to contemporary analytical methods in Geoarchaeology. Specialization topics include geoarchaeological sampling procedures; sedimentological analysis, data processing and interpretation; compositional analysis; thin-section proportion; and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
Corequisite: Anth 430. Prerequisite: Anth 430
1 credit

Anth 432/Frsc 432. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY SEMINAR I: RECOVERY

This six-day international short-course is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and law enforcement and medicolegal professionals. The focus of seminar is on the recovery of human remains from surface, buried, fire, and mass fatality contexts. Topics to be covered include forensic entomology, forensic odontology, DNA analysis, skeletal analysis and forensic taphonomy.
Prerequisite: Anth 242
1 credit

Anth 434/Frsc 434. FORENSICANTHROPOLOGY SEMINAR II: LABORATORY METHODS

This six-day laboratory short-course focuses on the analysis and interpretation of human remains recovered in a forensic context. Topics to be addressed in the hands-on seminar include determination of identity (chronological age, gender, stature, ancestry, and non-metric traits), manner of death (trauma), and postmortem events (taphonomy). The course is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, law enforcement and medicolegal personnel.
Prerequisite: Anth 242
1 credit

Anth 436/Frsc 436. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY SEMINAR III: ADVANCE RECOVERY METHODS

This six-day short-course focuses on advanced field methods in the recovery of humans from surface, buried, fire, and mass fatality contexts. The course is scenario driven and requires the production of a final report.
Open to individuals who have completed Anth 432/Frsc 432
3 credits

Anth 440. READINGS IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

Students conduct literary research on a variety of special topics within Forensic Anthropology, ranging from the latest techniques in the analysis and interpretation of bones to role of the forensic anthropologist in the mass fatality incident. Students report their findings in weekly presentations and discussion sessions.
Prerequisite: Anth 242
3 credits

Anth 490. SENIOR THESIS

Prerequisite: Anth 390 and Permission from Instructor
3 credits