2017-2018 University Catalog 
    
    May 18, 2024  
2017-2018 University Catalog archived

Course Descriptions


 

Russian Area Studies

  
  • RAS 402 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 2

    Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.


  
  • RAS 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.


  
  • RAS 473 - Senior Thesis


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: Senior standing, Russian Area Studies major, and permission of the program head. Students explore specialized issues in Russian Area Studies through writing a thesis on a topic chosen in consultation with two members of the Russian Area Studies faculty committee. Staff.


  
  • RAS 493 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 3-3

    Prerequisites: Senior standing and honors candidacy. Honors Thesis. Staff.



Sanskrit

  
  • SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Sanskrit, sister to Greek and Latin and aunt to most of the languages of Europe, was used to compose most Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts. and much other literature of India, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, lyric poetry, drama, fables, works on yoga and meditation, poetics, logic, political theory, law (Dharma), the exact sciences, and the erotic arts. The discovery by Western scholars of the remarkably systematic ancient grammar of Panini (around 400 BCE) led to the development of the modern science of linguistics. This elementary course presents the basic grammar of the language over the course of the year. From the very first day, students begin reading texts and using simple spoken Sanskrit. We also discuss the role of Sanskrit in religious history and in Indian and Nepali society up to the present. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.


  
  • SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 101 or equivalent Continuation of SKT 101. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.


  
  • SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 102 or equivalent. An integrative review of grammar, focusing on syntax and idiomatic usage, and put into practice in reading and oral textual analysis using the traditional method for glossing and analyzing compounds. Readings are drawn from Lanman’s Reader and other passages in prose and verse. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.


  
  • SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II


    FDR: FL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 201 or equivalent. Continuation of SKT 201. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.


  
  • SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 202 or equivalent. Readings are selected to match the skills and (where possible) interests of the student. The course presents the readings in the context of their social, historical, and intellectual situation, the conventions of the genre, and their impact on the tradition to which they belong. Texts are read with traditional commentary, where it is available. A portion of each term is given over to reading texts from manuscript or inscription to give the student an understanding of the philological problems posed by the material form of the text, of variant readings, and the constitution of printed texts. Grammar and syntax are reviewed as needed. May be repeated for degree credit when readings are different. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.



Sociology & Anthropology

  
  • SOAN 101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Investigating Humanity


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. This course is an introduction to the four subfields of anthropology: physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. The course explores how we humans understand each other, what we do, and how we got to where we are today. Topics include human evolution; cultural remains in prehistorical and historical contexts; connections among language and social categories like gender, class, race, and region; and social organization in past and present contexts. Concepts such as culture, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and global and local inequalities are discussed. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 102 - Introduction to Sociology: Investigating Society


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. An introduction to the field of sociology including both micro and macro perspectives, this course exposes students to key topical areas in the discipline and includes readings that show the range of research methodologies in the field today. The sociological meaning of concepts such as social group, nation, state, class, race, and gender, among others, are discussed. Topics may include social inequalities, group processes, collective action, social networks, and the relationship between social organization and the environment. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Sociology


    Credits: 3


    First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar.

    Fall 2017, SOAN 180-01:FS: Black + White=Gray: Health and Conceptions of Race (3). Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar. This seminar tackles the question of what is “race” and how it affects health. In the United States, “race” is a concept that people frequently take for granted. People tend to think of their racial identification as a stable aspect of their identities.  This is important given that one’s race impacts life outcomes-including one’s health. But what does  “race” actually signify? Does race denote something inherently biological, cultural , or structural about one’s ancestry, background, or lifestyle?  Is race truly a stable “ascribed” characteristic that has predictive implications for peoples’ everyday well-being? In this course, we examine how people think about what race is, and how societal conceptions of race affect people’s health, through health policy, health outcomes, access to healthcare, and relationship to the medical establishment. (SS4) Chin

     


  
  • SOAN 181 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Anthropology


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3


    Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar.

    Winter 2018, SOAN 181-01: FS: Writing Africa (3). First-year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. Africa is the world’s second-largest continent, comprising more than 50 countries, over one billion people, more than 800 ethnic groups, and almost 2,000 languages. This course provides a glimpse into the diversity of African people and cultures and focuses on some key issues contributing to an understanding of certain aspects of contemporary Africa. While we examine some of the more publicized aspects of Africa such as wars, aid and development, and HIV/AIDS, we also cover topics less readily associated with the continent such as hip hop, romance, and study abroad programs. (SS4) Thomson.

     


  
  • SOAN 190 - Bibliographical Resources


    Credits: 1

    An introduction to the use of the library and other compilations of information on sociology and anthropology. Directed by library and sociology and anthropology department staff. Degree credit is awarded for only one 190 course regardless of academic discipline. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 202 - Contemporary Social Problems


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    A study of the relationship of social problems to the cultural life and social structure of American society. An analysis of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to selected social problems in American society. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This seminar explores the fundamental sociological concepts of “power” and “status” and how they are related to social influence. Power and status undergird social inequality on both a macro and a micro level. Students view the types, uses, and consequences of power and status differences through a structural social psychological lens, while analyzing leadership in organizational contexts. Students compare the nature of “power” versus “status” and investigate the ways power and status 1) parallel, 2) differ, and 3) interact with one another in theory and in practice of creating, maintaining, and changing our social world. Students are asked to think creatively about what role status and power dynamics have in shaping all aspects of everyday social life, particularly their lives at W&L. Chin.


  
  • SOAN 206 - Archaeology


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    An examination of anthropologically-oriented archaeology. Specific subjects to be considered will include the history of the subdiscipline, theoretical developments, field techniques, substantive contributions for the prehistoric and historic subareas and recent developments in theory and methodology. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 207 - Biological Anthropology


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course considers the emergence and evolution of Homo sapiens from fossil, archaeological, and genetic evidence. The class focuses on evolutionary mechanisms; selective pressures for key human biological and behavioral patterns, such as bipedalism, intelligence, altruism, learned behavior, and expressive culture; relations among prehuman species; the human diaspora; and modern human diversity, particularly “racial” variation. The course also examines theories from sociobiology and evolutionary psychology about motivations for modern human behaviors. Bell.


  
  • SOAN 208 - Qualitative Methods


    Credits: 3

    Qualitative research methods are widely used to provide rich and detailed understandings of people’s experiences, interactions, narratives, and practices within wider sociopolitical and economic contexts. Typical methods include oral histories, interviews, participant observation, and analysis of visual and textual culture. Students will engage in research aligned with community interests. Stages of the project will include topic identification, research design, ethical and legal considerations, choosing an appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis and write-up, and presentation and critique. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 210 - Field Methods in Archaeology


    FDR: SL
    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4

    Additional special fees. Some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological field methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students study the cultural and natural processes that lead to the patterns we see in the archaeological record. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop a research design and to implement it with actual field excavation. We visit several field excavation sites in order to experience, first hand, the range of archaeological field methods and research interests currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students use the archaeological data to test hypotheses about the sites under consideration and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 211 - Laboratory Methods in Archaeology


    FDR: SL
    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4

    Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological lab methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students process and catalogue archaeological finds ensuring they maintain the archaeological provenience of these materials. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop and test hypotheses about the site under consideration by analyzing the artifacts they themselves have processed. We visit several archaeology labs in order to experience, first hand, the range of projects and methods currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students then use the archaeological data to test their hypotheses and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 212 - Theories of Social Psychology


    Credits: 3

    An introduction to three major paradigms present in the sociological tradition of social psychology. The course examines social structure and personality, structural social psychology and symbolic interactionist framework. The three paradigmatic approaches are used to understand how macro-level processes influence micro-level social interaction and vice versa. Chin.


  
  • SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences


    Credits: 3

    Introductory statistics course designed to help students become good consumers of statistics, but especially geared for students interested in sociology, archeology, and anthropology. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, sampling, and regression analysis. Students also get practical experience with cleaning and analyzing real world secondary data. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 221 - Sociology of Religion


    (REL 221) FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Theories of the origin and functions of religion; institutionalization of religious belief, behavior, and social organization; and conditions in which religion maintains social stability; and/or generates social change. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 223 - Social Sciences and Religion


    Credits: 3

    Scholars still debate the appropriate relationship between social science and religion, with the two most extreme positions assuming the impossibility of a social science of religion, on the one hand, and denial of the validity of religious claims, on the other. Beginning with an examination of the fundamental debates regarding the nature and goals of social scientific inquiry, we examine classical and contemporary analyses of religion in psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The major social scientific paradigms - materialist, functionalist, and phenomenological - differ in their implications for understanding and explaining religious phenomena; they provide the context for consideration of questions of reductionism, explanation vs. understanding, insider vs. outsider orientations, and the nature and limits to truth claims made both by social scientists and religious devotees and scholars. Markowitz.


  
  • SOAN 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities


    (REL 224) FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Drawing on a combination of scholarly essays, native accounts, videos, guest lectures, and student presentations, this seminar examines the religious assumptions and practices that bind American Indian communities to their traditional homelands. The seminar elucidates and illustrates those principles concerning human environmental interactions common to most Indian tribes; focuses on the traditional beliefs and practices of a particular Indian community that reflected and reinforced the community’s understanding of the relationship to be maintained with the land and its creatures; and examines the moral and legal disputes that have arisen out of the very different presuppositions which Indians and non-Indians hold regarding the environment. Markowitz.


  
  • SOAN 225 - Peoples of Central Europe Through Literature and Film


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    This course provides basic information about the citizens of the Central European nations of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The beliefs, attitudes, and value systems of the people of Central Europe are studied using core textbook readings supplemented by feature films, video materials, novels, short stories, plays, and poetry. Class discussions focus on interpreting these works of art in the context of comparative, historical-sociological analysis of the Polish, Czech, and Hungarian cultures and societies. Jasiewicz.


  
  • SOAN 228 - Race and Ethnic Relations


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: At least junior standing. Instructor consent required. An analysis of minority groups in America. Theories of ethnicity are examined focusing on the relationship between class and ethnicity, and on the possible social and biological significance of racial differences. Attention is also given to prejudice and discrimination, as well as to consideration of minority strategies to bring about change. Novack.


  
  • SOAN 230 - Discovering W&L’s Origins Using Historical Archaeology


    (HIST 230) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Not open to students who have taken SOAN 181 with the same description. This course introduces students to the practice of historical archaeology using W&L’s Liberty Hall campus and ongoing excavations there as a case study. With archaeological excavation and documentary research as our primary sources of data. we use the methods of these two disciplines to analyze our data using tools from the digital humanities to present our findings. Critically, we explore the range of questions and answers that these data and methods of analysis make possible. Hands-on experience with data collection and analysis is the focus of this course, with students working together in groups deciding how to interpret their findings to a public audience about the university’s early history. The final project varies by term but might include a short video documentary. a museum display, or a web page. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 232 - Historical Archaeology


    Credits: 3

    This course considers the discipline of historical archaeology from developmental, theoretical, methodological, and substantive perspectives. Beginning with the age of European exploration and continuing through modern times, this course surveys archaeological approaches to understanding social relations, class structures, and economic strategies among people of diverse ethnicities in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Students become familiar with prominent theoretical orientations within historical archaeology, debates about archaeologists’ ethical obligations, and methodological developments in fieldwork and artifact research. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 234 - Nations and Nationalism


    (HIST 234) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course examines the rise and global spread of national identity over the last five centuries by considering cases from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas and using these to test major theories of nationalism from history and the social sciences. Major questions considered include the following: What, if any, are the empirically identifiable relationships between national identity and other major dimensions of “modernization,” such as the rise of the modern state and industrial capitalism? Is nationalism a cause, consequence, or victim of “globalization”? Can we construct a theory of the spread of national identity that not only makes sense of macro-level patterns but also articulates clear “microfoundations” and identifiable causal mechanisms? Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 238 - Anthropology of American History


    (HIST 238) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. This course explores issues within historic American communities that ethnographers often investigate among living groups, including cultural values, religious ideologies, class structures, kinship networks, gender roles, and interethnic relations. Although the communities of interest in this course ceased to exist generations ago, many of their characteristic dynamics are accessible through such means as archaeology, architectural history, and the study of documents. Case studies include early English settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts; the 18th-century plantation world of Virginia and South Carolina; the post-Revolutionary Maine frontier; and 19th-century California. Bell.


  
  • SOAN 240 - Food, Culture, and Society


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course explores connections among food, culture, and society. Food has been an essential way that individuals and societies define themselves, especially now in our ever globalizing world, as cultural anthropology continues to be a central discipline guiding this field of study. Students review some of the classic symbolic and structural analyses of gastro-politics. We explore relationships between fast-food/globalized taste vs. the Slow Food Movement/localized taste, and delve into socioeconomic and political practices behind the production and consumption of coffee, milk products, and alcoholic beverages. Students investigate relationships among cooking/eating and race, gender, and sexuality, and discuss community food justice. Opportunities to experience the Rockbridge area food scene are integrated into the syllabus. Goluboff.


  
  • SOAN 243 - Imaging Tibet


    (ARTH 243) FDR: HA
    Credits: 4

    An examination of images and imaging practices of the early 1900s to the present in order to define and analyze the ways in which both Western and Asian (particularly Tibetan and Chinese) artists have imagined Tibet and its people. Kerin.


  
  • SOAN 245 - European Politics and Society


    (POL 245) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe. Jasiewicz.


  
  • SOAN 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies


    (POL 246) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa. Jasiewicz.


  
  • SOAN 251 - Social Movements


    (POL 251) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: POL 100, 105 or 111 or instructor consent. A survey of American social movements, including an evaluation of competing theoretical approaches to the study of social movements and an examination of the strategies, successes, failures, and political and social consequences of the civil rights, labor, student, and women’s movements. Close attention is given to factors contributing to the rise and decline of these movements. LeBlanc, Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 252 - Language, Culture, and Communication


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course surveys anthropological approaches to understanding the intersections among language, culture and society. Topics include non-human communication systems, the origins of human language, and methods of establishing historical relationships among languages. Formal linguistic analysis receives some attention, but the greatest part of the course concerns language in sociocultural contexts. Examples of linguistic phenomena in ethnographic perspective are drawn from people around the world, including the Gullah, the Apache, and the Bedouin of Egypt. Bell.


  
  • SOAN 255 - Terror and Violence in Anthropological Perspective


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course investigates violence and terror in historical and contemporary societies. We discuss the various causes, methods, and effects of violence and terror, and then look at how anthropologists have documented, challenged, and even condoned such processes. Goluboff.


  
  • SOAN 256 - The History of Violence in America


    (HIST 256) FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. An examination of the social origins, evolution, and major forms of extralegal, violent conflict in the United States, including individual and collective violence and conflict related to race, class, gender, politics, and ethnicity, especially emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries. Major topics include theories of social conflict, slavery and interracial violence, predatory crime, labor strife, and inter-ethnic violence. Senechal.


  
  • SOAN 261 - Campus Sex in the Digital Age


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    This class explores how the cell phone has impacted hooking up and dating at college, with particular attention to Washington and Lee University as a case study. We discuss the development of campus sexual culture in America and the influence of digital technology on student sociality. Students use open-source digital research tools to analyze data they collect on the mobile apps they use to socialize with each other on campus. As a digital humanities project, students work in groups to post their analyses on the class WordPress site. Goluboff.


  
  • SOAN 265 - Exploring Social Networks


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    This course is an introduction to network analysis. Students learn some of the major network analysis literature in sociology and related fields and develop their skills as network analysts in laboratory sessions. Social science, humanities, business, and public health applications are emphasized. Eastwood


  
  • SOAN 266 - Neighborhoods, Culture, and Poverty


    FDR: SS3
    Credits: 3

    This course examines social-scientific research on the determinants of poverty, crime, and ill health by focusing on neighborhoods as the sites where many of the mechanisms impacting these outcomes operate. In addition to engaging with key readings and participating in seminar discussions, students conduct their own exploratory analyses of neighborhood level processes using a variety of spatial data analysis tools in R. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 267 - Simulating Society


    FDR: SS5
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SOAN 101 or 102 or instructor consent. This course is an introduction to computational social science, a rapidly growing field that spans the boundaries of several disciplines. It focuses on complex phenomena such as the spread of rumors, cascades of collective action, dynamics of inter-group violence, housing segregation, and related processes. To analyze such processes, we can make use of agent-based models. In this course, students read and discuss key works in this area of research. They also explore simulations of social processes and develop their own simulations. No programming background is required or expected. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 268 - Migration, Identity, and Conflict


    (POL 268) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SOAN 102, POV 101, or POL 105. This course focuses on the complex relationship between migration, political institutions, group identities, and inter-group conflict. The course is a hybrid of a seminar and research lab in which students (a) read some of the key social-scientific literature on these subjects, and (b) conduct team-based research making use of existing survey data about the integration of migrant populations into various polities. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 270 - Deviance


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    An examination of theories of deviance from a sociological perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on the causes of deviant acts and on the social processes utilized in evaluating these behaviors. Theoretical applications are made to crime and mental illness. Novack.


  
  • SOAN 272 - Social Revolutions


    (POL 272) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SOAN 101, 102, or instructor consent. This seminar provides an in depth exploration of a variety of social revolutions. The overarching goal of the course is to discern whether or not a single “theory of revolutions” can be constructed. Are there common patterns to be observed in (and common causes behind) events as separated by time, place, and ideology as the 17th-century “Glorious Revolution” in England, the French Revolution, Latin American revolutions (including the Wars of Independence and the Mexican Revolution), the Russian Revolution, and more recent events such as the revolution that brought the current regime in Iran to power? To this end, students read and discuss a variety of such theories that have been put forward by sociologists, historians, and political scientists and then consider case studies of the aforementioned social revolutions in order to scrutinize these theories. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 275 - Feminist Anthropology


    Credits: 3

    This course covers the complex and sometimes “awkward” relationship between feminism and anthropology. We explore topics such as the place of feminist theory and politics within the discipline of anthropology, the problems involved in being a feminist and an anthropologist, and the creation of feminist ethnography. Goluboff.


  
  • SOAN 276 - Art & Science of Survey Research


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SOAN 102 or instructor consent. This course is designed as a group research project devoted to the art and the science of survey research. Students prepare a list of hypotheses, select indicators, construct a questionnaire, conduct interviews, analyze data, and write research reports. When appropriate, the course may include service-learning components (community-based research projects). Winter 2018 topic: Assessment of existing housing improvement needs in the City of Lexington.  Students design a survey and conduct interviews among sub-standard housing dwellers in Lexington. The analysis of collected data may lead to policy recommendations. Jasiewicz.


  
  • SOAN 277 - Seminar in Medical Anthropology


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Despite radical differences in theory and procedure, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are human cultural universals. This seminar first examines the beliefs and practices that comprise the medical systems found among a wide variety of non-western peoples. We then investigates the responses of a number of non-western communities to the introduction of western, biomedical practices. We finish by considering such ethical issues as whether or not non-western peoples who supply western doctors and pharmacologists with knowledge of curing agents should be accorded intellectual property rights over this information; in what situations, if any, should western medical personnel impose biomedical treatments on populations; and should anthropologists make use of indigenous peoples as medical trial subjects as was allegedly done by Napoleon Chagnon. Markowitz.


  
  • SOAN 278 - Health and Inequality: An Introduction to Medical Sociology


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    This course introduces sociological perspectives of health and illness. Students examine topics such as social organization of medicine; the social construction of illness; class, race and gender inequalities in health; and health care reform. Some of the questions we address: How is the medical profession changing? What are the pros and cons of market-driven medicine? Does class have an enduring impact on health outcomes? Is it true that we are what our friends’ eat? Can unconscious racial bias affect the quality of care for people of different ethnicities? What pitfalls have affected the way evidence-based medicine has been carried out? Chin.


  
  • SOAN 280 - Gender and Sexuality


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent required on section 01, but not on section 02 for Winter 2018. An anthropological and sociological investigation of sex roles in preliterate and modern societies. Special consideration is given to the role of innate sexual differences, cultural variation, technology, and power in determining patterns of male dominance. Emphasis is placed on real and mythical female and male power in the context of changing relationships between men and women in American society. Novack.


  
  • SOAN 281 - Adolescence Under the Microscope


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. This course focuses on adolescence through the lens of social psychology. Insights from sociology, anthropology, and psychology are employed to explicate the adolescent experience in the United States in contrast to other societies. Topics include: the impact of liminality on adolescent identity in cross-cultural perspective; adolescence as objective reality or cultural fiction; adolescence and peer relations, gender and suicide; and new technologies and virtual adolescence. Each student engages in a research project focusing on adolescence and identity through either interviews or observational techniques. The final project is a group analysis of adolescence as reflected in Facebook. D. Novack and L. Novack


  
  • SOAN 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions


    (REL 285) FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    This class introduces students to some of the dominant themes, values, beliefs, and practices found among the religions of North America’s Indian peoples. The first part of the course explores the importance of sacred power, landscape, and community in traditional Indian spiritualities and rituals. It then examines some of the changes that have occurred in these traditions as a result of western expansion and dominance from the 18th through early 20th centuries. Lastly, the course considers some of the issues and problems confronting contemporary American Indian religions. Markowitz.


  
  • SOAN 286 - Lakota Land Culture, Economics and History


    (ECON 286) FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101 or instructor consent. This class focuses on the cultural, economic, and historical dimensions of the Lakotas’ (Titonwan tawapi) ties to their lands as expressed in their pre- and post-reservation lifeways. It includes a 10 day field trip to western South Dakota to visit and meet with people in the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations and the Black Hills. Guse, Markowitz.


  
  • SOAN 288 - Childhood


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 3


    This course explores the experience of childhood cross culturally, investigating how different societies conceptualize what it means to be a child. Our readings progress through representations of the lifecycle, starting with a discussion of conception, and moving through issues pertaining to the fetus, infants, children, and adolescents. We discuss socialization, discipline, emotion, education, gender, and sexuality, with special attention given to the effects of war, poverty, social inequality, and disease on children and youth.

      Goluboff.


  
  • SOAN 289 - Sociology of the Self, Self-Help, and the Pursuit of Happiness


    FDR: SS4
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: SOAN 101, 102, or instructor consent. Beginning with a survey of sociological theories of modernity and modern identities, the course moves to a consideration of empirical scholarly claims that modern identity is somehow problematic, and modern persons somehow especially ‘world-open’ and incomplete. In trying to understand the emergence of social movements oriented toward ‘helping’ and ‘healing’ the self, the following questions are considered: What sociological conditions underlie these movements? Do they have analogues in other times and places or are they tightly linked to the conditions of ‘modern’ societies? If, in the end, ‘self help’ aims to address problems that are sociological at root, can we expect its remedies to be useful? Are any non-individualized solutions to the problems lying behind a felt need for ‘self help’ possible? This course meets once a week with REL 205: Self-Help and PSYC 300: The Pursuit of Happiness in a seminar where students become teachers and lead a class in which we all discuss together the work we have done separately during the week. In this way, students become part of a broad learning community that cuts across the many disciplines and divisions that make up the university. Eastwood.


  
  • SOAN 290 - Special Topics in Sociology


    Credits: 3 in Fall or Winter, 4 in Spring


    A discussion of a series of topics of sociological concern. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

    Fall 2017, SOAN 290A-01: Adolescence Under the Microscope (3). In this seminar, students and faculty participate collaboratively to learn about adolescence through the lenses of psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Insights from these disciplines are employed to explicate the adolescent experience in the United States in contrast to other societies. As part of this analysis, we focus on the impact of the extended period of adolescence in our society, currently known as “emerging adulthood.” Questions addressed include: In what ways is individual identity dependent on a specific society? Why is identity in adolescence more or less ambivalent and ambiguous in different societies? What impact do these differences have on self-confidence, the willingness to venture beyond the comfort zone of the predictable self, and on internal and external conflicts regarding a sense of self as a child versus an adult (e.g., girl-woman, boy-man)? The adolescent period of development is explored in detail primarily through gender, parent/adolescent, and peer relations. D. Novack and L. Novack.


  
  • SOAN 291 - Special Topics in Anthropology


    Credits: 3-4


    A discussion of a series of topics of anthropological concern. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

    Winter 2018, SOAN 291A-01: Seminar in American Indian Ethnohistory (3).  Markowitz

    Winter 2018, SOAN 291B-01: Global Humanitarianism (3). One of the most important, and most unnoticed, developments in international politics since the end of the Cold War is the rise of an international humanitarian order. In this course, we examine the growth of the humanitarian system, the ways it shapes international politics, and the ways it shapes both humanitarians and beneficiaries. We examine humanitarian labels and their uses by and within the network of global institutions and national governments that comprise the humanitarian order. What notions of individuality and humanity are mobilized in the discourse of humanitarianism? What do labels such as “emergency”, “disaster”, and “crisis” mean in terms of political action? What kinds of action, including militarism and the erosion of state sovereignty, do humanitarian orders permit? What type of technologies are afforded to and kept from humanitarians and refugees? What international institutions have grown up around the saving of lives, and how do they function? How are people transformed as they interact with new regimes of violence and care? Thomson.

    Spring 2018, SOAN  291-01: US Immigration and Refugee Resettlement or “Bad Hombres” or Dangerous Refugees? (4). How have U.S. immigration and national security become so intimately entangled? How do presidential campaigns, executive orders, federal court orders, and protests contribute to the understanding of and rhetoric about immigration, refugee resettlement, and national security? What is the refugee vetting process, and what should it look like? Is terrorism in the US linked to immigration? How do people “illegally” immigrate and live undocumented lives? What does it mean to be a recently resettled Muslim African refugee? In this course, students seek a deep understanding of the social, political, and historical currents that have culminated in the divisive stances on immigration in 2018. We read anthropological monographs, analyze policy and news, scrutinize political rhetoric, and engage migration experts. (SS4) Thomson.

     


  
  • SOAN 367 - Seminar: 9/11 & Modern Terrorism


    (HIST 367) FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. Terrorism is a form of collective violence famously illustrated in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington on September 11, 2001. This course provides an intensive interdisciplinary examination of the origins of the 9/11 attacks and the terrorist organization that launched them. The course also addresses the impact of the attacks and the future prospects of mass violence against civilians, as well as the role of the media in covering (and dramatizing) terrorism. Much of the course focuses on the social divisions and conflicts that lead to terrorism and its increasingly lethal nature over time. Topics include “old terrorism” (as seen in Northern Ireland and Algeria), “new terrorism” (such as that associated with Al Qaeda), the logic of terrorist recruitment, and the nature of and spread of weapons of mass destruction. Senechal.


  
  • SOAN 370 - Theorizing Social Life: Classical Approaches


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SOAN 101, SOAN 102, and at least junior standing. Sociologists and anthropologists have traditionally approached their role as students of social and cultural phenomena from two different paradigmatic starting points: a so-called “Galilean” model and an “Aristotelian” model. Practitioners were thought that they could eventually arrive at covering laws as powerful as those of physics or, falling short of this ideal, arrive at significant generalizations about human phenomenon. This class explores the trajectory of this paradigmatic split among some of the founders of sociology and anthropology and how these theorists utilized their chosen paradigms to make sense of social and cultural life. We also explore the assumptions about human nature, society, and culture that informed each of these theorists approaches and the wider historical contexts influenced their thought. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 371 - Theorizing Social Life: Contemporary Approaches


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SOAN 101, 102, and at least junior standing. This course is an introduction to selected recent theoretical work in anthropology and sociology. Our two disciplines are not the same but they overlap. The best scholars in each discipline tend to read in both. We take such an approach in this course, looking at examples of (and opportunities for) cross-pollination. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 378 - Archaeological Field Survey Techniques


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: Instructor consent. The course is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to engage in archaeological field survey in Rockbridge County. Classroom meetings concerning the theory and methods of modern archaeological survey are supplemented by field research concerning sites of historic and prehistoric significance. Gaylord.


  
  • SOAN 390 - Special Topics in Sociology


    Credits: 3


    Prerequisite: May vary by topic. A discussion of a series of topics of sociological concern. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

     


  
  • SOAN 391 - Special Topics in Anthropology


    Credits: 3

    Permission of the department required. Topics and prerequisites to be arranged. A discussion of a series of topics of anthropological concern. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 395 - Senior Seminar in Social Analysis


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SOAN 102 as well as completion of Group 3 Methods Requirements for the SOAN major. This course is designed as a capstone experience for majors with the sociology emphasis. Students, utilizing their knowledge of sociological theory and research methods, design and execute independent research projects, typically involving secondary analysis of survey data. Working on a subject of their choice, students learn how to present research questions and arguments, formulate research hypotheses, test hypotheses through univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses (utilizing appropriate statistical packages such as SPSS), and write research reports. Jasiewicz.


  
  • SOAN 396 - Senior Seminar in Anthropological Analysis


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SOAN 101 and completion of Group 3 Methods requirements for the SOAN major. In this course, senior SOAN majors with an emphasis in anthropology review, augment, and synthesize their understandings of anthropological theory, methods, substantive findings, and ethical issues. To do so, we share common readings on research methods and the integration of anthropological method and theory, and we sustain a term-long workshop focused on students’ research projects and papers. Each student identifies a topic of interest. Consulting with peers and the instructor, each student considers analytical methods and theoretical orientations, identifies appropriate sources, and proposes a course of research and writing. Once the proposal is vetted, students pursue their research designs and circulate partial drafts for peer and instructor review. They produce a final paper and present their findings orally with visual accompaniment to the class. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 401 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 1

    Prerequisite: Permission of the department. A course for selected students, typically with junior or senior standing, who are preparing papers for presentation to professional meetings or for publication. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 402 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 2

    Prerequisite: Departmental consent required. A course for selected students, typically with junior or senior standing, who are preparing papers for presentation to professional meetings or for publication. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 403 - Directed Individual Study


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: Departmental consent required. A course for selected students with junior and senior standing, especially for honors students, with direction by different members of the department. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.


  
  • SOAN 453 - Internship


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: Grade-point average of 2.500 in the department and 2.500 overall, and permission of the staff. Supervised off-campus experience in a social service agency, research organization or project, or therapeutic or custodial institution. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. May be carried out during the summer.


  
  • SOAN 493 - Honors Thesis


    Credits: 3-3

    Honors Thesis.



Spanish

  
  • SPAN 111 - Elementary Spanish I


    Credits: 4

    Enrollment limited. Preference given to first-year students with no prior preparation in Spanish. Emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking, with gradual introduction of reading and writing. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 112 - Elementary Spanish II


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisites: SPAN 111 or the equivalent language skills and departmental permission. Limited enrollment. Emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking, with gradual introduction of reading and writing. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 161 - Intermediate Spanish I


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: Departmental permission as a result of placement examination for entering students. Preference given to returning students completing SPAN 112 and to entering first-years prior to the fall term drop/add period. Intensive, concentrated course in review grammar and reading, with practice in listening and speaking. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 162 - Intermediate Spanish II


    FDR: FL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SPAN 161 or equivalent language skills and departmental permission. Intensive, concentrated course in review grammar and reading, with practice in listening and speaking. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 164 - Advanced Intermediate Spanish


    FDR: FL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 112 or departmental permission as a result of placement examination. Students with credit in SPAN 164 may not receive subsequent credit in a lower numbered Spanish course. Students may not receive degree credit for both SPAN 162 and 164. Emphasis on reading and composition skills, with extensive practice in speaking and listening through class discussion. Some grammar review. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 200 - Service Learning Practicum in Spanish


    Credits: 1

    Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. An obligatory corequisite to Spanish courses when the course instructor deems it appropriate. The course comprises activities outside the classroom conducted in conjunction with the academic focus of the corequisite course with which it is taught. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 201 - Supervised Study Abroad: Costa Rica


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162, 164, or equivalent and instructor consent. Spring Term Abroad course. Direct exposure to the language, people, and culture of Costa Rica. Designed to improve grammar and vocabulary of the advanced student through intensive training in Spanish with special emphasis on oral proficiency. The program also includes a home-stay with a Costa Rican family, excursions to local and national sites of interest, cultural activities, and a service-learning component at the local elementary school, hospital, law and accounting firms, or other community agencies. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 204 - Conversational Skills


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162 or 164 or equivalent. Development of speaking skills for communication in Spanish. Acquisition and use of practical vocabulary and development of pronunciation skills. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 205 - Spanish for Healthcare Professionals


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162, 164 or equivalent. This course is for students with an advanced intermediate level of Spanish who are considering professions relating to healthcare including physicians, nurses, physical therapists, paramedics, firefighters, law enforcement, health policy, workers, medical attorneys, and hospital administrators. The course emphasizes oral comprehension while examining a diversity of factors influencing the health of Hispanic patients. A primary goal is to learn to conduct a complete medical interview in Spanish via a blend of readings, discussions, films, role-playing, and writing assignments. Students develop their ability to read, write, and converse in Spanish using information and vocabulary pertaining to the medical sciences and healthcare, and they gain cultural awareness and insights into Hispanic peoples and cultures. Michelson.


  
  • SPAN 209 - Intro to Hispanic Linguistics


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162, 164, or equivalent. This course provides a broad view of major subfields of linguistic study with a particular focus on data drawn from the Spanish language. Class discussions begin with broader questions, such as “What is language?” and “How do language and human behavior intersect?”; throughout the term students revisit those questions in light of topics presented in class. By the end of the course, students demonstrate an understanding of the many facets of the Spanish language and also the linguistic principles as can be applied to any language. The course covers major concepts in Spanish phonology and phonetics, Spanish morphology and syntax, and lastly, Spanish dialectology. Reyes.


  
  • SPAN 210 - The Road to Santiago


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisites: SPAN 162, 164 or equivalent, and instructor consent. Spring Term Abroad course. A study of Spanish culture and language conducted entirely in Spain. During the first three weeks of the course, students live in Madrid with Spanish-speaking families and study language at Estudio Internacional Sampere. At the same time, students engage in an in-depth study of the history and legend of the eight-centuries-old pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela, the burial site of St James, apostle of Christ. During the last week of the course, students travel to northwestern Spain to visit and study the monuments associated with the Santiago pilgrimage as well as experience the art, architecture, and culture of pilgrimage as they hike the last portion of the trail. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 211 - Spanish Civilization and Culture


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162, 164 or the equivalent in language skills. A survey of significant developments in Spanish civilization. The course addresses Spanish heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers, primarily in Spanish, for further development of communication skills. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 212 - Spanish-American Civilization and Culture


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162, 164 or equivalent. A survey of significant developments in Spanish-American civilizations. The course addresses Spanish-American heritage and the present-day cultural patterns formed by its legacies. Readings, discussions and papers primarily in Spanish for further development of communication skills. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 214 - Contemporary Spain in Context: (Re)searching Spanish Identity and Culture in the 21st Century


    FDR: HU
    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: One 200-level Spanish course and instructor consent. This course examines contemporary social issues in Spain through lectures and interviews with local subjects in Spain. Lectures provide a formal understanding of contemporary Spanish society, while interviews of local subjects provide data for further analysis by the students that may challenge, complement or further develop their understanding of current social issues. Reyes.


  
  • SPAN 216 - Living on the Edge: Identities in Motion in Argentina and Uruguay


    Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162 or 164 and instructor consent. Conducted in Spanish in Argentina and Uruguay, this course comprises a study of Argentine culture, language, and identity. Students live in Buenos Aires with Spanish-speaking families while pursuing coursework on identity in local, national, and international contexts. What does geography have to do with identity? How might a nation redefine its policies and peoples over time? Where does the line exist between an economic system and its individual constituents? And what insights can art offer into domestic and international conflict? This course engages such questions through the study of Argentine historiography, literature, economics, and art. Coursework is accentuated by visits to sites of cultural importance in Argentina and Uruguay, including museums, banks, literary presses, political centers, meat markets, parks, and tango houses. Michelson.


  
  • SPAN 220 - Introducción a la literatura española


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162 or 164 or equivalent. Spanish literary masterpieces from the Poema del Cid through the present. Readings and discussions are primarily in Spanish. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 240 - Introducción a la literatura hispanoamericana


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 162 or 164 or equivalent. Spanish-American literary masterpieces from colonial times through the present. Readings and discussions are primarily in Spanish. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 270 - The Contemporary Latin American Press: Journalistic Writing & Analysis


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisites: Three credits from any 200 level Spanish course or instructor consent. The public space in Latin America is a complex site where ideological negotiations and social changes constantly take place. Researchers and journalists have compared the archives of the press produced by different countries to grasp the most recent dynamics in the region. Thanks to the simultaneity and globalization provided by the Internet, people can capture the pulse of the planet from home and in real time. This phenomenon can be described as the institutionalization of the global village. This course aims to take advantage of the epistemologies of global communication created by new technologies in order to feel the pulse of Latin America as portrayed by the local press. This is an advanced course in composition in which students improve their writing skills and acquire tools to understand contemporary Latin American politics, economy. and society. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 275 - Introducción al análisis literario


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 220 or 240. Preparation for analysis of Hispanic literature. Composition develops style and method for analyzing prose, poetry, and drama in Spanish. Conversation continues vocabulary building and concentrates on discussion of literary themes. Staff.


  
  • SPAN 290 - Topics in Latin American Culture and Literature


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: May vary with topic. This course offers students the opportunity to further their knowledge of the culture and literature of a specific Latin American country, and their awareness of Latin America in general, through the study of special cultural and literary topics. Readings, discussions, and assignments occur primarily in Spanish. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.


  
  • SPAN 295 - Special Topics in Conversation


    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: Three credits from any 200-level Spanish course or instructor consent. Further development of listening and speaking skills necessary for advanced discussion. Acquisition of both practical and topic-specific vocabulary. Appropriate writing and reading assignments, related to the topic, accompany the primary emphasis on conversational skills. Recent topics include: Hispanic Cinema and La Prensa. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.


  
  • SPAN 296 - Topics in Spanish Literature and Culture


    Credits: 3 in fall or winter, 4 in spring

    This course offers students the opportunity to further their understanding of the literature and culture of Spain by focusing on a specific literary and/or cultural topic unique to Spain, on a specific cultural moment in Spanish history, or on a region of Spain. Readings. discussions. and assignments occur primarily in Spanish. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.


  
  • SPAN 308 - Power and Ideology: (Critical) Discourse Perspectives


    FDR: HU
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 215 or 275. This course explores different theoretical approaches to account for the relationship of language and power, and therefore the relationship between language use and social processes. In particular, it observes how meaning is constructed and reconstructed in discourse, especially by the dominant classes with access to public discourse: politicians, academics, journalists, etc., whose messages generally reach and influence large audiences. For this reason, political discourse is an important source of data to observe how social actors employ specific linguistic choices to achieve political goals. Reyes.


  
  • SPAN 309 - History of the Spanish Language


    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 275 and an additional three credits at the 200 level. An introduction to the field of historical linguistics and to the genealogy and development of the Spanish language. It begins with an introduction to the field of historical linguistics: essentially, what it means to study the history of a language, the concept of linguistic change, and the types of language families. This is followed by the study of the genealogy and the development of the Spanish language from its Latin origins to present-day Spanish. These include the examination of the structures and peculiarities of Latin, the cultural and historical events that have influenced the shaping of the Spanish language, the properties of medieval Spanish, the most stubborn linguistic myths, and the development of Spanish outside the Iberian Peninsula, especially in Spanish America. Bailey.


  
  • SPAN 312 - Medieval Spanish Cultures in Context


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 4

    Prerequisite: SPAN 211 or 220 and instructor consent. Spring Term Abroad course. Muslims, Jews, and Christians co-existed for eight-hundred years on the Iberian Peninsula. This course examines these diverse cultures through the texts (literary, historical, religious, and philosophical), the art, and the architecture from the period prior to the arrival of the Arabs in 711, up to and beyond the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. The objective of the course is to glean from the remnants of the experience of their co-existence insights into their distinctive characteristics and how they understood and influenced each other. Bailey.


  
  • SPAN 320 - Don Quijote


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SPAN 220 and SPAN 275. Close reading and discussion of this Early Modern novel. May include close reading and discussion of additional narrative and poetic genres of the Golden Age, as represented in or contributing to the Cervantine work Campbell.


  
  • SPAN 322 - Spanish Golden-Age Drama


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: SPAN 220 and SPAN 275. Close reading and discussion of a variety of selected Golden Age dramas of the 17th century. Representative dramatists may include Calderón de la Barca, Tirso de Molina, Lope de Vega, and María de Zayas.
      Campbell.


  
  • SPAN 323 - Golden Age Spanish Women Writers


    FDR: HL
    Credits: 3

    Prerequisite: SPAN 220 and SPAN 275. A study of the comedia and the novela corta and the manner in which the secular women writers inscribe themselves within and beyond these genres. Close reading and discussion of representative works that may include the short stories and plays by María de Zayas, Ana Caro, Leonor de Meneses, Mariana de Carvajal, and Angela de Azevedo. Campbell.


 

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