Jul 25, 2025  
Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2023-24 
    
Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2023-24 [Archived Catalog] Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)

ANTH 5720 - History of Anthropological Thought


This course explores the ideas, actors, and institutions that have shaped the history of anthropological thought. The course considers how power-laden encounters between western and non-western societies framed the conceptions of human culture, society, economy, religion, politics, law, and personhood that continue to shape the horizons of anthropological thought today. Through examination of the historical development of the discipline, the course addresses the complexities of anthropology’s analytical tools in the present.

Requisites:
Credit Hours: 4
Repeat/Retake Information: May not be retaken.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 4.0 seminar
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
  • Students will be able to identify fundamental themes and debates in the history of sociocultural anthropology.
  • Students will be able to describe and explain how past definitions and uses of anthropological concepts and theories influence the intellectual concerns of contemporary anthropologists.
  • Students will be able to describe and evaluate how anthropology responds to changes in the outside world.
  • Students will be able to articulate the significance of anthropological theory in the contemporary world through reference to their own experience.
  • Students will be able to apply anthropological theory from a particular historical and sociocultural context to a new situation.
  • Students will be able to use anthropological theory to reflect on the biases and assumptions that inform their own thoughts and perspectives.
  • Students will be able to frame a discussion, orally and in writing, through multimodal communication that critically and accurately engages anthropological arguments.
  • Students will be able to prepare a draft of a publishable article following the conventions and requirements of a targeted academic journal.



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