Taboos

This course examines what taboos are and how they operate in our lives and society. Tabu serves as an entrance into broader cultural analysis through examination of context and, when possible, explanation of prohibited behavior in various western and non-western societies. Discussions of subjects rich in religious, social, and political sensitivity including sexuality, witchcraft, cannibalism, human-animal relations, madness, deformity, body modification, and death are explored and analyzed in the course.