ANTH 1500 - Contemporary Social Activism in Hawai‘i
This course is an ethnographic approach to social activism with a focus on Hawai‘i and Hawaiian organizations. Through a combination of field trips, observations, and readings, this course will introduce students to the basic concepts of anthropology and ethnographic studies as it relates to social activism and a changing society as viewed within the O‘ahu microcosm.
Credit: 3
ANTH 2000 - Cultural Anthropology
A general introduction to cultural anthropology. Topics covered include: the nature of culture, basic concepts for analyzing cultural behavior, and consideration of the effects of culture upon the individual and society.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3000 - Is Global Citizenship Possible?
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.
This course addresses “global citizenship” by focusing on two questions: (1) Given that cultural diversity is a key characteristic of our species, how can we organize political communities so different people with different beliefs and behaviors feel a part of the same political community? and (2) How can we address the political and economic disparities that pervade our current global networks in order to build broader political communities that unite through shared interests and hopes rather than common hatreds?
Credit: 4
ANTH 3100 - The Anthropology of Polynesian Surfing
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.
The Anthropology of Polynesian Surfing provides students with an understanding of surf culture in the Pacific Basin. Environmental and cultural factors are assessed in relation to surfing’s development in Polynesia, integration into Hawaiian culture, decline due to Western influence, and revitalization as a modern recreational activity. The importance of surfing then and now is studied as regards greater social, cultural and sustainability-related events and issues in Hawaii and abroad. An overview of various natural and social sciences is given as each relates to surfing and marine eco-system problematiques.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3115 - Culture, Religion, and the Environment
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.; any introductory social science course.
Western and non-Western cultural and religious perspectives on the relationships between people and the environment.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3150 - Island Surfing Sites: A Cultural Field Study
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.
Island Surfing Sites: A Cultural Field Study provides students with an understanding of surf culture in the Pacific Basin by using various islands as models to highlight the importance of surfing in ancient and modern cultures in Hawai‘i. Field activities may include surfing demonstrations and instruction, opportunities to speak with local actors, and field trips to various cultural sites, museums, beach clean-ups and sustainability related events to study change in Hawai‘i’s surfing heritage over time. This elective course provides students with an experiential ethnographic opportunity that is critical to anthropology as a discipline and complementary to other courses offered by the college.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3180 - Culture, Economic Systems, and Management
Prerequisite: Any introductory social science course; and a grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.
Selected economic questions regarding exchange, development, and business management within a broad cross-cultural perspective. The applicability of Western economic concepts to non-Western societies, theories of development and underdevelopment for third world countries, and economic development of the Hawaiian Islands pre-and post-contact are explored.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3200 - The Functions and Dysfunctions of American Medicine
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000.
The study of the positive and problematic dynamics of American medicine within a cross-cultural perspective. Focuses on the political, social, and cultural dynamics that affect health care in the United States and how various groups are seeking to address them.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3350 - Diversity in the Workplace
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000; and any introductory social science course.
The study of the dynamic changes taking place in the world of work due to increasing ethnic diversity and the numbers of women entering the workplace. Using the concept of culture as developed by anthropologists, the course explores such topics as wage differentials, stereotypical careers, equal employment opportunity, management styles, discrimination, communication styles, and harassment.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3400 - The Anthropology of Food
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000; and any introductory social science course.
The course focuses on the political economy of food, agriculture, and nutrition from a cultural and historical perspective at both the local and global or (“glocal”) levels. It explores local, national, and global food systems to answer puzzling questions such as: How does obesity in the U.S. link to “global” hunger? Why do people keep talking about “eating local,” “food sovereignty,” and “grass-fed beef”? At a time that we are producing more food than ever in history, why are there still starving people in the world? What does cultural history tell us about how and why we eat the way we do?
Credit: 3
ANTH 3500 - Appreciating Pacific Worlds
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000; and any introductory social science course.
The cultural and historical traditions of Pacific peoples--in Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Also considers how Pacific Islanders have coped with change during the past two centuries as well as the perceptions and misperceptions of Islanders by Western writers.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3580 - Impact of Tourism on Local Culture
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000; and any introductory social science course.
The study of the impact of tourism upon the cultures where it has developed. Case studies are presented to illustrate these influences, with particular emphasis given to the Pacific region. Adaptive strategies to create cultural and environmental synergy are also discussed, including management by values, proactive cultural ecology, and compatible destination community development.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3600 - Poverty and Culture
Prerequisite: Any introductory social science or humanities course.
This is a service-learning course offering direct participant- observation with homelessness in Hawai‘i. The seminar will meet both on and off campus with social service organizations. Students examine the discursive role social science, social work, and political economy play in the identification and enactment of public policies and ideology regarding impoverished people. Students will work with social work practitioners and their clients while analyzing the consequences of economic transformations in the United States and in particular Hawai‘i and Micronesia. The course offers students training in ethnographic methods, community education, political activism, and globalization.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3650 - Taboos
Prerequisite: ANTH or SOC 2000.
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.
Credit: 3
ANTH 3900 - Anthropological Thoughts and Theories
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in any WC&IL II course or HON 1000; and ANTH 2000.
The purpose of this course is to facilitate an understanding of recent developments in anthropology and the related human sciences. Students are introduced to dominant theoretical approaches that have shaped anthropological research and writing over the past century and a half. This course constitutes an attempt both to supply such an historical context and to explore the potential uses of anthropology in the contemporary world. This is a require course for the BA in Anthropology.
Credit: 3
ANTH 6601 - Seminar: Violence, Conflict, and War
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
A course that looks at war and conflict from an anthropological perspective. Topics that are considered in the course may include the relationships between social organization and war, the biological factor in violence, and the role played by gender in conflict and violence.
Credit: 3