Anthropology (ASB)

ASB 102 Introduction to Cultural and Social Anthropology. (3) F, S
Principles of cultural and social anthropology, with illustrative materials from a variety of cultures. The nature of culture. Social, political, and economic systems; religion, aesthetics, and language. General Studies: SB, G.

ASB 202 Ethnic Relations in the United States. (3) F, S
Processes of intercultural relations; systems approach to history of U.S. interethnic relations; psychocultural analysis of contemporary U.S. ethnic relations. General Studies: C/H.

ASB 210 Sex, Marriage, and Evolution. (3) F
Examination of the sexual nature and behavior of humans from both a biological and an anthropological point of view.

ASB 211 Women in Other Cultures. (3) N
Cross-cultural analysis of the economic, social, political, and religious factors that affect women's status in traditional and modern societies. General Studies: G.

ASB 222 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: Our Human Heritage. (3) S
Archaeology through its most important discoveries: human origins, Pompeii, King Tut, the Holy Land, Southwest Indians, and methods of field archaeology. General Studies: HU.

ASB 231 Archaeological Field Methods. (4) S
Excavation of archaeological sites and recording and interpretation of data. Includes local field experience. 2 hours lecture, 8 hours lab. Prerequisite: ASM 101 or instructor approval. General Studies: S2.

ASB 240 Introduction to Southeast Asia. (3) F
An interdisciplinary introduction to the cultures, religions, political systems, geography, and history of Southeast Asia. Cross-listed as GCU 240/HIS 240/POS 240/REL 240. General Studies: G.

ASB 242 Asian American Experiences: An Anthropological Perspective. (3) F
The historical and contemporary experiences of Asian Americans in terms of the anthropological concepts of culture, ethnicity, and adaptation. General Studies: L1, C.

ASB 250 Anthropology Topics. (3) S
Covers five areas of anthropological inquiry. Emphasizes library research, critical analysis, and communication skills relevant to upper-division anthropology course work. Prerequisites: ASB 102; ASM 101 or equivalent; completion of the First-Year Composition requirement. General Studies: L1.

ASB 302 Ethnographic Field Study in Mexico. (3) SS
Fieldwork study of cultural adaptation, Mexican culture, United States-Mexican cultural conflict, ethnographic research methods, and local culture. Lecture, discussion, field research. Pre- or corequisite: SPA 101 or equivalent.

ASB 311 Principles of Social Anthropology. (3) S
Comparative analysis of domestic groups and economic and political organizations in primitive and peasant societies. General Studies: SB.

ASB 314 Comparative Religion. (3) F, S
Origins, elements, forms, and symbolism of religion; a comparative survey of religious beliefs and ceremonies; the place of religion in the total culture. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval.

ASB 319 The North American Indian. (3) A
Archaeology, ethnology, and linguistic relationship of the Indians of North America. Does not include Middle America. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval.

ASB 320 Indians of Arizona. (3) F
The traditional cultures and the development and nature of contemporary political, economic, and educational conditions among Arizona Indians.

ASB 321 Indians of the Southwest. (3) S
Cultures of the contemporary Indians of the Southwestern United States and their historic antecedents. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: L2/SB, C/H.

ASB 322 Indians of Mesoamerica. (3) S
Historic tribes and folk cultures. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: SB, G.

ASB 323 Indians of Latin America. (3) F
Indigenous cultures of the Amazon, the Andean region, Central America, and southern Mexico. Lecture, discussion. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval.

ASB 324 Peoples of the Pacific. (3) N
Peoples and cultures of Oceania focusing particularly on societies of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: G.

ASB 325 Peoples of Southeast Asia. (3) F
A cultural-ecological perspective on the peoples of mainland and insular Southeast Asia. Subsistence modes, social organization, and the impact of modernization. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: G.

ASB 330 Principles of Archaeology. (3) F, S
Methods and theories for reconstructing and explaining the lifeways of prehistoric peoples. Prerequisite: 3 hours of archaeology. General Studies: SB.

ASB 333 New World Prehistory. (3) F
The variety of archaeological patterns encountered in the Western Hemisphere. Covers the period from the appearance of humans in the New World to European contact; covers the area from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Prerequisite: completion of the First-Year Composition requirement. Pre- or corequisite: 1 upper-division ASU course. General Studies: L2/SB.

ASB 334 Arctic Anthropology. (3) S
Past and present Aleut-Eskimo prehistory, origins, physical features, adaptations, variation, and culture, with comparisons of Asian Arctic populations. Prerequisite: instructor approval. General Studies: G.

ASB 335 Southwestern Anthropology. (3) N
Past cultures in the Southwest and their relation to present peoples using archaeological, ethnological, and linguistic evidences. Environmental and resource utilization from earliest times to the present. General Studies: SB, C/H.

ASB 337 Pre-Hispanic Civilization of Middle America. (3) S
Preconquest cultures and civilizations of Mexico. The Aztecs, Mayas, and their predecessors. Prerequisite: ASM 101 or instructor approval. General Studies: H.

ASB 338 Archaeology of North America. (3) N
Origin, spread, and development of the prehistoric Indians of North America up to the historic tribes. Does not include the Southwest. Prerequisite: ASM 101 or instructor approval.

ASB 350 Anthropology and Art. (3) A
Art forms of people in relationship to their social and cultural setting. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval.

ASB 351 Psychological Anthropology. (3) S
Approaches to the interrelations between the personality system and the sociocultural environment. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: SB.

ASB 353 Death and Dying in Cross-Cultural Perspective. (3) S
Humanistic and scientific study of aging, sickness, dying, death, funerals, and grief and their philosophy and ecology in non-Western and Western cultures. General Studies: HU/SB, G.

ASB 355 Shamanism, Healing and Consciousness. (3) S
World views, practices, and roles of shamans and traditional and contemporary healers; explanatory biopsychological models of consciousness. General Studies: HU/SB.

ASB 361 Old World Prehistory I. (3) F
Biosocial evolution in the Pleistocene, emphasizing technological achievements and the relationship between technology and environment in western Europe, sub-Saharan Africa. Prerequisite: ASM 101 or instructor approval. General Studies: H.

ASB 362 Old World Prehistory II. (3) S
Transition from hunting and collecting societies to domestication economies; establishment of settled village life, emphasizing the Near East, Egypt, Southwest Europe. Prerequisite: ASM 101 or instructor approval. General Studies: H.

ASB 383 Linguistic Theory: Phonetics and Phonology. (4) F
Basic articulatory phonetics and contemporary theories of the sound system of language. 3 hours lecture, 1 hour lab. General Studies: SB.

ASB 400 Cultural Factors in International Business. (3) S
Anthropological perspectives on international business relations; applied principles of cross-cultural communication and management; regional approaches to culture and business. Cross-listed as IBS 400. General Studies: G.

ASB 411 Kinship and Social Organization. (3) S
Meanings and uses of concepts referring to kinship, consanguinity, affinity, descent, alliance, and residence in the context of a survey of the varieties of social groups, marriage, rules, and kinship terminological systems. Prerequisite: 6 hours of anthropology or instructor approval.

ASB 412 History of Anthropology. (3) F
Historical treatment of the development of the culture concept and its expression in the chief theoretical trends in anthropology between 1860 and 1950. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: L2/SB.

ASB 416 Economic Anthropology. (3) F
Economic behavior and the economy in preindustrial societies; description and classification of exchange systems; relations between production, exchange systems, and other societal subsystems. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: L2/SB.

ASB 417 Political Anthropology. (3) A
Comparative examination of the forms and processes of political organization and activity in primitive, peasant, and complex societies. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval.

ASB 426 Historical Archaeology. (3) N
Principles, techniques, and important sites. Use of ethnohistory, laboratory techniques, and artifact analysis. Discussion of value to historical understanding. Prerequisite: 1 course in archaeology or instructor approval.

ASB 462 Medical Anthropology: Culture and Health. (3) F '96
Role of culture in health, illness, and curing; health status, provider relations, and indigenous healing practices in United States ethnic groups. Lecture, discussion. General Studies: C.

ASB 471 Introduction to Museums. (3) F
History, philosophy, and current status of museums. Exploration of collecting, preservation, exhibition, education, and research activities in different types of museums. Prerequisites: ASB 102 and ASM 101 or instructor approval.

ASB 480 Introduction to Linguistics. (3) F
Descriptive and historical linguistics. Survey of theories of human language, emphasizing synchronic linguistics. General Studies: SB.

ASB 481 Language and Culture. (3) S
Application of linguistic theories and findings to nonlinguistic aspects of culture; language change; psycholinguistics. Prerequisite: ASB 102 or instructor approval. General Studies: SB.

ASB 483 Sociolinguistics and the Ethnography of Communication. (3) N
Relationships between linguistic and social categories; functional analysis of language use, maintenance, and diversity; interaction between verbal and nonverbal communication. Prerequisites: ASB 480 and ENG 213 (or FLA 400) or instructor approval. General Studies: SB.

ASB 529 Culture and Political Economy. (3) N
Origin and spread of Western capitalism and its impact on non-Western societies. Ethnographic and historical case studies are utilized. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

ASB 530 Ecological Anthropology. (3) A
Relations among the population dynamics, social organization, culture, and environment of human populations, with special emphasis on hunter-gatherers and extensive agriculturalists.

ASB 532 Graduate Field Anthropology. (2–8) S
Independent research on a specific anthropological problem to be selected by the student in consultation with the staff. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: ASM 338 or equivalent; instructor approval.

ASB 535 Public Archaeology. (4) N
Theoretical and practical applications of cultural resources legislation and policy. Legal and administrative requirements; conservation, development, and management of cultural resources; CRM research design formulation. Seminar, field work. Prerequisites: regular graduate student standing; 12 completed graduate hours in archaeology; instructor approval.

ASB 536 Ethnohistory of Mesoamerica. (3) N
Indigenous societies of southern Mexico and Guatemala at Spanish contact and their postconquest transformation. Emphasis is on the Aztec Empire. Prerequisite: graduate standing.

ASB 537 Topics in Mesoamerican Archaeology. (3) N
Changing organization of pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica is explored through interpretive issues, such as regional analysis, chiefdoms, urbanism, and exchange. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 540 Method and Theory of Sociocultural Anthropology and Archaeology I. (3) F
Basic issues concerning concepts of social and ethnic groups, cultural and sociological theory, and the nature of anthropological research. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 541 Method and Theory of Social and Cultural Anthropology. (3) S
Continuation of ASB 540. Prerequisite: ASB 540 or instructor approval.

ASB 542 Method and Theory of Archaeology II. (3) S
Models of human evolution, culture change, and interpretation of hunter-gatherer and tribal societies, ceramic, lithic, and faunal materials. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 543 Method and Theory of Archaeology III. (3) F
Covers concepts of social complexity along with economy, demography, and social dynamics, followed by archaeological research design. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 544 Settlement Patterns. (3) N
Spatial arrangement of residences, activity sites, and communities over landscape. Emphasis on natural and cultural factors influencing settlement patterns. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 546 Pleistocene Prehistory. (3) F
Development of society and culture in the Old World during the Pleistocene epoch, emphasizing technological change through time and the relationship of people to their environment. Prerequisite: ASB 361 or equivalent.

ASB 547 Issues in Old World Domestication Economies. (3) S
Archaeological evidence for transitions in Old World subsistence economies from hunting and gathering to dependence on domesticated plants and animals. Prerequisite: ASB 362 or equivalent.

ASB 550 Economic Archaeology. (3) N
Prehistoric economies in hunter-gatherer, tribal, and complex societies. Subsistence strategies, craft production and specialization, and exchange covered. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 551 Prehistoric Diet. (3) N
Includes (1) a critical review of techniques for recovering dietary information and (2) theoretical models concerned with explaining diet and nutrition. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 555 Complex Societies. (3) S
Structural variations in hierarchically organized societies, along with origins, dynamics, and collapse, are examined. Seminar.

ASB 559 Archaeology and the Ideational Realm. (3) N
"Post-processual" and other views concerning relevance of mental phenomena for understanding sociocultural change. Various approaches to inferring prehistoric meanings.

ASB 563 Hunter-Gatherer Adaptations. (3) N
Evolution of prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies in the Old and New Worlds from the most ancient times through protohistoric chiefdoms. Prerequisite: instructor approval.

ASB 567 Southwestern Archaeology. (3) S
Broad coverage of Southwestern cultural developments focusing on current debates and rigorous use of archaeological data in making cultural inferences.

ASB 568 Intrasite Research Strategies. (3) F
Research issues within a single site context. Topics include quantitative spatial analysis, site definition, sampling, distributional analysis, and substantive interpretation.

ASB 571 Museum Principles. (3) F
History, philosophy, and current status of museums. Exploration of collecting, preservation, exhibition, education, and research activities in different types of museums. Prerequisites: ASB 102 and ASM 101 or instructor approval.

ASB 572 Museum Collection Management. (3) S
Principles and practices of acquisition, documentation, care, and use of museum collections; registration, cataloging, and preservation methods; legal and ethical issues. Prerequisite: ASB 571 or instructor approval.

ASB 573 Museum Administration. (3) S
Formal organization and management of museums; governance; personnel matters; fund raising and grantsmanship; legal and ethical issues. Prerequisite: ASB 571 or instructor approval.

ASB 574 Exhibition Planning and Design. (3) S
Exhibition philosophies and development; processes of planning, designing, staging, installing, evaluating, and disassembling temporary and long-term exhibits. Prerequisites: ASB 571 and 572 or instructor approval.

ASB 575 Computers and Museums. (3) F
Basics of museum computer application; hardware and software; fundamentals of database management; issues of research, collections management, and administration.

ASB 576 Museum Interpretation. (3) F
Processes of planning, implementing, documenting, and evaluating educational programs in museums for varied audiences––children, adults, and special interest groups. Lecture, discussion. Prerequisite: ASB 571.

ASB 577 Principles of Conservation. (3) S
Preservation of museum objects: nature of materials, environmental controls, and causes of degradation; recognizing problems, damage, and solutions; proper care of objects. Prerequisites: ASB 571 and 572 or instructor approval.

ASB 582 Linguistic Theory: Syntax. (3) N
Contemporary theories of the grammatical structure of languages. Prerequisite: ASB 480 or FLA 400 or instructor approval.

ASB 585 Linguistic Theory: Phonological Systems. (3) F
Origins and development of contemporary phonological systems with particular attention to non-Western languages. Prerequisite: ASB 480 or FLA 400 or instructor approval.

ASB 591 Seminar. (3) N
Selected topics in archaeology, linguistics, and social-cultural anthropology.
(a) Archaeological Ceramics
(b) Archaeology of North America
(c) Cultural Anthropology
(d) Culture and Personality
(e) Evolution and Culture. Cross-listed as ASM 591.
(f) Historical Archaeology
(g) Interdepartmental Seminar. Cross-listed as ASM 591.
(h) Linguistics
(i) Museum Studies
(j) Problems in Southwestern Archaeology
(k) Problems in Southwestern Ethnology
(l) Anthropology

Page Last Updated:
webmaster@asu.edu
ASU Disclaimer

Visits to this page: page counter