D5. The Anthropological Perspective

“The Anthropological Perspective” will introduce students to how sociocultural anthropologists look at the world and do their studies. It will cover some of the major theoretical frameworks used in this field of study and will also discuss the nature of ethnographic fieldwork. In Weeks 3-5, the course will focus on two selected research topics: anthropology of art and the anthropology of gender and sexuality. Finally, we will turn to examples of ethically engaged anthropology, discussing how scholars grapple with current day issues such as the structural violence of extreme poverty in shantytowns and how that impacts infant health and survival.

Instructor: Susan Rodgers is a sociocultural anthropologist who taught for 11 years in the anthropology program at Ohio U and for 27 years in the anthropology curriculum at Holy Cross (tenured in both places, in sequence). Her Ph.D. in anthropology (1978) is from the U of Chicago and she has published numerous journal articles and books on a variety of topics within anthropology (e.g., anthropology of literature and village arts; museum anthropology; state power and indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia; refugee resettlement). She has taught two WISE courses in anthropology, for spring and fall, 2024. She also has taught Intro to Sociocultural Anthro many times at Ohio U and at Holy Cross, along with Anthro courses on gender, art, museum representation, modernization, theory, and ethnographic field methods. She has her Ph.D., Professor Emerita Anthropology; Distinguished Professor Emerita, Ethics and Society, College of the Holy Cross.