ANT500: Cultural Anthropology

Anthropologists study humans as both biological and cultural creatures. This scholarly orientation raises many fascinating questions. To what degree does culture shape our actions and ideas? Are we primarily products of biological nature or cultural nurture? Can cultural norms make rational people act irrationally? Are there universal human rights or do cultures dictate what we think is ethical? These debates are critical for understanding human interaction and have significant application in fields ranging from law to medicine. Among the topics considered are: "the mind" and epistemology; discipline, law and rules; human bodies and communication; social taboos; ritual patterns of meaning; notions of cleanliness and defilement; festivals; and mythology. These elements of cultural life will be explored in social settings spanning the globe, but also within our own community at Phillips Exeter Academy. Much of the course attempts to contextualize 20thcentury anthropological methods against the foil of postmodern critiques. Prerequisite: none. Open to lowers, uppers and seniors.