Reading and composition courses based on the anthropological literature. These courses provide an introduction to issues distinctive of anthropological texts and introduce students to distinctive forms of anthropological writing, such as ethnography and anthropological prehistory. Readings will be chosen from a variety of texts by authors whose works span the discipline, from bioanthropology to archaeology and sociocultural anthropology. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

For decades, the question of what ethnography is—both as a method and a genre—has sparked heated debates about its boundaries, possibilities, and limitations. This seminar approaches ethnography through the lens of Black feminist thought, exploring the Black feminist ethnographic eye: what it sees, what it does, and how it operates. Together, we will rethink the boundaries of art, literature, and ethnography, asking how these domains, when intertwined in method and practice, can offer powerful critiques of society and culture through themes of race, gender, and sexuality in diverse global contexts. We will engage in visual analysis and close reading, bringing excerpts from autoethnographies, novels, “travel literature,” and art into conversation with each other. The following central questions will guide our inquiry: What is the Black ethnographic self? What work can the ethnographic “I” do? How do the boundaries between ethnographer, artist, and author become blurred—and what powerful results might this yield? Finally, what does it mean to think across the boundaries of art, literature, and ethnography in our contemporary moment?

Instructor: Alexa Kurmanov

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills