Sociology and Anthropology BS | College of Liberal Arts

RIT’s bachelor of science in sociology and anthropology focuses on understanding social and cultural complexity and diversity, with a commitment to the broader values of justice and human rights.

^$35K

Median First-Year Salary of RIT Graduates from this degree

Overview for Sociology and Anthropology BS

Why Study Sociology and Anthropology at RIT?

Specialized Options: Choose a focus area in archaeology, cultural anthropology, sociology, or sociocultural.
Real-World Experience: Required cooperative education experience means hands-on, full-time, paid work experience to jumpstart your sociology and anthropology career.
Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees: Options to earn both a bachelor's degree in sociology and anthropology and a master's degree in either science, technology, and public policy; communication; business management; or sustainable systems.
3+3 Accelerated BS/JD Degree: For those interested in law school, the 3+3 Accelerated BS/JS Degree will fast-track your studies.
Teaching Partnership Program Available: 4+1 or 3+2 programs enable you to earn your bachelor’s degree at RIT and a master’s degree in education at one of our partner universities.

With a deep commitment to the broader values of justice and human rights, a degree in sociology and anthropology focuses on understanding social and cultural complexity and diversity. RIT’s sociology and anthropology courses examine critical issues such as the economy, politics, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, urban living, the family, and health as they are shaped by social forces and cultural values. You’ll gain insight from a wide range of theoretical perspectives and develop the necessary research skills to further examine topics of critical importance in society. In the sociology and anthropology major you will build a strong foundation to pursue a wide range of career options in the United States and abroad.

This bachelor of science degree at RIT, which pairs a sociology major with an anthropology major, is dedicated to understanding and appreciating social and cultural complexity and diversity across the globe and through time. You will be exposed to critical perspectives, theories, and research skills that are necessary to engage in complex global and local issues that crosscut the economy, politics, society, gender, ethnicity, and culture. Understanding societies both past and present better will prepare you to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world and to assume positions of leadership that promote vision and equity.

RIT’s Bachelor of Sociology and Anthropology

This integrated, multidisciplinary sociology and anthropology degree explores the common scholarly roots and creative differences of sociology and anthropology, through which you will gain a synergistic set of perspectives and skills that prepare you for social analysis in the broadest array of social and cultural settings. You will choose one of the following specializations:

Archaeology
Cultural anthropology
Sociology
Sociocultural

Careers in sociology and anthropology include medicine and public health, law, business, international development, the not-for-profit sector, urban planning, architecture, social work, education, and government, among other possibilities.

RIT’s Pre-Law Program

Law schools welcome applications from students majoring in a wide range of academic programs including sociology and anthropology. RIT’s pre-law program helps you navigate the admission process for law school and explore a range of legal careers. Pre-law advisors guide you through course selection to ensure that you build the skills and competencies required of competitive law school applicants.

Furthering Your Career in Sociology and Anthropology

Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

Sociology and Anthropology BS/Artificial Intelligence MS: With this accelerated dual-degree program, the study of sociological and anthropological factors such as race and ethnicity, cultural norms, belief systems, and social structures provides an invaluable and informed foundation for future artificial intelligence professionals.
Sociology and Anthropology BS/Communication MS: An accelerated dual-degree program that builds on expertise in sociological and anthropological factors such as race and ethnicity, cultural norms, belief systems, and social structures to provide a foundation for successful, strategic communication through social media; applications of artificial intelligence; visual storytelling and data representation; organizational communication; engagement data analysis; and more.
Sociology and Anthropology BS/Hospitality Business Management MS: Developing a foundational understanding of cultural and societal norms, belief systems, and expectations can give hospitality and tourism leaders an advantage for success. This accelerated dual-degree program is designed to prepare you with both deep and meaningful insight and analytical and technological skills.
Sociology and Anthropology BS/Science, Technology, and Public Policy MS: An accelerated dual-degree that develops a foundational understanding of societal forces and issues to equip the policymakers of tomorrow to make informed and intelligent decisions regarding science, technology, and the public good.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate learning and position you for success.

3+3 Accelerated BS/JD Programs

RIT has partnered with Syracuse University’s College of Law and University at Buffalo School of Law to offer accelerated 3+3 BS/JD options for highly capable students. These programs provide a fast track to law school where you can earn a bachelor’s degree at RIT and a Juris Doctorate degree at Syracuse University or University at Buffalo in six years. Interested students may apply to the option directly, with successful applicants offered admission to RIT and conditional acceptance into either Syracuse University’s College of Law or University at Buffalo School of Law.

RIT’s sociology and anthropology degree is one of the approved majors for the 3+3 option.

Learn more about Accelerated Law 3+3 Programs.

RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs

Whether your goal is to go into early childhood or elementary education, become a secondary education teacher with a content area specialty at the middle or high school level, or work in the higher education field, RIT’s partnership programs with local universities provide a guided pathway to a career in teaching.

4+1 programs enable you to earn your bachelor’s degree at RIT and a master’s degree in education at one of our partner universities. As you progress, you’ll benefit from focused academic advising, career exploration opportunities, and resources for research, learning, and skill development.

RIT’s sociology and anthropology degree is eligible for RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs.

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First-year students can apply for Early Decision II by Jan. 1 to get an admissions and financial aid assessment by mid-January.

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Careers and Experiential Learning

Typical Job Titles

Admissions Counselor	ASL Teacher	Contract Archaeologist
Museum Specialist	K-12 Teacher	Public Health Outreach
Social Caseworker	Disability Advocate	University Researcher
Human Relations Specialist

Industries

Government (Local, State, Federal)
Higher Education
K-12 Education
Non-Profit

Post-Graduation Salary and Career Info

Cooperative Education

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Co-ops take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. A liberal arts co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between course work and real-world applications.

Students in the sociology and anthropology degree are required to complete one cooperative education experience.

Additional Hands-On Learning Opportunities

In addition to a required cooperative education experience, students may apply their classroom knowledge with opportunities for hands-on learning through archaeological, ethnographic, or linguistic fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and study abroad.

Co-op and Experiential Learning Options

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Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Sociology and Anthropology BS

Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements

View Printable Curriculum

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree, typical course sequence

Course		Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-102H	Honors Cultural Anthropology Anthropology is the holistic science of the human condition, and professional anthropologists engage in experiential, empirical and humanistic research. Cultural diversity and change are explored through the anthropological techniques of immersion (ethnographic fieldwork) and cross-cultural analysis. In-depth and comparative analysis of critical issues may include transnational migration, ethnic nationalism, racism, changing and clashing views on gender and sexuality, indigenous peoples’ rights, religious fundamentalism, genocide, war, hunger, famine, and cultural and economic dimensions of globalization. The specific topic varies from year to year. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		3
SOCI-102	Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-102H	Honors Sociology This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
UWRT-150	First-Year Writing: FYW: Writing Seminar (WI) (General Education) Writing Seminar is a three-credit course limited to 19 students per section. The course is designed to develop first-year students’ proficiency in analytical and rhetorical reading and writing, and critical thinking. Students will read, understand, and interpret a variety of non-fiction texts representing different cultural perspectives and/or academic disciplines. These texts are designed to challenge students intellectually and to stimulate their writing for a variety of contexts and purposes. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will develop academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened throughout their academic careers. Particular attention will be given to the writing process, including an emphasis on teacher-student conferencing, critical self-assessment, class discussion, peer review, formal and informal writing, research, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity for both current academic and future professional writing. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).	3
YOPS-10	RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).	0
	General Education – Artistic Perspective	3
	General Education – Ethical Perspective	3
	General Education – Global Perspective	3
	General Education – Mathematical Perspective A	3
	General Education – Natural Science Inquiry Perspective†	3
	Track Course	3
	Open Elective	3
Second Year
	General Education – Elective	3
	General Education – Immersion 1	3
	General Education – Mathematical Perspective B	3
	General Education – Scientific Principles Perspective	3
	General Education – Social Perspective	3
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	Track Courses	9
	Open Elective	3
Third Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
	General Education – Electives	6
	General Education – Immersion 2, 3	6
	Track Courses	9
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	Open Elective	3
Fourth Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-501	Senior Research Project Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
ANTH-502	Scholar's Thesis I This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of cultural anthropology or archaeology. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
SOCI-501	Senior Research Project Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
SOCI-502	Scholar's Thesis I This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
	General Education – Electives	15
	Open Electives	12
Total Semester Credit Hours		120

Please see General Education Curriculum (GE) for more information.

(WI-PR) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.

† Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, students must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement. The lecture section alone will not fulfill the requirement.

Methods Courses

Electives–Choose two of the following
ANTH-215	Field Methods in Archaeology This course introduces students to the methods of archaeological fieldwork. The course begins with the student’s development of a research question and design. We then explore the feasibility of this research through the examination of sampling techniques, site survey, and excavation. Field methods of recording, photography, and artifact conservation will also be discussed. Students will be able to analyze the usefulness of the field techniques in light of the archaeological scientific methods for dating, and organic and inorganic analyses. Students should emerge from the course understanding the values of the techniques necessary for proper archaeological excavation towards the reconstruction of the past and the development of an understanding of our present. Lab, Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-244	Designing for Humans How do we imagine the people that we design for? How do social differences around race, gender and class impact how we design for others? How is design a cultural process? How can ethnography make for better design? This course introduces the fundamentals of the field of design anthropology with specific attention dedicated to disability studies and accessibility. The course explores how designers—from industrial designers, game designers to biomedical engineers—can use research-based practices to design better, reflecting the RIT mission to “leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.” We will begin by orienting ourselves to design thinking, exploring key conceptual frameworks from feminist scholarship, science and technology studies, disability studies and approaches to the social aspects of technical thinking. We will then explore different design domains, including access technology, global disability movements, universal design and UX design. Throughout the term we will learn about how ethnographic methods can create human-centered design by starting with lived experiences, exploring power relations and ultimately learning about the perspectives of those whom we design for. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-302/SOCI-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-303/SOCI-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-361/SOCI-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-385	Historical Anthropology and Colonialism "Until the lions have their storytellers, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," wrote Ngugi wa Thiong'o. In a core line of inquiry, historical anthropologists have traced the expansion of empires and cultural transformations under colonial pressures. Such investigations yield theoretical insights into the dynamics of systems and agency; power, hegemony, acquiescence, and resistance; racialization and the colonial construction of difference; capital accumulation; and the ways in which conventional anthropological and historical approaches have mirrored and abetted empire. Archives typically represent the perspectives of the colonizers. Any effort to grasp the experiences and perspectives of the colonized, therefore, must critically engage with the archive and seek sources beyond institutional texts. Storytelling, visual arts, and song are rich repositories of indigenous, alternative, and counterhegemonic histories and visions of time and prophecy. In this course, students have hands-on opportunities to access and analyze digitized and published primary sources and we discuss the ethical responsibilities of those who seek to represent the past. Lecture 3 (Biannual).

Tracks

Archaeology

Electives–Choose seven of the following
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-215	Field Methods in Archaeology This course introduces students to the methods of archaeological fieldwork. The course begins with the student’s development of a research question and design. We then explore the feasibility of this research through the examination of sampling techniques, site survey, and excavation. Field methods of recording, photography, and artifact conservation will also be discussed. Students will be able to analyze the usefulness of the field techniques in light of the archaeological scientific methods for dating, and organic and inorganic analyses. Students should emerge from the course understanding the values of the techniques necessary for proper archaeological excavation towards the reconstruction of the past and the development of an understanding of our present. Lab, Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-230	Buried Treasure: Archaeology in Popular Culture People have been interested in their ancestors and the lives of past people likely for as long as we have been human. But this interest has rarely been disinterested. People have exploited, destroyed, or ignored the remains of previous societies. And how the past is understood has profound effects that ripple through all of society, at different times influencing group identity, political philosophy, art, architecture, literature, and film. The emergence of scientific archaeology in the last 150 years has created its own cultural references, including Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Each semester this course is offered, a specific topic will examine the cultural context in which archaeologists do their work, what is made of their efforts, and how these are related to larger issues in society. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-250	Themes in Archaeological Research One of the most fascinating dimensions of archaeology is the discovery that people have done essentially the same things in different places and different times, independently of developments elsewhere. Agriculture, writing, urbanism, complex economies, and so on, all have been independently invented multiple times in different parts of the world. This fact raises some intriguing questions about what it means to be human. By comparing how these developments occurred in different places and times, archaeologists can, in a sense, perform experiments on the past. Each semester this course is offered we will focus on a separate theme in archaeological research, such as the transition to agriculture; production, trade, and exchange; the origin of writing; imperialism, colonialism, and warfare; pseudoscience/pseudoarchaeology; or human evolution. We will study competing theoretical perspectives and different world regions to gain a broad understanding of the theme and how both theory and data are used to create a comprehensive understanding of the human past. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-255	Regional Archaeology Since the first humans set out from Africa nearly two million years ago, our ancestors and relatives managed to settle in almost every continent. Wherever they went, they left traces of their lives that are tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years deep. We call these traces the archaeological record. Almost everywhere our ancestors settled, they did many of the same things, such as inventing agriculture, cities, writing, and state-level societies. However, they did this in ways unique to each region and time. This course examines the archaeology of a specific region, such as the Middle East, Mesoamerica, North America, or East Asia, in detail. We examine the geography, culture, archaeological record, and significance of the region to various key themes in archaeological research with respect to other world regions. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-260	Native North Americans This course examines the persistence and change in Native American cultures using archaeological, ethnohistorical, socioeconomic, ethnographic, linguistic, and autobiographical sources among others. In addition to broad regional and historical coverage, we will read about and discuss culture change, colonialism, federal law, gender, race, and places in Native American contexts. Our goal is to understand the lived experiences of Indian people and the many forces that shape Native American lives. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-312	People Before Cities More than half the global population today lives in densely populated urban areas, which are further surrounded by complex networks of smaller communities. Yet, the earliest cities appeared less than 6,000 years ago, a small fraction of time since our species’ first appearance. The characteristics that define us as human were forged in radically different social universes from those of today. We lived our lives among not much more than 20-30 other people at any one time, hunting and gathering our food, and occasionally moving from place to place. This lifestyle was so successful and adaptable it endured pressures from more complex societies well into the 20th century. Understanding what life was like in such these small-scale societies is important because the material and social world in which they lived is the foundation for societies where food production, social hierarchy, and occupational specialization are the norm. This course will examine both the ethnographic and archaeological record of hunter/foragers from around the globe in an attempt to understand how it proved to be such a versatile and resilient way of life and how its successes, in fact, laid the foundation for social inequality, complexity, and food production. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-328	Heritage and Tourism Tourism is a global industry and an important part of the human experience. There are many forces within tourism that act upon people’s lives, and in particular their environments, economies, cultural heritage, and identity. This course will explore tourism and its many dimensions. Beginning with an examination of kinds of tourism, this course unpacks tourism’s ancient trade and pilgrimage roots as well as its class dynamics of post-industrialization. Other aspects of tourism to be explored include strategies and effects of tourism development and production, nationalism and cultural identity, commoditization and marketing of culture and the ethics of development, labor and infrastructural changes, social inequalities, ecological impact, sustainable tourism, the experience of tourists, ritual and authenticity, and the relationship between tourists and tourism workers. This course provides opportunities for cross-cultural analysis of tourism sites, for participant-observation of the tourist experience, and for evaluation and recommendation of tourism site development in and around Rochester. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-360	Humans and Their Environment Humans and their societies have always been shaped by their environment, but as human societies became more complex, their relationship with their environment changed from one of simple adaptation to one in which they had the power to change their environment. Often, the changes they have wrought have had unintended consequences, forcing societies to adapt to the changes that they themselves have brought about. Although we tend to think that this is a relatively recent phenomenon, humans have been altering their environment since the first human societies made the transition to agriculture over ten thousand years ago, if not longer. In this class, we will use the tools of environmental archaeology to explore the history of human interactions with their environments and to draw lessons on how we could manage that interaction today. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-375	Native American Sovereignty, Culture, and Resources There is a great cultural, and linguistic diversity among Native American Indigenous Nations and their approach to managing cultural and natural resources. This course will explore this diversity in addition to the various ways Indigenous nations have maintained and exerted their sovereignty. This will be done in one of three distinct topics: 1). American Indian Sovereignty - an examination of the historical and political foundations of Indigenous sovereignty and its current expressions; 2). Indigenous Economics and Economies - a contrasting of Indigenous approaches for building and maintaining sustainable economies with non-Indigenous ones combined with the use of economic methods to understand the impact of settler colonialism and capitalism on Indigenous economies; or 3). Native American Languages - an examination of: the structure and origin of Indigenous languages; the events that have led many Indigenous languages to be endangered; and the efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages. For clarification purposes: American Indian is used to refer to Indigenous people residing within the boundaries of the continental United States; Native American broadens this definition to include all Indigenous people residing in either North or South America; while Indigenous is the most broadly defined. Indigenous includes all people who identify with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies who consider themselves distinct from the societies now prevailing on those territories both within and outside the Americas. Lecture 3 (Spring).
ANTH-415	Archaeological Science Archaeology is one of the few social sciences that lends itself well to the application of analytical techniques from the physical sciences. This is due to the fact that archaeology relies primarily on physical evidence, artifacts and features, whose origin, composition, age, and manner of production can be elucidated through application of the physical sciences. This course examines the application of physical science techniques to archaeological questions, including the age and origin of materials, how things are made, what people ate, their daily activities, and their state of health throughout their life. The course will include in-class labs in which students have the opportunity to apply some of these techniques and a final research project in which the student picks their own archaeological question to answer. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-420	Exploring Ancient Technology While it is commonplace to describe the present era as one dominated by technology, humans have always been critically dependent on technology. Many of today’s key technologies such as agriculture, writing, ceramics, woodworking, textiles, glass, and metals were invented before the dawn of recorded history. In this class, we will explore these ancient technologies, how they came to be invented, how they evolved, and how they were integrated into the social and economic life of ancient peoples to become the foundations of modern society. This course features lectures, readings, and hands-on laboratories and projects on ancient technology and experimental archaeology. Laboratories and projects will focus on how scientists create new knowledge about the past by testing hypotheses about ancient technology. The course concludes with either an individual project, such as replicating a particular artifact or process, or a class project, such as building and using a Mesopotamian glass furnace. Lab, Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-435	The Archaeology of Death Death and burial are how most individuals enter the archaeological record and one could say that deliberate burial of the dead is the first direct evidence we have for the emergence of ethical and religious systems of thought. Human remains, their mortuary treatment, and associated material culture illuminate past patterns of social organization, economics, belief systems, health, and the negotiation of gender, status, and identity. In this course we explore the scientific and theoretical tools used to analyze and interpret past mortuary practices, how archaeologists create new knowledge about the past through the formulations and testing of hypotheses, survey mortuary practices from their first occurrence in the archaeological record, and what human remains can tell us about changes in the human experience over time and space. We will learn how human remains are identified, how determinations of age, sex, biological affiliation, health, and injury are made, how to interpret formation processes, to interpret associated material culture to understand the negotiation of gender and status; how humans have cared for the deceased members of their societies at different times and places in the human past; and the ethics of studying human mortuary remains. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-489	Topics in Anthropology This topics course focuses on specific themes or issues in anthropology, chosen by the instructor, vetted by the department chair, announced in the course subtitle on SIS, and developed in the syllabus. The topics of this course will vary, but the course number will remain the same. Students may not repeat the same topic. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-498	Practicum Students will apply the accumulated knowledge, theory, and methods of the discipline to problem solving outside of the classroom. The Practicum may consist of internship, study abroad, or archaeological or ethnographic field school (consisting of at least 160 hours, completed over at least 4 weeks). (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Internship (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-503	Scholar's Thesis II This is the second course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology or urban studies in which students will conduct an original research project. In this second course, working with a thesis adviser, students will finalize data collection, analyze the data, write and defend a thesis paper, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: ANTH-502 or equivalent course.) Research (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ENVS-250	Applications Geographic Information Systems Through hands-on projects and case studies, this course illustrates concepts and applications of raster and vector geographic information systems (GIS) in a variety of disciplines, such as environmental science, biology, geology, geography, sociology, and economics. Students will learn how to use GIS software and spatial analyses, plan a project, create a database, and conduct an independent project. Students should have completed a foundational course in their major and be comfortable working with computers. Experience with programming is also useful. (Foundational course in student's major field of study or permission of instructor). Lec/Lab 6 (Fall).
SOCI-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 .

Cultural Anthropology

Electives–Choose seven of the following
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-104	Language and Linguistics Language has a crucial role in our lives as a functional system of human communication. Language is central to our cultures and societies. This course provides an introduction to the field of linguistics. It considers both how language is described and analyzed by linguists and how evidence from language can shed light on a variety of social, cultural, and cognitive phenomena. The course provides an orientation both to human language and the field of linguistics. It introduces the languages of the world, how languages have been described, the diversity in language structure, the issue of language endangerment and death, and the efforts to document and preserve the world’s languages, among other topics. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-105	Health, Humans, and Technology You want to be a health care provider. You want to design health technologies. You want to help people and these seem like the best options. Helping people, though, requires understanding those people and the contexts in which those people live, work, and play. This means questioning how socioeconomic, infrastructural, financial, racial, cultural, gendered and political dynamics shape who gets sick, who accesses technology, and who is healthy, the entangling of which manifests in healthcare disparities. In this course we will evaluate how emergent technologies affect human health and healthcare disparities. Evaluating impact requires considering the ethical stakes involved in technological development and application. Our guiding questions will be threefold: How do cultural expectations about health shape the pursuit of technologies and medicine? and What are the impacts of particular technologies on human health? How can we ethically evaluate those impacts? To these ends, we will consider various research forms, including ethnographies, that focus on the intersection of culture, technology, and health. First, we will orient to technology and health through the lens of social construction. Second, we will situate ourselves in feminist approaches to biotechnologies; including critical studies of epigenetics, using core concepts of kinship and gender. We will then explore specific technologies, such as spirometers to oximeters to pharmaceuticals more generally, heeding particular attention to inequalities in areas like race. Finally, we explore the various methodologies available to those designing biotechnologies derived from the social sciences. In each section, we will identify core ethical questions faced by engineers, designers and healthcare providers in their daily work while brainstorming ways that these ethical issues might be resolved to improve human health. Lecture 3 (Fall).
ANTH-210	Culture and Globalization By exploring critical issues of globalizing culture, we examine how ideas, attitudes, and values are exchanged or transmitted across conventional borders. How has the production, articulation, and dissemination of cultural forms (images, languages, practices, beliefs) been shaped by global capitalism, media industries, communication technologies, migration, and tourist travels? How are cultural imaginaries forged, exchanged, and circulated among a global consumer public? How has the internationalizing of news, computer technologies, video-sharing websites, blogging sites, and other permutations of instant messaging served to accelerate cultural globalization? Students will be introduced to anthropological perspectives on cultural globalization, the transmission of culture globally, and the subsequent effects on social worlds, peoples, communities, and nations. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-220	Language and Culture: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology Language is a core element of culture, both as a repository of meaning, and also because it is the primary means through which humans carry out social relationships, share ideas, and contest received understandings. Linguistic anthropology investigates this interplay between language and culture. Topics will vary by semester, and may include metaphor and narrative; language acquisition in relationship to childhood socialization; language, thought, and worldview; language and identity; multilingualism; the social contexts of language change; literacy; and the politics of language use and language ideologies. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-235	Immigration to the U.S. This course examines immigration to the U.S. within the context of globalization. We examine the push- and pull-factors that generate immigration, and changing immigration policies and debates. We consider how changes in the American workplace have stimulated the demand for foreign workers in a wide range of occupations, from software engineer to migrant farmworker and nanny. We review the cultural and emotional challenges of adapting within the American cultural landscape, transnationalism and connections with the homeland, the experiences of refugees, and how immigration has changed since 9/11. Special attention is given to immigration from Latin America, the largest sending region. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-244	Designing for Humans How do we imagine the people that we design for? How do social differences around race, gender and class impact how we design for others? How is design a cultural process? How can ethnography make for better design? This course introduces the fundamentals of the field of design anthropology with specific attention dedicated to disability studies and accessibility. The course explores how designers—from industrial designers, game designers to biomedical engineers—can use research-based practices to design better, reflecting the RIT mission to “leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.” We will begin by orienting ourselves to design thinking, exploring key conceptual frameworks from feminist scholarship, science and technology studies, disability studies and approaches to the social aspects of technical thinking. We will then explore different design domains, including access technology, global disability movements, universal design and UX design. Throughout the term we will learn about how ethnographic methods can create human-centered design by starting with lived experiences, exploring power relations and ultimately learning about the perspectives of those whom we design for. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-245	Ritual and Performance The world’s cultural diversity is most vividly and dynamically displayed through ritual and festival. Ritual is anything but superfluous; rather, some of the most important work of culture is accomplished through the performance of ritual. Through cross-cultural comparison, by way of readings and films, we explore the following dimensions of ritual: symbols, embodiment, emotion, discipline, contestation of tradition and authenticity, and the orchestration of birth, childhood socialization, gender, maturation, marriage, community, hierarchy, world renewal, and death. Written expression is enhanced through drafting, revision, and peer review. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-260	Native North Americans This course examines the persistence and change in Native American cultures using archaeological, ethnohistorical, socioeconomic, ethnographic, linguistic, and autobiographical sources among others. In addition to broad regional and historical coverage, we will read about and discuss culture change, colonialism, federal law, gender, race, and places in Native American contexts. Our goal is to understand the lived experiences of Indian people and the many forces that shape Native American lives. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-265	Native Americans in Film This course will examine the parallels of anthropological works and resulting government policies in the late-19th and 20th centuries as they relate to the genre of Native Americans film, both popular and ethnographic works. In addition, an extensive regional and historical literature review will complement the possible films. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-270	Cuisine, Culture, and Power Physically, culturally, and socially, humans live through food and drink. Spanning the globe, as nearly limitless omnivores, humans have developed myriad ways of collecting and cultivating food and taking advantage of local environments. We also put food to work for us socially by creating cuisine. Through cuisine, we forge and nourish relationships, commune with deities, and through luxury choices, demonstrate our "taste" and lay claim to elite status. Through the cultural practices of production and consumption of food and drink, we wield power. Food and drink consumption patterns have sustained slavery, poverty, malnutrition, and illegal immigration, and have laid waste to the environment. In this class, we explore physical, cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions of food and become more aware of how the private, intimate act of a bite connects us to the rest of humanity. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-310	African Film This course considers the diversity, contours and synergies of African films and filmmaking, traversing the continent to view films from Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Egypt and Mali. Though much scholarship has focused on influential African filmmakers and nationally located cinemas, the straight-to-video systems of the 1980s and 1990s had a profound impact on African films and filmmaking. Nollywood and other video film industries began to dominate film production and transnational mobility, influencing new film technologies and industries, accessibility and addressability across the globe. Topics in this course include the influence of African film directors on filmmaking, and critical developments in major industries; Nollywood and beyond, and the cultural aesthetics, politics and economics that affect their global mobility and popular appeal; postcolonial identities and power; music and oral traditions of storytelling; didactic, post-colonial cinema with moral, political missions vs. ‘arthouse’ approaches; Afrofuturist and speculative cinema; channels such as African Magic that are shown in more than 50 African countries; and the effects of video streaming on global stardom and popularity. Students will learn about diverse African films and approaches to filmmaking, and the vibrant people and creative cultures that make up these film industries. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-325	Bodies and Culture Our bodies are more than mere physical entities; they are conditioned by culture, society, and history. We will take a comparative approach to the cultural construction of bodies and the impact of ethnic, gender, and racial ideologies on body practices (i.e. surgical alteration, mutilation, beautification, surrogacy, erotica). We will critically investigate the global formation of normative discourses of the body (regarding sexuality, AIDS/illness, reproduction, fat/food) in medical science, consumer culture, and the mass media. The course features discussion, writing, and project-oriented research, encouraging students to acquire a range of analytic skills through a combination of text interpretation and research. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-328	Heritage and Tourism Tourism is a global industry and an important part of the human experience. There are many forces within tourism that act upon people’s lives, and in particular their environments, economies, cultural heritage, and identity. This course will explore tourism and its many dimensions. Beginning with an examination of kinds of tourism, this course unpacks tourism’s ancient trade and pilgrimage roots as well as its class dynamics of post-industrialization. Other aspects of tourism to be explored include strategies and effects of tourism development and production, nationalism and cultural identity, commoditization and marketing of culture and the ethics of development, labor and infrastructural changes, social inequalities, ecological impact, sustainable tourism, the experience of tourists, ritual and authenticity, and the relationship between tourists and tourism workers. This course provides opportunities for cross-cultural analysis of tourism sites, for participant-observation of the tourist experience, and for evaluation and recommendation of tourism site development in and around Rochester. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-335	Culture and Politics in Latin America What does it mean to be a region forged and defined by conquest? “Latin America” is a construct—a term referring to a vast region of the western hemisphere colonized by speakers of Latin-derived languages (including Spanish, Portuguese, and French). In this context, culture is political and politics are cultural. Throughout what is now called Latin America and the Caribbean, the cultural practices of Indigenous and African peoples became the justification for the imposition of European rule, territorial expansion, enslavement, the extraction of labor and natural resources, Christian evangelization, and the racialized legal frameworks that facilitated it all. This course traces these historical processes and examines present-day legacies of colonialism, including ethnic inequalities, colorism, economic vulnerability, patriarchal relations, and social unrest. We consider, as well, the agency of people of Indigenous and African descent as they pursued survival with tactics ranging from acquiescence and strategic passing to creative blending to outright defiance, resistance, and rebellion. Throughout, we look at how art, music, dance, literature, and religion have engaged critically with the forces of fascism, revolution, socialism, dictatorship, neo-imperialism, and globalization. Lecture 3 (Spring).
ANTH-341	Global Addictions This course evaluates global forms of “addiction” in medical, cultural, national, and transnational situations of encounter. Though primarily a EuroAmerican concept of illness, addiction is now discursively and experientially widespread, assuming the status of a “global form.” Addiction narratives and experiences shape people and social life everywhere, as scientific and cultural or national knowledge intersect to form subjectivities, identities of addicts, and communities of addicted bodies. Concepts of will, morality, the addicted self and other, and living and dying also impact the cultural, national and international infrastructures we build—whether and how, for instance, we put resources into medical or criminal justice systems and networks. A closer look at the intimate lives of addicts thus enables us to consider identity boundaries and crossings; addiction languages; family relations and parenting; self-made communities and social bonds; work at the economic fringes of society; personal and institutional violence; policing and navigating enforcement or incarceration; homelessness and legal, medical and social service bureaucracies; as well as transnational production, trafficking, forms of addiction, and policing. By the end of the course, students will comprehend concepts and theories of addiction, and global perspectives on people living with addiction. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-345	Genocide and Transitional Justice The destruction and survival of societies hinges on collective ideas of identity. In times of social stress, identities—whether racial, ethnic, religious or national—become critical “sites” of conflict over the sovereignty of nation-states, and the legitimacy of social, cultural practices. When ideas fail to incorporate people, essentialist categories of identity, historical grievances, and accounts of extreme violence become interrelated, potent sources of destruction. Slavery and exclusive ownership of resources leave people starving or living in perilously polluted environments. Global cultural economies threaten local systems and self-representation. In this course, we will take critical, anthropological approaches to studies of ethnocide, genocide and transitional justice. Students will assess the destruction and survival of societies, from the 19th century slaughter of Native Americans and Amazonian Indians to more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, the Sudan, Iraq, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China. Students will consider similarities and differences in the social experiences of mass violence, and the ethics of protecting particular identity-based groups, and not others, in international, national and local laws. Students will become familiar with multiple inter-related justice systems, for instance, the International Criminal Court, national and United Nations-backed tribunals, and local justice systems such as the Rwandan Gacaca courts. Recent developments in legal ethics and international law will enable students to see how public sentiments, legal advocacy and other social, political processes facilitate enhanced protections for the world’s most vulnerable people. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-375	Native American Sovereignty, Culture, and Resources There is a great cultural, and linguistic diversity among Native American Indigenous Nations and their approach to managing cultural and natural resources. This course will explore this diversity in addition to the various ways Indigenous nations have maintained and exerted their sovereignty. This will be done in one of three distinct topics: 1). American Indian Sovereignty - an examination of the historical and political foundations of Indigenous sovereignty and its current expressions; 2). Indigenous Economics and Economies - a contrasting of Indigenous approaches for building and maintaining sustainable economies with non-Indigenous ones combined with the use of economic methods to understand the impact of settler colonialism and capitalism on Indigenous economies; or 3). Native American Languages - an examination of: the structure and origin of Indigenous languages; the events that have led many Indigenous languages to be endangered; and the efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages. For clarification purposes: American Indian is used to refer to Indigenous people residing within the boundaries of the continental United States; Native American broadens this definition to include all Indigenous people residing in either North or South America; while Indigenous is the most broadly defined. Indigenous includes all people who identify with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies who consider themselves distinct from the societies now prevailing on those territories both within and outside the Americas. Lecture 3 (Spring).
ANTH-385	Historical Anthropology and Colonialism "Until the lions have their storytellers, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," wrote Ngugi wa Thiong'o. In a core line of inquiry, historical anthropologists have traced the expansion of empires and cultural transformations under colonial pressures. Such investigations yield theoretical insights into the dynamics of systems and agency; power, hegemony, acquiescence, and resistance; racialization and the colonial construction of difference; capital accumulation; and the ways in which conventional anthropological and historical approaches have mirrored and abetted empire. Archives typically represent the perspectives of the colonizers. Any effort to grasp the experiences and perspectives of the colonized, therefore, must critically engage with the archive and seek sources beyond institutional texts. Storytelling, visual arts, and song are rich repositories of indigenous, alternative, and counterhegemonic histories and visions of time and prophecy. In this course, students have hands-on opportunities to access and analyze digitized and published primary sources and we discuss the ethical responsibilities of those who seek to represent the past. Lecture 3 (Biannual).
ANTH-410	Global Cities This course examines the impact of global dynamics on cities from the early 20th century to the present. By tracing urban formations from metropolis to global city, emphasis will be placed on the making of identities, communities, and citizens in the architectural spaces, cultural places, ethnic zones, and media traces of urban life in the context of globalization. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-425	Global Sexualities By exploring issues of gender and sexuality in a global context, students will be introduced to anthropological perspectives on the experience of men and women, as gendered subjects, in different societies and historical contexts, including colonialism, nationalism, and global capitalism. In turn, we will explore how cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity are configured by race, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Course materials are drawn from an array of sources, reflecting various theoretical perspectives and ethnographic views from different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-430	Visual Anthropology We see others as we imagine them to be, in terms of our values, not as they see themselves. This course examines ways in which we understand and represent the reality of others through visual media, across the boundaries of culture, gender, and race. It considers how and why visual media can be used to represent or to distort the world around us. Pictorial media, in particular ethnographic film and photography, are analyzed to document the ways in which indigenous and native peoples in different parts of the world have been represented and imagined by anthropologists and western popular culture. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-489	Topics in Anthropology This topics course focuses on specific themes or issues in anthropology, chosen by the instructor, vetted by the department chair, announced in the course subtitle on SIS, and developed in the syllabus. The topics of this course will vary, but the course number will remain the same. Students may not repeat the same topic. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-498	Practicum Students will apply the accumulated knowledge, theory, and methods of the discipline to problem solving outside of the classroom. The Practicum may consist of internship, study abroad, or archaeological or ethnographic field school (consisting of at least 160 hours, completed over at least 4 weeks). (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Internship (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-503	Scholar's Thesis II This is the second course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology or urban studies in which students will conduct an original research project. In this second course, working with a thesis adviser, students will finalize data collection, analyze the data, write and defend a thesis paper, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: ANTH-502 or equivalent course.) Research (Fall, Spring, Summer).
INGS-101	Global Studies Within the past three decades, planetary computerization, burgeoning media industries, and other global processes have significantly altered the ways in which we experience our local and global worlds. Global reconfigurations of time and space change our consciousness, sense of self and others, and the material realities in which we live and work. This course provides the conceptual tools to assess emerging global processes, interactions and flows of people, ideas and things that challenge historical patterns of international studies and relations. The course will introduce you to international and global processes in areas such as global cultural economies, global cities, new forms of democracy and civil society, global religions, sexualities, health, and environments, increased competition for resources, political conflict, war and terrorism. Beyond understanding the causes and consequences of global change, this course will introduce you to ethical dilemmas in global justice movements, and in transferring ideas and technologies in new global contexts. Lecture 3 (Fall).
INGS-270	Cuisine, Culture, and Power Physically, culturally, and socially, humans live through food and drink. Spanning the globe, as nearly limitless omnivores, humans have developed myriad ways of collecting and cultivating food and taking advantage of local environments. We also put food to work for us socially by creating cuisine. Through cuisine, we forge and nourish relationships, commune with deities, and through luxury choices, demonstrate our "taste" and lay claim to elite status. Through the cultural practices of production and consumption of food and drink, we wield power. Food and drink consumption patterns have sustained slavery, poverty, malnutrition, and illegal immigration, and have laid waste to the environment. In this class, we explore physical, cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions of food and become more aware of how the private, intimate act of a bite connects us to the rest of humanity. Lecture 3 (Fall).
SOCI-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
SOCI-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 .
SOCI-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).

Sociology

Electives–Choose seven of the following
ANTH-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-210	Black America: Culture & HipHop This course examines the historical and contemporary conditions of Blacks in the U.S. We will explore African American culture as it is perceived by many African-Americans, and consider theoretical concepts related to immigration and the segmented assimilation of Black immigrant groups coming into the U.S. We will also address identity politics as it relates to race, class, and gender, oppression, as well as the art products that originate in Black communities. A particular emphasis will be placed on Hip Hop music, dance, and style as an expression of Black culture, identity, activism, and social influence (both nationally and globally). Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-215	The Changing Family Families are the microcosm of society. Sociological concepts and theories define the family as a fundamental institution that both mirrors and propels societal change. The field of family studies explores various parameters of family systems, including gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, division of labor, marriage and divorce, children, and generational relations. In the wake of significant changes in family forms, experiences, and prevailing household arrangements, the scope of sociological inquiry has expanded to meet the new realities of American family life. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-220	Minority Group Relations The course will provide a context in which to examine the multiple and contradictory social relations of domination, subordination, resistance, and empowerment. The kinds of questions we will explore focus on how power, knowledge, meaning, and cultural representation are organized. We will analyze a variety of political and ideological themes which bear upon the formation of minority group relations, their identity and how these themes complicate the processes by which people construct their understanding of the nation, world, of others, and themselves. Through reflection on theoretical texts and fictional works, as well as film and other popular media, we will consider for ourselves how culture is differently represented and signified, and how the politics of understanding and misunderstanding minority relations work through practices within and outside cultural institutions. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
SOCI-225	Social Inequality This course examines various forms of social inequality, including economic, political, health, higher education, race and sex inequality. It uses a variety of sociology's ideas to explain why these kinds of inequality exist, how they persist and what can be done about them. Lecture 3 (Spring).
SOCI-230	Sociology of Work This course analyzes and assesses social relations of paid labor. Sociology's major ideas about the ways we work will be examined and applied to numerous important topics such as: workplace organization, unions, labor legislation, health and safety, workplace culture, interplays between work and family, experiences of work as alienating or satisfying, inequalities at work, and social mobility. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-235	Women, Work, and Culture In this course, we analyze historical and contemporary patterns of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, and the organization of work. Using the theoretical perspectives we analyze the work historically undertaken by women in societies and its relationship to broader political and economic structures. While our primary focus is on the U.S., we will also conduct a cross-cultural analysis of gender and work in developing and industrializing societies. Specific issues include gender discrimination (e.g., wage discrimination, sexual harassment), sexuality, reproduction, and women organizing to control their work and working conditions. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-240	Deaf Culture in America This course is an introductory survey of Deaf culture in the United States. Students will study the scholarly literature pertaining to various social groups in the Deaf community and have contact with their members. This course will familiarize students with the characteristics of Deaf Culture, as well as general perceptions of the Deaf community within the dominant mainstream society. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-300	Sociology of American Life This course will examine major U.S. institutions and dominant values that pattern everyday life. It will focus on the nation’s multi-national corporations, mass media, lawmaking, schools and the military, and dominant ideologies and values that guide these institutions such as the American dream, individualism, competition, faith in technology, consumerism and democracy. Alternative organizations and countercultures will be studied. The course will examine the interconnections between the U.S. and other nations as expressed by such issues as international trade agreements, cultural diffusion, environmental degradation, and war. Lecture 3 (Biannual).
SOCI-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
SOCI-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 .
SOCI-305	Crime and Human Rights: Sociology of Atrocities How is the murder of one person different from that of one million? Why is one act a crime while the other simply history? While mass atrocities have occurred, and continue to occur, throughout human history, it is only until recently that international laws started to name and criminalize these atrocities as human rights violations. This course revolves around the worst mass atrocities in recent human history and the responses they receive, focusing on violent crimes perpetrated by the state and the emerging human rights regime in response to such crimes after WWII. As a class, we will seek answers to questions such as: Why do ordinary people participate in extreme violence against their neighbors? How is violence sanctioned and organized by the state different from interpersonal violence? Who is responsible for state-sanctioned violence? What is the role of those who do not participate in or stop the violence? What is the role of human rights and human rights laws in preventing state-sanctioned violence? What are the possible responses to state-sanctioned violence under human rights laws? What are the consequences of such responses? Whether/how does social context matter in the way mass atrocities unfold and the responses they receive? To answer these questions, we will examine historical documents, watch movies, read literature, and study scholarly work. This course will be useful for students who seek careers in areas such as international law, diplomacy, human rights advocacy/prosecution, and criminal justice in general. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-322	Health and Society What would a healthy society look like? What questions should we be asking of those in power to ensure health equity? What is health equity? The objective of this course is to develop a sociological language for answering these and other questions. To do so, students will evaluate the relationship between health and society – that is, the connections between contemporary health disparities and today’s social, physical, and political economic environments. This includes an analysis of macro-factors (climate change, environmental pollution, global and/or national economies, laws) and micro-factors (social media, neighborhood conditions, green spaces, poor- or low-quality housing, and leisure spaces). The course emphasizes that health is impacted by the social circumstances into which people are born; inequitable distributions of power; and social/legal categories of exclusion and inclusion. Though sociological in orientation, this course resonates with the disciplinary and professional aims of medical anthropologists, public health professionals, community health practitioners, and anyone committed to eradicating health disparities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-330	Urban (In)Justice With a focus on forms of (in)justice in urban communities worldwide, we investigate the impact of race, class, and gender and related systems of unequal power relations on perpetuating patterns of social, political, economic, and environmental oppression (policing, hunger, pollution, violence, disease). How do ways of governing urban populations affect the lives of inner city residents and their demands for justice when attempting to navigate the everyday urban worlds? Specific course topics include both historical and contemporary perspectives on urban (in)justice locally, in Rochester NY, and nationally, across the U.S., and in a global comparative framework. Thereby the effects of crime, violence, and inequality on people in urban neighborhoods are also examined among and within nations. By the end of the semester, students should be able to identify and explain various theories that seek to explain (in)justice patterns in the urban context at local, national and global levels. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-345	Urban Poverty Urban poverty has been recognized as a persistent problem in the United States since the middle of the last century. In many cities, poverty is associated with high levels of teenage pregnancy, low levels of employment, limited educational attainment, chronic community-based health problems, and high levels of crime. This course examines causes, consequences, and proposed policy solutions to urban poverty. Special emphasis will be paid to U.S. urban poverty. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-355	CyberActivism: Diversity, Sex, and the Internet Sociologists look to cyberspace to test theories of technology diffusion and media effects on society. This course explores the Internet’s impact on communities, political participation, cultural democracy, and diversity. How have digital technologies and electronic information flows shaped or diminished inequalities of gender, sex, and race? For instance: new electronic technologies have pushed the cultural and physical boundaries of how we have sex; with whom we have sex; and with what we have sex and/or have observed having sex, such as sex toys and avatars. The sociological implications of this new technology depend on economic, legal, and policy decisions that are shaping the Internet as it becomes institutionalized. The course analyzes such new forms of cyber-democracy with a focus on issues of gender, sex, and race. Lecture 3 (Spring, Summer).
SOCI-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-370	Gender and the Law In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the monumental decision granting women in the U.S. rights to abortion in 1973, sent shockwaves throughout the country and the globe. The tremendous impact of this decision on the life of millions raises fundamental questions regarding the very nature of the law and its implications in publicizing the most private choices we make. The fierce debate around reproductive rights is but one illustration of the intimate and yet violent relationship between gender and the law. In this course, we explore this relationship using a wide range of topics. We will utilize tools developed by scholars from various disciplines and activists in different struggles to ponder on questions ranging from “what is law/gender” to “what it means to have the law regulating our gendered bodies/practices”. Using examples both within and beyond the U.S. borders, we will analyze various perspectives on whether/how the law should regulate gender/sexuality grounded in different experiences across legal, social, and cultural contexts. Such comparisons will illuminate the connections among the worlds’ populations and elucidate the cultural and political assumptions underlying legal debates. The students will be tasked to research, analyze, and evaluate the cultural, political, and social implications of legal intervention in gendered social relations. This is a course of particular interest to students who aspire to a career in the legal profession and/or advocacy for gender equity. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring, Summer).
SOCI-395	Borders: Humans, Boundaries, and Empires Borders are more than walls; they are social constructions with real consequences. This course examines the creation and consequences of borders. It discusses how borders developed historically, how borders function as tools of population management in places and systems far from the borderlands, and the politics and experiences of border crossing. We will look for borders both between and within nation states when addressing these issues. The course will utilize a variety of materials including but not limited to scholarly sources, policy transcripts, popular cultural products (e.g. films and TV shows), and art (e.g. poetry, paintings). Students will play an active role in determining specific course topics, though they can expect to discuss a range of relevant issues including contemporary immigration politics, Indigenous rights, the war on terror, border disputes and armed conflicts, privatization of immigration management, displacement and segregation of domestic populations, and border activism. This course provides students with tools that ground and expand their understanding of borders, preparing them for participation in one of the most important public debates of our time. The purview of this course is relevant for those who aspire toward professions in public policy, law enforcement, public service, law, and community-organizing, among others. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-489	Topics in Sociology This topics course focuses on specific themes or issues in sociology, chosen by the instructor, vetted by the department chair, announced in the course subtitle on SIS, and developed in the syllabus. The topics of this course will vary, but the course number will remain the same. Students may repeat the course for credit, but may not repeat a topic. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-498	Practicum Students will apply the accumulated knowledge, theory, and methods of the discipline to problem solving outside of the classroom. The Practicum may consist of internship, study abroad, or archaeological or ethnographic field school (consisting of at least 160 hours, completed over at least 4 weeks). (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Internship (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-503	Scholar's Thesis II This is the second course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology or urban studies, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this second course, working with a thesis advisor, students will finalize data collection, analyze the data, write and defend a thesis paper, following the conventions of the discipline. (4th year status, 3.2 gpa, and permission of thesis advisor) (Prerequisites: SOCI-502 or equivalent course.) Research (Fall, Spring, Summer).

Sociocultural Inquiry

Electives–Choose seven of the following
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-104	Language and Linguistics Language has a crucial role in our lives as a functional system of human communication. Language is central to our cultures and societies. This course provides an introduction to the field of linguistics. It considers both how language is described and analyzed by linguists and how evidence from language can shed light on a variety of social, cultural, and cognitive phenomena. The course provides an orientation both to human language and the field of linguistics. It introduces the languages of the world, how languages have been described, the diversity in language structure, the issue of language endangerment and death, and the efforts to document and preserve the world’s languages, among other topics. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-105	Humans, Health, Technology You want to be a health care provider. You want to design health technologies. You want to help people and these seem like the best options. Helping people, though, requires understanding those people and the contexts in which those people live, work, and play. This means questioning how socioeconomic, infrastructural, financial, racial, cultural, gendered and political dynamics shape who gets sick, who accesses technology, and who is healthy, the entangling of which manifests in healthcare disparities. In this course we will evaluate how emergent technologies affect human health and healthcare disparities. Evaluating impact requires considering the ethical stakes involved in technological development and application. Our guiding questions will be threefold: How do cultural expectations about health shape the pursuit of technologies and medicine? and What are the impacts of particular technologies on human health? How can we ethically evaluate those impacts? To these ends, we will consider various research forms, including ethnographies, that focus on the intersection of culture, technology, and health. First, we will orient to technology and health through the lens of social construction. Second, we will situate ourselves in feminist approaches to biotechnologies; including critical studies of epigenetics, using core concepts of kinship and gender. We will then explore specific technologies, such as spirometers to oximeters to pharmaceuticals more generally, heeding particular attention to inequalities in areas like race. Finally, we explore the various methodologies available to those designing biotechnologies derived from the social sciences. In each section, we will identify core ethical questions faced by engineers, designers and healthcare providers in their daily work while brainstorming ways that these ethical issues might be resolved to improve human health. Lecture 3 (Fall).
ANTH-210	Culture and Globalization By exploring critical issues of globalizing culture, we examine how ideas, attitudes, and values are exchanged or transmitted across conventional borders. How has the production, articulation, and dissemination of cultural forms (images, languages, practices, beliefs) been shaped by global capitalism, media industries, communication technologies, migration, and tourist travels? How are cultural imaginaries forged, exchanged, and circulated among a global consumer public? How has the internationalizing of news, computer technologies, video-sharing websites, blogging sites, and other permutations of instant messaging served to accelerate cultural globalization? Students will be introduced to anthropological perspectives on cultural globalization, the transmission of culture globally, and the subsequent effects on social worlds, peoples, communities, and nations. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-215	Field Methods in Archaeology This course introduces students to the methods of archaeological fieldwork. The course begins with the student’s development of a research question and design. We then explore the feasibility of this research through the examination of sampling techniques, site survey, and excavation. Field methods of recording, photography, and artifact conservation will also be discussed. Students will be able to analyze the usefulness of the field techniques in light of the archaeological scientific methods for dating, and organic and inorganic analyses. Students should emerge from the course understanding the values of the techniques necessary for proper archaeological excavation towards the reconstruction of the past and the development of an understanding of our present. Lab, Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-220	Language and Culture: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology Language is a core element of culture, both as a repository of meaning, and also because it is the primary means through which humans carry out social relationships, share ideas, and contest received understandings. Linguistic anthropology investigates this interplay between language and culture. Topics will vary by semester, and may include metaphor and narrative; language acquisition in relationship to childhood socialization; language, thought, and worldview; language and identity; multilingualism; the social contexts of language change; literacy; and the politics of language use and language ideologies. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-230	Buried Treasure: Archaeology in Popular Culture People have been interested in their ancestors and the lives of past people likely for as long as we have been human. But this interest has rarely been disinterested. People have exploited, destroyed, or ignored the remains of previous societies. And how the past is understood has profound effects that ripple through all of society, at different times influencing group identity, political philosophy, art, architecture, literature, and film. The emergence of scientific archaeology in the last 150 years has created its own cultural references, including Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Each semester this course is offered, a specific topic will examine the cultural context in which archaeologists do their work, what is made of their efforts, and how these are related to larger issues in society. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-235	Immigration to the U.S. This course examines immigration to the U.S. within the context of globalization. We examine the push- and pull-factors that generate immigration, and changing immigration policies and debates. We consider how changes in the American workplace have stimulated the demand for foreign workers in a wide range of occupations, from software engineer to migrant farmworker and nanny. We review the cultural and emotional challenges of adapting within the American cultural landscape, transnationalism and connections with the homeland, the experiences of refugees, and how immigration has changed since 9/11. Special attention is given to immigration from Latin America, the largest sending region. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-244	Designing for Humans How do we imagine the people that we design for? How do social differences around race, gender and class impact how we design for others? How is design a cultural process? How can ethnography make for better design? This course introduces the fundamentals of the field of design anthropology with specific attention dedicated to disability studies and accessibility. The course explores how designers—from industrial designers, game designers to biomedical engineers—can use research-based practices to design better, reflecting the RIT mission to “leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.” We will begin by orienting ourselves to design thinking, exploring key conceptual frameworks from feminist scholarship, science and technology studies, disability studies and approaches to the social aspects of technical thinking. We will then explore different design domains, including access technology, global disability movements, universal design and UX design. Throughout the term we will learn about how ethnographic methods can create human-centered design by starting with lived experiences, exploring power relations and ultimately learning about the perspectives of those whom we design for. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-245	Ritual and Performance The world’s cultural diversity is most vividly and dynamically displayed through ritual and festival. Ritual is anything but superfluous; rather, some of the most important work of culture is accomplished through the performance of ritual. Through cross-cultural comparison, by way of readings and films, we explore the following dimensions of ritual: symbols, embodiment, emotion, discipline, contestation of tradition and authenticity, and the orchestration of birth, childhood socialization, gender, maturation, marriage, community, hierarchy, world renewal, and death. Written expression is enhanced through drafting, revision, and peer review. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-250	Themes in Archaeological Research One of the most fascinating dimensions of archaeology is the discovery that people have done essentially the same things in different places and different times, independently of developments elsewhere. Agriculture, writing, urbanism, complex economies, and so on, all have been independently invented multiple times in different parts of the world. This fact raises some intriguing questions about what it means to be human. By comparing how these developments occurred in different places and times, archaeologists can, in a sense, perform experiments on the past. Each semester this course is offered we will focus on a separate theme in archaeological research, such as the transition to agriculture; production, trade, and exchange; the origin of writing; imperialism, colonialism, and warfare; pseudoscience/pseudoarchaeology; or human evolution. We will study competing theoretical perspectives and different world regions to gain a broad understanding of the theme and how both theory and data are used to create a comprehensive understanding of the human past. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-255	Regional Archaeology Since the first humans set out from Africa nearly two million years ago, our ancestors and relatives managed to settle in almost every continent. Wherever they went, they left traces of their lives that are tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years deep. We call these traces the archaeological record. Almost everywhere our ancestors settled, they did many of the same things, such as inventing agriculture, cities, writing, and state-level societies. However, they did this in ways unique to each region and time. This course examines the archaeology of a specific region, such as the Middle East, Mesoamerica, North America, or East Asia, in detail. We examine the geography, culture, archaeological record, and significance of the region to various key themes in archaeological research with respect to other world regions. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-260	Native North Americans This course examines the persistence and change in Native American cultures using archaeological, ethnohistorical, socioeconomic, ethnographic, linguistic, and autobiographical sources among others. In addition to broad regional and historical coverage, we will read about and discuss culture change, colonialism, federal law, gender, race, and places in Native American contexts. Our goal is to understand the lived experiences of Indian people and the many forces that shape Native American lives. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-265	Native Americans in Film This course will examine the parallels of anthropological works and resulting government policies in the late-19th and 20th centuries as they relate to the genre of Native Americans film, both popular and ethnographic works. In addition, an extensive regional and historical literature review will complement the possible films. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-270	Cuisine, Culture and Power Physically, culturally, and socially, humans live through food and drink. Spanning the globe, as nearly limitless omnivores, humans have developed myriad ways of collecting and cultivating food and taking advantage of local environments. We also put food to work for us socially by creating cuisine. Through cuisine, we forge and nourish relationships, commune with deities, and through luxury choices, demonstrate our "taste" and lay claim to elite status. Through the cultural practices of production and consumption of food and drink, we wield power. Food and drink consumption patterns have sustained slavery, poverty, malnutrition, and illegal immigration, and have laid waste to the environment. In this class, we explore physical, cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions of food and become more aware of how the private, intimate act of a bite connects us to the rest of humanity. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
ANTH-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-310	African Film This course considers the diversity, contours and synergies of African films and filmmaking, traversing the continent to view films from Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Egypt and Mali. Though much scholarship has focused on influential African filmmakers and nationally located cinemas, the straight-to-video systems of the 1980s and 1990s had a profound impact on African films and filmmaking. Nollywood and other video film industries began to dominate film production and transnational mobility, influencing new film technologies and industries, accessibility and addressability across the globe. Topics in this course include the influence of African film directors on filmmaking, and critical developments in major industries; Nollywood and beyond, and the cultural aesthetics, politics and economics that affect their global mobility and popular appeal; postcolonial identities and power; music and oral traditions of storytelling; didactic, post-colonial cinema with moral, political missions vs. ‘arthouse’ approaches; Afrofuturist and speculative cinema; channels such as African Magic that are shown in more than 50 African countries; and the effects of video streaming on global stardom and popularity. Students will learn about diverse African films and approaches to filmmaking, and the vibrant people and creative cultures that make up these film industries. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-312	People Before Cities More than half the global population today lives in densely populated urban areas, which are further surrounded by complex networks of smaller communities. Yet, the earliest cities appeared less than 6,000 years ago, a small fraction of time since our species’ first appearance. The characteristics that define us as human were forged in radically different social universes from those of today. We lived our lives among not much more than 20-30 other people at any one time, hunting and gathering our food, and occasionally moving from place to place. This lifestyle was so successful and adaptable it endured pressures from more complex societies well into the 20th century. Understanding what life was like in such these small-scale societies is important because the material and social world in which they lived is the foundation for societies where food production, social hierarchy, and occupational specialization are the norm. This course will examine both the ethnographic and archaeological record of hunter/foragers from around the globe in an attempt to understand how it proved to be such a versatile and resilient way of life and how its successes, in fact, laid the foundation for social inequality, complexity, and food production. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-325	Bodies and Culture Our bodies are more than mere physical entities; they are conditioned by culture, society, and history. We will take a comparative approach to the cultural construction of bodies and the impact of ethnic, gender, and racial ideologies on body practices (i.e. surgical alteration, mutilation, beautification, surrogacy, erotica). We will critically investigate the global formation of normative discourses of the body (regarding sexuality, AIDS/illness, reproduction, fat/food) in medical science, consumer culture, and the mass media. The course features discussion, writing, and project-oriented research, encouraging students to acquire a range of analytic skills through a combination of text interpretation and research. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-328	Heritage and Tourism Tourism is a global industry and an important part of the human experience. There are many forces within tourism that act upon people’s lives, and in particular their environments, economies, cultural heritage, and identity. This course will explore tourism and its many dimensions. Beginning with an examination of kinds of tourism, this course unpacks tourism’s ancient trade and pilgrimage roots as well as its class dynamics of post-industrialization. Other aspects of tourism to be explored include strategies and effects of tourism development and production, nationalism and cultural identity, commoditization and marketing of culture and the ethics of development, labor and infrastructural changes, social inequalities, ecological impact, sustainable tourism, the experience of tourists, ritual and authenticity, and the relationship between tourists and tourism workers. This course provides opportunities for cross-cultural analysis of tourism sites, for participant-observation of the tourist experience, and for evaluation and recommendation of tourism site development in and around Rochester. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-335	Culture and Politics in Latin America What does it mean to be a region forged and defined by conquest? “Latin America” is a construct—a term referring to a vast region of the western hemisphere colonized by speakers of Latin-derived languages (including Spanish, Portuguese, and French). In this context, culture is political and politics are cultural. Throughout what is now called Latin America and the Caribbean, the cultural practices of Indigenous and African peoples became the justification for the imposition of European rule, territorial expansion, enslavement, the extraction of labor and natural resources, Christian evangelization, and the racialized legal frameworks that facilitated it all. This course traces these historical processes and examines present-day legacies of colonialism, including ethnic inequalities, colorism, economic vulnerability, patriarchal relations, and social unrest. We consider, as well, the agency of people of Indigenous and African descent as they pursued survival with tactics ranging from acquiescence and strategic passing to creative blending to outright defiance, resistance, and rebellion. Throughout, we look at how art, music, dance, literature, and religion have engaged critically with the forces of fascism, revolution, socialism, dictatorship, neo-imperialism, and globalization. Lecture 3 (Spring).
ANTH-341	Global Addictions This course evaluates global forms of “addiction” in medical, cultural, national, and transnational situations of encounter. Though primarily a EuroAmerican concept of illness, addiction is now discursively and experientially widespread, assuming the status of a “global form.” Addiction narratives and experiences shape people and social life everywhere, as scientific and cultural or national knowledge intersect to form subjectivities, identities of addicts, and communities of addicted bodies. Concepts of will, morality, the addicted self and other, and living and dying also impact the cultural, national and international infrastructures we build—whether and how, for instance, we put resources into medical or criminal justice systems and networks. A closer look at the intimate lives of addicts thus enables us to consider identity boundaries and crossings; addiction languages; family relations and parenting; self-made communities and social bonds; work at the economic fringes of society; personal and institutional violence; policing and navigating enforcement or incarceration; homelessness and legal, medical and social service bureaucracies; as well as transnational production, trafficking, forms of addiction, and policing. By the end of the course, students will comprehend concepts and theories of addiction, and global perspectives on people living with addiction. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-345	Genocide and Transitional Justice The destruction and survival of societies hinges on collective ideas of identity. In times of social stress, identities—whether racial, ethnic, religious or national—become critical “sites” of conflict over the sovereignty of nation-states, and the legitimacy of social, cultural practices. When ideas fail to incorporate people, essentialist categories of identity, historical grievances, and accounts of extreme violence become interrelated, potent sources of destruction. Slavery and exclusive ownership of resources leave people starving or living in perilously polluted environments. Global cultural economies threaten local systems and self-representation. In this course, we will take critical, anthropological approaches to studies of ethnocide, genocide and transitional justice. Students will assess the destruction and survival of societies, from the 19th century slaughter of Native Americans and Amazonian Indians to more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, the Sudan, Iraq, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China. Students will consider similarities and differences in the social experiences of mass violence, and the ethics of protecting particular identity-based groups, and not others, in international, national and local laws. Students will become familiar with multiple inter-related justice systems, for instance, the International Criminal Court, national and United Nations-backed tribunals, and local justice systems such as the Rwandan Gacaca courts. Recent developments in legal ethics and international law will enable students to see how public sentiments, legal advocacy and other social, political processes facilitate enhanced protections for the world’s most vulnerable people. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-360	Humans and Their Environment Humans and their societies have always been shaped by their environment, but as human societies became more complex, their relationship with their environment changed from one of simple adaptation to one in which they had the power to change their environment. Often, the changes they have wrought have had unintended consequences, forcing societies to adapt to the changes that they themselves have brought about. Although we tend to think that this is a relatively recent phenomenon, humans have been altering their environment since the first human societies made the transition to agriculture over ten thousand years ago, if not longer. In this class, we will use the tools of environmental archaeology to explore the history of human interactions with their environments and to draw lessons on how we could manage that interaction today. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Annual).
ANTH-375	Native American Cultural Resources and Rights There is a great cultural, and linguistic diversity among Native American Indigenous Nations and their approach to managing cultural and natural resources. This course will explore this diversity in addition to the various ways Indigenous nations have maintained and exerted their sovereignty. This will be done in one of three distinct topics: 1). American Indian Sovereignty - an examination of the historical and political foundations of Indigenous sovereignty and its current expressions; 2). Indigenous Economics and Economies - a contrasting of Indigenous approaches for building and maintaining sustainable economies with non-Indigenous ones combined with the use of economic methods to understand the impact of settler colonialism and capitalism on Indigenous economies; or 3). Native American Languages - an examination of: the structure and origin of Indigenous languages; the events that have led many Indigenous languages to be endangered; and the efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages. For clarification purposes: American Indian is used to refer to Indigenous people residing within the boundaries of the continental United States; Native American broadens this definition to include all Indigenous people residing in either North or South America; while Indigenous is the most broadly defined. Indigenous includes all people who identify with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies who consider themselves distinct from the societies now prevailing on those territories both within and outside the Americas. Lecture 3 (Spring).
ANTH-385	Historical Anthropology and Colonialism "Until the lions have their storytellers, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," wrote Ngugi wa Thiong'o. In a core line of inquiry, historical anthropologists have traced the expansion of empires and cultural transformations under colonial pressures. Such investigations yield theoretical insights into the dynamics of systems and agency; power, hegemony, acquiescence, and resistance; racialization and the colonial construction of difference; capital accumulation; and the ways in which conventional anthropological and historical approaches have mirrored and abetted empire. Archives typically represent the perspectives of the colonizers. Any effort to grasp the experiences and perspectives of the colonized, therefore, must critically engage with the archive and seek sources beyond institutional texts. Storytelling, visual arts, and song are rich repositories of indigenous, alternative, and counterhegemonic histories and visions of time and prophecy. In this course, students have hands-on opportunities to access and analyze digitized and published primary sources and we discuss the ethical responsibilities of those who seek to represent the past. Lecture 3 (Biannual).
ANTH-410	Global Cities This course examines the impact of global dynamics on cities from the early 20th century to the present. By tracing urban formations from metropolis to global city, emphasis will be placed on the making of identities, communities, and citizens in the architectural spaces, cultural places, ethnic zones, and media traces of urban life in the context of globalization. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-415	Archaeological Science Archaeology is one of the few social sciences that lends itself well to the application of analytical techniques from the physical sciences. This is due to the fact that archaeology relies primarily on physical evidence, artifacts and features, whose origin, composition, age, and manner of production can be elucidated through application of the physical sciences. This course examines the application of physical science techniques to archaeological questions, including the age and origin of materials, how things are made, what people ate, their daily activities, and their state of health throughout their life. The course will include in-class labs in which students have the opportunity to apply some of these techniques and a final research project in which the student picks their own archaeological question to answer. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-420	Exploring Ancient Technology While it is commonplace to describe the present era as one dominated by technology, humans have always been critically dependent on technology. Many of today’s key technologies such as agriculture, writing, ceramics, woodworking, textiles, glass, and metals were invented before the dawn of recorded history. In this class, we will explore these ancient technologies, how they came to be invented, how they evolved, and how they were integrated into the social and economic life of ancient peoples to become the foundations of modern society. This course features lectures, readings, and hands-on laboratories and projects on ancient technology and experimental archaeology. Laboratories and projects will focus on how scientists create new knowledge about the past by testing hypotheses about ancient technology. The course concludes with either an individual project, such as replicating a particular artifact or process, or a class project, such as building and using a Mesopotamian glass furnace. Lab, Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-425	Global Sexualities By exploring issues of gender and sexuality in a global context, students will be introduced to anthropological perspectives on the experience of men and women, as gendered subjects, in different societies and historical contexts, including colonialism, nationalism, and global capitalism. In turn, we will explore how cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity are configured by race, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Course materials are drawn from an array of sources, reflecting various theoretical perspectives and ethnographic views from different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-430	Visual Anthropology We see others as we imagine them to be, in terms of our values, not as they see themselves. This course examines ways in which we understand and represent the reality of others through visual media, across the boundaries of culture, gender, and race. It considers how and why visual media can be used to represent or to distort the world around us. Pictorial media, in particular ethnographic film and photography, are analyzed to document the ways in which indigenous and native peoples in different parts of the world have been represented and imagined by anthropologists and western popular culture. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-435	The Archaeology of Death Death and burial are how most individuals enter the archaeological record and one could say that deliberate burial of the dead is the first direct evidence we have for the emergence of ethical and religious systems of thought. Human remains, their mortuary treatment, and associated material culture illuminate past patterns of social organization, economics, belief systems, health, and the negotiation of gender, status, and identity. In this course we explore the scientific and theoretical tools used to analyze and interpret past mortuary practices, how archaeologists create new knowledge about the past through the formulations and testing of hypotheses, survey mortuary practices from their first occurrence in the archaeological record, and what human remains can tell us about changes in the human experience over time and space. We will learn how human remains are identified, how determinations of age, sex, biological affiliation, health, and injury are made, how to interpret formation processes, to interpret associated material culture to understand the negotiation of gender and status; how humans have cared for the deceased members of their societies at different times and places in the human past; and the ethics of studying human mortuary remains. Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).
ANTH-489	Topics in Anthropology This topics course focuses on specific themes or issues in anthropology, chosen by the instructor, vetted by the department chair, announced in the course subtitle on SIS, and developed in the syllabus. The topics of this course will vary, but the course number will remain the same. Students may not repeat the same topic. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
ANTH-498	Practicum Students will apply the accumulated knowledge, theory, and methods of the discipline to problem solving outside of the classroom. The Practicum may consist of internship, study abroad, or archaeological or ethnographic field school (consisting of at least 160 hours, completed over at least 4 weeks). (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Internship (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-503	Scholar's Thesis II This is the second course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology or urban studies in which students will conduct an original research project. In this second course, working with a thesis adviser, students will finalize data collection, analyze the data, write and defend a thesis paper, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: ANTH-502 or equivalent course.) Research (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ENVS-250	Applications Geographic Information Systems Through hands-on projects and case studies, this course illustrates concepts and applications of raster and vector geographic information systems (GIS) in a variety of disciplines, such as environmental science, biology, geology, geography, sociology, and economics. Students will learn how to use GIS software and spatial analyses, plan a project, create a database, and conduct an independent project. Students should have completed a foundational course in their major and be comfortable working with computers. Experience with programming is also useful. (Foundational course in student's major field of study or permission of instructor). Lec/Lab 6 (Fall).
INGS-101	Global Studies Within the past three decades, planetary computerization, burgeoning media industries, and other global processes have significantly altered the ways in which we experience our local and global worlds. Global reconfigurations of time and space change our consciousness, sense of self and others, and the material realities in which we live and work. This course provides the conceptual tools to assess emerging global processes, interactions and flows of people, ideas and things that challenge historical patterns of international studies and relations. The course will introduce you to international and global processes in areas such as global cultural economies, global cities, new forms of democracy and civil society, global religions, sexualities, health, and environments, increased competition for resources, political conflict, war and terrorism. Beyond understanding the causes and consequences of global change, this course will introduce you to ethical dilemmas in global justice movements, and in transferring ideas and technologies in new global contexts. Lecture 3 (Fall).
INGS-270	Cuisine, Culture, and Power Physically, culturally, and socially, humans live through food and drink. Spanning the globe, as nearly limitless omnivores, humans have developed myriad ways of collecting and cultivating food and taking advantage of local environments. We also put food to work for us socially by creating cuisine. Through cuisine, we forge and nourish relationships, commune with deities, and through luxury choices, demonstrate our "taste" and lay claim to elite status. Through the cultural practices of production and consumption of food and drink, we wield power. Food and drink consumption patterns have sustained slavery, poverty, malnutrition, and illegal immigration, and have laid waste to the environment. In this class, we explore physical, cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions of food and become more aware of how the private, intimate act of a bite connects us to the rest of humanity. Lecture 3 (Fall).
SOCI-210	Black America: Culture & HipHop This course examines the historical and contemporary conditions of Blacks in the U.S. We will explore African American culture as it is perceived by many African-Americans, and consider theoretical concepts related to immigration and the segmented assimilation of Black immigrant groups coming into the U.S. We will also address identity politics as it relates to race, class, and gender, oppression, as well as the art products that originate in Black communities. A particular emphasis will be placed on Hip Hop music, dance, and style as an expression of Black culture, identity, activism, and social influence (both nationally and globally). Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-215	The Changing Family Families are the microcosm of society. Sociological concepts and theories define the family as a fundamental institution that both mirrors and propels societal change. The field of family studies explores various parameters of family systems, including gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, division of labor, marriage and divorce, children, and generational relations. In the wake of significant changes in family forms, experiences, and prevailing household arrangements, the scope of sociological inquiry has expanded to meet the new realities of American family life. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-220	Minority Group Relations The course will provide a context in which to examine the multiple and contradictory social relations of domination, subordination, resistance, and empowerment. The kinds of questions we will explore focus on how power, knowledge, meaning, and cultural representation are organized. We will analyze a variety of political and ideological themes which bear upon the formation of minority group relations, their identity and how these themes complicate the processes by which people construct their understanding of the nation, world, of others, and themselves. Through reflection on theoretical texts and fictional works, as well as film and other popular media, we will consider for ourselves how culture is differently represented and signified, and how the politics of understanding and misunderstanding minority relations work through practices within and outside cultural institutions. Lecture 3 (Fa/sp/su).
SOCI-225	Social Inequality This course examines various forms of social inequality, including economic, political, health, higher education, race and sex inequality. It uses a variety of sociology's ideas to explain why these kinds of inequality exist, how they persist and what can be done about them. Lecture 3 (Spring).
SOCI-230	Sociology of Work This course analyzes and assesses social relations of paid labor. Sociology's major ideas about the ways we work will be examined and applied to numerous important topics such as: workplace organization, unions, labor legislation, health and safety, workplace culture, interplays between work and family, experiences of work as alienating or satisfying, inequalities at work, and social mobility. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-235	Women, Work, and Culture In this course, we analyze historical and contemporary patterns of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, and the organization of work. Using the theoretical perspectives we analyze the work historically undertaken by women in societies and its relationship to broader political and economic structures. While our primary focus is on the U.S., we will also conduct a cross-cultural analysis of gender and work in developing and industrializing societies. Specific issues include gender discrimination (e.g., wage discrimination, sexual harassment), sexuality, reproduction, and women organizing to control their work and working conditions. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-240	Deaf Culture in America This course is an introductory survey of Deaf culture in the United States. Students will study the scholarly literature pertaining to various social groups in the Deaf community and have contact with their members. This course will familiarize students with the characteristics of Deaf Culture, as well as general perceptions of the Deaf community within the dominant mainstream society. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-246	Gender and Health This course examines connections between gender and health that are both conceptual and empirical. Students will explore the causes of gender-based differences in health outcomes through case studies of sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS epidemics and violence. Students will also examine global gender and health trends. The course concludes with an examination of gender inequity in health care and policy implications of these inequities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-295	Global Public Health Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-300	Sociology of American Life This course will examine major U.S. institutions and dominant values that pattern everyday life. It will focus on the nation’s multi-national corporations, mass media, lawmaking, schools and the military, and dominant ideologies and values that guide these institutions such as the American dream, individualism, competition, faith in technology, consumerism and democracy. Alternative organizations and countercultures will be studied. The course will examine the interconnections between the U.S. and other nations as expressed by such issues as international trade agreements, cultural diffusion, environmental degradation, and war. Lecture 3 (Biannual).
SOCI-302	Qualitative Research Learning about social and cultural groups is a complex and ethically sensitive process. We explore common qualitative research methods for social and cultural research. We evaluate the utility of such methods for different purposes and contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. We consider common ethical dilemmas in research with human subjects, the ethical responsibilities of researchers, and common techniques for minimizing risks to subjects. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
SOCI-303	Statistics in the Social Sciences The research conducted by sociologists and anthropologists generates large, complex data sets that are difficult to interpret subjectively. We will explore the basic quantitative tools that sociologists and anthropologists can use to understand these data sets and learn how to craft a research question and research design that utilize quantitative data, how to select appropriate quantitative techniques and apply them, how to present results, and how to critically evaluate quantitatively based knowledge claims. Lab 2, Lecture 2 .
SOCI-305	Crime and Human Rights: Sociology of Atrocities How is the murder of one person different from that of one million? Why is one act a crime while the other simply history? While mass atrocities have occurred, and continue to occur, throughout human history, it is only until recently that international laws started to name and criminalize these atrocities as human rights violations. This course revolves around the worst mass atrocities in recent human history and the responses they receive, focusing on violent crimes perpetrated by the state and the emerging human rights regime in response to such crimes after WWII. As a class, we will seek answers to questions such as: Why do ordinary people participate in extreme violence against their neighbors? How is violence sanctioned and organized by the state different from interpersonal violence? Who is responsible for state-sanctioned violence? What is the role of those who do not participate in or stop the violence? What is the role of human rights and human rights laws in preventing state-sanctioned violence? What are the possible responses to state-sanctioned violence under human rights laws? What are the consequences of such responses? Whether/how does social context matter in the way mass atrocities unfold and the responses they receive? To answer these questions, we will examine historical documents, watch movies, read literature, and study scholarly work. This course will be useful for students who seek careers in areas such as international law, diplomacy, human rights advocacy/prosecution, and criminal justice in general. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-322	Health and Society What would a healthy society look like? What questions should we be asking of those in power to ensure health equity? What is health equity? The objective of this course is to develop a sociological language for answering these and other questions. To do so, students will evaluate the relationship between health and society – that is, the connections between contemporary health disparities and today’s social, physical, and political economic environments. This includes an analysis of macro-factors (climate change, environmental pollution, global and/or national economies, laws) and micro-factors (social media, neighborhood conditions, green spaces, poor- or low-quality housing, and leisure spaces). The course emphasizes that health is impacted by the social circumstances into which people are born; inequitable distributions of power; and social/legal categories of exclusion and inclusion. Though sociological in orientation, this course resonates with the disciplinary and professional aims of medical anthropologists, public health professionals, community health practitioners, and anyone committed to eradicating health disparities. Lecture 3 (Annual).
SOCI-330	Urban (In)Justice With a focus on forms of (in)justice in urban communities worldwide, we investigate the impact of race, class, and gender and related systems of unequal power relations on perpetuating patterns of social, political, economic, and environmental oppression (policing, hunger, pollution, violence, disease). How do ways of governing urban populations affect the lives of inner city residents and their demands for justice when attempting to navigate the everyday urban worlds? Specific course topics include both historical and contemporary perspectives on urban (in)justice locally, in Rochester NY, and nationally, across the U.S., and in a global comparative framework. Thereby the effects of crime, violence, and inequality on people in urban neighborhoods are also examined among and within nations. By the end of the semester, students should be able to identify and explain various theories that seek to explain (in)justice patterns in the urban context at local, national and global levels. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-345	Urban Poverty Urban poverty has been recognized as a persistent problem in the United States since the middle of the last century. In many cities, poverty is associated with high levels of teenage pregnancy, low levels of employment, limited educational attainment, chronic community-based health problems, and high levels of crime. This course examines causes, consequences, and proposed policy solutions to urban poverty. Special emphasis will be paid to U.S. urban poverty. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-355	CyberActivism: Diversity, Sex, and the Internet Sociologists look to cyberspace to test theories of technology diffusion and media effects on society. This course explores the Internet’s impact on communities, political participation, cultural democracy, and diversity. How have digital technologies and electronic information flows shaped or diminished inequalities of gender, sex, and race? For instance: new electronic technologies have pushed the cultural and physical boundaries of how we have sex; with whom we have sex; and with what we have sex and/or have observed having sex, such as sex toys and avatars. The sociological implications of this new technology depend on economic, legal, and policy decisions that are shaping the Internet as it becomes institutionalized. The course analyzes such new forms of cyber-democracy with a focus on issues of gender, sex, and race. Lecture 3 (Spring, Summer).
SOCI-361	Sociology of Numbers Much of the knowledge of our social worlds has been digitized. This course explores how social technologies shape our relationships, personal lives, and sense of self. The metric manufacture of diversity has produced new forms of population management and inequality. Our biographic histories as citizens, consumers, workers/professionals, parents, lovers, and social media users are collected as data-bites and assessed in metric terms, thereby forging new sets of identities. The transformation of people into numerical entities is an act of statistical objectification. This process frames the creation of social and racial typologies, and is well demonstrated by the US census. Students will investigate the formation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities in the context of the accelerated desire to digitize humanity. Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-370	Gender and the Law In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the monumental decision granting women in the U.S. rights to abortion in 1973, sent shockwaves throughout the country and the globe. The tremendous impact of this decision on the life of millions raises fundamental questions regarding the very nature of the law and its implications in publicizing the most private choices we make. The fierce debate around reproductive rights is but one illustration of the intimate and yet violent relationship between gender and the law. In this course, we explore this relationship using a wide range of topics. We will utilize tools developed by scholars from various disciplines and activists in different struggles to ponder on questions ranging from “what is law/gender” to “what it means to have the law regulating our gendered bodies/practices”. Using examples both within and beyond the U.S. borders, we will analyze various perspectives on whether/how the law should regulate gender/sexuality grounded in different experiences across legal, social, and cultural contexts. Such comparisons will illuminate the connections among the worlds’ populations and elucidate the cultural and political assumptions underlying legal debates. The students will be tasked to research, analyze, and evaluate the cultural, political, and social implications of legal intervention in gendered social relations. This is a course of particular interest to students who aspire to a career in the legal profession and/or advocacy for gender equity. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring, Summer).
SOCI-395	Borders: Humans, Boundaries, and Empires Borders are more than walls; they are social constructions with real consequences. This course examines the creation and consequences of borders. It discusses how borders developed historically, how borders function as tools of population management in places and systems far from the borderlands, and the politics and experiences of border crossing. We will look for borders both between and within nation states when addressing these issues. The course will utilize a variety of materials including but not limited to scholarly sources, policy transcripts, popular cultural products (e.g. films and TV shows), and art (e.g. poetry, paintings). Students will play an active role in determining specific course topics, though they can expect to discuss a range of relevant issues including contemporary immigration politics, Indigenous rights, the war on terror, border disputes and armed conflicts, privatization of immigration management, displacement and segregation of domestic populations, and border activism. This course provides students with tools that ground and expand their understanding of borders, preparing them for participation in one of the most important public debates of our time. The purview of this course is relevant for those who aspire toward professions in public policy, law enforcement, public service, law, and community-organizing, among others. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-489	Topics in Sociology This topics course focuses on specific themes or issues in sociology, chosen by the instructor, vetted by the department chair, announced in the course subtitle on SIS, and developed in the syllabus. The topics of this course will vary, but the course number will remain the same. Students may repeat the course for credit, but may not repeat a topic. Seminar 3 (Fall, Spring).
SOCI-498	Practicum Students will apply the accumulated knowledge, theory, and methods of the discipline to problem solving outside of the classroom. The Practicum may consist of internship, study abroad, or archaeological or ethnographic field school (consisting of at least 160 hours, completed over at least 4 weeks). (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Internship (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-503	Scholar's Thesis II This is the second course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology or urban studies, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this second course, working with a thesis advisor, students will finalize data collection, analyze the data, write and defend a thesis paper, following the conventions of the discipline. (4th year status, 3.2 gpa, and permission of thesis advisor) (Prerequisites: SOCI-502 or equivalent course.) Research (Fall, Spring, Summer).

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for combined accelerated degrees available with this bachelor's degree.

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Science, Technology and Public Policy, MS degree, typical course sequence

Course		Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-102H	Honors Cultural Anthropology Anthropology is the holistic science of the human condition, and professional anthropologists engage in experiential, empirical and humanistic research. Cultural diversity and change are explored through the anthropological techniques of immersion (ethnographic fieldwork) and cross-cultural analysis. In-depth and comparative analysis of critical issues may include transnational migration, ethnic nationalism, racism, changing and clashing views on gender and sexuality, indigenous peoples’ rights, religious fundamentalism, genocide, war, hunger, famine, and cultural and economic dimensions of globalization. The specific topic varies from year to year. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		3
SOCI-102	Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-102H	Honors Sociology This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
YOPS-10	RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).	0
	General Education – First-Year Writing	3
	General Education - Artistic Perspective	3
	General Education - Ethical Perspective	3
	General Education - Global Perspective	3
	General Education - Natural Science Inquiry Perspective†	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective A	3
	SOCANT Track Course	3
	Open Elective	3
Second Year
	SOCANT Methods	6
	Track Courses	9
	General Education - Social Perspective	3
	General Education - Scientific Principles Perspective	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective B	3
	General Education - Immersion 1	3
	General Education - Elective	3
Third Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
	Track Courses	9
	General Education - Immersion 2, 3	6
	General Education - Electives	6
	Open Elective	6
Fourth Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
SOCI-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
ANTH-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of cultural anthropology or archaeology. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
SOCI-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
PUBL-701	Graduate Policy Analysis This course provides graduate students with necessary tools to help them become effective policy analysts. The course places particular emphasis on understanding the policy process, the different approaches to policy analysis, and the application of quantitative and qualitative methods for evaluating public policies. Students will apply these tools to contemporary public policy decision making at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Lecture 3 (Fall).	3
PUBL-702	Graduate Decision Analysis This course provides students with an introduction to decision science and analysis. The course focuses on several important tools for making good decisions, including decision trees, including forecasting, risk analysis, and multi-attribute decision making. Students will apply these tools to contemporary public policy decision making at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Lecture 3 (Spring).	3
	General Education - Electives	15
	Open Electives	6
Fifth Year
PUBL-700	Readings in Public Policy An in-depth inquiry into key contemporary public policy issues. Students will be exposed to a wide range of important public policy texts, and will learn how to write a literature review in a policy area of their choosing. (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Seminar (Fall).	3
PUBL-703	Program Evaluation and Research Design The focus of this course is on evaluation of program outcomes and research design. Students will explore the questions and methodologies associated with meeting programmatic outcomes, secondary or unanticipated effects, and an analysis of alternative means for achieving program outcomes. Critique of evaluation research methodologies will also be considered. Seminar (Spring).	3
Choose one of the following:		3
PUBL-610	Technological Innovation and Public Policy Technological innovation, the incremental and revolutionary improvements in technology, has been a major driver in economic, social, military, and political change. This course will introduce generic models of innovation that span multiple sectors including: energy, environment, health, and bio- and information-technologies. The course will then analyze how governments choose policies, such as patents, to spur and shape innovation and its impacts on the economy and society. Students will be introduced to a global perspective on innovation policy including economic competitiveness, technology transfer and appropriate technology. Lecture 3 (Spring).
STSO-710	Graduate Science and Technology Policy Seminar STP examines how local, state, federal and international policies are developed to influence innovation, the transfer of technology and industrial productivity in the United States and other selected nations. It provides a framework for considering the mechanisms of policy as a form of promotion and control for science and technology, even once those innovations are democratized and effectively uncontrollable. Further focus is dedicated to the structure of governance inherent in U.S. domestic policy, limits of that approach, the influences of international actors, and utilizing case studies to demonstrate the challenges inherent in managing differing types of technology. This seminar is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from the instructor. (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Seminar (Biannual).
	Graduate Electives	9
Choose one of the following:		6
PUBL-785	Capstone Experience The Public Policy Capstone Experience serves as a culminating experience for those MS in Science, Technology and Public Policy students who chose this option in the Public Policy Department. Over the course of the semester, students will have the opportunity to investigate and address contemporary topics in science and technology policy using analytic skills and theoretical knowledge learned over the course of their MS degree. Project 1 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
PUBL-790	Public Policy Thesis The master's thesis in science, technology, and public policy requires the student to select a thesis topic, advisor and committee; prepare a written thesis proposal for approval by the faculty; present and defend the thesis before a thesis committee; and submit a bound copy of the thesis to the library and to the program chair. (Enrollment in this course requires permission from the department offering the course.) Thesis 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
PUBL-798	Comprehensive Exam plus two (2) Graduate Electives
Total Semester Credit Hours		144

Please see General Education Curriculum for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.

† Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, student must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement.

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Communication, MS degree, typical course sequence

Course		Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-102H	Honors Cultural Anthropology Anthropology is the holistic science of the human condition, and professional anthropologists engage in experiential, empirical and humanistic research. Cultural diversity and change are explored through the anthropological techniques of immersion (ethnographic fieldwork) and cross-cultural analysis. In-depth and comparative analysis of critical issues may include transnational migration, ethnic nationalism, racism, changing and clashing views on gender and sexuality, indigenous peoples’ rights, religious fundamentalism, genocide, war, hunger, famine, and cultural and economic dimensions of globalization. The specific topic varies from year to year. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		3
SOCI-102	Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-102H	Honors Sociology This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
YOPS-10	RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).	3
	General Education – First-Year Writing (WI)	3
	General Education - Artistic Perspective	3
	General Education - Ethical Perspective	3
	General Education - Global Perspective	3
	General Education - Natural Science Inquiry Perspective†	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective A	3
	Open Elective	3
	SOCANT Track course	3
Second Year
	SOCANT Track Courses	9
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	General Education - Social Perspective	3
	General Education - Scientific Principles Perspective	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective B	3
	General Education - Immersion 1	3
	General Education - Elective	3
	Open Elective	3
Third Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
	SOCANT Track Courses	9
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	General Education - Immersion 2, 3	6
	General Education - Electives	6
	Open Elective	3
Fourth Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
ANTH-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of cultural anthropology or archaeology. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
SOCI-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
SOCI-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
COMM-714	Strategic Communication This course will introduce students to the theory and practice of strategic communication in advertising, public relations, health communication, crisis/risk communication, and/or political communication. This course will cover problem identification, audience research, message creation, and execution of strategic communication activities. It will also cover ethics and strategic communication through digital media. By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze and execute various components to help solve problems or achieve an organization’s goals and objectives. Seminar 3 (Fall).	3
	Graduate Communication Elective	3
	General Education - Electives	15
	Open Elective	6
Fifth Year
COMM-702	Communication Theories Over the course of this term we will cover mass communication theory from its inception as a field of study, to major trends, followed by current applications of previous paradigms, and finally into the development of new theoretical frameworks. While the main focus of this course is the integration of current mass communication theory with an individual and organizational online presence, we will also focus on how digital platforms can inform the future of theoretical research and vice versa. From a practical perspective, students will be able to apply these theories to their integrative approaches in creative digital communication and design. (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Seminar 3 (Fall).	3
COMM-703	Research Methods in Communication This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication and guide them in choosing the appropriate method for their thesis research project. Topics may include research perspectives, ethics and IRB, variables, sampling methods, reliability and validity, survey, experiments, content analysis, in-depth interview, focus group, observations/ethnography, and mixed methods. (Prerequisites: COMM-702 or equivalent course.) Seminar 3 (Spring).	3
COMM-720	Thesis Preparation Seminar An introduction to graduate study and research in communication including the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological parameters of communication and its sub-disciplines. Participants will interact with the faculty teaching required and elective communication courses. Attention will be drawn to scholarly writing and research design. When possible, the course is organized in conjunction with the department’s colloquium series. (This course is restricted to COMMTCH-MS Major students.) Seminar 1 (Spring).	0
Choose one of the following:		6
COMM-800	Communication Thesis/Project (6 CR) A guided research project that focuses on designing, conducting, and completing a research project. The project culminates in a public presentation and defense. Thesis (Fall, Spring, Summer).
COMM-800	Communication Thesis/Project (3 CR) plus one (1) Graduate Elective ‡ A guided research project that focuses on designing, conducting, and completing a research project. The project culminates in a public presentation and defense. Thesis (Fall, Spring, Summer).
COMM-801	Comprehensive Exam plus two (2) Graduate Electives‡
	Graduate Communication Elective	3
	Graduate Professional Core Courses	9
Total Semester Credit Hours		144

Please see General Education Curriculum for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.

† Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, student must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement.

‡ The elective(s) can be from the Graduate Professional Core or a Graduate Communication Elective, or a combination of both.

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Hospitality Business Management, MS degree, typical course sequence

Course		Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-102H	Honors Cultural Anthropology Anthropology is the holistic science of the human condition, and professional anthropologists engage in experiential, empirical and humanistic research. Cultural diversity and change are explored through the anthropological techniques of immersion (ethnographic fieldwork) and cross-cultural analysis. In-depth and comparative analysis of critical issues may include transnational migration, ethnic nationalism, racism, changing and clashing views on gender and sexuality, indigenous peoples’ rights, religious fundamentalism, genocide, war, hunger, famine, and cultural and economic dimensions of globalization. The specific topic varies from year to year. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		3
SOCI-102	Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-102H	Honors Sociology This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
YOPS-10	RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).	0
	General Education- First Year Writing (WI-GE)	3
	General Education - Artistic Perspective	3
	General Education - Ethical Perspective	3
	General Education - Global Perspective	3
	General Education - Natural Science Inquiry Perspective†	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective A	3
	SOCANT Track Course	3
	Open Elective	3
Second Year
	SOCANT Track Courses‡	9
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	General Education - Social Perspective	3
	General Education - Scientific Principles Perspective	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective B	3
	General Education - Immersion 1	3
	General Education - Elective	3
	Open Elective	3
Third Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
	SOCANT Track Courses	9
	SOCANT Methods Course	3
	General Education - Immersion 2, 3	6
	General Education - Electives	6
	Open Elective§	3
Fourth Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
ANTH-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of cultural anthropology or archaeology. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
SOCI-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
SOCI-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
HSPT-735	Hospitality and Tourism Customer Experience and Engagement Creating memorable experience is a crucial differentiator for hospitality and tourism enterprises. Guided by the concepts of “hospitality” and “being hospitable”, this course introduces theories and methods that can be utilized during the service encounter to trigger optimal customer experiences through physical, social, and cultural interactions. This course addresses the co-creation of the experiences and value not only from hospitality and tourism service providers but also from the engagement of customers. The course puts an emphasis on the design of the customer journey, including theming, storytelling, and sensory, as well as unfolding customer experience in the phygital (physical and online) platform. Lecture 3 (Fall).	3
HSPT-745	Advanced Lodging Operations This course provides an overview of lodging operations from a variety of aspects. These include types of lodging operations and ownership (chain, franchise, leasing, and management contract), guest cycle and the establishment of organizational structures. Also covered are lodging revenue management from forecasting, pricing models, overbooking, interpreting financial statements, and the application of lodging technology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the lodging operations. Lecture 3 (Fall).	3
	General Education - Electives	15
	Open Elective§	6
Fifth Year
HSPT-755	Advanced Food and Beverage Business Management	3
HSPT-760	Hospitality Asset Management This course introduces students to the role and functions of a hospitality asset manager. This course provides students the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to apply real estate tactics and strategies to maximize asset performance. Students will learn the different analyses that lead to investment, branding, and operational decisions. Asset managers are responsible for capital investment decisions, negotiating hotel management contracts, and creating value for investors and brand owners. Students will learn how to balance the interests of investors, owners, and franchisors to create maximum value for each through appropriate operational and financial decisions. (Prerequisites: HSPT-730 and HSPT-745 and HSPT-755 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Spring).	3
HSPT-780	Hospitality Analytics This course introduces students to the application of data analytical methods and software in the analysis and management of hospitality operations. The hospitality industry is among the most data-intensive industries and this course prepares students to identify, collect, and analyze data in support of organizational decision-making. Students will learn the application of data analytics in improving industry revenues, optimizing and managing marketing programs, and in human capital management. (Prerequisites: HSPT-730 and HSPT-745 and HSPT-755 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Spring).	3
HSPT-797	Capstone Project in Hospitality and Tourism This course is practical, project-based approach to a more traditional master's thesis. Students in the course will design and develop a project which reflects a viable option for an existing or putative organization. After a review of essential project management and planning skills as well as financial skills, the student designs and develops the project with continual review and feedback from the supervising faculty. Project 3 (Spring, Summer).	3
	MS Professional Electives	12
Total Semester Credit Hours		144

Please see General Education Curriculum for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.

† Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, student must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement.

‡ In preparation for graduate success, students are strongly encouraged to take ANTH-328 Heritage and Tourism and ANTH-270 Cuisine, Culture, and Power among their track electives.

§ In preparation for graduate success, students are strongly encouraged to take HSPT-225 Hospitality and Tourism Management Fundamentals among their open electives in their third or fourth year.

** Note: SOCI/ANTH 498 Practicum and SOCI/ANTH 499 Co-op (0 credits) are encouraged but not required.

MS Professional Electives

Students take 12 credits of graduate-level elective courses, approved by department faculty on a case-by-case basis as appropriate to student preparation and trends in the field, as a part of individual plans of study. Sorted by category, such elective courses may include:

Accounting and Finance

Electives
ACCT-603	Accounting for Decision Makers A graduate-level introduction to the use of accounting information by decision makers. The focus of the course is on two subject areas: (1) financial reporting concepts/issues and the use of general-purpose financial statements by internal and external decision makers and (2) the development and use of special-purpose financial information intended to assist managers in planning and controlling an organization's activities. Generally accepted accounting principles and issues related to International Financial Reporting Standards are considered while studying the first subject area and ethical issues impacting accounting are considered throughout. (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ACCT-745	Accounting Information and Analytics The objective for this course is helping students develop a data mindset which prepare them to interact with data scientists from an accountant perspective. This course enables students to develop analytics skills to conduct descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis for accounting information. This course focuses on such topics as data modeling, relational databases, blockchain, visualization, unstructured data, web scraping, and data extraction. (Prerequisites: ACCT-110 or ACCT-603 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Summer).
FINC-605	Financing New Ventures A focus on financial issues affecting an entrepreneur. The course emphasizes, identifies, and follows the wealth creation cycle. The wealth creation cycle begins with an idea for a good, product or service, progresses to an initial company startup, passes through successive stages of growth, considers alternative approaches to resource financing, and ends with harvesting the wealth created through an initial public offering, merger or sale. Identification and valuation of business opportunities, how and from whom entrepreneurs raise funds, how financial contracts are structured to both manage risk and align incentives, and alternative approaches by which entrepreneurs identify exit strategies are reviewed. Lecture 3 (Fall).
FINC-721	Financial Analysis for Managers An examination of basic financial theories, techniques, and practices. Topics include: time value of money, valuation, capital asset pricing, risk and diversification, cost of capital, capital budgeting techniques and spreadsheet analysis. (Prerequisites: ACCT-603 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

Data Analytics

Electives
BANA-680	Data Management for Business Analytics This course introduces students to data management and analytics in a business setting. Students learn how to formulate hypotheses, collect and manage relevant data, and use standard tools such as Python and R in their analyses. The course exposes students to structured data as well as semi-structured and unstructured data. There are no pre or co-requisites; however, instructor permission is required for students not belonging to the MS-Business Analytics or other quantitative programs such as the MS-Computational Finance which have program-level pre-requisites in the areas of calculus, linear algebra, and programming. Lecture 3 (Fall).
BANA-780	Advanced Business Analytics This course provides foundational, advanced knowledge in the realm of business analytics. Advanced topics such as machine learning, analysis of structured data, text mining, and network analysis are covered. Industry standard tools such as R and Python are extensively used in completing student projects. (Prerequisite: BANA-680 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring).
MGIS-650	Introduction to Data Analytics and Business Intelligence This course serves as an introduction to data analysis including both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Contemporary data analytics and business intelligence tools will be explored through realistic problem assignments. Lecture 3 (Fall).

Human Resources

Electives
HRDE-726	Technology and the Future of Work The rapid pace of progress in technology and the change in demographics of the workforce are anticipated to affect what work will look like in the future, in addition to the structure and nature of work itself. Some of these changes might be incremental and others more radical and disruptive affecting the conduct of business. The pace, nature, and magnitude of these changes demand that businesses, organizations, educators, policy makers, leaders, managers, and individual employees reimagine models of employment including the organization and functioning of the workforce. This course is intended to provide students with a global perspective of the future of work and employment, and insights into the implications on their designated professions and careers. Among others, this course will address the following questions: What are the skills and competencies required of the workforce for this new future of work? What skills, competencies, and job roles may become redundant? How should corporations preempt and prepare to deal with these changes? What will be the role of leaders and managers in reimagining and developing the workforce of the future? Seminar 3 (Fall).
HRDE-735	Leading Human Resources The goal of this course is to develop knowledge of Human Resource Development and Management practices for the purpose of analyzing, communicating, evaluating, and leading the development of strategic human resource initiatives that react to emerging organizational concerns. This course is a foundation course for those seeking a leadership opportunity in Human Resources in which students will demonstrate their ability to analyze and lead the alignment of strategic organizational goals into HR functions. Lecture 3 (Spring).
HRDE-742	Leading Change Major change initiatives within organizations fail because of lack of understanding of the process of change and the lack of deliberate and focused attention to the change process. This course teaches students the change process and the alterations required in structures, processes, and activities to effectively implement change initiatives within organizations. The components of this course include applied approaches and tools to help analyze barriers for change, leverage power and influence, and provide frameworks to plan and implement change. Lecture 3 (Summer).
HRDE-765	Diversity in the Global Workplace As strategic partners in global workforce development, human resource development professionals guide organizations to build and maintain a diverse workforce. Diversity and inclusion exploit the natural synergies of a multicultural workforce. This course will examine dimensions of diversity beyond race, ethnicity, and gender and create opportunities to develop an understanding about how these dimensions intersect and play out in the workplace. The purpose of this course is to provide HRD professionals the knowledge required to manage these dynamics in an organizational setting and lead initiatives that will create and maintain an inclusive workplace. Project work will allow for the in-depth ability to assess the current state of diversity within a defined organization, conduct research and benchmarking to build a diverse workforce, and develop a diversity strategic plan with an on-going evaluation component to assess the success of diversity initiatives. Lecture 3 (Spring).

Management

Electives
DECS-744	Project Management A study in the principles of project management and the application of various tools and techniques for project planning and control. This course focuses on the leadership role of the project manager, and the roles and responsibilities of the team members. Considerable emphasis is placed on statements of work and work breakdown structures. The course uses a combination of lecture/discussion, group exercises, and case studies. (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
ISEE-682	Lean Six Sigma Fundamentals This course presents the philosophy and methods that enable participants to develop quality strategies and drive process improvements. The fundamental elements of Lean Six Sigma are covered along with many problem solving and statistical tools that are valuable in driving process improvements in a broad range of business environments and industries. Successful completion of this course is accompanied by “yellow belt” certification and provides a solid foundation for those who also wish to pursue a “green belt.” (Green belt certification requires completion of an approved project which is beyond the scope of this course). (This course is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students and dual degree BS/MS or BS/ME students in KGCOE.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
MGMT-740	Leading Teams in Organizations This course examines why people behave as they do in organizations and what managers can do to improve organizational performance by influencing people's behavior. Students will learn a number of frameworks for diagnosing and dealing with managerial challenges dynamics at the individual, group and organizational level. Topics include leadership, motivation, team building, conflict, organizational change, cultures, decision making, and ethical leadership. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).

Marketing

Electives
MKTG-761	Marketing Concepts and Commercialization An introduction to contemporary principles and practices of marketing. The course is structured around the process of marketing planning leading to the development of successful marketing strategies, including the commercialization of products and services in domestic and international environments. Focus is on environmental scanning techniques, setting and evaluating measurable objectives, innovating and controlling the interrelated components of product/service offering, planning and executing the marketing mix (channels of distribution, price, and promotion), and enhancing customer relationships through the delivery of customer value. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
MKTG-768	Marketing Analytics This course provides an overview of marketing analytics in the context of marketing research, product portfolios, social media monitoring, sentiment analysis, customer retention, clustering techniques, and customer lifetime value calculation. Students will be introduced to, mathematical and statistical models used in these applications and their implementation using statistical tools and programming languages such as SAS, SPSS, Python and R. Multiple data sources will be used ranging from structured data from company databases, scanner data, social media data, text data in the form of customer reviews, and research databases. Students will complete guided projects using real time data and make effective use of visualization to add impact to their reports. There are no listed pre or co-requisites; however, instructor permission is required – student aptitude for quantitative work will be assessed; waived for students enrolled in quantitative programs such as the MS-Computational Finance which have pre-requisites in the areas of calculus, linear algebra, and programming. Lecture 3 (Spring).
MKTG-772	Internet Marketing: Strategy & Tactics This course examines the impact that the internet has on traditional and contemporary business-to-consumer marketing activities. It explores these implications in both strategic and tactical terms to enhance organizations' levels of competitiveness. The course identifies the use of the internet in enhancing value for consumers and considers the leverage of the latest technologies, trends, e-culture and innovation through the medium of the internet. (Prerequisites: MKTG-761 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Sustainable Systems, MS degree, typical course sequence

Course		Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-102	Cultural Anthropology Human beings across the globe live and work according to different values and beliefs. Students will develop the tools for acquiring knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of cultural differences, and in turn enhance their abilities to interact across cultures. The course accomplishes these aims by examining the relationship between individuals and their communities, and the dynamics of ritual, religious, political, and social life in different parts of the world. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-102H	Honors Cultural Anthropology Anthropology is the holistic science of the human condition, and professional anthropologists engage in experiential, empirical and humanistic research. Cultural diversity and change are explored through the anthropological techniques of immersion (ethnographic fieldwork) and cross-cultural analysis. In-depth and comparative analysis of critical issues may include transnational migration, ethnic nationalism, racism, changing and clashing views on gender and sexuality, indigenous peoples’ rights, religious fundamentalism, genocide, war, hunger, famine, and cultural and economic dimensions of globalization. The specific topic varies from year to year. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ANTH-103	Archaeology and the Human Past Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the origin of our species through to the development of modern, industrial states by means of the physical remains of past human behavior. In studying the past, archaeology seeks to explain how we, modern humans, came to be. This course investigates how archaeologists study the past, explains how human society has changed over time, and presents an overview of world prehistory. Specific topics include the evolution of modern humans, the peopling of the world, the development of agriculture, the rise of state-level societies, and associated social and material technologies such as writing and urbanism. Case studies will be used throughout to demonstrate how archaeological research is conducted and how archaeologists use their research to formulate explanations of the past that have relevance for the present. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		3
SOCI-102	Foundations of Sociology Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
SOCI-102H	Honors Sociology This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
YOPS-10	RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).	0
	General Education - Artistic Perspective	3
	General Education - Ethical Perspective	3
	General Education - Global Perspective	3
	General Education - Natural Science Inquiry Perspective†	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective A‡	3
	General Education - First Year Writing	3
	SOCANT Track Course	3
	Open Elective	3
Second Year
	Method Courses	3
	Track Courses	9
	General Education - Social Perspective	3
	General Education - Scientific Principles Perspective	3
	General Education - Mathematical Perspective B§	3
	General Education - Immersion 1	3
	General Education - Elective	3
	Open Elective	3
Third Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 (Fall or Spring).
SOCI-301	Social and Cultural Theory This course explores influential classical and contemporary theories regarding society and culture. Students will assess the utility of different theories in addressing key enduring questions regarding human behavior, the organization of society, the nature of culture, the relationship between the individual and society, social control and social conflict, social groups and social hierarchy, the operation of power, cultural and social change, and the interplay between the global and the local. Theories will be marshaled to shed light on contemporary social and cultural phenomena and problems such as crime, violence, exploitation, modernity, and globalization. (Prerequisites: Successful completion of one course in Anthropology (ANTH), Sociology (SOCI) or International and Global Studies (INGS) is required.) Lecture 3 .
	Method Courses	3
	Track Courses	9
	General Education - Immersion 2, 3	6
	General Education - Electives	6
	Open Elective	3
Fourth Year
Choose one of the following:		3
ANTH-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
ANTH-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in anthropology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of cultural anthropology or archaeology. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
SOCI-501	Senior Research Project (WI-PR) Students will write a library-based research paper or research proposal, bringing to bear the knowledge, methodological skills, and theoretical perspectives accumulated during the prior years of study. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing.) Seminar 3 (Fall).
SOCI-502	Scholar's Thesis I (WI-PR) This is the first course of a two-semester Scholar's Thesis sequence in sociology, in which students will conduct an original research project. In this first course, working with a thesis advisor, students will formulate a research question, conduct a literature review, prepare the research design, write a research proposal, and begin data collection, following the conventions of the discipline. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 4th year standing and at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA.) Thesis 3 (Fall).
Choose one of the following:		3
ISUS-702	Fundamentals of Sustainability Science This course prepares students to understand grand challenges in sustainability, conduct original research related to sustainable production and consumption systems, and apply the scientific method in an integrative, team-based approach to graduate research. This course introduces fundamental concepts that are essential to understanding the interaction of economic, environmental, and social systems. Successful students will understand multiple perspectives on sustainability, the importance of sustainability as an ethical concept, behavioral impacts to sustainable solutions, and a life-cycle approach to organizing research related to sustainability. It is a core course within the Sustainability program. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-706	Economics of Sustainable Systems The goal of this course is to introduce students to economic concepts and analysis pertaining to sustainable systems. This course offers a nontechnical but rigorous introduction to microeconomic theory, engineering economics, and benefit-cost analysis. A thorough treatment of models relevant to each topic is provided. The over-arching goal is for students to gain an understanding of the logic of economic reasoning and analysis as it pertains to the study of sustainable systems. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-806	Risk Analysis This course examines risk identification, quantification, and management from the standpoint of the three key components of sustainability science (economics, environment, and society). Subjects include cost-benefit analysis, value of information, time value of money, basic decision analysis, value functions, monetizing challenges for ecosystem services, sustainability risk management, toxicological perspectives such as fate and transport and dose-response relationships, risk perception, ethical issues in risk quantification, and impact statements. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
Choose one of the following:		3
ISUS-704	Industrial Ecology Industrial ecology is the study of the interaction between industrial and ecological systems. Students in this course learn to assess the impact and interrelations of production systems on the natural environment by mastering fundamental concepts of ecology as a metaphor for industrial systems and the resultant tools from industrial ecology, including life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and energy and greenhouse gas accounting. This is a core course within the Sustainability Ph.D. program. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-808	Multicriteria Sustainable Systems This class will explore how decisions are made when confronted with multiple, often conflicting, criteria or constraints. The focus will be on the following analytical methods: linear and stochastic programming, optimization, and Monte Carlo simulation. Case studies will focus on sustainability multi-criteria problems such as energy planning, sustainable development, resource management, and recycling. Students will apply methods learned to a project involving their graduate research. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Spring).
PUBL-810	Technology, Policy and Sustainability (or approved substitute) This course introduces students to public policy and its role in building a sustainable society. The course places particular emphasis on the policy process; the relationship among technology, policy, and the environment; and policy mechanisms for addressing market and government failures that threaten sustainability. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
	General Education - Electives	15
	Open Elective	6
Fifth Year
Choose two of the following:		6
ISUS-702	Fundamentals of Sustainability Science This course prepares students to understand grand challenges in sustainability, conduct original research related to sustainable production and consumption systems, and apply the scientific method in an integrative, team-based approach to graduate research. This course introduces fundamental concepts that are essential to understanding the interaction of economic, environmental, and social systems. Successful students will understand multiple perspectives on sustainability, the importance of sustainability as an ethical concept, behavioral impacts to sustainable solutions, and a life-cycle approach to organizing research related to sustainability. It is a core course within the Sustainability program. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-706	Economics of Sustainable Systems The goal of this course is to introduce students to economic concepts and analysis pertaining to sustainable systems. This course offers a nontechnical but rigorous introduction to microeconomic theory, engineering economics, and benefit-cost analysis. A thorough treatment of models relevant to each topic is provided. The over-arching goal is for students to gain an understanding of the logic of economic reasoning and analysis as it pertains to the study of sustainable systems. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-806	Risk Analysis This course examines risk identification, quantification, and management from the standpoint of the three key components of sustainability science (economics, environment, and society). Subjects include cost-benefit analysis, value of information, time value of money, basic decision analysis, value functions, monetizing challenges for ecosystem services, sustainability risk management, toxicological perspectives such as fate and transport and dose-response relationships, risk perception, ethical issues in risk quantification, and impact statements. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
Choose two of the following:		6
ISUS-704	Industrial Ecology Industrial ecology is the study of the interaction between industrial and ecological systems. Students in this course learn to assess the impact and interrelations of production systems on the natural environment by mastering fundamental concepts of ecology as a metaphor for industrial systems and the resultant tools from industrial ecology, including life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and energy and greenhouse gas accounting. This is a core course within the Sustainability Ph.D. program. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
ISUS-808	Multicriteria Sustainable Systems This class will explore how decisions are made when confronted with multiple, often conflicting, criteria or constraints. The focus will be on the following analytical methods: linear and stochastic programming, optimization, and Monte Carlo simulation. Case studies will focus on sustainability multi-criteria problems such as energy planning, sustainable development, resource management, and recycling. Students will apply methods learned to a project involving their graduate research. (This class is restricted to students in the SUSTSY-MS and SUST-PHD programs.) Lecture 3 (Spring).
PUBL-810	Technology, Policy and Sustainability (or approved substitute) This course introduces students to public policy and its role in building a sustainable society. The course places particular emphasis on the policy process; the relationship among technology, policy, and the environment; and policy mechanisms for addressing market and government failures that threaten sustainability. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).
Choose one of the following:		6
ISUS-780	Capstone An independent project in sustainability serving as a capstone experience for students completing the non-thesis option. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor. Lecture (Fall, Spring, Summer).
ISUS-790	Thesis Independent research in sustainability leading to the completion of the MS thesis. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor. Thesis (Fall, Spring, Summer).
	Approved MS Sustainability Electives	6
Total Semester Credit Hours		144

Please see General Education Curriculum for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.

† Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, student must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement.

‡ In preparation for graduate success, students are strongly encouraged to fulfill this requirement with one of the following courses: STAT-145 Introduction to Statistics I, STAT-146 Introduction to Statistics II, or STAT-205 Applied Statistics.

§ In preparation for graduate success, students are strongly encouraged to fulfill this requirement with one of the following courses: MATH-161 Applied Calculus, MATH-171 Calculus A, or MATH-181 Project-Based Calculus I.

** Note: SOCI/ANTH 498 Practicum and SOCI/ANTH 499 Co-op (0 credits) are encouraged but not required.

Admissions and Financial Aid

First-Year Admission

First-year applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic background that includes:

4 years of English with a strong performance is expected.
3 years of social studies and/or history with a strong performance is expected.
3 years of math is required and must include algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/trigonometry.
2-3 years of science.

Transfer Admission

Transfer applicants should meet these minimum degree-specific requirements:

A minimum of college algebra is required.

Learn How to Apply

Financial Aid and Scholarships

100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.

RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships

Faculty

Uli Linke

Professor

Christine Kray

Professor

All Program Faculty

Facilities

Archeological Science Laboratory

Events

January 31

Cookie o'Clock with Prof. Hardin & Prof. Kray
February 1

2025 Women's History Month Poster Design Contest
February 14

FriYAY ROAR | Ask Me Anything with the COLA Peer Navigators

May 1, 2024

3+3 law program celebrates first cohort of graduates and expanded program offerings

The path to obtaining a law degree typically requires at least seven years in higher education. However, students enrolled in RIT’s Accelerated 3+3 Law program are able to shave a year off of their journey and get a head start on establishing their career in law.
June 23, 2023

Migrants often can’t access US health care until they are critically ill – here are some of the barriers they face

Essay by Anthony Jimenez, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, published by The Conversation.
May 17, 2023

Graduate Sophia Williams wins Fulbright award to pursue graduate education in the UK

The earliest written record of hearing loss is believed to date from 1550 BC in ancient Egypt, and written evidence for early sign language and changing attitudes toward deaf individuals comes from Plato in 350 BC—but, according to Sophia Williams ’23, there isn’t much that reflects the significance of these findings in archaeological scholarship. Williams received a Fulbright U.S. Student Award to fund her graduate education at University of York so she can help fill this gap of knowledge.

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Program Contact

Heather Roth
Assistant Director of Recruitment and Retention Outreach
Dean’s Office
College of Liberal Arts
585‑475‑5456
hmrgla@rit.edu

Offered within the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and Anthropology Bachelor of Science Degree

Overview for Sociology and Anthropology BS

Why Study Sociology and Anthropology at RIT?

RIT’s Bachelor of Sociology and Anthropology

RIT’s Pre-Law Program

Furthering Your Career in Sociology and Anthropology

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3+3 Accelerated BS/JD Programs

RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs

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Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Sociology and Anthropology BS

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree, typical course sequence

Methods Courses

Tracks

Archaeology

Cultural Anthropology

Sociology

Sociocultural Inquiry

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Science, Technology and Public Policy, MS degree, typical course sequence

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Communication, MS degree, typical course sequence

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Hospitality Business Management, MS degree, typical course sequence

MS Professional Electives

Accounting and Finance

Data Analytics

Human Resources

Management

Marketing

Sociology and Anthropology, BS degree/Sustainable Systems, MS degree, typical course sequence

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