ANTH 23109 - Peoples & Cultures: Mediterranean

Course Credit: 1
(ARCH, SOCI)
PEOPLES AND CULTURES: MEDITERRANEAN The Mediterranean basin has been a major cultural crossroads for many millennia. An array of different cultures has evolved along its shores, a development that has been stimulated by the cross-fertilization of ideas and customs across the sea, which acts more as an avenue of communication than as a barrier. This course examines the rich cultural diversity of the circum-Mediterranean as a historical and contemporary phenomenon. Specific topics include the legacy of the classical world, the impact of Islam, the emergence of European commercial empires, and current developments in this zone of great ferment. The class also evaluates the validity of the concepts of peasantry and traditional society in the study of the peoples who border the great Inner Sea. The core of the class consists of reading and discussing a series of ethnographies concerning various contemporary peoples of southern Europe and North Africa. Prerequisite(s): Take ANTH-11000 or permission of instructor Alternate Years. [C, D, GE, HSS]