Anthropology (PAAN)

Anthropology (PAAN)

PAAN 2100  Land of the Pharaohs: An Introduction to Ancient Egypt  (3)  

In Land of the Pharaohs, we will use a combination of reading, writing, lecture, and discussion to address some of the most common questions people have about ancient Egypt and about how we are able to reconstruct parts of its history and culture, including (but not limited to): What motivated the ancient Egyptians to invest so much effort and wealth into their tombs and temples? What was life like for most ancient Egyptians? What was expected of members of society? How did this differ if one was a man or a women? How do Egyptian hieroglyphs work? Are they “picture writing”? What do we really know about ancient Egypt and how do we know it? The primary sources that we will use to answer these and other questions include: literature, letters, and administrative records; mythological stories about ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses and about creation; material culture/archaeological remains, such as artifacts found in graves; and art and architecture.

PAAN 2110  Ancient Egyptian Religion & Magic  (3)  

In Ancient Egyptian Religion and Magic, we will use a combination of reading, writing, lecture, and discussion to address some of the most common questions people have about ancient Egypt and about its religion, including (but not limited to): Why and how were the Great Pyramids of Giza built? What motivated the ancient Egyptians to invest so much effort and wealth into their tombs and temples? What practices in ancient Egypt should we consider part of religion? Which should we call magic? Should we even differentiate between the two? Can religion be separated from other aspects of life in ancient Egypt? Were the ancient Egyptians “religious to excess” as the historian Herodotus said? The sources that we will use to answer these and other questions include: literature, prayers, employment records, and letters; mythological stories about ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses and about creation; archaeological materials, and art and architecture.

PAAN 2120  Pyramids, Tombs, and Mummies: Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt  (3)  

In Pyramids, Tombs, and Mummies (Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt), we will use a combination of reading, writing, lecture, and discussion to address some of the most common questions people have about ancient Egypt and about how and why people were buried the way that they were, including (but not limited to): What motivated the ancient Egyptians to invest so much effort and wealth into their tombs? During some periods, kings were buried in pyramids, but what about everyone else? How did afterlife and other religious beliefs influence the way that people wished to be cared for after death? Why did the ancient Egyptians sometimes go to great lengths to preserve bodies through mummification? The primary sources that we will use to answer these and other questions include: literature, letters, and administrative records; material culture/archaeological remains, such as artifacts found in graves; art and architecture; and Tulane’s own Egyptian Collection.

PAAN 2911  Special Topics  (3)  

Special topics in anthropology.

PAAN 2912  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 2913  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 2914  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 2915  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 3150  Culture and Place: Historical Cultural Adaptation to a Tropical Island  (6)  

This course provides an introduction to the ways in which basic principles of ethnography, ethnohistory, and material culture studies can be used to understand the cultural landscape. Normally offered during the Summer Session, the course will usually be conducted abroad. The emphasis will be on collaborative research skills, understanding of other cultures, and appreciation of the interrelationship of anthropology and geography.

PAAN 3190  Pirate Societies  (3)  

This course is an exploration of pirates from the perspective of the social sciences, with an emphasis on the study of traditions, values, and social statuses and relationships that were characteristic of a variety of pirate societies in historic times. Our objectives in this course will be to discover how historic pirate societies were formed in different areas of the world, how they were organized; and how and why their values and traditions differed from those of the larger societies from which they came.

PAAN 3230  Historical Anthropology of Caribbean  (3)  

This course is an exploration of the historic factors which created the cultural diversity and themes that characterize the Caribbean islands today. We will examine the cultural backgrounds of the major national and ethnic groups that came to the islands of the West Indies from pre-Columbian times through the twentieth century. This is not a traditional history course, but rather an examination of the factors that gave rise to certain cultural patterns that are distinctively Caribbean. Topics will include pre-Columbian adaptations to life on small islands; ethnicity among Native Americans in the early historic period; the demise of Native American peoples; the cultural backgrounds of enslaved Africans; Caribbean Creole languages; differences in slavery among the various European colonial powers; the emergence of Voodoo; the daily lives of buccaneers and runaways; & the role of plantations in shaping Afro-Caribbean cultural identities; immigration after the end of slavery.

PAAN 3250  Historical Anthropology of New Orleans  (3)  

This course is an exploration of the historic factors that created the cultural diversity and themes which characterize New Orleans today. The course examines the cultural backgrounds of the major national and ethnic groups that came to Louisiana in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The course also examines the ongoing attempts to secure the city from risks inherent in its natural environment.

PAAN 3400  Maps, Myths, and Reality  (3)  

We usually think of maps as objective depictions of the elements (streets, towns, rivers, etc.) that make up the natural and cultural terrain. However, the stories told by maps, like those told by history, are inherently selective. In addition -- again like history -- the features that are depicted on maps sometimes have no basis in reality. This is especially true of maps that attempt to describe places and people that were recently discovered, or that have not been extensively explored. When their subjects are unknown or poorly understood lands and people, maps can become playgrounds for the interaction of geographic fact, speculation, and myth. This course is an exploration of maps produced by European cartographers during the Age of Exploration, from roughly 1450-1700 A.D. (and brief consideration of the 18th and early 19th centuries), with particular attention to what maps of these periods can tell us about the evolving European understanding of the lands and cultures that lay beyond their own continent.

PAAN 3911  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 3912  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 3913  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 3914  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.

PAAN 3915  Special Topics  (3)  

Special Topics in Anthropology.