ANTH 221 - Kinship and Marriage

What is family? What is kinship? What is marriage? These are questions that have been central to anthropology since its inception in the 19th century. This course examines the culture and political economy of family life, kinship, and marriage in a broad range of human societies, ranging from small-scale communities to highly industrialized states. In addition to looking at the theories, methods, and data that are relevant to the study of kinship in anthropology and related disciplines, the class analyzes and compares different systems of descent and inheritance; various types of households, marriage patterns, and networks of exchange; and the myriad ways in which systems of kinship and marriage are informed by ideologies of gender and vice versa. The class also evaluates some of the recent classics on kinship in America as well as selected aspects of contemporary theoretical debates bearing on kinship and class, lesbian and gay kinship, and the new reproductive technologies.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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