This course focuses on the development of various schools and theoretical subdisciplines in cultural anthropology with the special emphasis on ethnology, the comparative study of ways of life.  The goal of the course is to be familiar with the theoretical foundations of cultural anthropology—the paradigm shifts in cultural anthropology—and to develop critical thinking.  Through the course readings and class discussions we will learn how to study people, culture, and society.

The course also introduces ethnographic research methods (e.g., fieldwork, participant-observation) and the challenges and problems we may encounter in a research field.  Ethnographic literature we will read teaches us how to conduct research and how to analyze data we collect.