Anthropology and the Study of Humanity

Overview

Course No. 1631
What does it mean to be human? Where did we come from? And what unites us in our diversity today? Anthropology and the Study of Humanity is your chance to tackle these big questions as you survey one of the world’s most engaging – and human – sciences. Taught by acclaimed professor and field researcher Scott M. Lacy of Fairfield University, these 24 wide-ranging lectures are the ideal guide through the world of anthropology, or the study of humanity across time and space.

Professor Lacy gives you an elegant blend of theory and application to help you understand this extraordinarily interdisciplinary field as a whole. You will examine how humans evolved and built civilizations, review humanity’s changing attitudes about our relationship to the cosmos, and consider the many ways we express ourselves. In the end, what you’ll discover is that while our species is rich with diversity, we are all one human race.

Course Structure

• Why Anthropology Matters (33 min)
• Science, Darwin, and Anthropology (31 min)
• Our Primate Family Tree (29 min)
• Paleoanthropology and the Hominin Family (31 min)
• Tracing the Spread of Humankind (27 min)
• Anthropology and the Question of Race (29 min)
• Archaeology and Human Tools (27 min)
• Agricultural Roots of Civilization (30 min)
• Rise of Urban Centers (29 min)
• Anthropological Perspectives on Money (27 min)
• Anthropological Perspectives on Language (31 min)
• Apocalyptic Anthropology (30 min)
• Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity (31 min)
• Field Research in Cultural Anthropology (30 min)
• Kinship, Family, and Marriage (29 min)
• Sex, Gender, and Sexuality (30 min)
• Religion and Spirituality (31 min)
• Art and Visual Anthropology (29 min)
• Conflict and Reconciliation across Cultures (30 min)
• Forensics and Legal Anthropology (28 min)
• Medical Anthropology (28 min)
• Anthropology and Economic Development (31 min)
• Cultural Ecology (33 min)
• The Anthropology of Happiness (36 min)