Peoples and Cultures of the World

Course Overview

Course No. 4617

Reveal the extraordinary power of anthropology as a tool to understand the world’s varied human societies, including our own, taught by a renowned expert.

As the “science of humanity,” anthropology can help us understand virtually anything about ourselves, from our political and economic systems, to why we get married, to how we decide to buy a particular bottle of wine. This 24-lecture course reveals the extraordinary power of anthropology—and its subspecialty, cultural anthropology—as a tool to understand the world’s varied human societies, including our own.

Key questions explored:

• Is there such a thing as progress? Are modern nations really happier than “primitive” societies?
• How common is cannibalism today? What are its different types and beliefs?
• What’s the difference between “matriarchal” and “matrilineal” societies?

Immerse yourself in the lives of the Trobriand Islanders, the Yanomamö of the Amazon, the Dobe Ju/’hoansi of Africa, and others. Examine practices like polyandry (marriages with 20 husbands), matrilineality, witchcraft, and incest—challenging assumptions about human nature.

Professor Fischer also tackles ethical dilemmas (e.g., female circumcision) and applies anthropology to modern life: Why do we eat cows but not horses? Why shop around for a clock radio but not a TV?

In a globalized world, this course equips you to understand cultural diversity and the forces reshaping indigenous societies.

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Video Lessons

01: The Study of Humanity (33 min)

Anthropology’s unique lens examines interconnections between economics, history, and biology.

02: The Four Fields of Anthropology (30 min)

Biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology—including forensic applications.

03: Culture and Relativity (29 min)

From 19th-century evolutionary typologies to Franz Boas’ pluralistic view of cultures.

04: Fieldwork and the Anthropological Method (29 min)

Malinowski’s Trobriand studies and Margaret Mead’s Samoa research redefine kinship and adolescence.

05: Nature, Nurture, and Human Behavior (30 min)

Sociobiology’s quest for evolutionary roots of social behavior, from genes to fitness.

06: Languages, Dialects, and Social Categories (31 min)

How language shapes identity, from syntax to body language and regional dialects.

07: Language and Thought (30 min)

Benjamin Lee Whorf’s theory: Does language structure determine worldview?

08: Constructing Emotions and Identities (30 min)

Cultural mental models—from “Arctic hysteria” to the Latin American “evil eye.”

09: Magic, Religion, and Codes of Conduct (30 min)

The blurred line between magic and religion in Fulbe Muslim culture.

10: Rites of Passage (31 min)

Fulbe circumcision camps and Sambia ritualized homosexuality as coming-of-age trials.

11: Family, Marriage, and Incest (29 min)

Matrilineal kinship vs. cognatic systems—and the universal incest taboo.

12: Multiple Spouses and Matrilineality (28 min)

Why arranged marriages dominate, and polygyny’s cultural logic.

13: Gatherers and Hunters (28 min)

The Dobe Ju/’hoansi: A band-level society thriving in the Kalahari.

14: Headmen and Horticulturists (30 min)

Yanomamö tribal life: Leadership by persuasion in Amazon villages.

15: Cannibalism and Violence (29 min)

Yanomamö warfare—protein shortages or wife-capturing?

16: The Role of Reciprocity (30 min)

The Trobriand kula ring: Friendship through ceremonial exchange.

17: Chiefdoms and Redistribution (28 min)

Yam networks and Kwakiutl potlatches—power through obligation.

18: Cultural Contact and Colonialism (33 min)

Cortés and the Aztecs, Captain Cook and Hawaiians—fatal misunderstandings.

19: Cultures of Capitalism (31 min)

State power and the “weapons of the weak” in economic systems.

20: Is Economics Rational? (31 min)

Prisoner’s dilemma games reveal culture’s triumph over self-interest.

21: Late Capitalism—From Ford to Disney (31 min)

Post-Fordism and Saturn cars: The shift from assembly lines to flexibility.

22: The Maya, Ancient and Modern (32 min)

Classic-era temples vs. today’s 8 million Maya in Guatemala and Mexico.

23: Maya Resurgence in Guatemala and Mexico (31 min)

Zapatistas and cultural revitalization in Chiapas.

24: The Janus Face of Globalization (32 min)

Yanomamö devastated by gold mining; Kayapo leveraging activism with Sting.