AN 315 - Myth, Mystery, and Fraud in Anthropology

Offered Fall: No Offered Winter: No Offered Summer: No Offered Other: Contact Department

4 Credits
Hours (Lecture - Discussion - Lab): 4-0-0
Prerequisites: AN 100 or AN 101 or AN 110.

Students in this course are introduced to some of the popular myths and mysteries in our society, and in anthropology, including some of the controversies surrounding attempts at archaeological fraud in other countries. Students are introduced to anthropological ethics, uses of archaeology for different political agendas and nationalism, and how to critically analyze various forms of pseudoscience. Techniques for investigating myths, mysteries, sagas, legends, fables, and tales are introduced, while covering a wide range of subject matter. Students learn methods to establish “evidence” and “facts” while exploring alternative forms of explanation and investigation techniques. Do creation myths have any basis in facts? Do legends have any anthropological or archaeological evidence to support them? What new finds have been found that might alter our current understanding of the world? What happens when myth meets science?