The MSU Department of Anthropology is pleased to offer a wide variety of exciting online courses in first and second summer session.  Students can take these courses online from anywhere in the world and make progress towards their degree. All that students need is a computer, a modern browser, and a broadband internet connection. None of the anthropology online classes have an on-campus component or require that students purchase any expensive textbooks. All anthropology online classes are asynchronous – meaning that they don’t meet at a specific time and that students can complete learning objectives according their schedules.

Summer 2021 Online Classes

Summer Session 1 (5/17/2021 – 7/1/2021)

ANP 200: Navigating Another Culture

Introduces students to basic anthropological tools they can use to better understand and navigate a variety of cross cultural encounters. It teaches you basic things to look for, like different communication patterns, and basic tools for understanding culturally different beliefs and behaviors.

ISS 215: Social Differentiation and Inequality: Exploring U.S. Culture

Explores U.S. social diversity from the perspective of an international student. International students will better understand different aspects of U.S. society, and domestic students will gain a fresh perspective on social diversity in the United States.

ISS 220: Time, Space, & Change in Human Societies

Explores evolutionary, ecological, and spatial theories of adaptation and change. Cultural evolution from prehistoric foraging to the post-industrial age. Continuity and change in the emergence and development of contemporary ways of life.

Summer Session 2 (7/6/2021 – 8/19/2021)

ANP 201: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Investigates and explore the origins and diversity of cultural systems. Topics covered include theories of culture, patterns of kinship, and concepts of race and ethnicity.  Class also introduces students to religious, economic, and political institutions.

ANP 203: Introduction to Archaeology

Introduces students to the theory, methodology, and techniques of archaeology. Applications to questions about past human behavior. History and concepts of archaeology as an anthropological subdiscipline.

ANP 204: Introduction to Medical Anthropology

Explores the factors which influence health and well being, the experience and distribution of illness, the prevention and treatment of sickness, healing processes, the social relations of therapy management, and the cultural importance and utilization of pluralistic medical systems.

ANP206: Introduction to Physical Anthropology

Problems, data, and methods of physical anthropology. Human genetics, hominid evolution, primate studies, human osteology, and human diversity.

ANP 236: Peace and Justice Studies

Introduces students to the anthropological, theoretical, ethnographic, and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of peace and justice. Issues of violence, nonviolence, international law, social movements, economic justice

ANP264: Great Discoveries in Archaeology

Explore history’s most famous archaeological discoveries, including the Tomb of Tutankamun, Stonehenge, and Manchu Picchu

ANP 270:Women and Health in International Perspective

Explore cross cultural perspectives on the health implications of differing life circumstances for women.  Women as health-care consumers and providers. Health and women’s life cycles.

ANP: 321: Anthropology of Social Movements

Students will learn how social movements within different cultures around the world organize, create or impede change on the basis of class, religion, race, ethnicity, language, and territory.

ANP325: Anthropology of the Environment & Development

Students will explore anthropological approaches to contemporary environment and development issues

ANP 330: Race, Ethnicity, and Nation

Understanding race and ethnicity. Models analyzing racial, ethnic, and national identities; boundaries; and collective identities and differentiations. Case studies from cultures worldwide.

ANP 370: Culture, Health, and Illness

Introduce and explore cross-cultural perspectives on the definition and treatment of illness.

ANP 410: Anthropology of Latin America

Comparative analysis of significant social issues confronting contemporary Latin American countries.

ANP 420: Language & Culture

Introduces students to domain, issues, and methods of cultural linguistics. Explores relationship between language and culture, language and ethnicity, status, and role, as well as Pidgin and Creole languages.