Anthropology

How do people and communities around the world raise their children, and why? Is there a "best practice" of childrearing? What are the consequences of such childrearing practices, for both caregivers and children? The primary aim of the course is to develop a holistic understanding of childrearing practices and systems across cultures, and explore how this may influence and interact with child and adolescent development. Taking an interdisciplinary bio-social approach, this course builds on an evolutionary anthropological framework, examining both biological and socio-cultural pathways in childrearing and child/adolescent development. 

This course provides the necessary keys for deciphering the structure of contemporary French society as well as the issues that divide it. A multi-part focus on economic and demographic data, social systems, social issues and problems, and the societal importance of culture provides an insider's perspective on and knowledge of French society. This course in turn contributes to the overall purpose of the IFE preparatory session to prepare students to participate as fully as possible in French professional life and social and political discussion. It is a companion course to THE FOUNDATIONS OF FRENCH POLITICS, POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONS, YESTERDAY AND TODAY. The course introduces the forces that have shaped French society in the modern era, the structure and main tenets of that society, and recent phenomena and emerging trends. The first part of the course examines French society first by looking at three important structuring elements: the economy and work, education, and family; second, by providing an understanding of several key social issues. Readings and outside discussion feed class-time debates. The second part of the course takes a detailed and analytic look at the role of culture in France. This brief history of French art and culture focuses on the relationship between the arts and the State, from Renaissance kings who were patrons of the arts to contemporary public cultural policy.

The course explores history, culture, religion, social structure, relationships, and integration among ethnic groups in Thailand such as the hill tribes, Muslims, and Chinese communities through an anthropological lens.