Cultural Anthropology

Overview

Instructor: TBD
Course Code: ANT 101
Semester: Spring 2025

Course Introduction:

Welcome to “Cultural Anthropology: Understanding Humanity through a Progressive Catholic Lens”, a course designed to explore the rich diversity of human cultures and the ways in which people across the world construct meaning, identity, and community. Cultural anthropology provides us with tools to study the customs, beliefs, rituals, languages, and social structures that shape human societies. This course goes beyond a simple examination of cultural differences, seeking to critically engage with questions of power, inequality, faith, and justice.

As we engage with anthropological theories and methods, we will reflect on what it means to be human in a world that is interconnected but often divided by race, gender, class, religion, and national identity. Through a progressive Catholic perspective, we will bring theological insights to the study of culture, asking how our faith can inform an anthropology that emphasizes the dignity of all people, solidarity with the marginalized, and a commitment to social transformation.

In this course, we will explore indigenous worldviews, globalization, colonialism, and the ways in which religion intersects with culture. We will examine cultural practices through a lens of justice and consider how Catholic social teaching calls us to engage with cultural diversity not merely as observers, but as participants in the work of peace, reconciliation, and liberation. Together, we will look at the role of the Church as both a global institution and a localized cultural force, asking how it can be an ally in promoting cultural flourishing and human dignity.

What You’ll Learn

• Understand the basic concepts, methods, and theories of cultural anthropology.
• Analyze the relationship between culture, religion, and society, with special attention to Catholic social teaching.
• Critically examine issues of power, identity, and social inequality within cultural systems.
• Explore how globalization, migration, and intercultural encounters reshape both local cultures and global society.
• Reflect on how cultural anthropology can support the Church’s mission to promote justice, human dignity, and care for creation.

Key Topics:

• • The Anthropological Lens: Understanding Culture and Society
  • Theories of Culture: From Structuralism to Postmodernism
  • Power and Identity: Race, Gender, and Class in Cultural Context
  • Rituals, Symbols, and Meaning: Cultural Expressions of the Sacred
  • Globalization and Its Discontents: Cultural Change in a Globalized World
  • Indigenous Cultures and Decolonization: Resilience, Resistance, and Reconciliation
  • The Church and Culture: Inculturation, Evangelization, and Justice
  • Environmental Anthropology: Cultures of Creation Care and Ecological Justice

  Course Structure:

  This course will be a blend of lectures, ethnographic case studies, interactive discussions, and fieldwork experiences. Students will engage with readings from key anthropological thinkers like Claude Lévi-Strauss, Margaret Mead, and Frantz Fanon, as well as Catholic voices like Gustavo Gutiérrez and Pope Francis. Case studies will include examinations of indigenous spirituality, the cultural impacts of migration, and the Church’s response to ecological crises in diverse communities.

  Additionally, students will participate in mini-ethnographic projects, where they will conduct observations and interviews to explore cultural dynamics in their own contexts, reflecting on how a progressive Catholic worldview can shape their understanding of cultural diversity and solidarity with the marginalized.

  Why This Course Matters:

  In a world increasingly marked by cultural clashes, migration, and globalization, the study of cultural anthropology helps us to understand both the beauty of human diversity and the deep challenges posed by inequality and exclusion. As progressive Catholics, we are called to engage with these challenges by promoting justice, solidarity, and the common good. This course will equip you with the anthropological insights and theological frameworks needed to critically engage with cultural issues in ways that are compassionate, inclusive, and transformative.

  Together, we will ask: How can we apply the lessons of anthropology to our faith practice, building bridges across cultures and advocating for a world where every human being is respected and valued? I look forward to exploring these vital questions with you, and to discovering how cultural anthropology can deepen our understanding of humanity and our commitment to the Church’s mission of justice.

  Let’s embark on this journey of intellectual and spiritual discovery together!