Anthropology of Middle East

The Middle East was the cradle of the world's earliest civilizations and has made immense contributions to the development of agriculture, pastoralism, urbanization and organized religion. Today it remains an extraordinarily important and volatile crossroads for world culture. The course will examine both ancient and modern cultures within this diverse region from a cross-cultural perspective. The study will include kinship patterns, social organization, political structures, subsistence strategies and belief systems. The course will pay particular attention to the role of modern peoples in shaping the world stage, both in reaction to and in harmony with the introduction of Western ideologies and economics. Offered annually.