Courses

To see current course offerings in Anthropology, go to the Yale Course Search.

This page contains a list of courses commonly offered in the Yale University Department of Anthropology, together with instructors and subfield designations. It does not include courses unlikely to be taught again (for instance, courses offered by visiting faculty). For complete and up-to-date course listings and additional information about any given course–including descriptions, cross-listings with other departments, and how a course might fulfill Yale College distribution requirements–please consult Yale Course Search. For additional queries, consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, or Department Regitrar’s Office.

000 numbers designate courses that are part of the Yale College First-Year Seminar Program.

course number course title instructor subfield
11 Reproductive Technologies Inhorn SC
18 Scientific Thinking and Reasoning Fernandez-Duque BIO
30 Inca Culture and Society Burger ARC
40 Evolution of Human Uniqueness Watts BIO
61 Undertanding Human Origins Thompson BIO

100 numbers designate introductory courses, most often in lecture format with discussion sections, appropriate for all undergraduate students.

course number course title instructor subfield
110 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Harms/Lombard SC
112 Agent, Person, Subject, Self Kockelman LING
116 Introduction to Biological Anthropology Thompson BIO
119 Law as Culture Lombard SC
132 Sex, Love, and Reproduction Fernandez-Duque BIO
140 The Corporation Rogers SC
148 Hormones and Behavior Valeggia & Fernandez-Duque BIO
160 What is the Global South? Gross-Wyrtzen SC
171 Great Civilizations of the Ancient World Underhill / Staff ARC
172 Great Hoaxes and Fantasies in Archaeology Honeychurch ARC
182 Primate Behavior and Ecology Watts BIO

200 numbers designate introductory/intermediate courses in a variety of formats (lecture/discusison, small lecture, and others), in most cases appropriate to all undergraduate students without prerequisites. 

Course Number Course Title Instructor Subfield
200 Social Dimensions of Evolution Waweru BIO
201 / 645 Magnetism in Archaeology and Paleoanthropology Frahm ARC
203 Primate Conservation Watts BIO
204 Molecular Anthropology Tucci BIO

213

Contemporary Japan

Koga

SC

215 Archaeology of China Underhill ARC
217 Hormones, Evolution, and Behavior Bribiescas BIO
223 Anthropology of War Watts, Lombard, & Honeychurch Multi
244 Modern Southeast Asia Harms SC
225 / 775 Inca Culture and Society Burger ARC
230 Evolutionary Biology of Women’s Reproduction Valeggia BIO
232 Ancient Civilizations of the Andes Burger ARC
236 / 836 Obestiy: Biosocial Approaches Valeggia BIO
242 Human Evolutionary Biology and Life History Bribiescas or Valeggia BIO
253 / 559 Introduction to Experimental Archaeology Frahm BIO
264 Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory Chinchilla ARC
267 Human Evolution Thompson BIO
280 Evolution of Primate Intelligence Watts BIO
294 The Ancient Maya Chinchilla ARC

300 and 400 numbers designate intermediate/advanced courses, most often in seminar or laboratory format, which often require permission of the instructor to enroll. Because pre-requisites vary widely, students are advised to consult Yale Course Search or Canvas for additional information on enrolling in these classes. Many 300- and 400- level courses also carry Graduate School numbers.

Course Number Course Title Instructor Subfield
300 / 643 Primate Behavior and Ecology Fernandez-Duque BIO
301 / 701 Foundations of Modern Archaeology Burger ARC
303 Field Methods in Cultural Anthropology Koga SC
308 Feminist and Queer Ethnographies Pepi SC
309 Language and Culture Kockelman LING
310 / 810 Mammology Sargis BIO
311 Anthropological Theory and the Post-Colonial Encounter Lynch SC
316 / 716 Introduction to Archaeological Lab Science Frahm ARC
318 Peril and Possibility in the South Asian City Sivaramakrishnan SC
321 Middle Eastern Gender Studies Inhorn SC
322 Environmental Justice in South Asia Sivaramakrishnan SC
324 / 824 The Politics of Memory Koga SC
326 / 726 Ancient Civilizations of hte Eurasian Steppes Honeychurch ARC
335 / 835 Primate Diversity and Evolution Sargis BIO
336 / 363 Geoarchaeology Frahm ARC
339 / 359 Urban Ethnography of Asia Harms SC
342 / 542 Cultures and Markets of Asia Siu SC
346 Ethnography and Capitalism [Sophomore seminar] Rogers SC
353 / 756 Archaeology of Trade and Exchange Burger ARC
354 Cuerpos Femeninos (Female Bodies): Biology, Evolution, and Society Valeggia BIO
355 / 555 China-Africa Encounters Siu SC
356 Goods and Goodness Lynch SC
362 / 562 Unity and Diversity in Chinese Culture Siu SC
366 Inequality in America Dudley SC
367 Technology and Culture Messeri SC
370 / 570 Anthropology of Information Kockelman LING
372 / 772 Cities in Antiquity: The Archaeology of Urbanism Underhill or Chinchilla ARC
374 / 758 Origins of Andean Civilization Burger ARC
375 / 779 Anthropology of Mobile Societies Honeychurch ARC
376 / 876 Observing and Measuring Behavior, Part 1 (Study Design) Fernandez-Duque BIO
377 Observing and Measuring Behavior, Part 2 (Data Analysis and Reporting) Fernandez-Duque BIO
378 Postwar Vietnam Harms SC
380 Evolution of Language and Culture Bowern LING
381 Sex and Global Politics Reid SC
382 Environmental Anthropology Dove or Carpenter SC
383 In Ordinary Fashion Lynch SC
385 / 785 Archaeological Ceramics I Underhill ARC
386 Humanitarian Interventions Panter-Brick BIO
388 / 588 Politics of Culture in Southeast Asia Harms SC
394 / 894 Methods and Research in Molecular Anthropology Tucci BIO
395 / 895 Methods and Research in Molecular Anthropology Tucci BIO
397 / 797 Archaeology of East Asia Underhill ARC
399 Anthropology of Outer Space Messeri SC
409 Climate and Society, Past and Present Dove SC
414 / 575 Hubs, Mobilities, and Global Cities Siu SC
415 / 515 Culture, History, Power, Representation Siu SC
417 / 717 Maya Hieroglyphic Writing Chinchilla ARC
428 Neighbors and Others Levene SC
434 Anthro-History: Interdisciplinary Theory and Methods Grewall SC
438 / 638 Culture, Power, Oil Rogers SC
439 / 639 Political Anthropology and Africa Lombard SC
441 Gender and Citizenship in the Middle East Pepi SC
448 / 548 Medical Anthropology at the Intersections Inhorn SC
450 / 750 Analysis of Lithic Technology Chinchilla ARC
451 / 651 Intersectionality and Women’s Health Inhorn SC
452 Global Health: Equity and Policy Panter-Brick BIO
453 Health Disparities and Health Equity Panter-Brick BIO
454 / 754 Statistics for Archaeological Analysis Honeychurch ARC
455 / 655 Masculinity and Men’s Health Inhorn SC
464 / 864 Human Osteology Sargis BIO
465 Multispecies Worlds Dudley SC
467 Blood: Science, Culture, Society Valeggia BIO
468 Infrastructures of Empire Gross-Wyrtzen SC
470 Youth Cultures in the Americas Ramos-Zayas SC
471 Readings in Anthropology (Senior Essay)    
482 / 782 Advanced Archaeological Theory   ARC
491 The Senior Essay    
494 / 694 Speculation as Method Messeri SC

500- to 800- numbers designate courses primarily intended for graduate students. Note that many of the 300- and 400-level classes listed above also carry Graduate School numbers, and that these classes are not duplicated below. 

Course Number Course Title Instructor Subfield
502 Research Design andMethods in Sociocultural Anthropology Staff SC
503 Ethnographic Writing Dudley SC
529 Ethnography and Social Theory Colloquium Harms SC
538 Culture and Politics in the contemporary Middle East Inhorn SC
541 Agrarian Societies Sivaramakrishnan, Staff SC
561 Anthropology of Global Economic Development and Conservation Carpenter SC
572 Disaster, Degradation, Dystopia Dove SC
581 Power, Knowledge, and Environment Dove SC
594 Affect and Materiality Dudley SC
598 Advanced Topics in the Social Science of Development Carpenter SC
600 Anthropology and Contemporary Social Theory Staff SC
606 Reproductive Biology Valeggia BIO
607 Qualitative Methods in Public Health Hagaman SC
612 Latinx Ethnography Ramos-Zayas SC
615 Anthropological Perspectives on Science and Technology Messeri SC
621 Engaging Anthropology Messeri SC
642 Histories and Ethnographies of the Corporation Rogers SC
665 Evolution of the Human Diet Thompson BIO
702 Archaeological Approaches to Art & Iconography Chinchilla ARC
710 Settlement Patterns and Landscape Chinchilla ARC
725 Post-Imperial Reckoning Koga SC
727 Readings in Critical Muslim Studies Grewall SC
743 Archaeological Research and Proposal Development Honneychurch ARC
757 Ethnographic Images Dudley SC
759 Social Complexity in Ancient China Underhill ARC
769 Museums and their Objects / Landscapes of Meaning Underhill ARC
771 Early Complex Societies Burger ARC
780 The Archaeology of Religion Burger ARC
796 Biopolitics of Human-Nonhuman Relations Dove SC
801 Sexual Selection and Parental Investment Fernandez-Duque BIO
806 Research Methods in Biological Anthropology Valeggia & Fernandez-Duque BIO
808 Topics in Evolutionary Morphology Sargis BIO
812 Topics in Anthropological Genetics Tucci BIO
830 Human Life History and Evolution Bribiescas BIO
851 Topics and Issues in Evolutionary Theory Bribiescas BIO
880 Evolutionary Biology of Infant Care Fernandez-Duque BIO

900 numbers designate special reading courses in various subfields

Course Number Course Title Instructor Subfield
902 Environmental Anthropology Research Lab Staff  
950 Directed Research: Qualifying Exam Prep Staff  
951 Directed Research in Ethnology and Social Anthropology Staff  
952 Directed Research in Linguistic Anthropology Staff  
953 Directed Research in Archaeological Anthropology Staff  
954 Directed Research in Biological Anthropology Staff  
955 Directed Research in Evolutionary Anthropology Staff  
963 Environmental Humanities Sivaramakrishnan  
965 Directed Research in Physical Anthropology Staff