Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

ANTH 35600 - Polynesian Cultures


This course will provide students with a broad overview of the peoples and distinctive cultures of the Central and South Pacific island worlds of Polynesia. We will examine Polynesia over time beginning when the islands were settled in the prehistoric era, discuss the transformations that occurred through Western contact and colonialization, and consider the more recent impacts of globalization. We will explore many of the central topics in anthropological studies of Polynesia, including: political and social organization; economics; gender and sexuality; identity and personhood; art and dance; and religious belief and practice. We will finish the course by looking at important contemporary issues, such as transnational migration, tourism, public health dilemmas, and transformations in cultural and ethnic identities. Readings and films have been selected to give students experience with a variety of different Polynesian societies, including Hawai’i, Samoa, the Kingdom  of Tonga, Tahiti, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Rotuma, and the Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Cr. 3.