Anthropology is the study of human worldviews, values, symbols, and institutions.
Anthropology asks not just what is happening — but why.
Data alone is not enough to understand the world…
There are patterns and trends that big data can track but not necessarily explain. Anthropology fills in these gaps using real-world observation and insight.
By participating the life of a community, the anthropologist studies people in their social context, seeking insight into the meanings and experiences that shape the life of individuals and communities. This humanistic, grounded, and practice-based approach to research, also known as ethnography, provides nuanced and surprising insights into how human institutions and social worlds actually work.
Through lectures, readings and films, students will learn to use anthropological tools to explore key questions affecting our world. Topics include corporate culture, the meanings of family, the politics of knowledge and expertise, the cultural dimensions of health and healthcare, the social dimensions of economics, and the complex role of ritual in daily life. Along the way, we will consider the ethical challenges of humanistic research and the role of anthropology in the contemporary world.
Fall 2025
Instructor:
Dr. Emily Zeamer, zeamer@usc.edu
