ANTHRO 115: The Social Life of Human Bones
The human body—and the skeleton in particular—has filled a myriad of social roles in cultures around the world. Practices such as excarnation (one example would be Comanche platform burials), interment, exhumation and reburial all speak to the “social life” of the body. This course explores the social dynamics related to the body using anthropological, biological and archaeological contexts, and demonstrates how active the body can be well after death. And no, we’re not talking about zombies. Instructor: Krish Seetah
RELIGST 2: Is Stanford a Religion?
Stanford has its own mythological origin story (Harvard turning the Stanfords down), rituals (Band Run, anyone?), sacred spaces (MemChu and the Mausoleum), sacred symbols (the Axe), and even some spirits (Leland Stanford Jr.). In this course, students will learn some of the theories and methods of religious studies to better understand not only Stanford culture and its environs but also what motivates people to be religious, the roles religion plays in people’s lives, and the similarities and differences between religious and secular culture. Instructor: Kathryn Gin Lum
