ANTR - Anthropology

This introductory course attempts to illustrate the role of anthropologists as social researchers, not only among indigenous peoples, but also in different spheres of social and cultural activity, and the instruments of analysis constructed by this discipline over time. It aims at familiarizing students with basic concepts and attitudes in anthropology and achieving critical development in this regard and regarding the task of seeking meanings. The program includes topics such as the object of study of this discipline, its specialties, the concept of culture, relationships with other disciplines, cultural diversity from an ecological-cultural perspective, ethnicity, cultural changes and globalization.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students in the management and understanding of qualitative research methods in social sciences. This objective covers a broad spectrum that ranges from reflecting on the characteristics of socio-cultural phenomena to the familiarization with the different tools that have been developed to study them. To this effect, the course not only presents the current epistemological debates in qualitative research, but also aims at developing in students, by means of practical exercises, the analytical, theoretic and practical skills necessary to elucidate research problems as well as methodological strategies that will enable them to tackle a specific topic of study.

This course discusses aspects of the contemporaneous human condition, framing them in the dual process of the general socio-cultural evolution of the species and the specificity of particular predominant cultural traditions today in the world. In order to do so, it goes from an evolutionary view to a socio-cultural view of the Homo Sapiens. The fundamental problem on which it is focused has to do with the validity of the postulate of the relativity of cultures within the current context of globalization, in order to elucidate the meaning of a mutual human condition based thereon, beyond the barriers of inter-culturality.

Although knowledge is supposed to be neutral and at the service of all humanity, the current reality shows that this has not been possible and, on the contrary, it is increasingly benefitting a more and more minor population, because other world views, ancestral legacies of millenary cultures, which have been ignored and underestimated by the so called western society until not too long ago, have begun to be known and recognized by the mass of the world population and their parameters and fundamentals are now being taken into account, in search for a different solution to the current state of humanity and the planet in general, which have been deteriorated for the most part. As a multilingual and pluricultural country, Colombia is a breeding ground to start this search for wisdom, natural practices and alternate cultures, born by its indigenous and Afro-Colombian societies that exist to this day on national territory, some of which even conserve their mother tongue and, thus, the essence of their thought. The course attempts to provide students with characteristics of knowledge (reflected in the cultural traditions and thought) of alternate peoples to western society (particularly indigenous and Afro-Colombian peoples), based on the work of pioneer researchers (anthropologists and other professionals) interested in this type of knowledge, and its comparison with so-called western through, considering the specificities in each case of the peoples analyzed.

In this course, the term "civilization" refers to how certain notions have been conceptual pillars that have legitimated the extermination of other human beings. The argument to be discussed during this course is that "civilization," and the values and ideals it claims are not an antidote against extreme violence but rather that this civilization rests, conceptually and literally speaking, "on mountains of bodies." The course explores the way events of such magnitude have been "engraved" in in the context of different historic narratives. This is all highly relevant if you would like to think not only of the contemporaneous world in general, as a present that is the continuity of the past, but rather, as the typically Colombian present.      

This course is about the history of our way of looking at nature, showing us that it is not only the product of certain biogeographical conditions, but rather a legacy of human history, that is to say, the result of a social process. It is meant for students to place "nature" as a cultural category that is not neutral nor universal. Western Culture has attempted to universalize its values, political systems and its way of acquiring knowledge, by imposing itself on the other societies inhabiting the planet. This attempt has led to the beliefs of Western Culture being considered neutral, objective and natural "truths" when, like in other cultures, these beliefs turn out to be myths, stories and notions that are typical of the particular history of Western Culture. Considering the above, the course mentions different societies that inhabited and inhabit very diverse regions of the planet and have produced very different cultural landscapes. The course will discuss two central queries: What have been the ideas and notions of nature and its relationship with society in modern western culture and how have they been transformed? How has the western notion of nature mediated in the knowledge and recognition of other "cosmologies", other ways of socially constructing the relationship with nature?

This course provides an analysis of the relationship between culture (understood in its voyages as an anthropological concept and a stage of social practice and interaction between individuals and groups) and visual imagination (understood in its dimension of images, texts, performances and different audiovisual expressions that transmit and generate meanings). In order to do so, it explores images whose use, dissemination and receipt in historic contexts and through different practices in power have played a role in registering, viewing, evoking and making the cultural difference a scientific object, producing multiple images of the other. The five topics of exploration that have been put forward are: (1) representations that, from the dawn of modern times and in the context of the European colonization of the New World that began in the 16th Century, registered, evoked and dehumanized non-western peoples through images and texts of the other "savage", "barbarian", "idolator" or "cannibal", (2) the ethnographic imagination that arose over time, rooted in the colonial experience and scientific practices that presented and disseminated meanings of factual, cultural and visual aspects, where some of the most outstanding examples are museums, world fairs and photographic expositions set up on exhibition stages of "primitive" cultures, (3) the naturalist documentary that opened a line of reflection regarding images and —epistemological, ethical and political—dilemmas to represent the other "native", (4) the power and value added of images in the reproduction of imaginaries centered on "third world women ", "natives" and "migrants" in the proposals of Trinh T. Minh-ha, Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gomez Pena, (5) images as transmitters and generators of new socio-cultural meanings through everyday experiences of use and/or appropriation of urban space and contemporaneous artistic expressions that feed and transform the global imagination in a context characterized by growing inequalities as well as old and new exclusions and violence against "migrants", "outcasts" and/or "second class citizens".   By the end of the semester, students are expected to have decanted arguments and ideas that will enable them to construct a critical approach to the relationship between visual imagination and culture, considering the historic, socio-cultural and scientific contexts of use, practice and dissemination.      

The temporal depth handled by archaeology places this academic discipline in a preferential location among historic and social sciences to tackle the biological, social and cultural development of the human race, which are its main concern. This course attempts to familiarize students with the fundamental aspects of current archeological theory and practice based on the critical reading of the history of western thought regarding the past. The main objective is to provide the theoretic bases of the discipline and situate them in the historic context, as well as introduce some of the principal debates, tendencies and current problems. In addition, the course provides an introduction to the main field research methods and techniques in archaeology and the role of archeologists in the creation and handling of collections and exhibitions in museums. Last but not least, it covers the ethical aspects of the different spheres of professional activity in archaeology. The theoretic-methodological training of this course includes a field practice and a guided tour of one of the city’s archeological museums. In order to complement the practical aspects of this training, the University provides opportunities for field and laboratory practice in research projects under the responsibility of the department’s researchers.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a series of basic concepts in the field of human evolution from an anthropological standpoint. The first part reviews the main aspects regarding the topic of biological evolution and the second, from a biocultural viewpoint, analyzes the processes of human biological and cultural evolution in an integrated manner. The third part of the course is dedicated to discussing evolutionary aspects of human beings at present and generating an opportunity for reflection and discussion regarding the future of humanity and the role we play in the process with our decisions.

 This course provides the basic concepts of Biological Anthropology: definition, history and scope of the discipline. The first part reviews aspects regarding the topic of biological evolution, which are essential for the formulation of evolutionary theories. The second, with a biocultural perspective, analyzes the processes of biological and cultural evolution, emphasizing certain events from the evolutionary process that have marked the development of humanity. It necessarily mentions concrete evidence on the evolutionary process, but the course is aimed at discussing the paths and repercussions involved in these changes rather than specific data. Students have the chance to become familiar with the analysis of human remains and Forensic Anthropology in a theoretic-practical manner.

The purpose of this course is to present the status of ethnological research in Colombia, particularly the historic, linguistic and socio-cultural situation, and the tendencies of contemporaneous indigenous populations. The first stage reviews the ethnological studies in Colombia and the situation of American Indians from the second half of the 19th Century, when the free trade reforms, slave manumission and the division of reservations took place, up to the institutionalization of anthropology as a university program in the 70s of the 20th Century. The second part offers a current panorama of the American Indian ethnic groups in Colombia: location, demography, inter-ethnic situation, state policies and native responses thereto, as well as the situation of armed conflict and how it affects them today. After that, the course discusses socio-cultural adaptations of three major regions, indicating their complexity as well as the sub-regional and ethnic specialization, as applicable. These regions are: Andean, Lowlands and Desert. The adaptations include cultural aspects, such as economy, social and political organization and their systems of representation. In addition, it discusses new indigenous identities and their formation processes, where deterritorialization, emergency and the invention of tradition are very common in the contemporaneous world and in Colombia in particular.  

This course introduces students to the process of university academic work in the social sciences, through the incorporation and integration of the methodological tools necessary for their educational process. The course will give students a chance to explore the different methods for critical analysis of issues, for presenting reports and monographs, and for organizing knowledge. In addition to educational actions, which tend to be the mediator for the construction of knowledge, this course will facilitate and multiply other subjects. This will situate the students in the time and space required to develop all types of academic work.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the most important anthropological tendencies that developed from the end of the 19th Century to the mid 50s in the 20th Century. We are particularly interested in the process by means of which "anthropological thought" developed during these years and how the different tendencies of the discipline were conceptualized. The course will be focused on the historical context in which said tendencies took place as well as the ideas that they put forward. We will emphasize the different schools, particular English social anthropology and North American cultural anthropology, as well as the creation of an anthropological method and ethnographic writing as one of the discipline´s key elements.  

The objective of this course is to make a critical presentation of recent theoretical debates in the social sciences focused on development. Special emphasis will be made on questions raised by both "anthropology OF development", and "anthropology FOR development". The course will deal, on the one hand, with anthropology’s potential for the analysis and qualification of starting up programs, projects, and development policies. In this context the most relevant aspects of anthropology as an applied social science will be presented. On the other hand, it will focus on the critical reflection anthropology has proposed since the beginning on development and its notable forerunners: civilization and progress. The participants will gain the capacity to analyze development as a social and cultural process and to be able to locate development and modernization as cultural categories. We will study the history of the expansion of the modern project on the planet and its central characteristics, normally invisible since its premises and beliefs are considered universal and "natural". We will study, then, both the genesis of the group of notions associated with development, and the different lines of criticism that have been proposed, in order to identify the social and cultural implications of putting it in motion.

This course provides an overall panorama of anthropological work dedicated to the study of the organization of human social life. It analyzes the theoretical and methodological tools that have served to develop them. It reflects on everything from the time the field of study began in the nineteenth century to the recognition of the diverse forms of social organization in existence. It will thus cover notions such as family, marriage, blood relationships, race, class, caste, and gender, demonstrating their importance within the history of anthropology and their relevance to an understanding of the social world. Simultaneously, we will explore the relationships that the different forms of social organization have with aspects such as spatial organization, productive practices, political organization, cultural change, and ideological systems.

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the discussions that have evolved over the last few years regarding the different theoretic and methodological positions in Archaeology. It attempts to reflect on some of them and develop the basic criteria to evaluate and analyze these positions. In order to do so, books and articles that highlight said positions are discussed. It is not about covering all the modern theories, but rather studying the main ones by means of the most recurrent topics of today.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a general panorama and a critical view of archeological research in Colombia. The course covers the topic from two different perspectives that have characterized past attempts of synthesis in what is now Colombia. The first part focuses attention on distinguishing major patterns of change on the level of the entire northern region of South America, emphasizing the archeological similarities, contacts and possible influences between regions and cultures. The second part follows a perspective that focuses on comparing smaller regions, with a certain cultural homogeneity, which the course attempts to understand as particular, different cases of socio-cultural development.

The course attempts to play a role in the theoretic training of anthropologists and raise awareness as regards symbolic and linguistic phenomena. It also aims at presenting the main concepts of linguistics, which make up the internal organization, and those that define the field in relation with other sciences. It is important to help students rank the methods and techniques taught among the theoretic questioning with the greatest relevance. Theoretic training will be associated with exercises in listening and transcription of American Indian languages. The practical work attempts to train students in perception, reproduction and phonetic notation of the sounds of human language based on a sound corpus provided by the professor.

The course presents some of the developments in anthropological thinking that were produced between mid-century and the decade of the eighties. We will study the texts of authors who represent the currents of thinking and schools that flowered in French anthropology, British Society, and North American culture. The chosen selection will be representative in its importance and impact, but does not and cannot pretend to be exhaustive. To the degree that the anthropological production of a period influences and is influenced by discourses and discussions outside of anthropology, we will look at some of those developments. The course will also approach the analysis and the critical principles of some of anthropological histories (P. Mercier, M. Harris, A. Kuper, J. Llobera, A. De Wall Malefijt, and others)

The purpose of this course is to provide a general panorama of the history of anthropology in Colombia, in order for students to learn its main lines of thought. The course discussions will travel through the history of the discipline from the end of the 19th Century up to the 1980s based on texts, biographies and events worth pointing out for being fundamental in the consolidation of the discipline in Colombia. The main objective is for students to become familiar with the different theoretic approaches developed over time by the discipline in Colombia in order for them to be capable of identifying the problems and questions covered and the concepts that were developed, as well as discursive strategies and methods. The history of Colombian anthropology will be placed in the context of the main contributions of anthropological thought in Latin America, particularly the traditions of Mexico and Brazil. It attempts to reflect on the conditions of anthropology in Colombia and Latin America in the framework of the emergence of modernity in the region, thus paying close attention to the socio-political contexts that conditioned its development. In order to do so, the course also views the reflections that Colombian and Latin American anthropology have set forth over the last few decades, developing an anthropology from anthropology.

Anthropology is a discipline that has traditionally been dedicated to studying culture, it is perhaps the most influenced, which in turn has influenced theories on contemporaneous society. Since it is meant to understand the meaning of cultural changes, it plays a leading role in new theoretic tendencies. On another note, by radically questioning its relationship with the "other" the discipline has found itself in the obligation of viewing itself in a critical manner. The course provides knowledge of the key tendencies in analyzing society today, from perspectives that not only attempt to understanding the meaning of cultural transformations, but also aim at inquiring the process of knowledge itself in order to propose new research alternatives.

The Department of Anthropology gives students the chance to carry out work guided by Anthropology professors in the Department’s research projects as of their fifth semester. In the field of biological anthropology in this case. The work is done during one academic semester and may be accredited by a seminar or an elective course from the syllabus of the field of study.

The Department of Anthropology gives students the chance to carry out work guided by Anthropology professors in the Department’s research projects as of their fifth semester. In the field of Archaeology in this case. The work is done during one academic semester and may be accredited by a seminar or an elective course from the syllabus of the field of study.

The Department of Anthropology gives students the chance to carry out work guided by Anthropology professors in the Department’s research projects as of their fifth semester. In the area of social anthropology in this case. The work is done during one academic semester and may be accredited by a seminar or an elective course from the syllabus of the field of study.

The Department of Anthropology gives students the chance to carry out work guided by Anthropology professors in the Department’s research projects as of their fifth semester, in this case in the field of Zooarchaeology (analysis of fauna from archaeological contexts). The work is done during one academic semester and may be accredited by a seminar or an elective course from the syllabus of the field of study. Depending on the particular interests of each student, it is based on a work system that enables students to explore their own interests and, in general, become familiar with the different fields of research that zooarchaeologists work in.

This course is aimed at students from other programs of study at the University who are enrolled in the Anthropology Option. It corresponds to the last course of the syllabus to complete the option program. It covers a subject of research, chosen by students in accordance with their specific interests, in the field of anthropology with the tutoring of a professor from the department.

The purpose of this seminar is to familiarize undergraduate students with qualitative research techniques of social anthropology through reading, lectures, research projects and specific exercises. The course covers methodologies that are fundamental to anthropology such as the collection and organization of information, research and field notes, participant observation, life histories, in-depth interviews, content analysis, and pays special attention to the theoretic problems that arise from their use during the course of the project.

This course focuses on preparing the research project for the graduation thesis. The discussion and monitoring of the subject selected by each of the participants must be useful to define the research topic, delimit the conceptual area of the project, monitor the theoretic and practical background, propose general and specific objectives, specify the methodological criteria required to collect, treat and analyze the information, and to define the research tools, such as the sources and how to deal with them. Since this is a practical course, activities revolve around the specific bibliographic reference of each subject, and the discussion and preparation of the individual projects.

The thesis is one of the graduation options offered by the department to students interested in carrying out their first experience in the field of research. It constitutes the final stage of undergraduate studies. It is based on a research problem of the student´s personal interest, either theoretic-conceptual or practical for application in anthropology. It is a research exercise carried out by the student with the assistance of a director, chosen from among the professors of the department or the community of professionals with the expertise required to guide the student, approved by the Department’s undergraduate committee. The expected result is a document at least 60 pages long that meets all the academic requirements of form and content required by the Department and agreed on with the project director.

This program is aimed at students who would like to carry out their graduation project in research with a professor from the Department or another University (subject to approval by the Department). With this alternative, students can choose between the courses of Thesis Design or Internship Methodology. This option enables students to carry out specific tasks and activities related to research in Anthropology. This is done with the guidance of the main researcher of the project, who assigns the students’ work and establishes the parameters of academic requirement.

This is a code number students must include in their last semester academic schedules for purposes of informing on the end of their studies to University Admissions and Registrar.

This is a program that aims at providing students with the chance to carry out professional internships as of the fifth semester in external institutions and organizations, in which our students* can come into contact with specific situations of the country´s social reality that will play a role in their education as future anthropologists.

This program is aimed at students who would like to carry out their internship in external institutions. In this alternative, students will take the course Internship Methodology in which they become familiar with the methods and techniques necessary for their performance as interns. This option allows students to carry out specific work in future fields of their professional practice. It is carried out with the guidance of a professor from the Department who establishes the academic parameters.

In the contemporaneous panorama of social and cultural anthropology, there is a vein of reflective thought on the production itself of anthropological knowledge. The objective of this seminar is to examine this controversy based on ethnographic material. It is about considering ethnographic fact a fundamental part of anthropological knowledge, particularly as regards Colombian anthropological thought. This consideration, based on Colombian ethnographic experience, attempts to provide specific elements for students to carry out their own ethnographies (or their continuation). This means that the seminar has a dual perspective: An analytical or critical perspective and a proactive or operational perspective.

The objective of this course is to give students an overall view of world and Colombian archeology theory. This is not a history of archeology, although we will look at historical aspects, but an attempt to raise students’ awareness of different postures, the importance of these discussions to archeological work, the need to be explicit with research questions and the theoretical assumptions in any project.

This course will discuss the different scales on which archeology works, according to the specific problem being investigated. We will evaluate the analytical spectrum defined as regional or local, and will reflect on the criteria for selecting the right methodology and field techniques, so that the information gathered in the field will be relevant for solving the problems under investigation.

This semester is used by students to perform the specific activities required to carry out the research project formulated in the first year. These activities, among others, correspond to regional reconnaissance, prospection, excavations, searches in files and libraries, and the "onsite" observations and descriptions of activities. During this period, students will have the guidance of the research director as per the timetable agreed upon between the parties.

The graduation project consists of analyzing the information retrieved and producing the final research report, which is one of the requirements to receive a Master’s Degree in Anthropology.

Students are required to enroll in the last semester of their studies to carry out the graduation process.