Anthropology of Childhood

This course examines childhood across cultures. Lectures and readings will use case materials drawn from North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia to explore ways in which culture affects how parents deal with children. We will also examine the acquisition of culture by young children. We will look closely at ways in which different cultural practices shape the experience of childhood from infancy to adolescence. Topics addressed will include: beliefs about infants, language acquisition, cultural differences in theories about learning, the nature of schools in various cultures, the role of play and mass media in shaping children, the cultural shaping of gender identity, and adolescent initiation rites.