Moving On

I've decided to close out this blog, and move on to a new, non-anonymous blog. Most of you know who I am, so you can find me pretty easily by googling my name. I'll try to put a link on my U webpage, too, once I've gotten that updated (the U is in the process of changing templates, so that may take a while). Also, I'll link to Facebook, so make sure we're Facebook friends! I've enjoyed writing this blog, but originally it was a way to blow off steam (hence the anonymity). Now I find I'm unable to get what I want from this blog because I'm not able to talk about my own work, or the specifics of classes, etc., if I want to remain anonymous. So, I hope I'll have some visitors over at my new blog, and that we can have more of a dialog under the more open conditions.

a whole new class: environmental anthropology

Before tenure, one should never re-prep an entire class. But, of course, I did. I've taught an environmental anthropology class twice before, but was never happy with it. I tried a couple different textbooks and readers, and nothing worked for me. They didn't cover the topics I wanted to cover with the perspectives I wanted to include.

So, I've totally re-done the class, using journal articles instead of a textbook, and focusing on those topics I find most interesting. Half the class is dedicated to archaeology, mostly landscape impacts of prehistoric human societies. That portion of the class is divided up into "types" of societies (hunter/gatherers, subsistence agriculturalists, states). The second half of the class is human ecology, specifically sections on disease, diet, and reproduction.

I think it will be a lot of fun! If anyone wants to share resources (syllabi, reading lists, etc.), I'm always happy to do so.