Dr Studstill

Dr John Studstill
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology,
Coordinator, African Studies Certificate Program at CSU

Courses taught

ANTH 1105. Cultural Anthropology (3-0-3) A comparative study of world-wide sociocultural systems (cultures and societies). Topics include: basic institutions; evolution of sociocultural systems; the nature of culture and society, economics, poliltics, religions, environment; industrialism and development, colonialism and neocolonialism today.

SOCI 2293. Family and Society (3-0-3) Prerequisites: SOCI 1101 and ANTH 1105. Analysis of family life and kinship structures in the U.S. and cross-culturally; marriage, husband/wife and parent/child relations; transformations of family and kinship in industrial societies.

ANTH/SOCI 3125. People and Cultures of Africa (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101. A survey of the African continent, its archaeology, prehistory, and culture history, but with a focus on the great diversity of contemporary cultures and on the political and economic developments in the post-colonial era. Current problems of political conflict, economic development, health and environment will also be highlighted.

ANTH/SOCI 3127. Social Problems of Globalization (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101. A study of modern global social problems related to the benefits, transformations, technology, and new modes of production, all of which is often grouped under the term "globalization." Special attention will be paid to the origins of Western industrial capitalism and the history of European colonialism.

SOCI 3128. Drugs and Society (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101 and ANTH 1105. An examination of the social, psychological, and biological aspects of psychotropic drug use and abuse, with emphasis on the sociological aspects. Social aspects related to drug types and their addictive properties are also discussed. Addiction, addiction treatment, drug use prevention and various arguments related to legalization and criminal penalties are addressed.

SOCI 4105. Sociological Theory (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101. Introduces students to the founders of modern sociology in the 19th and early 20th centuries and to the theoretical problems with which they struggled. Describes some of the classic concepts and debates in the field including sociocultural system, social function, conflict, stratification class, and social interaction. Concludes with a brief look at the late 20th century in terms of the ideas of postmodernism and multiculturalism.

SOCI 4106. Modern Sociological Thought (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101 and SOCI 4105. Emphasizes key problems in sociological theory. Topics include sociological theories and models, theory and research, theory construction, and relevant problems in the philosophy of social science, such as the nature of explanation, reductionism, and emergence.

ANTH/SOCI 4107. Evolution of Social Stratification and Inequality (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101. An examination of social stratification (class, estate, caste) systems throughout history and their overlap with social inequalities based on ethnic group, gender, or other social characteristics. Description will be supported by theoretical explanations of both stratification and equality offered by major theorists, as well as by study of some possibilities for more egalitarian solutions in the contemporary world.

ANTH 4899. Independent Study (1-6) Prerequisite: Department Chair Approval. May be taken up to four times for a maximum of six semester hours.

SOCI 5109. Sociology of Medicine and Mental Disorders (3-0-3) Prerequisite: SOCI 1101. The sociological perspective applied to medical and psychiatric disorders. Topics include various theories of causation, the roles of therapeutic agents and patients, the institutional setting, differential rates of morbidity and the delivery of services, and politics of health care.

ANTH/SOCI 5115. Religion, Culture and Society (3-0-3) Prerequisite: ANTH 1105 or SOCI 1101. An overview of major sociological and anthropological studies of the structure, function, and evolution of religious thought and behavior including contributions of major theorists. Religion will be studied as an aspect of human sociocultural systems that has cognitive, emotional, social, and moral components. This will be based on a description of major religious traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Animism as well as on efforts at classification of types.

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