本课程的目的，在于引导学生了解应用于人类学分析中重要的社会学理论与思辩。在这学期里，我们研究的议题奠基于人类及其所创造居住的世界，包含了：能动性（agency）、结构、主体性、历史、社会变迁、权力、文化以及表征的政治学等。我们将应用理论以(1)分析、解释或理解人类行为与社会关系；(2)检视社会或历史情境的创造脉络；(3)并反省过去的理论对当代对话与思辩的影响。

This course introduces students to some of the major social theories and debates that inspire and inform anthropological analysis. Over the course of the semester, we will investigate a range of theoretical propositions concerning such topics as agency, structure, subjectivity, history, social change, power, culture, and the politics of representation. Ultimately, all theories can be read as statements about human beings and the worlds they create and inhabit. We will approach each theoretical perspective or proposition on three levels: (1) in terms of its analytical or explanatory power for understanding human behavior and the social world; (2) in the context of the social and historical circumstances in which they were produced; and (3) as contributions to ongoing dialogues and debate.