• Dr. Rukshana Zaman

The course objective is to have a basic understanding of the foundation and the emergence of society and culture. This course would help one understand how the subject was conceived and the developments in the field till date. Study of the forms and processes in the conceptualisation of society and culture, social groups, social institutions and organisations, concepts of kinship, family and marriage; religious ideas, ritual practices and rites of passage; cosmological ideas about space, time, the relation between human, animal, and spiritual existence; the production, consumption and exchange of necessities would be taken up in detail

• Dr. P. Venkatramana

Archaeological Anthropology is one of the subfields of anthropology, which deals with the origins and development of humankind prior to the invention of script. The content and the methodology of the subject until recent times is called as Prehistory or Prehistoric Archaeology, and has been part of Anthropology and Archaeology disciplines, with an emphasis of bio-cultural evolution in the former and description of ancient objects in the latter. During recent years the Prehistoric Archaeological gained strength in terms of theory and methods by borrowing techniques from various scientific disciplines, and transformed into Archaeological Anthropology.

• Dr. Mitoo Das

Anthropology and Methods of Research provides a comprehensive introduction to anthropology, exploring its meaning, scope, and branches, and examining its emerging frontiers. Learners will gain insights into anthropology's unique fieldwork tradition, learning how research is designed and conducted. The course covers essential data collection techniques, including interviews, surveys, and participant observation, along with statistical methods for data analysis. This course empowers students with critical tools for cultural and biological understanding and equips them to apply anthropological methods in diverse fields.

• Prof. Rashmi Sinha

Physical anthropology is an important field of anthropology. Aren’t we inquisitive to know about ourselves? How we were in the past to why we are like today? In this course on Physical Anthropology, let us first define what physical anthropology is and what does one achieve knowing this discipline. The historical background will take you back to the days when physical anthropology meant human variation and measurement to the current status, when we have advanced our knowledge through technical progression. The progress in this discipline has paved the way for several branches in physical anthropology.

• Dr. Mitoo Das

The course on Practicing Anthropology equips learners with applied skills to address real-world issues through an anthropological lens. Covering topics such as community engagement, ethical considerations, policy influence, and advocacy, it emphasises practical approaches to problem-solving in sectors like healthcare, education, tourism, kinanthropometry etc. Students learn methods for analyzing social issues and utilising multimedia tools for effective communication. This course empowers students to apply anthropological insights beyond academia, preparing them to contribute effectively in various professional and community-based settings.

• Dr. P. Venkatramana

This course intends to inculcate the learner’s aptitude towards research. The learner can select a topic either from Social Cultural Anthropology / Biological Anthropology /Archaeological Anthropology / or any of its sub branches or any topic related to allied disciplines. The learner is expected to conduct a fieldwork, collect samples, analyse and write the report based on his/her results

• Dr. P. Venkatramana

Human genetics is one of the important areas of physical anthropology. Human genetics on one hand concerns the study of the patterns of inheritance of various body traits and on the other, proper assessment of the distribution of such traits and their gene frequencies. It is of utmost relevance for evaluating the process of ongoing human differentiation. This course would enable the learner interested in the study of evolutionary phenomenon to evaluate the inflow and outflow of genes that have evolutionary implications.

• Prof. Rashmi Sinha

All living things are mortal. Reproduction is essential for those organisms that die, yet need to replicate; and to achieve this growth and development becomes mandatory. In fact growth is one of the important hallmarks of a large majority of living organisms. Human beings reproduce sexually which means they require biological material from both their parents. They undergo a long process of growth and development to look something like their parents.

• Dr. Rukshana Zaman

The course objective is to understand how ethnographies are written. Through this course we bring to the learners some of the classicial works and also the new style of writing ethnograhpies that have emerged since the inception of anthropology as a discipline.

• Dr. Mitoo Das

The course on Gender and Society explores the social, cultural, and historical dimensions of gender from both global and Indian perspectives through an anthropological lens. Learners examine how gender shapes identities, relationships, and power dynamics across diverse communities, with a focus on themes such as family, caste, religion, work, and media. Key topics include gender roles, norms, intersectionality, and evolving gender identities within India's social landscape and the broader global context. This course equips students with analytical tools to critically assess gender constructs, preparing them to engage thoughtfully with gender issues in academic, professional, and community settings.

• Prof. Rashmi Sinha

Humans have a long history of interacting with their immediate environment that has resulted in shaping biological as well as cultural evolution to a large extent.Anthropology as a discipline, specializing in bio-cultural study of humans, right from its inception has taken keen interest in such interactions. The ancient Greeko-Roman philosophers as observers of human behaviour and values have hypothesized that environmental factors like climate and humidity, etc. determine human culture. Although strict environmental determinism has been rejected, environmental anthropologists have long focused on how humans adjust and adapt to their natural environment.

• Dr. Mitoo Das

The course on Social Stratification examines the structures of social inequality and hierarchy, with a focus on both global and Indian contexts. Learners explore how caste, class, race, ethnicity, gender, and religion contribute to social stratification, with particular emphasis on India's caste system, economic disparities, and patterns of social mobility. The course also addresses concepts of distributive justice and explores social movements and emerging approaches aimed at reducing inequality.

• Dr. Rukshana Zaman

The study of Tribes is one of the core concerns of anthropology. Anthropology initially started with the study of tribes and people living in far-off places. In India, during the British rule, the Indian populations were studied so as to have an understanding of the norms and customs which would help in framing the legislation and for other administrative purposes. Today social anthropology studies the various aspects of a tribe in order to understand the tribal life and document it in the realm of the fastchanging world. Many tribes are fast diminishing owing to globalisation and industrialisation, and if they are not studied today, they would be lost forever. The emphasis of the course would be to understand the tribal culture in India with the help of case studies of a few tribes. The course would focus on the social and cultural characteristics of tribes, problems of the tribal communities related to land alienation, bonded labour, displacement, health, and illness. The measures adopted by the state, and constitutional provisions for the welfare of the tribes would also be taken up in this course.