ANTH 499

Spring 2026 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 20-May 6

Topics in Anthropology

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Credit: 4 hours.

Research seminar on specialized topics in anthropology.

4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

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ANTH 499 class schedule data for spring 2026
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	30170	Lecture-Discussion	AO	2:00PM -4:50PM	W	209A Davenport Hall	Orta, A	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Title: The Social Lives of Numbers Section Info: Cultures of Counting: The Social Lives of Numbers: Credit scores, social media followers, GPA, BMI, public opinion polls, stock markets, censuses, college rankings, … the world is filled with measurements and numbers that claim to reflect who we are and how we should feel about that. The authority of numbers and their rational application has been a hallmark of “modernity.” And this is intensifying in new ways as a host of technologies –from cell phones to traffic lights and thermostats—generate an unprecedented flood of data rendering human selves, communities and behaviors in quantified ways. This class examines such cultures of counting critically and comparatively. All human societies count. But they don’t all count in the same way. And they don’t all count the same things. Which is to say that not all things count in the same way for all people. This class begins from the observation that numbers and the ways people use them (or are compelled to use them) are social and political acts. Ways of counting vary in ways that are relatively shared with others. And understandings of what counts, what matters, reflect relatively shared ideas about what is important, what needs to be accounted for. We’ll review a range of case studies of numbers and counting and examine the very particular role and authority ascribed to numbers in contemporary experiences in the United States.