Anthropology is the holistic study of humanity. It encompasses human biology and evolution, history (archaeologists are anthropologists too), language, society, and culture. Culture, in particular, is the focus of much anthropological research since it is such an integral component of what it means to be human. Among other things, it enables us live in places that wouldn’t be possible without it, it helps us identify our spouses and enemies, it informs our understanding of the past and our outlook on the future, it teaches us what clothes are appropriate to wear (if any), what foods taste good and are gross, and how one should behave on a date. It also offers answers to those fundamental questions of human existence: who are we? where do we come from? and what happens to us when we die? Culture is universal—no people lack it—but it is diverse in its expression and it is always changing. This course focuses on this fascinating and fundamental dimension of the human condition as observed by socio-cultural anthropologists working all over the world.