This seminar course explores the relationships between people and things, providing students with an overview of the developing theories and methods of material anthropology. From archaeology to material culture studies, and from art and architecture to museum interpretation, we will examine a wide variety of approaches to the world of objects, artifacts and mass-produced goods, developing critical methods for analyzing material culture and engaging objects as valuable research materials for scholarly work. Through selected readings, site visits, and group activities, we will identify methods for integrating artifacts, collectibles, and every day things with documentary research in narrating and exhibiting culture.