Departments & Programs
Anthropology
Major in Anthropology
Purpose
The anthropology major acquaints students with basic principles, methods, and findings in anthropological study. Students may acquire a general background in anthropology or develop particular interests in one of the subfields.
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours in anthropology, including:
- B200, E200, L200, and P200
- One advanced course (300–400 level) each in three of the four subfields with prefixes "B" for bioanthropology, "E" for social and cultural anthropology, "L" for anthropological linguistics, and "P" for archaeology. Students may substitute A410 for one of these courses.
- One course designated as having a methods component. These include A306, A405, A406, A410, B301, B405, E302, E423, E485, P301, P380, P385, P390, P401, P405, P406, P425, P426, and other sections taught under variable title if approved by the advisor. (Methods courses may also count toward the upper-level subfield requirement.)
- Remaining credit hours are distributed across advanced courses in any of the four subfields according to student interest. A student may count two additional courses at the 200 level. A105, A303, E105, and E303 do not count toward the major.
Students planning to major in anthropology should begin by taking 200-level courses for introduction to the four subfields. Students must also complete the degree requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Recommendations
Each of the four subfields of anthropology has different expectations as to the course work that best complements the interests and skills of students in each subfield. Course work taken in other departments should be selected in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. The senior capstone seminar, A410, is recommended for majors.
Graduate work in anthropology often requires knowledge of one or more foreign languages, and students should plan their undergraduate programs accordingly.