Anthropology studies human populations and cultures in comparative, historical and evolutionary frameworks. The curriculum promotes understanding the variety of past and present human groups, the cultures and societies people create, the processes that animate cultural production and social life, and the processes that underlie human biological development and evolution. Students learn and apply the research methods and theoretical constructs used by anthropologists to investigate peoples and their social worlds. Excavating and analyzing the remains of past cultures, studying the interaction of biology and culture, and examining global social and cultural changes are but a few of the approaches anthropologists use to investigate the human way of life.
The department offers the BA and BS degrees in anthropology. Students majoring in the BA receive excellent training for undertaking graduate studies in anthropology or related fields or for careers outside of academia. The BS degree combines anthropology with natural science approaches associated with biology, chemistry, geology, environmental science and medical/health-related fields, and is directed toward students who require formal scientific training within the major to prepare them for careers or advanced studies with a scientific focus in anthropology or other disciplines, including medical school.
Sequences of courses enable the student to move from a broad understanding of anthropology to more focused topics of study. Only courses passed with a grade of C- or better are counted toward fulfilling the requirements of a major in anthropology; transfer courses also must be C- or better to count toward the major. No more than one course taken under the Pass/Fail option is accepted in fulfillment of the requirements for an anthropology major. The Anthropology Department’s residency requirement stipulates that a minimum of seven courses (28 credits) in the major must be taken in residence at 91ÉçÇø.
Harpur College Requirements
Harpur College students must complete the following requirements in addition to those listed for the major:
- 126 credits
- 94 liberal arts and sciences credits
- Minimum of 46 upper-level credits
- Completion of the Harpur College writing requirement (four to five courses as described in the All-College Writing section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin. Maximum of one C/J course and two W courses may be transferred).
- Minimum of 44 credits in residence in Harpur College
- 2.0 or higher GPA
Harpur College requirements are described in detail in the Requirements for Graduation section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin.
Anthropology BA Program
BA Program Requirements (56 credits)
One course from four of the following five categories in Anthropology
- Linguistic Anthropology*
- ANTH 114 Language, Culture, and Communications in the US
- ANTH 118 Introduction to Linguistic Structure
- ANTH 170 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
- Archaeology*
- ANTH 125 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes
- ANTH 167 Introduction to Archaeology
- ANTH 169 Historical Archaeology
- Sociocultural Anthropology*
- ANTH 166 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
- Biological Anthropology*
- ANTH 168 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- Anthropology
- ANTH 111 Introduction to Anthropology
- One anthropology ethics course
- Three elective courses in anthropology at any level
- Four upper-level anthropology courses
- Two upper-level elective courses in anthropology or other social or natural sciences
* Note: Students pursuing the Transfer Path in Anthropology must do so by taking one of the courses from the linguistic anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural anthropology and biological anthropology categories.
Anthropology BS Program
BS Program Requirements (68 credits)
One course from four of the following five categories in Anthropology
- Linguistic Anthropology*
- ANTH 114 Language, Culture, and Communications in the US
- ANTH 118 Introduction to Linguistic Structure
- ANTH 170 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
- Archaeology*
- ANTH 125 Buried Cities and Lost Tribes
- ANTH 167 ANTH 167 Introduction to Archaeology
- ANTH 169 Historical Archaeology
- Sociocultural Anthropology*
- ANTH 166 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
- Biological Anthropology*
- ANTH 168 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- Anthropology
- ANTH 111 Introduction to Anthropology
- One anthropology ethics course
- One upper-level anthropology research methods course that includes qualitative, quantitative, laboratory, or field methods
- Two additional research methods or science cognate courses
- One course in statistics
- Three elective courses in anthropology
- Five upper-level courses in anthropology
*Note: Students pursuing the Transfer Path in Anthropology must do so by taking one of the courses from the linguistic anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural anthropology, and biological anthropology categories.
Honors Program
Graduation with honors in anthropology is awarded for superior independent work, and is strongly encouraged for students who intend to pursue graduate careers. To qualify for admission to the honors program, a student must have demonstrated academic accomplishment of high quality, must be an anthropology major and must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 and a GPA of at least 3.5 within the major. Applications to the program must be approved by the departmental undergraduate committee no later than the end of the sixth semester of a student’s eight semesters of baccalaureate studies. A senior honors thesis, supervised by two members of the faculty, is required for honors. Normally, honors students should enroll in two credits of ANTH 497 in their next-to-last semester to do research toward an honors thesis, and in two credits of ANTH 499 in their last semester, during which they complete the thesis. Combined, these four credits can count as one upper-level course towards fulfilling major requirements.
Minors in Anthropology
Five possible minors in anthropology are offered: general anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistic anthropology. Each is satisfied by the completion of the coursework described below. Each minor requires a total of 24 credits (six 4-credit courses), distributed between lower-division courses (100-200 level) and upper-division courses (300-400 level). Exceptions to the stated requirements may be made only with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.
Only courses passed with a grade of C– or better may be counted toward fulfilling the requirements of a minor in anthropology. No courses taken under the Pass/Fail option may be used to fulfill anthropology minor requirements. The Anthropology Department’s residency requirement stipulates that a minimum of three courses (12 credits) in the minor must be taken in residence at 91ÉçÇø.
Requirements for General Anthropology Minor
The General Anthropology minor gives the student a broad background in the field of anthropology, and encourages selection of courses from all of the subfields of anthropology, without specialization in any single sub-field.
- One area course (four credits) that focuses on the peoples and cultures of a specific world region or area (e.g., the Pacific, Middle East, Southeast Asia, North Africa, etc.). Choose among ANTH 251-273, 340-344, 367-370, 374-379 or 280/380/480 (special topics courses with a geographic area focus). Note: this course can be double counted to fulfill either an upper-division course or lower-division course requirement, in addition to the area course requirement.
- Three courses (12 credits) taken at the 100-200 level; at least one must be at the 200 level.
- Three courses (12 credits) taken at the 300-400 level. A maximum four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393/493/497/499 is allowed; ANTH 491 is not allowed.
- No more than two courses (eight credits) of the total six courses required for this minor may be from any single subfield (linguistic anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, sociocultural anthropology). One of the 300-400 level courses (four credits) may be in a cognate discipline, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Requirements for Sociocultural Anthropology Minor
The sociocultural anthropology minor introduces students to a range of theories, problematics and questions in the study of social and cultural differences around the world. Such training is relevant to students in a wide variety of fields, including area studies (Asian and Asian American Studies, Africana Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies), economics, geography, history, art history, political science, psychology, sociology and women's studies. This minor is useful to students engaged with questions of cultural diversity and social behavior, and to those wanting to gain a global perspective on social problems and comparative cultural phenomena:
- the foundations course in sociocultural anthropology (four credits), ANTH 166;
- one sociocultural area course (four credits) that focuses on the peoples and cultures of a specific world area or region, preferably chosen from among ANTH 252-254, 256-258, 367-370 or 280/380/480 (special topics courses with a sociocultural and geographic area focus);
- three upper-level courses (12 credits) in sociocultural anthropology, chosen from among ANTH 300, 349-359, 360-369, 430-439, 450-465, 477 and 380/480 (with a sociocultural focus). A maximum four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393/493/497/499 is allowed;
- one elective course (four credits) taken at any level and in any subfield of anthropology or in a cognate field, to be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Of the courses taken for the minor, no more than two may be at the 100 level.
Requirements for Biological Anthropology Minor
The Biological Anthropology minor provides students with a basic understanding of the fundamental concepts of human biology, evolution and the relationships between biology and culture. The program is relevant to students with interests in biology, psychology, medicine, nursing and environmental studies, among others.
- the foundations course in biological anthropology, ANTH 168 (four credits);
- three upper-level courses (12 credits) in biological anthropology, chosen from among ANTH 330-339, 420-429 and 380/480 (with a biological focus). A maximum of four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393/493/497/499 is allowed; ANTH 491 is not allowed.
- one lower-level course (four credits) in biological anthropology, chosen from among ANTH 241-249 or 280 (with a biological focus);
- one elective course (four credits) taken at any level and in any area of anthropology or in a cognate field, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Requirements for Archaeology Minor
The Archaeology minor provides students with a basic understanding of human prehistory as well as how archaeologists study the past. Such training is relevant to students in a wide variety of fields, including history, art history, classical studies, medieval studies, Judaic studies, African American studies and Middle Eastern and North African studies:
- one foundations course in archaeology (four credits): ANTH 167 or 169;
- two archaeological area courses (eight credits), chosen from among ANTH 260-269, 340-344, 370 and 374-379;
- two upper level archaeology courses (eight credits) chosen from among ANTH 340-348, 372-379, 470-475. A maximum of four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393/493/497/499 is allowed; ANTH 491 is not allowed.
- one elective course (four credits) in any area of anthropology or in a cognate field, chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
Requirements for the Linguistic Anthropology Minor
The Linguistic Anthropology minor introduces students to a broad range of theories and questions in the study of language and culture and how they influence each other. Such training is relevant to students in a variety of fields, including area studies (Asian and Asian-American studies, Africana studies, Latin American and Caribbean Area studies, Judaic studies), linguistics, economics, geography, history, art history, political science, psychology, sociology, women’s studies and romance languages:
- two foundations courses in linguistic anthropology ( eight credits): ANTH 118 and ANTH 114 or ANTH 170;
- one 200-level course in linguistic anthropology ( four credits) chosen from among: ANTH 210-219 or 280 topics courses (with a linguistic anthropology focus).
- two 300/400-level courses in linguistic anthropology (eight credits), chosen from among: ANTH 310-329, 410, 440-449, or 380/480 topics courses (with a linguistic anthropology focus). A maximum of four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393/493/497/499 is allowed.
- one elective course (4 credits) taken in any subfield of anthropology or the other social sciences, to be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. ANTH 491 is not allowed.