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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Anthropology, BA
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 Return to: Majors
Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Chair: Katheryn Twiss
Office: S-501 Social and Behavioral Sciences
Phone: (631) 632-7620
Anthropology is a social science that seeks to understand and explain human cultural, behavioral, and biological variation through time and space. The undergraduate Anthropology program introduces students to the field of anthropology, its branches, its theories and methods, and its relation to the other social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. The program offers opportunities to study abroad in Kenya, Madagascar, and other areas.
The goals of the Anthropology program are to:
- introduce students to the ways in which evolutionary and historical processes have shaped our past and resulted in the biological, behavioral, and cultural diversity observed today across modern humans and nonhuman primates;
- showcase for students the connections among all primates (including humans) as well as primates’ interactions with their environments across time and space;
- promote students’ understanding and development of skills in the collection, analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of varying types of anthropological data, and;
- foster students’ ability to effectively communicate anthropological knowledge in both written and oral form.
The program achieves these goals via coursework leading to five major learning outcomes that prepare students to pursue several postgraduate paths.
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Anthropology: Biology (BIO) , China Studies (CNS) , Health, Medicine and Society (MHS) , History (HIS) , Japanese Studies (JNH) , Judaic Studies (JDS) , Korean Studies (KOR) , Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS)
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Degree Requirements
The major in Anthropology leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Anthropology program offers a flexible curriculum that allows students to tailor their coursework to specific intellectual interests, training objectives, and career goals. Completion of the major requires 39 credits. Of the courses used to fulfill the program learning outcomes described below, at least 18 credits must be from upper-division courses (300 or 400-level) and at least 6 additional credits must be from 400-level courses. All major courses (including transfer credits) must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. There is an option for pursuing an Advanced Anthropological Study option for those students who wish to emphasize a particular area of study or develop an advanced skill set. Regardless, all students achieve five learning outcomes in the Anthropology program, including: 1. Core concepts (minimum 18 credits)
Learning outcome: Students will be able to identify and describe various areas of anthropological study. Courses in this objective area focus on: how we differ from and are similar to each other, non-human primates, and non-primates from biological, behavioral, and cultural perspectives; the biogeographic and environmental contexts in which modern humans and our living and fossil primate relatives originated, adapted, evolved, and live today; and how biology, cognition, society and technology have changed and are changing over space and time in the human lineage. This area may also provide an introduction to major theoretical and methodological underpinnings. Students will be prepared to delve into more in-depth coursework regarding connections, critical thinking, research, and communication in Anthropology. 2. Connections (minimum 12 credits)
Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain interconnections among biological (including environmental), behavioral, and cultural systems and processes, both past and present, and describe how anthropologists both evaluate these relationships and apply them to their research as well as current environmental, economic, and societal issues. Courses in this objective area focus on: the nature of these connections, including for example, studying the evolutionary relationships among primates (including humans; living and extinct) and their behavioral and anatomical connections primates and non-primates have with their environment. It further encompasses how anthropologists apply methods and theories to analyze and contextualize interactions between groups of people (past or present, on global or local scales). Coursework equips students with the ability to discern when systems are unstable or unsustainable (and why), a critical step toward solving social, economic, environmental, and health dilemmas of the 21st century. 3. Critical thinking and research (minimum 9 credits)
Learning outcome: Students will be able to describe in detail the methods employed by anthropologists to acquire and analyze new data to investigate biological and social phenomena, and/or they themselves will select data and analyze it with proficiency using methods appropriate to investigating a specific anthropological research question. Courses in this objective area focus on: the identification and evaluation of information for factual accuracy and relevance to evolutionary, historical, and contemporary anthropological issues; the interpretation of analytical results and their application to larger issues. Emphasis is placed on the ethical responsibilities of anthropologists to the human and nonhuman individuals and populations whose lives and material remains they document, as well as those who may be affected by research activities, findings, and their implications. 4. Communication (Written, 0-credit)
Learning outcome: Students will be able to author a multi-page paper consistent with academic standards in Anthropology. The associated course helps students develop and practice written proficiency, which is a necessary skill to be able to transmit ideas, knowledge, and research to audiences in accessible and useful ways. - Students register for the 0-credit ANT 459, and submit a paper completed during a 300-level or higher “Writing Intensive” ANT/EBH course that earned a grade of C or higher. Students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for a current list of eligible courses.
5. Communication (Oral, 0-credit)
Learning outcome: Students will be able to deliver an oral presentation consistent with academic standards in Anthropology. The associated course helps students develop and practice verbal proficiency, which is a necessary skill to be able to transmit ideas, knowledge, and research to audiences in accessible and useful ways. - Students register for the 0-credit ANT 458 and document their delivery of an oral presentation completed during a 300-level or higher “Speaking Intensive” ANT/EBH course that earned a grade of C or higher. Students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for a current list of eligible courses.
Requirements for Advanced Anthropological Study
This option offers students the opportunity to put emphasis on a particular area of study or develop an advanced skill set. Students must meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to declare their intent to pursue the option and for guidance on their course options. -
Students must satisfy baseline requirements of curriculum for the major plus; -
Students complete an approved minor or at least three (3) additional (not already used to satisfy above major requirements) courses, two of which must be upper division, for a minimum of nine (9) credits If a student elects to complete a minor, it should be in a related field approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. On declaring their intent to use the minor for the Advanced Anthropological Study option, the student must also declare the proposed minor field of study. A maximum of 3 research or reading credits can be applied. See below for research/reading courses. Total credits (if completed within ANT): 39 baseline coursework + 9 advanced anthropological study option credits = 48 credits Anthropology Honors Program
The honors program is designed for students preparing to enter a graduate program in anthropology or related disciplines. Graduation with Honors in Anthropology requires the following: - A cumulative overall grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
- A cumulative major grade point average of 3.50 or higher.
- Completion of an honors thesis based on a one-year independent research project (ANT 495 and ANT 496 ) under the direction of a faculty member written in the form of a scientific report (20 double-spaced pages or more). The completed thesis must be approved by a thesis committee composed of the faculty sponsor and two additional faculty members.
A student interested in becoming a candidate for honors should, after asking an Anthropology faculty member to be a sponsor, submit a proposal indicating the topic and procedure of the planned research to the director of the program. The submission should include a supporting statement by the supervising faculty member and the names and approval of two faculty committee members (at least one of the two committee members must be an Anthropology faculty member). This must ordinarily be done prior to the beginning of the student’s senior year. The student must present a copy of the finished thesis to each member of the thesis committee for their approval at least 14 days before the last day of classes. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | ANT 222, ANT 277 | | GLO | ANT 102 | ANT 103, ANT 200, ANT 203, ANT 207, ANT 225, ANT 250, ANT 270, ANT 305, ANT 310, ANT 355, ANT 361, ANT 380 | | HUM | | | | LANG (see Note 4) | | | | QPS | | EBH 230 | | SBS | ANT 102, ANT 104 | ANT 103, ANT 210, ANT 260, ANT 270 | | SNW | ANT 120 | ANT 101, ANT 201, ANT 255, ANT 268, ANT 273, ANT 303, ANT 304, ANT 307, ANT 310, ANT 377 | | TECH | | ANT 222, ANT 303 (partial fulfillment), ANT 304 (partial fulfillment), ANT 308 (partial fulfillment), ANT 310 (partial fulfillment), ANT 322 (partial fulfillment), ANT 418, ANT 420, EBH 381 | | USA | | ANT 260, ANT 320 | | WRT | | | | STAS | | ANT 202, ANT 360, ANT 406, ANT 208, ANT 215, ANT 220, ANT 230, ANT 290, ANT 371, ANT 408, EBH 214 | | EXP+ | | ANT 308 (partial fulfillment), ANT 310 (partial fulfillment), ANT 322 (partial fulfillment), ANT 487, ANT 496 | | HFA+ | | | | SBS+ | | ANT 200, ANT 230, ANT 305, ANT 309, ANT 311, ANT 322, ANT 350, ANT 351, ANT 355, ANT 357, ANT 359, ANT 361, ANT 363, ANT 367, ANT 371, ANT 372, ANT 379, ANT 380, ANT 381, ANT 402, ANT 410, ANT 419, EBH 200 | | STEM+ | | ANT 300, ANT 306, ANT 308, ANT 317, ANT 321, ANT 326, ANT 404, ANT 407, ANT 411, EBH 316, EBH 325, EBH 331, EBH 359, EBH 362, EBH 405 | | CER | | | | DIV (see Note 5) | | ANT 203, ANT 211, ANT 225, ANT 311 | | ESI | | ANT 306 (partial fulfillment), ANT 309 (partial fulfillment), ANT 357, ANT 367, ANT 377, ANT 402, ANT 404, ANT 408, ANT 411, ANT 415, ANT 416, ANT 418, EBH 204 | | SPK | ANT 458 | ANT 309, ANT 359, ANT 407, ANT 415, ANT 418, EBH 204, EBH 325 | | WRTD | ANT 459 | | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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