Major & Minor Requirements

ANNOUNCEMENTS - JANUARY 2010

1. NEW: Honor's Thesis Option for Anthropology Majors

Effective January 18, 2010, the Anthropology Department offers the option of an Honor's Thesis in Anthropology.  With this change, the department will no longer require a senior project of all majors.

Current junior and sophomores

All current junior and sophomore majors may opt for either the old or new requirement.  As a current major you may undertake a senior project as before or you may opt out.  If you meet the qualifying requirements, you are eligible to apply for the Honor's Thesis option.

As a current major, you are invited to discuss this change and its effect on your schedule with any member of the department.  All students may still take independent study courses (AN 400) with prior faculty approval.

Rationale

We offer this change to our majors to accomplish several goals.  First, we hope to provide more flexibility for majors wishing to broaden their undergraduate education by exploring courses for which they might otherwise not find time.  Second, for those students who envision graduate or other professional development, the Honor's Thesis provides a valuable opportunity for more intensive and advanced independent research.  For all majors, we envision the capstone course (AN 315) and its final paper as the culminating experience for graduating seniors. 

2. COURSE SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR REQUIRED COURSES

Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the two courses required of majors will switch semesters. Students may take AN 215 either their junior or senior year, while AN 315 should be taken in the Spring of the senior year.

            AN 215 - Research Design: Method and Theory                                                                       Block 3, 2010

            AN 315 - Advanced Integrative Seminar                                                                                   Block 6, 2011

3. CLARIFYING MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

All majors must take three 300-level courses in addition to AN 315.

Anthropology Major Requirements (Revised March 2007)

1. 12 units of course work in the department, distributed in the following categories:
   • A minimum of one course in each of the 4 subfields (archaeological, biological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology)
   • At least three anthropology courses at the 300-level:
• Note that all 300-level courses have 100-level (and some have 200-level) prerequisites;
• 2-Block 300-level courses count as one course, but two units in the major;
• AN400 Research in Anthropology does not substitute for 300-level courses.
2. Two required, discipline-wide courses: AN215 Research Design--Method and Theory and AN315 Advanced Integrative Seminar.
3. A senior paper (AN450, a non-credit course number).

• Major requirements may be satisfied by no more than:
  • two units of off-campus credit,
  • two units of independent Readings/Research (400), and
  • one cross-listed unit taught by non-departmental faculty (i.e. folklore, ethnomusicology, cultural ecology).
    

                      (Major from Sept. 2004)

Students majoring in anthropology must complete the following requirements:

• 12 units of course work
  • introductory courses: 4 units
    • AN101, 102, 103, and 250 or 258
  • intermediate and advanced courses: 8 units (at least 3 at the 300 level)
    • Courses must be taken in at least two subdisciplines
    • At least one course must be from the approved list of courses with a strong methodological component (see the Major's Handbook for approved courses).
  • a senior paper
    
• Major requirements may be satisfied by no more than:
  • two units of off-campus credit,
  • two units of independent Readings/Research (400), and
  • one cross-listed unit taught by non-departmental faculty (i.e. folklore, ethnomusicology, cultural ecology).
    

 

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Anthropology Minor Requirements (Revised March 2007)

A minor in anthropology will consist of a minimum of five units of coursework, to include the following:

• Courses in (at least) two of the four major subdisciplines (biological, cultural, archaeological, and linguistic anthropology) as described in the major requirements:
• At least one course at the 300-level
• Independent research courses (AN400) may not be counted toward the minimum five units of the minor
• Minor requirements may be satisfied by no more than:
  • one cross-listed course unit taught by non-departmental faculty (i.e. folklore, ethnomusicology, cultural ecology).
  • one unit of off-campus credit

     

    (Minor from Sept. 2002)

    A minor in anthropology will consist of a minimum of five units of coursework, to include the following:

    • Introductory level courses in any two of the four major subdisciplines (biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics) as described in the major requirements:
      • AN101 Biological Anthropology;
      • AN 102 Cultural Anthropology;
      • AN230 Introduction to Archaeology;
      • AN 250 Language and Culture OR AN258 Introduction to Linguistics;
    • An additional three units of anthropology coursework, at least one of which must be at the 300-level or above:
    • Independent readings or research courses may not be counted toward the minimum five units of the minor; and no more than one cross-listed course in folklore or ethnomusicology may count toward the minimum five units.

   

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