Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology
The Anthropology Department offers an undergraduate program that provides a framework for understanding human cultures and societies through culture, archaeology, adaptation and evolution. The Department prepares students for understanding the past and the present of a rapidly globalizing world by developing knowledge of the Western and non-Western national, ethnic and cultural complexities that operate within the contemporary world. Graduates with a major in Anthropology are qualified to work in local, national, and international agencies, and the corporate world.
An undergraduate degree in Anthropology provides the basis for a graduate degree in Anthropology and any of the other social sciences. Students who have graduated with a degree in Anthropology from FAU have advanced to graduate work in law, medicine, journalism, education and other graduate programs.
Anthropology Courses for Majors:
Outline of the Anthropology Major:
In addition to the College and University requirements, an Anthropology major must satisfy the following departmental requirements. A minimum of 120 credits are required overall:
| 3 credits in an Introductory course | 1000- 2000-level |
| 6 credits in Biological Anthropology courses | 3000-level or above |
| 6 credits in Archaeology courses | 3000-level or above |
| 6 credits in Sociocultural courses |
3000-level or above |
|
6 credits in Research Methods courses 9 credits in Electives |
Anthropology courses at the 3000-level or above, from any of the subfields |
|
36 credits total in Anthropology. A grade of "C" or better is required for a course in Anthropology to count toward the major. |
Introductory Courses (3 credits)
| ANT 1930 University Honors Seminar in Anthropology |
| ANT 2000 Introduction to Anthropology |
| ANT 2410 Culture and Society |
| ANT 2511/2511L Introduction to Biological Anthropology w/ Lab |
| ANT 2912 Directed Independent Research |
| ANT 2913 Directed Independent Research |
| ANT 2952 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
Upper Division Courses (33 credits as follows):
| Biological Anthropology Courses (6 credits minimum) |
| ANT 3516 Human Variation |
| ANT 3586 Human Evolution |
| ANT 4025 The Anthropology of Death |
| ANT 4463 Environment and Disease |
| ANT 4514 Biological Anthropology |
| ANT 4520 Forensic Anthropology |
| ANT 4552 Primate Behavior |
| ANT 4905 Directed Independent Study |
| ANT 4930 Special Topics: Special Topics are categorized by subfield. May be repeated as topics vary. |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4957 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
|
Archaeology Courses (6 credits minimum) |
| ANT 3016 Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Psueudoscience in Archaeology |
| ANT 3163 The Maya and Their Neighbors |
| ANT 3165 South America Before Columbus |
| ANT 3190 Real Archaeology |
| ANT 3312 Native American Culture and Society |
| ANT 4141 Development of Ancient Civilizations |
| ANT 4158 Florida Archaeology |
| ANT 4905 Directed Independent Study (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4930 Special Topics (1-3 cr.) Special Topics are categorized by subfield. May be repeated as topics vary. |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4957 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
|
Sociocultural Anthropology Courses (6 credits minimum) |
| ANT 3212 Peoples Around the World |
| ANT 3241 Anthropology of Religion |
| ANT 3361 Cultures of South Asia (WAC Course) |
| ANT 3391 Anthropology of Film/Visual Anthropology |
| ANT 3610 Anthropological Linguistics |
| ANT 4006 Human and Cultural Rights |
| ANT 4266 Economic Anthropology |
| ANT 4274 Anthropology of Politics |
| ANT 4302 Gender and Culture |
| ANT 4315 African-American Anthropology |
| ANT 4365 Asian Medical Systems |
| ANT 4409 Anthropology of Peace and Violence |
| ANT 4413 Anthropology of Sex and Gender |
| ANT 4414 Cultural Anthropology |
| ANT 4419 Anthropology of Nature |
| ANT 4425 Systems, Institutions in Anthropological Perspective |
| ANT 4433 Psychological Anthropology |
| ANT 4462 Medical Anthropology |
| ANT 4469 Culture, Gender and Health |
| ANT 4480 Global Health and Culture |
| ANT 4532 Epidemics: Culture, Science and Policy |
| ANT 4701 Applied Anthropology |
| ANT 4905 Directed Independent Study (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4930 Special Topics (1-3 cr.) Special Topics are categorized by subfield. May be repeated as topics vary. |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4957 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
| ASN 3006 Introduction to Asian Studies |
|
Research Methods Courses (6 credit hours minimum) |
| ANT 4090 Anthropological Analysis |
| ANT 4116 Archaeological Research Methods |
| ANT 4192 Research Methods in Bioarchaeology |
| ANT 4495 Research Methods in Cultural/Social Anthropology |
| ANT 4802 Ethnographic Fieldwork in Ecuador (3-6 cr.) |
| ANT 4824 Fieldwork in Archaeology- Ecuador (3-6 cr.) |
| ANT 4905 Directed Independent Study (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4917 Directed Independent Research |
| ANT 4918 Directed Independent Research |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
|
Electives (9 credit hours minimum) |
| Any three courses from the above sections |
Foreign Language Requirement:
Anthropology majors are required to take eight credit hours of appropriate college-level courses in one modern foreign language. College-level transfer credit hours or credit hours earned through CLEP or Advanced Placement Examination may satisfy or be applied toward the foreign language requirement for graduation.
Free Electives:
The remaining credit hours of upper-division work are defined as free electives. Students are advised to select courses relevant to their interests in Anthropology. STA 2023 (Introduction to Statistics) is recommended for students interested in a quantitative approach to Anthropology, and LIN 3010 is recommended as an introduction to linguistics. Three elective credits from departments outside Anthropology, but taught by anthropologists at FAU (e.g., in Comparative Studies, History, Art History, Women's Studies), may be substituted for electives part of the major with the permission of the Anthropology Department Chair.
Many Anthropology courses fulfill some requirements for interdisciplinary certificate programs such as the Ethnic Studies, Women's Studies, Environmental Studies, and Caribbean and Latin American Studies certificates.
Honors Program in Anthropology
The Honors Program in Anthropology encourages students to engage in the subject more intensely and engage in significant original research while undergraduates. Because Anthropology is a field and laboratory science, students should seek opportunities, in consultation with their faculty advisor(s), to conduct or participate in original research.
Admission Requirements
FAU students must have completed between 60 and 90 credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a GPA in Anthropology courses of at least 3.5.
Transfer students must complete 9 upper-division Anthropology credits with a GPA of at least 3.5 in those classes at FAU before they are eligible to apply for the Honors Program. Transfer students must also earn an overall GPA of at least 3.5 to be eligible for admission to the program.
Students should complete an application provided by the department, including a personal statement addressed to the chair of the department explaining why they seek honors in the field. Students should also solicit a letter from one Anthropology Department faculty member supporting their application. Completed applications will be reviewed by faculty. Admission to the Honors Program is contingent on approval by the department faculty.
Standards for Maintaining Active Status
Once accepted, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 overall and in the Anthropology major. Students may request a temporary probationary status for a semester in the Honors Program if their GPA falls below the required level. However, subsequent failure to raise the GPA will result in dismissal from the Honors Program.
Continued enrollment in the program is contingent upon strict adherence to the Code of Academic Integrity. Any violation of the Code will be grounds for dismissal from the Honors Program.
Honors-Level Enrichment
To receive the designation of Honors in the Major, students in the program shall enhance their education in Anthropology by completing 39 credits in Anthropology courses and performing at least three of the following:
Interdisciplinary Research as Part of the Honors Thesis (see below);
Original research as part of the Honors Thesis;
Successful completion of Honors Compacts in at least two upper-division Anthropology courses;
Leadership, including, for example: Documented service on an official University committee;
Documented service as an officer of an anthropology club, society or other organization, whether affiliated with FAU or not;
Documented service to the Department of Anthropology as, for example, chair or organizer of a research symposium or speakers’ colloquium;
Documented field and laboratory experience such as:
Attendance at a field school or participation as a laboratory assistant;
Documented civic engagement on anthropological issues in the public arena.
Thesis Requirement
Students in the Honors Program must consult with at least one faculty member of their choice about their honors research prior to embarking on the research
Students shall complete with a grade of “B+” or higher a minimum of a two-semester sequence (6 credits) of Honors Thesis in Anthropology (ANT 4972) culminating in the presentation of an honors thesis approved by the faculty
Students shall defend the thesis research orally before the faculty
Students shall publicly disseminate the results of their research, for example: through a poster or presentation at a conference or symposium, such as the FAU Undergraduate Research Symposium or a departmental symposium; or through submission of the manuscript of research report or article to a research journal, such as FAU's Undergraduate Research Journal.
Students will receive the designation “Honors in Anthropology” at the time of graduation upon satisfactory completion of the foregoing requirements if they also fulfill all normal distribution requirements for the Anthropology major and provided they have earned a GPA of at least 3.5 overall and a GPA of at least 3.5 in all Anthropology courses at graduation. Students who fail to meet any of these requirements, will receive credit for all work successfully completed but will not be certified as having received honors.
Students interested in the Honors Program in Anthropology should contact the chair of the Department of Anthropology.
Minor in Anthropology:
- For students majoring in another field, a minor in Anthropology shall consist of a minimum of 15 credit hours in upper division Anthropology courses, earned in any five (5) courses at the 3000-level or above.
- In the case of transfer students, a minimum of nine hours of upper division courses must be taken in residence at Florida Atlantic University.
- A grade of "C" or better is required for a course in Anthropology to count toward the minor.
Anthropology Study Abroad Programs
The Department of Anthropology operates a Field School in Ecuador, with programs in Archaeology and Ethnographic Methods, in which students may participate during the summer terms, enrolling in ANT 4802 or ANT 4824.
The Department of Anthropology participates in Florida Atlantic University's Study Abroad Program and offers ANT 2952 and ANT 4957.
Academic Learning Compact (ALC)
The Anthropology ALC is a document required by the Florida Board of Governors that lists the skills and capabilities a student is required to achieve upon completing the major.
Student Learning Outcomes: Anthropology Department Assessment Website