All concentrators (including double concentrators) must have an advisor in the Anthropology Department with whom they consult regularly in planning their program of study. The total number of courses required is twelve in the sociocultural track and thirteen in the biological track. Both tracks require a grade of C or higher in all concentration courses. Students take two prerequisite courses, four principle courses, and either six (sociocultural track) or seven (biological track) additional courses. The departmental office should be notified immediately of changes in address or telephone number.
Biological anthropology is the study of humans in an evolutionary perspective, covering areas such as primatology, paleontology, and human biology, ecology, and behavior. Together with socio-cultural anthropology it attempts to capture the complex interplay of the human condition in a way that encompasses all humans, living or dead.
The undergraduate concentration in biological anthropology starts with an introductory course (AN102) that exposes students to the entire field. Students can follow up with a variety of 300 level courses (two are required), ranging from primate adaptations, to human behavioral evolution, to human population variation, to human origins. The 500 level courses, which students would normally take in their junior or senior years, are largely lab oriented and give students hands-on experience with anatomy field methods in human biology, brain and language and human reproductive ecology. Students are required to take two of these courses as well.
Additional requirements for the concentration include Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (AN101), an additional course in socio-cultural anthropology, a linguistics course, and two courses in archaeology. These courses are essential to providing a broader perspective on human cultural variation both past and present and the social processes that figure so prominently in the human experience. Two upper level biology courses are also required of concentrators.
In addition to teaching, the biological anthropology faculty is actively engaged in research projects ranging from paleontology and primate anatomy to neuroanatomy to human biology and reproduction. All actively encourage undergraduate involvement in their research. Students may choose to do independent research for a semester or get involved in more substantial projects during their senior years as part of work for distinction. Projects to date have included gorilla hand use, the anatomy of the ape shoulder, disease patterns among Turkana nomads of Kenya, traditional versus Western concepts of illness in Ghana, and comparative study of human mate choice. Students may apply for funding for research expenses through the UROP program.
We expect the biological anthropology program to appeal to students interested in focusing on the human dimension of biology from a variety of angles, including ecology, evolutionary, anatomy, and physiology. Such training provides a strong background for careers in the medical and related fields, in addition to biological anthropology itself. Graduates of the bioanthro program have gone on to medical school, schools of public health, and graduate school in biological anthropology.
This joint program offers the student numerous ways to understand how religion works as a dynamic aspect of culture, and how individuals interact with their social environments to create systems of belief and ritual in their efforts to make sense of the world.
Six courses in religion and six courses in anthropology are required with a grade of C or higher, as specified below. Those twelve courses must include Anthropology of Religion (taken either as CAS AN 384 or as CAS RN 387). Candidates for the B.A. with this joint concentration may not pursue a second concentration in religion or anthropology. They are, however, encouraged to take courses beyond the required twelve in either or both disciplines. Qualified seniors should consider Independent Work for Distinction, either AN 401/402 or RN 401/402. To ensure the most suitable course of study for the prospective student's areas of interest, courses should be selected in consultation with Professor Frank Korom, the program advisor. For further information about the joint program, contact the program advisor or either department chairman.
In anthropology: CAS AN101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity; CAS AN 384/RN 387 Anthropology of Religion; CAS AN 461 Ethnography and Anthropological Theory I; and two social anthropology courses at the 300 level or above from among CAS AN 312, 317, 321, 326, 355, 371, 372, 375, 379, 438, 515, 568, 570, 593, and 594.
In religion: CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern or CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western; one course at the 200 level (CAS RN 210-216, 222, or 250); CAS RN 495 and CAS RN 496 (counts as one course); and three additional courses at the 300 level or above, including at least two from among CAS RN 312, 313, 375, 388, 414, 415, 422, 442, 460, 461, and 468.
A minor in anthropology consists of six courses:
A minimum grade of C must be earned in all courses taken toward the mino