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 national, ethnic and cultural complexities that operate within the contemporary world. Graduates with a major in Anthropology have a knowledge and understanding of the cultures of Western and non-Western peoples, and 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 also gone on 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 1471 Cultural Difference in a Globalized Society (WAC Course) |
| ANT 1930 Freshman Seminar |
| ANT 2000 Introduction to Anthropology |
| ANT 2149 Lost Tribes & Sunken Continents: Frauds, Myths & Mysteries in Archaeology |
| ANT 2410 Culture and Society |
| ANT 2511/2511L Introduction to Biological Anthropology w/ Lab |
| 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 4463 Environment and Disease |
| ANT 4514 Biological Anthropology |
| ANT 4520 Forensic Anthropology |
| ANT 4552 Primate Behavior |
| ANT 4554 Primate Evolution |
| ANT 4592 Advanced Topics in Human Evolution |
| ANT 4731 Human Epidemiology |
| ANT 4905 Directed Independent Study |
| ANT 4930 Special Topics: Special Topics are categorized by subfield |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4957 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
Archaeology Courses (6 credits minimum) |
| ANT 3101 Stones and Bones: Unearthing The Past |
| ANT 3165 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 |
| 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 3403 Culture and Ecology |
| 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 4407 Human Impulses |
| ANT 4409 Anthropology of Peace and Violence |
| ANT 4412 Social Anthropology |
| ANT 4413 Anthropology of Sex and Gender |
| ANT 4414 Cultural Anthropology |
| ANT 4419 Anthropology of Nature |
| ANT 4433 Psychological Anthropology |
| ANT 4462 Medical Anthropology |
| ANT 4468 Culture, Gender and Health |
| 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 |
| ANT 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANT 4957 Anthropology Study Abroad (1-3 cr.) |
Research Methods Courses (6 credit hours minimum) |
| 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 4940 Internship in Anthropology (1-3 cr.) |
| ANG 5126 Zooarchaeology |
| ANG 5183 Laboratory Methods |
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.
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