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Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2024-25


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Anthropology

Chair: Jeremy M. DeSilva

Professors: J.J. Casana, S. R. Craig, J. M. DeSilva, N. J. Dominy, S. A. Kan, L. A. Ogden; Associate Professors: C. L. Kivland, Z. M. Thayer; Assistant Professors: M. Greenleaf, J. Wang, R. Fleskes, M. McLeester; Research Professor: E. Carpenter-Song; Senior Lecturer: S. J. Billings; Mellon Faculty Fellow: M. Pena; The Robert A. 1925 and Catherine L. McKennan Postdoctoral Fellow: T. Slobe; Postdoctoral Fellows: N. Kitchel, L. Rivera, K. Komza, ; Emerit Professors: H. Alverson, D. F. Eickelman, K. Endicott; Emerit Associate Professor: K. Korey, J. Watanabe

Contact the Department Administrator, Julie Gilman, for further information.

Requirements for the Major

The Major in Anthropology comprises ten courses, to be selected as follows:

  1. Two introductory courses from the following six courses: ANTH 01, 03, 05, 06, 08, or 09
  2. Seven other Anthropology courses. Courses must include at least one from each sub-field: ARCH, CULT, and BIOL.
  3. A Culminating Experience Seminar which is designated by course numbers in the 70s above ANTH 70, (e.g. 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77). One seminar is usually offered in each fall, winter, and spring term.

Statistics: All anthropology majors are encouraged to take a course in statistics. Students who plan to undertake independent research, especially in archaeology or biological anthropology, and any student considering attending graduate school in anthropology or related fields should take at least one statistics course: e.g., GOVT 10, MATH 10, QSS 15, PSYC 10, SOCY 10.

Concentrations: Anthropology majors may choose to concentrate in a sub-field of anthropology by taking at least four courses in: archaeology, biological anthropology, or cultural anthropology.

Archaeology is the scientific study of past human behavior and societies from material remains of the earliest human ancestors to recent times. Students concentrating in archaeology should take at least one topical course and one regional course in archaeology. Students interested in graduate studies in archaeology should take a statistics course and have fieldwork experience that can be gained by enrolling in an archaeological field school through Dartmouth or another institution.

Biological anthropology is the study of human biological variation and evolution. Biological anthropologists seek to document and explain the patterning of biological variation among contemporary human populations, trace the evolution of our lineage through time in the fossil record, and provide a comparative perspective on human uniqueness by placing our species in the context of other living primates. Students concentrating in biological anthropology are advised to take a course in statistics, as well as one or more advanced courses in biological sciences.

Cultural anthropology addresses broad questions about what it means to be human in contemporary societies and cultures, as well as those of the recent past. Cultural anthropologists systematically explore topics such as technology and material culture, social organization, economies, political and legal systems, language, ideologies and religions, health and illness, and social change. Students concentrating in cultural anthropology are strongly advised to take the course in ethnographic research methods, ANTH 18. Students planning on graduate studies in cultural anthropology or related fields are advised to take Main Currents in Anthropology, ANTH 73.

Under special circumstances, students may petition the Anthropology faculty to substitute a course from another department or program to count for the Anthropology major. The petition should be submitted to the Chair, along with a copy of the syllabus for the substitute course and a list of the student’s major courses. The petition must be approved by a vote of the Anthropology Department faculty.

Modified Major
The Modified Major consists of seven courses in anthropology plus four courses above the prerequisite level in one or more other department(s) or program(s). Of the anthropology courses, one must be ANTH 01, 03, 05, 06, 08, or 09 and another must be a culminating experience—ANTH 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, or 77. The seven major courses must include at least one course from TWO of the three sub-fields (ARCH, BIOL, CULT). Students wishing to modify their Anthropology major must submit a written rationale that makes clear the coherence and purpose of their modified major. This rationale must be reviewed by and approved by any faculty in the Anthropology department, and must also be submitted to the Registrar.

If you are interested in pursuing the Honors Program and the faculty approves your thesis proposal, you must enroll in ANTH 88. This course would be counted as the twelfth course beyond the eleven required to complete the modified major.

Minors in Anthropology

The Minor in Anthropology comprises six courses, as follows:

  1. One introductory course from the following courses: ANTH 01, 03, 05, 06, 08, or 09.
  2. One course from each of the following three subject areas: Archaeology (ARCH), Biological Anthropology (BIOL), and Cultural Anthropology (CULT); the introductory course may count toward the subject area courses.
  3. Any three additional courses from the department's offerings.

The Anthropology Minor in Global Health consists of six courses, as follows:

  1. An introductory course: ANTH 01, 03, 05, 06, 08, or 09.
  2. At least one course from each of the following five core approaches to the study of global health:
  • Biological Approaches - ANTH 06 (if not used for the intro course), 12.18, 20, 40, 41, 43, 62, 64, 70 or courses outside of ANTH such as the infectious disease section of BIOL 11
  • Cultural Approaches - ANTH 04, 09 (if not used for the intro course); 12.01, 14, 27, 31, 32, 36, 37, 47, 48, 51, 58, 65
  • Interdisciplinary Approaches - any ANTH course that exposes you to more than one subfield (biological, archaeological, linguistic, cultural) or otherwise stretches your exposure to the discipline and aligns with your interest in global health, or a course outside of ANTH such as SOCY 34, 35, 65; GEOG 21.01, 8.01, 56; HIST 08.01, 36; ENGS 06, 12; PBPL 26
  • Methodological Approaches - ANTH 18 or another qualitative methods course such as SOCY 11, GEOG 11; a statistics course such as PSYC 10 or SOCY 10 (provided this is not counting toward your major); or a course that explores research methods applicable to global health problems such as GEOG 56, ENGS 12, MATH 04
  • Social Studies of Medicine, Health and Disease - ANTH 17, 45, 55, 60 or courses outside of ANTH such as SOCY 34, 35, 65; GEOG 21.01; HIST 08.01, 36.

Four of the six courses for the minor must be taken within the Anthropology department. Students cannot use the same course to satisfy more than one requirement. Students wishing to substitute courses not listed above should petition the Anthropology Department in writing in consultation with a department faculty member. 

Honors Program

Students applying to the honors program must meet the minimum College requirements of a 3.0 grade point average and a 3.3 grade point average in the major. By the end of the third term preceding their graduation, applicants will ordinarily have completed, with a minimum grade of A-, a preparatory reading course (ANTH 85) and will have submitted an Honors thesis proposal for work to be supervised by a primary faculty advisor. Admission to the program is by vote of the Department faculty, which may appoint one or more secondary advisors. Applicants will ordinarily have completed, with a minimum grade of A-, an independent research course (ANTH 87) during the Fall term of their senior year with their faculty advisor for the project.

Students admitted to the honors program must enroll in ANTH 88, Anthropology Honors, in addition to the ten courses ordinarily required in the standard major or eleven courses in the case of a modified major. ANTH 88 may be taken only once; most thesis students will enroll in ANTH 88 in the Winter term of their senior year and take an "Ongoing" for this course, completing it in Spring term of their senior year. Honors students should consult with their advisor about taking ANTH 87, Research Course, and the appropriate sequence of courses for their thesis preparation and writing. The honors project, which culminates in a substantial independent thesis, will be submitted to the primary advisor at least four weeks prior to graduation. Those students completing the program with a grade of A- or higher in their honors course will receive honors recognition in the major. High honors may be awarded by faculty vote for truly exceptional work.

Please note that this does not count as your Senior Seminar/Culminating Experience.

For more detailed information on expectations and requirements for submitting an honors thesis proposal, please see the Anthropology website.