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Anthropology Major

Effective Fall 2023

Exclusions:

Students majoring in Anthropology may only declare one of the optional sub-majors.


Students who elect the Anthropology major with a sub-major in Medical Anthropology may not elect the Medical Anthropology minor.  

Advising

Department Advisors are available to explain program objectives and requirements and to help with the planning of your program. Please visit the Advising page of the Anthropology website for information on how to schedule an advising appointment. 

Additionally, all anthropology faculty members are available for informal discussion about the field of anthropology with students during scheduled office hours (check the Department office for times).

Prerequisites

None, but ANTHRCUL 101 is recommended.

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 32

At least 32 credits at the 200-level or above are required.

Choose at least one course in each of the following subfields:

  1. Anthropological Archaeology:
    • ANTHRARC 282: Doing Archaeology: Essential Theory and Methods (4)
    • ANTHRARC 386: Early Civilizations (4)
  2. Biological Anthropology:
    • ANTHRBIO 201: How Humans Evolved (4)
  3. Linguistic Anthropology:
    • ANTHRCUL 272: Language in Society (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 374: Language and Culture (4)
  4. Sociocultural Anthropology:
    • ANTHRCUL 222: The Comparative Study of Culture (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 226: Introduction to Historical Anthropology (3)
    • ANTHRCUL 230: Fundamentals of Social Theory (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 330: Culture, Thought, and Meaning (4)

Other credits are taken from ANTHRARC, ANTHRBIO, or ANTHRCUL courses with a minimum of one course at the 400-level or above.

Constraints

A maximum of 6 credits of independent research can be counted toward the major.

Residency

At least 20 credits must be completed in residence at the University of Michigan.

Distribution Policy

No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement. In addition, courses in the ANTHRARC, ANTHRBIO, and ANTHRCUL subject areas may not be used toward the Distribution Requirement.

Honors

Students interested in scholarly research are encouraged to consider the Honors major. Previous participation in the College Honors program is not a prerequisite. Seniors admitted to the Honors major normally elect an independent study or seminar in their special field of interest: biological anthropology (ANTHRBIO 398), archaeology (ANTHRARC 398) or sociocultural or linguistic anthropology (ANTHRCUL 497). These give students an opportunity for intensive training and research experience; the Honors major requires a senior thesis. Interested students should consult an Anthropology advisor for more information.

Teaching Certificate

Students interested in obtaining a secondary teaching certificate with a teaching minor in Anthropology should consult the "Teacher Certification Program" on the LSA website and the School of Education Office of Academic Services.

Anthropology (Major) (Fall 2016 - Summer 2023)

Effective Fall 2016

Advising

The department offers undergraduate majors for a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Evolutionary Anthropology: minors are offered in Medical Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, and Anthropology (with tracks in Sociocultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Archaeological Anthropology).

All anthropology faculty members are available for informal discussion with students during scheduled office hours (check the Department office for times).

Department advisors are available to explain program objectives and requirements and to help with the planning of your program.

Students wishing to pursue a minor in the Department of Anthropology should contact the undergraduate advisor with any questions.

Appointments are scheduled in the Department office or online at: http://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/undergraduates/advising

Prerequisites

None, but ANTHRCUL 101 is recommended.

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 34

At least 34 credits at the 200-level or above are required:

Choose at least one course in each of the following subfields

  1. Anthropological Archaeology:
    • ANTHRARC 282: Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology (4)
    • ANTHRARC 386: Early Civilizations
  2. Biological Anthropology:
    • ANTHRBIO 201: Introduction to Biological Anthropology (4)
  3. Linguistic Anthropology:
    • ANTHRCUL 272: Language in Society (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 374: Language and Culture (4)
  4. Sociocultural Anthropology:
    • ANTHRCUL 222: The Comparative Studies of Culture (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 226: Introduction to Historical Anthropology (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 230: Fundamentals of Social Theory (4)
    • ANTHRCUL 330: Culture, Thought, and Meaning (4)

Other credits are taken from ANTHRARC, ANTHRBIO, or ANTHRCUL courses with a minimum of four courses at the 300-level or above, at least one of which must be at the 400-level.

Constraints

A maximum of 6 credits of independent research can be counted toward the major.

Residency

At least 20 credits must be completed in residence at the University of Michigan.

Distribution Policy

No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement. In addition, courses in the ANTHRARC, ANTHRBIO, and ANTHRCUL subject areas may not be used toward the Distribution Requirement.

Honors

Students interested in scholarly research are encouraged to consider the Honors major. Previous participation in the College Honors program is not a prerequisite. Seniors admitted to the Honors major normally elect a seminar in their special field of interest: biological anthropology (ANTHRBIO 398), archaeology (ANTHRARC 398) or sociocultural or linguistic anthropology (ANTHRCUL 398). The seminars give students an opportunity for intensive training and research experience; the Honors major requires a senior thesis. Interested students should consult an Anthropology advisor for more information.

Teaching Certificate

Students interested in obtaining a secondary teaching certificate with a teaching minor in Anthropology should consult the "Teacher Certification Program" on the LSA website and the School of Education Office of Academic Services.