Anthropology Requirements for the B.A. degree with a major in Anthropology
Requirements for a minor in Anthropology
Courses of Instruction

(ANTH)

Administered by the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Anthropology. Available as a major on the B.A. degree and a minor on the B.A. and B.S. degrees.

Anthropology is the holistic description and analysis of human beings in all their diversity. Anthropology emphasizes a cross-cultural and global perspective, and seeks to understand of our species, Homo sapiens, both throughout time and in many different geographical regions. Anthropology is divided into four fields: sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Anthropologists study a wide range of topics, including: gender and ethnicity, race, material artifacts, human evolutionary history, genetic diversity, medicine and healing, globalization, economic systems and social change, violence and social suffering, sociocultural systems of past societies, the rise of complex civilizations, language and culture, urbanization, religion and ritual, and the effect of the mass media. Anthropologists conduct their research in many different places throughout the world, including: Mexico, Belize, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

Anthropology is an important component of a liberal arts education, as it complements a wide variety of other disciplines, encourages analytical thinking, and fosters a holistic approach to learning. The undergraduate program in anthropology can provide a foundation for the pursuit of advanced degrees in anthropology and other disciplines such as law, medicine, social work, public health, education, and history. Anthropology's focus on understanding different cultures makes it a particularly good preparation for work that deals with international and global issues, public policy, and cultural diversity. Anthropology graduates use their degrees in a wide range of fields such as government service, museums, international organizations, business, education, advocacy, public policy analysis, market research and health care.

Requirements for the B.A. degree with a major in Anthropology

30 semester hours, at least 24 of which must be in Anthropology, including at least nine hours from the following:

ANTH 20613 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
ANTH 20623 Introductory Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 20633 Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 20643 Language and Culture

A maximum of six hours from outside the program may be applied toward the major upon approval of the Anthropology faculty. Some of the courses approved in the past have included:

ART 20113 New World: Survey of American Art
HIST 30943 The Spanish Borderlands
HIST 40703 Indians of the United States
HIST 40713 Indians of the Greater Southwest
RELI 30343 Black Religion in America
RELI 30553 African Religions

Courses taken through the Departamento de Antropologia of Universidad de las Americas (Puebla, Mexico) or the Pontifica Universidad Catholica de Peru (Lima, Peru) may be accepted towards the major or minor with approval of the TCU Anthropology faculty.

Pass/No Credit Option. Students majoring in AddRan College may take up to 9 semester hours of courses on a P/NC basis. No courses applied to a Department's Major or Associated Requirements may be taken on the P/NC basis. Courses applied to the minor may be taken on the P/NC basis. Students minoring in Anthropology are subject to the pass/no credit policy of their major department.

Requirements for a minor in Anthropology

Eighteen semester hours of anthropology courses, including at least 6 hours from among the following:
ANTH 20613 (Introduction to Physical Anthropology)
ANTH 20623 (Introductory Cultural Anthropology)
ANTH 20633 (Introduction to Archaeology)
ANTH 20643 (Language and Culture)

Courses of Instruction

ANTH 10433 Freshman Seminar in Anthropology. Topics may vary each time it is offered.

ANTH 10533 Freshman Seminar in Anthropology. Topics may vary each time it is offered.

ANTH 20613 Introduction to Physical Anthropology. An introduction to the theories and methods of physical anthropology. Scientific study of human origins and evolution as reconstructed from the fossil record; patterns of anatomical, behavioral, and genetic similarities among the primates; applications of physical anthropology, such as forensic anthropology.

ANTH 20623 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. An introduction to the theories and methods of cultural anthropology. Comparative study of modern and historic cultures around the globe. Exploration of the meanings ascribed to human experience. Emphasis on such topics as: relativism, culture change, kinship, gender, globalization, identity, religion, sexuality, ritual, social stratification, ethnicity.

ANTH 20633 Introduction to Archaeology. An introduction to the theory, methods, and techniques of archaeology and a review of selected findings. History and development of archaeology, field and laboratory methods, the evolution of humanity and culture, reconstruction and processual interpretation.

ANTH 20643 Language and Culture. An introduction to linguistic anthropology. Anthropological analysis of the cultural and social aspects of language. Topics may include: linguistic relativism, performance theory and the ethnography of language, bilingualism and multiculturalism, sociolinguistics, legitimate languages and linguistic variation, and language and the constitution of personhood and structures of authority.

ANTH 30373 Medical Anthropology. Prerequisite: ANTH 20623 or consent of instructor. Cross-cultural survey of cultural diversity and similarity in the interpretation of health, illness, and healing systems. Examines the interrelationship of culture, society, and health from local and global perspectives. Particular emphasis on the interactions of western and other medical systems.

ANTH 30623 Urban Anthropology. Development and characteristics of urban societies and the culture of modern cities. Evaluation of theories and methods for understanding the structure, function and change in the social and cultural systems of urban areas.

ANTH 30633 Anthropology and Sports. The relationship between social science and the study of sports and other play forms; games and play in cross-cultural contexts; American sports and recreation.

ANTH 30643 Anthropology and Education. A comparative study of the teaching and learning processes in societies of differing complexity and cultural variability. Empirical data is examined from an anthropological perspective and in the context of theories about culture and perception, world view, rites of passage, culture and personality, and change.

ANTH 30653 Culture and Human Sexuality. This course examines the importance of culture for understanding human sexuality issues. Topics covered include biological, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual issues related to sexuality. Contemporary political, legal and health issues are discussed critically, and gender is discussed as a cultural construct.

ANTH 30673 Anthropology and Religion. Prerequisites: ANTH 20623, RELI 10023 or RELI 10043 or consent of the instructor. Anthropological findings in the comparative study of religion and culture across a broad range of societies. Studies of sacred experience, myth, ritual, magic, witchcraft, religious language, gender and religion, healing, and relationships between social and religious change.

ANTH 30713 Intermediate Archeology. Prerequisite: ANTH 30613. A continuation of ANTH 30613, with an in-depth treatment of basic techniques, methods and concepts of archaeology and a continued update in recent archaeological discoveries, emphasizing North America. Concentrated research using published site reports and professional journals. Site visitations to excavations in process will be initiated whenever applicable.

ANTH 30723 Ethnology of Selected Areas. Origin and distribution of the native populations of selected areas. The historical development and current perspectives of institutions, belief and value systems, and comparative organization of cultural areas. Possible areas to be examined include Native North Americans, peoples of South America, peoples of Africa.

ANTH 30773 Latin American Pop Culture. Prerequisite: ANTH 20623 or consent of instructor. Anthropological perspectives on the relationship of Latin American pop culture to Latin American societies. Examines everyday cultural productions, such as dance, music, soccer, television, soap opera, Carnival, and other festivals. Particular attention given to popular culture as a key site where national, racial, gender, sexual, and class identities are constructed, commodified, contested, and globally circulated. Cultural case studies may include: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba.

ANTH 30923 Studies in Anthropology. Topics of interest in anthropology, including substantive areas of the discipline.

ANTH 30933 Studies in Ethno-Archeology. An examination of world cultures based on the results of information secured by technologists and archaeologists working in the field. The topical focus may vary each semester.

ANTH 30983 Anthropological Field Methods. Prerequisite: ANTH 20623, ANTH 20633 or permission of instructor. This course is offered as either a cultural anthropology or archaeology field school. Phases, methods, and problems of collection and processing in field and laboratory of ethnographic and archaeological data. Issues of public interaction, participant-observation, interviewing, survey, and excavation are addressed as appropriate to the setting.

ANTH 40423 The Anthropology of Violence. Prerequisites: ANTH 20623 or consent of instructor. An anthropological examination of the relationship between violence and culture. Ethnographic cases of violence in many different regions, such as Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Western Europe. Topics may include: civil war, ethnic conflict, crime and the structural 'violences' of poverty, racism, gendered violence, famine and disease, and the cultural construction and social consequences of fear.

ANTH 40523 Mass Media and Culture. Prerequisite: ANTH 20623 or consent of instructor. An anthropological examination of the relationship between mass media and culture. Particular emphasis on the impact of mass media on the production and consumption of cultural meaning and identities. Inquiry into representations of gender, sexuality, the body, ethnicity, social race, and nationhood in mass media discourses. Case studies of mass media in local spaces and global contexts.

ANTH 40620 Directed Reading or Research in Anthropology. For upper-division students who undertake projects in anthropology in regular consultation with the instructor, for one to three semester hours credit.

ANTH 50623 Advanced General Anthropology. An overview of the field, including archaeology, linguistics, ethnology, and physical anthropology. Description and analysis of the profession, its history, theoretical foci, intellectual leaders and current ethical dilemmas. For advanced undergraduates and graduate students with opportunities to pursue individual interests within the field.

ANTH 50923 Kinship and Social Organization. Prerequisite: ANTH 20623 or permission of instructor. Principles of descent, kinship terminology and formation of descent groups, including an examination of specific terminological systems in relation to other features of social organization; the adaptive dynamics of family, groups, kinship, and extra-familial associations in simple and complex societies.

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