Anthropology
Major and minor offered

Anthropology is the study of humanity. Its subject of study encompasses the range of human experience among the peoples of the world, and its aims are to understand what people do or have done, and why. Every aspect of human beings, from their DNA molecules to their beliefs about the supernatural, in every part of the world, from the beginnings of primate evolution to the present, poses anthropological questions. Some of the most interesting of these questions remain to be answered.

For these and many other reasons, anthropology is central to the liberal arts. The anthropology program is designed to cultivate a lively curiosity about the human experience, a deeper understanding of cultures and diverse ways of life including our own. It works toward developing an informed sense of the human experience, past and present, and of the many ways of knowing, understanding and communicating. These studies encourage critical reasoning abilities and skills that promote a life of continuous learning, which are of immeasurable value in pursuing a range of careers and goals in a world in which global diversity has become, more than ever, an inescapable aspect of life.

The major program at St. Lawrence not only involves intensive study in anthropology, but also enriches the studies of students in other disciplines who wish to include anthropology courses in their courses of study. Anthropology links the social sciences, natural -sciences, arts and humanities. It has always utilized insights from biology, geology, geography, history, philosophy, political science, economics, psychology and many other disciplines.

Our faculty are prepared to assist students in pursuing a range of directions in their studies within the broad field of the discipline. With personal field experience in Africa, Europe, India, Australia and the Pacific Islands, they have published numerous books on cultures and -human issues in different parts of the world, often addressing the interrelationships among local cultural systems and global forces. The department’s archaeology laboratory houses several collections of artifacts and materials for hands-on study.

Some courses are cross-listed for credit toward African studies, Asian studies, biology, Canadian studies, English, Native American studies, environmental studies, fine arts, gender studies, global studies and music. The department offers combined majors with African studies and environmental studies. Specific anthropology courses also fulfill the social sciences, diversity and science studies distribution requirements.

In recognition of the diverse approaches to the study of humanity that anthropology involves, the department offers introductory courses in each of the principal branches of the discipline: biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology and linguistics. These courses are designed for beginning students and assume no previous knowledge of the discipline. They provide avenues to more intensive and specialized study in each of these areas. All of them, beginning from distinct sets of questions, converge on the central and fundamental issue of what it means to be human.

Outside the classroom, students are welcome to join the Anthropology Club, a student-run organization open to anyone with a strong interest in anthropology, whether or not they have declared majors or minors in it. Some of our students are members of Lambda Alpha, the national anthropology honorary society. The department also compiles information on the many archaeological and ethnographic field schools and ongoing projects open to students throughout the United States and other parts of the world.

St. Lawrence students have accompanied faculty on research trips to Australia, India, Kenya and Papua New Guinea. Opportunities outside the University are also available through programs with other universities on summer archaeological excavations or ethnographic field schools in Bermuda, Kenya, Costa Rica, China, Italy, Hungary and Mexico, as well as several U.S. states. Students have also taken part in the University’s Kenya Program. This program, in which our faculty members have been closely involved as directors, coordinators and instructors, offers a rare opportunity for anthropology students to gain intensive experience in the field. Over the years our courses have provided excellent preparations for students wishing to study abroad in St. Lawrence programs in Africa, Australia, Europe, India and elsewhere.

Major Requirements

The major in anthropology consists of 10 to 12 courses. Majors must take Anthropology Anthropology 102 (Cultural Anthropology), Anthropology 103 (Introduction to Archaeology), Anthropology 201 (Introduction to Human Origins) and Anthropology 205 (Language and Human Experience). There is no particular recommended sequence, but students should take these courses before taking more advanced courses in particular subfields. Because these introductory courses form the foundation of all future work in the major, students must complete all four before participating in an off-campus semester program.

Senior majors must take two courses to fulfill anthropology's "SYE" requirements. Anthropology 420 (Views of Human Nature) is designed as the capstone senior seminar for anthropology majors. Majors must also take at least one additional course at the 400 level, which might be a seminar, independent study project or honors project (see below). Students should consult one of the faculty members about the latter two options. We recommend that the remaining elective courses include study in more than one geographic or topical area and preferably in at least two of the four subfields of anthropology (biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology and linguistics).

Because our approach to studying humans is holistic and involves all four subfields of anthropology, stressing not only the evolution and social life of the genus Homo in the past and present but also language, we require all anthropology majors to study a language other than their first (i.e., dominant) language, according to the following guidelines:

Students who have studied a language in high school may meet the requirement by:

• Earning a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, or

• Taking 200-level course work in a language at St. Lawrence.

Students who have not met the above guidelines may meet the requirement by:

• Successful completion of two semesters of a language, either on campus or in conjunction with an overseas program.

Note that current distribution requirements stipulate one course in math or a foreign language. Students intending to major in anthropology may be served best by choosing a foreign language for this option. Further information is available from the department chair.

Learning Goals
By the time they graduate, all anthropology -majors should be able to:
1. understand how all the sub-fields — biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology and linguistics — have been defined, fit together, clashed, challenged each other and complemented each other through time;
2. articulate how the fundamental ideas in anthropology — of evolution, culture, structure, function and relativism — have developed through time and always come back to address the essential question of what it means to be human;
3. analyze and articulate the importance of language in the life of humans through time, as biological species and as active participants in living cultures, as evidenced in their anthropological work and co-requisite study of a foreign language;
4. appreciate cross-cultural and intercultural difference as an inherent part of what it means to be human, through coursework preferably complemented experientially by participation in at least one overseas -program;
5. engage in comparative work within and across all four sub-disciplines;
6. articulate and use important theoretical, methodological and ethical issues in each of the four subfields with an eye toward distinguishing cultural relativism from moral relativism in analyzing and understanding human behavior of all kinds, and toward recognizing that in cultural anthropology and linguistics we are working with live human beings, with all the ethical responsibilities that that entails;
7. demonstrate critical reading, thinking, writing and speaking skills;
8. master American Anthropologist citation conventions and other “nuts and bolts” issues of competency and ethics of scholarly reportage in anthropology;
9. distinguish and use critically many different kinds of sources, whether they be primary, secondary or popular sources;
10.  distinguish good scientific inquiry from bad, both in and outside of anthropology, using all of the aforementioned understandings and skills.

Minor Requirements

The minor in anthropology consists of six to eight courses that must include at least three of the following four introductory courses: Anthropology 102 (Cultural Anthropology), 103 (Introduction to Archaeology), 201 (Introduction to Human Origins), or Anthropology 205 (Language and Human Experience), plus at least one course numbered 400. The courses beyond the introductory level must include at least two of the major subfields (biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology and linguistics). We strongly recommend that minors take our capstone SYE seminar Anthropology 420 (Views of Human Nature) as their 400-level course.

Honors

Majors whose achievements in anthropology courses have been of sufficiently high quality may choose to pursue an honors project, sponsored by an honors advisor in the department and approved by an honors committee. University guidelines specify that eligibility for honors requires a grade point average of 3.5 in all courses taken within the department. A student should declare the intention to pursue an honors project by registration during the second -semester in the junior year and agree to the -departmental guidelines for honors projects. These are available from the department on -request.

Students need not major in anthropology to qualify for membership in our Iota chapter of Lambda Alpha, the national collegiate honor -society for anthropology. Any student who has completed a minimum of four courses in -anthropology and has maintained a 3.5 GPA in those courses and a 3.3 cumulative GPA can -apply. Additional details are available from the department.

Certification to Teach Social Studies

Students seeking initial certification as a 7-12 social studies teacher in New York can major in anthropology. In addition to completing the certification minor in education, students majoring in anthropology must also take: History 102 (The 20th-Century World), 103 (Development of the United States: 1607 to 1877), 104 (Development of the United States: 1878 to present); one economics course (Economics 100 Introduction to Economics is recommended if only one course is taken); one government course (Government 103 Introduction to American Politics is recommended if only one course is taken); and at least two courses in the major that illuminate U.S. and/or world history and geography. Students are also encouraged to take courses in other social sciences and area studies to round out their preparation for teaching social studies.

Anthropology majors intending to complete student teaching in the University’s Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program after graduation must complete the educational studies minor in education (or its equivalent) as undergraduates and all of the social science requirements listed above (or their equivalents). Consult the education section of this Catalog and/or speak to the coordinator of the teacher education program in the education department as early as possible.

Professors

Alice Pomponio, B.A., SUNY Geneseo; M.A., Ph.D., Bryn Mawr
Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Department

John Webster Barthelme, A.A., Chabot; A.B., M.A., Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Associate Professor of Anthropology

Celia K. Nyamweru, B.A., Ph.D., Cambridge (England)
Associate Professor of Anthropology

Shinu Abraham, B.A., Madras; M.A., American; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Assistant Professor of Anthropology