Anthropology

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Major and minor offered; also Anthropology–African Studies major 

Visit the anthropology department webpage at https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/anthropology. 

Major Requirements 

The major in anthropology consists of 11 courses and an experiential co-requisite component. The 11 courses are distributed as follows: 

Core Courses  

  • ANTH 101 (Human Origins) 

  • ANTH 102 (Cultural Anthropology) 

  • ANTH 103 (Introduction to Archaeology)  

  • ANTH 104 (Language and Human Experience) 

There is no recommended sequence, but students should take the introductory courses before taking 300-level or 400-level courses in the same subfield. 

  1. Electives (4) 
    Majors must take four additional courses at the 200-level or above. Up to two electives may be taken outside the department, whether on study abroad programs or in other departments on campus. 

  1. Advanced Topics Course (1) 
    All majors must complete at least one 300-level Advanced Topics course. These Advanced Topics courses allow students to build on the anthropological knowledge, theories, and methods they have learned about in lower-level courses, to delve deeply into particular topics, and to further develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, research, interpretation, and/or analysis. 

  1. Capstone Experience (1) 
    Senior majors must take at least one 400-level capstone seminar or complete an Independent Study project (489, 490) or Honors project (498, 499). Students should consult an Anthropology faculty member well in advance about the latter two options. 

  1. One additional Advanced Topics Course or Capstone Experience (1) 

Experiential Co-requisite 

Majors must complete at least one of the following experiential learning options: 

  1. Study on an approved semester abroad program  

  1. Take an approved Community-Based Learning (CBL) course  

  1. Carry out independent anthropological research (short-term, summer, or semester) 

  1. Attend an approved field school in archaeology, cultural anthropology, primatology, forensics, or any other field of anthropology 

  1. Complete an internship relevant to anthropology  

  1. Master another language (as demonstrated by study through the 200-level) 

Minor Requirements 

The minor in anthropology consists of seven courses that must include: 

  1. At least three of the four introductory courses: 101 (Human Origins), 102 (Cultural Anthropology), 103 (Introduction to Archaeology), 104 (Language and Human Experience); 

  1. At least two electives at the 200-level or above. One elective may be taken outside the department, whether on a study abroad program or in another department on campus 

  1. At least two courses at the 300-level (Advanced Topics) or 400-level (capstone course or independent study), taken in the department. 

Anthropology–African Studies Major Requirements 

Anthropology offers a combined major with African Studies. A total of nine courses make up the anthropology part of the major; see African Studies for the required courses for that part of the combined major. Combined Anthropology–African Studies majors must take the four introductory courses that make up the core curriculum (listed above), one Advanced Topics (300-level) course, one (400-level) capstone or senior independent study project (489, 490, 498, 499), and three electives (200-level or above). At least two of the electives should be dual-listed with African Studies; no more than two electives may be taken outside the department. While the experiential co-requisite is not required of combined majors, we strongly urge African Studies combined majors to fulfill it, either on campus or through participation in an abroad program (e.g., the Kenya Program). 

Honors 

Majors whose achievements in anthropology courses have been of high quality may 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 in the department. 

A student should declare intent 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. 

Majors and minors in anthropology may qualify for membership in the Iota chapter of Lambda Alpha, the national collegiate honor society for anthropology. Juniors who have completed a minimum of four courses in anthropology and have maintained a 3.5 GPA in those courses and a 3.3 cumulative GPA can apply. Additional details are available from the department.  

See Anthropology courses