Anthropology Major Requirements
1) Subfield introductory courses (3 courses required)
Anth 105 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Anth 106 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
Anth 107 Introduction to Archaeology
2) Sociocultural theory (1 course required).
Anth 345 Sociocultural Theory in Anthropology
3) Area studies (1 course required). Students may choose from:
Anth 270L Native Peoples of North America
Anth 271 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
Anth 272 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
Anth 273 Peoples and Cultures of Mesoamerica
Anth 274 Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean
Anth 334 Ancient North America
Anth 336L Ancient Mesoamerica: The Aztecs and their Predecessors
Anth 338L Ancient Peru: The Incas and their Predecessors
Anth 376 Native Peoples of New England: Contemporary Issues
Anth 476L Native Americans: Contemporary Issues
4). Methodology (1 course required). Students may choose from:
Anth 240 Historical Archaeology Anth 252 Urban Anthropology
Anth 277 US Immigration: Contemporary Issues and Debates Anth 281 Structure of Human Language
Anth 316 Nutrition, Growth, and Behavior
Anth 317 Human Epidemiology
Anth 341 Archaeological Method and Theory Anth 348 Ethnographic Inquiry: Introduction to Qualitative Field Research
Anth 352 Applied Social Anthropology
Anth 385 The Ethnography of Speaking
Anth 412 Issues in Biological Anthropology
Anth 413 Forensic Anthropology
Anth 432 Archaeological Science
5). Comparative analysis (1 course required). Students may choose from:
Anth 210 Biosocial Bases of Human Behavior
Anth 211 Human Origins
Anth 212 Human Variation
Anth 243L Rethinking the Family
Anth 247 Ancient Cities and States
Anth 250 Hunter-Gatherer cultures
Anth 262 Dreams, Dreaming, and Culture Anth 269L Anthropology of the Object
Anth 285 Language and Culture
Anth 295L Introduction to Human Rights
Anth 301L Childhood in America
Anth 310 Primate Behavior
Anth 313 Developmental Models in Human Evolution
Anth 350 Elements of Social Organization
Anth 351 Evolution of Culture
Anth 356 Anthropology of Law
Anth 357 Culture, Disease, and Healing
Anth 358 Comparative Health Care Systems
Anth 360 Gender, Culture, and Power
Anth 363 Cultural Ecology
Anth 366 Anthropology of Religion
Anth 367 Social and Cultural Perspectives on Witchcraft and Healing
Anth 368 Myth in Cultural Context
Anth 372 Anthropology of Death
Anth 451 Development Anthropology
6) Proseminar (1 course required).
Anth 425 Contemporary Issues in Anthropology
7) Additional courses for the Major (3 courses required).
To complete their majors, students may choose any three additional courses from the lists above as well as from the Department’s special topics offerings, Anth Z280 and Anth 480. At least one of these courses must be at the 300-level or above, if the student has not already completed three such advanced departmental courses.
Only one of these three additional required courses can be drawn from the courses listed below to meet the eleven-course minimum, but Anthropology majors are encouraged to take these or other courses beyond the minimum requirements as appropriate to their interests. Students are reminded that only one Intermediate Seminar may be taken for credit at UMass Boston.
Anth G220/221/222/223/224/227/230 Intermediate Seminar
Anth 444 Cooperative Education for Anthropology Majors
Anth 478/479 Directed Study
Anth 483-486 Field Research courses
Anth 488 Internship
Anth 490/491 Independent Research (Honors)
ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS FOR ALL MAJORS
I. Pass/Fail
Courses taken Pass/Fail may not be used to satisfy requirements toward the Anthropology major, except in cases when they were taken prior to the time the student became a major. However, with the exception of a few special courses (Anth 478, 479, 483, 484, 485, 486), any Anthropology course may be taken Pass/Fail for credit toward the B.A. degree.
II. Directed Study (Anth 478, 479)
Students may take Directed Study for 1 to 3 credits with the following conditions. Only one Directed Study may be counted for credit toward the major, although students may take additional Directed Studies for graduation credit. In addition, Students should also note carefully that Directed Study may be taken only by students who have completed the appropriate introductory course, are juniors or seniors, and have a GPA in the major of 3.0. Waivers of these requirements will be made only under special circumstances.
III. Cognate Credit
Cognate credit may be granted for one course outside the Department upon approval of the Departmental Curriculum Committee. Such approval should be sought prior to taking the course by a written request to the Chair of the Committee.
IV. Credit for Interdisciplinary Courses
On a course by course basis the Department will accept for credit toward the major some interdisciplinary courses taught by members of the Anthropology Department. Students will be informed prior to registration whether any such course which is scheduled for the following semester will qualify for Anthropology credit.
V. Transfer of Credit
At least five of the eight advanced courses required for the Anthropology major must be taken at UMB, but additional Anthropology courses may be transferred for general university credit towards the B.A. degree. Students must petition the Departmental Curriculum Committee to receive credit toward the major for transferred courses. Except when students transfer to UMass and wish credit for courses already taken at their former University, permission for transfer of credit should be secured from the Department before a course is taken. This policy includes courses taken through the Boston Public Colleges Cross-Registration Agreement. To receive transfer credit for a course, a student should complete a request form obtainable from the Department secretary. A catalogue description and the syllabus from the course should be submitted as part of the request.
VI. Policy on Incompletes
Incompletes may be given at the discretion of the instructor. In order to give a grade of Incomplete, the instructor must sign an agreement with the student prior to the end of the semester in which the Incomplete is assigned. This agreement stipulates what the student must do to complete the course and sets a date (within the limits allowed by the University) by which the student must fulfill the terms of the agreement. If the course is not completed by the stipulated date, a grade of F is submitted.
VII. Courses Repeated for Credit
The Anthropology Department offers a number of special courses (Anth 280, 380, 480, 481, 483, 484, 485, 486) which may be repeated for credit as the focus of each course shifts. Unless otherwise stipulated in the course description, such a course may be repeated only twice for credit towards the Anthropology major and as many times as desired for credit toward the B.A. degree.
Students wishing to minor in Anthropology who declare after September 1, 2002 must take a minimum of six courses: two of the three introductory courses (Anth 105, 106, 107), and four other courses in Anthropology. Only one of these courses may be a Directed Study or Internship or Cooperative Education course and a minimum of two of these courses must be at the 300-level or above. No Pass/Fail courses may be counted. At least four of the six courses must be taken at UMB. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the program for successful completion.
Students who declare their minor prior to September 1, 2002 must take six courses in Anthropology. Minors must have taken both Anth 102 and Anth 103 (or Anth C100), as well as four additional courses, at least two of which must be at the 300 level or beyond. No Pass/Fail courses may be counted. One upper-level course may be transferred for credit toward fulfillment of the requirements. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the program for successful completion. If you have started the minor before September 2002, but not yet completed Anth 102, you should take Anth 105. If you have not yet taken Anth 103, you should take Anth 106.
Joint Major in Archaeology and History
(For students who declare after September 1, 2005)
Required of all majors (11 courses)
Anth 106. Introduction to cultural anthropology
Anth 107. Introduction to archaeology
Anth 240. Historical archaeology
Anth 341. Archaeological method and theory
Anth 345. Sociocultural theory
Anth 425. Contemporary Issues in Anthropology (capstone)
Hist 111. Foundations of Western Civilization
Hist 112/114. Modern Western Civilization/ Modern World History II
Hist 165. American history before 1877
Hist 166. American history since 1877
Hist 480/481. Research & Methods: Seminar in European/American history
Elective courses:
choose one from each of the groups below (3 courses). At least one of these electives must be at the 300-level.
a. One course in the historical development of US and European society. Choose from:
Hist 300. Ancient civilization to 600 BC
Hist 301. Greek history
Hist 302. Roman history
Hist 303. Classical archaeology
Hist 304. The Dark Ages
Hist 305. High and Later Middle Ages
Hist 306. Roman archaeology
Hist 309. The medieval mind
Hist 311. Europe in the Age of the Enlightenment
Hist 313. 19 th c. Europe
Hist 315. Europe 1900-1945
Hist 320. Tudor-Stuart England
Hist 321. England in the Age of Revolution
Hist 323. Russia before 1861
Hist 324. Russia since 1861
Hist 328. Germany to 1815
Hist 329. Germany, 1815-1945
Hist 330. The French Revolution
Hist 331. France since 1789
Hist 334. Italy since 1815
Hist 335. Spain to 1713
Hist 339. Modern Irish history from 1800 to the present
Hist 370. Colonial America to 1763
Hist 371. American Revolution
Hist 372. The Early Republic
Hist 373. American slavery
Hist 375. US Civil War and Reconstruction
Hist 376. American Urban History
Hist 377. The Old South
Hist 379. The United States, 1900 to 1945.
Hist 395. The History of Boston
Anth 252 Urban anthropology
Anth 301L Childhood in America
b. One course in the history or prehistory of non-European/Euroamerican societies. Choose from:
Hist 150. The Middle East, 570 to 1517
Hist 151. Middle East since 1517
Hist 152. Intro to African History
Hist 153. Africa in the 20 th c
Hist 155L. Latin America before 1800
Hist 156L. Latin America since 1800
Hist 160L. East Asian Civilizations to 1850
Hist L161. E. Asian civilizations since 1850
Hist 352. Topics in African History
Hist 360L. Traditional China
Hist 361L. The History of Modern China
Hist 362L. Traditional Japan
Hist 364. India since 1857
Hist 365. The Middle East 1798-1914
Hist 368. The Middle East since 1914
Hist 368. Slavery in Africa
Anth 222G. Aztecs and Spaniards
Anth 223G. Fall of the Maya
Anth 334. Ancient North America
Anth 336L. Ancient Mesoamerica
Anth 338L. Ancient Peru
c. One course in the study of contemporary societies outside the European tradition
Anth 220G. Amazonian cultures
Anth 270L. Native peoples of North America
Anth 271. Peoples and cultures of the Middle East
Anth 272. Peoples and cultures of Africa
Anth 273. Peoples and cultures of Mesoamerica
Anth 274. Peoples and cultures of the Caribbean
Anth 250. Hunter-gatherer cultures
Anth 476L Current issues in Native America
Hist 359L. Women in Modern China
Hist 363L. Modern Japan
Hist 367. Modern South Africa
Note: Other 200G level courses in History or Anthropology may count toward fulfilling the three electives, but these General Education Intermediate Seminars must be approved in advance by the student’s advisor. Only one Intermediate Seminar may be taken for credit during a student’s career at UMB.
(For students who declare the Joint Major prior to September 1, 2005)
I. A total of 14 courses is required as specified below.
A. All students must take the following basic courses: ANTH 102, ANTH 240, ANTH 241(341), HIST 112, HIST 165, HIST 166, and HIST 480 or 481.
Students must choose one course from each of the following lists:
American History: HIST 370, 371, 372, 374, 375, 376, 377, 394, 395
European History: HIST 310, 313, 321, 329, 331, 334, 339
Ethnographic Analysis: ANTH 252, 350, 380
History of Other Cultures in America: HIST 152, 153, 355, 356, 373, 482
Anthropology of Other Cultures: ANTH 234, 270L, 272, 273, 332
Material Culture: HIST 121, 122; Art 230, 254, 262, 326, 330
Students must take one additional practical course in historical archaeology. This may be an anthropology independent study course, an internship, or a field research course.
II. Courses are also recommended in American historical literature, pre-seventeenth century European history, and cultural ecology, for students interested in these related areas.
III. Each student is required to plan out his or her program with a team of two advisors, one from each department. This need not be done before taking courses in either department, but should come close to the beginning of the student’s stay at UMass Boston. This planning does not require departmental approval so long as both advisors concur in their judgment of the program’s viability, and so long as the requirements are satisfied. Any waiver of the requirements for the joint major, however, requires the approval of both the Anthropology and History Departments.