East Tennessee State University: Anthropology Major
EFFECTIVE DATE: Fall 2007
DEGREE TYPE: Bachelor of Arts (B. A.)
PURPOSE: The primary purpose of the anthropology major is to provide students an understanding of anthropology’s unique perspective on the study of humankind. To fulfill this goal, the following educational objectives will be met:
1) to enhance students’ understanding of the concept of culture
2) to provide students an understanding of cultural diversity through a holistic, cross-cultural examination of subsistence systems, economic organization, social organization, political systems, family, law, artistic expression, and religion
3) to engage students in critical thinking about the origins and evolution of culture through the analysis of the material remains of prehistoric and historic cultures
4) to develop students’ understanding of the application of the basic principles of evolutionary theory with specific reference to the genetic and fossil evidence of human biological evolution
5) to promote students’ understanding of human behavior and culture patterning in the context of the complex relationship between biology, culture, and environment
6) to develop students’ understanding of human biological variation in terms of genetic patterning and adaptation
Curriculum: The major requires the completion of 33 semester credit hours of anthropology in a degree program that totals 120 semester credit hours, distributed as follows:
Curriculum Component Credit Hours Required
General Education 41-42
B.A. Requirement 3-9
Major Field Core 15
Concentration 0
Anthropology Electives 18
General Electives 36-43
Total 120
Impact: For those students who wish to earn a graduate degree in anthropology (MA or PhD), having a B.A. degree in anthropology would greatly improve their chances for admission than they face now, if they only have a minor. Their chances for obtaining graduate assistantships and other financial support would also improve. Currently, our anthropology faculty provide special advisement to anthropology minors who hope to enter graduate programs to ensure that these students will not be automatically rejected as unqualified—a problem that an anthropology major would solve.
An undergraduate with a B.A. degree in anthropology would be competitive with undergraduate majors in sociology and psychology for many jobs in the social services, including state and non-governmental organizations. Graduates with B.A. degrees in anthropology may also qualify for employment with public and private organizations concerned with cultural resource management and educational programs connected to museums and state and federal park services.
Program Structure
A. Total credits required for graduation: 120
B. Residency requirements: NA
Courses and Credits
C. General Education: Total credits: 41-42
ENGL 1010 Critical Reading and Expository Writing: 3
ENGL 1020 Critical Thinking and Argumentation: 3
Mathematics: 3-4
Communication: 3
Natural Science: 8
HIST 2010 The United States to 1877: 3
HIST 2020 The United States Since 1877: 3
Literature: 3
Fine Arts: 3
Social/Behavioral Sciences: 6
Humanities Electives: 3
Total: 41-42
B.A. Requirement:
Proficiency in a single foreign language equivalent to two years at the college level 0-6
Non-U.S. history 3
Total 3-9
D. Major Field Core: Total credits: 18
ANTH 1240 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 3
ANTH 1260 Introduction to Archaeology 3
ANTH 1280 Introduction to Physical Anthropology 3
SOAA 3350 Social Statistics 3
ANTH 4830 Anthropological Theory 3
SOAA 4627 Ethnographic Field Work Techniques 3
E. Concentration(s): NA
F. Electives. Total Credits: 15
Guided Electives: Students must choose one course from each of the four focus areas:
Archaeology
ANTH 3903 Prehistory of Southern Appalachia (new course) 3
ANTH 4007 Archaeology of the Southeastern United States 3
ANTH 4017 Historic Native American Cultures of the Southeastern US 3
ANTH 4037 Old World Archaeology 3
ANTH 4400 Archaeological Field School 3-6
SOAA 4410 International Field Experience 3-6
Biology and Culture
ANTH 3400 Human Osteology and Paleontology 3
ANTH 4240 Primatology 3
Culture Studies
ANTH 2150 American Folk Music 3
SOAA 3700 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America 3
ANTH 4357 Mass Communication and Popular Culture 3
ANTH 4567 Scottish Ethnology 3
ANTH 4630 Native American Cultures in Contemporary Society 3
Health and Culture
ANTH 3070 Medical Anthropology 3
ANTH 3080 Nutritional Anthropology 3
ANTH 3250 Environmental Anthropology 3
ANTH 3500 Appalachian Folk Medicine 3
Aside from the six required core courses (18 credit hours) and the four required focus area course electives (12 hours), students must take one other elective course (3 credit hours) in the focus areas listed above, one of the elective courses listed below, or a special topics course if it is anthropological in content.
ANTH 2040 Folk Culture in the Modern World 3
ANTH 3260 Visual Anthropology 3
ANTH 3800 Religion, Society, and Culture 3
ENGL 3100 Introduction to Linguistics 3
G. Other credits: A minor is required 18-26 credit hours
Additional free electives 10-25 credit hours
Note: The sum of C, D, E, F, and G equals A (120 credit hours).
H. Admission, Retention, and Graduation requirements.
In addition to maintaining an overall grade point average of 2.0 in the major, a student must earn a minimum grade of “C” in each major core course.