Overview
The ISU program in Anthropology is housed in the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
Anthropology students develop a well-rounded professional education in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. An undergraduate major in Anthropology can serve as the nucleus for a general liberal education, or as the prerequisite for graduate training qualifying a person for positions in (1) college and university teaching, (2) research, and (3) administrative and applied positions in government, development organizations, museums, and private businesses or corporations.
Anthropology majors may choose either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree, both of which require 36 credits in anthropology. A Bachelor of Arts degree is obtained by fulfilling the college general education requirements plus 6 additional credits in Area I (Arts and Humanities) or III (Social Sciences) or a combination of both. A Bachelor of Science degree is obtained by fulfilling the college general education requirements plus 6 additional credits in Area IIA (Mathematics) or IIB (Natural Sciences) or a combination of both. All students must also complete a minor or a second major as part of their degree requirements.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the major in anthropology, students will be able to:
1. Explain what it means to be human through the study of culture and society, the biology and evolution of humans and other primates, and through the study of past human communities and material culture.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the important historical and contemporary issues in the subdisciplines of archaeological, biological, and cultural anthropology.
3. Describe and evaluate local and global issues from an anthropological perspective.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the value of cultural diversity.
Degree Requirements
Undergraduate students with majors in anthropology are required to take the following anthropology core courses:
| ANTHR 2010 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 2020 | Human Origins | 3 |
| ANTHR 3060 | Culture and Interpretation | 3 |
| ANTHR 3070 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 3080 | Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHR 4500 | Approaches in Anthropology | 3 |
| One of the following methods courses is required: | 3 | |
| ANTHR 3190 | Skeletal Biology | 3 |
| or ANTHR 3280 | Archaeological Discovery and Analysis | |
| or ANTHR 4310 | Ethnographic Methods | |
| In addition to the above, 15 ANTHR choice credits are required. | 15 | |
Communication Proficiency requirement: According to the university-wide Communication Proficiency Grade Requirement, students must demonstrate their communication proficiency by earning a grade of a C or better in ENGL 2500 Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition.
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| or ENGL 2500H | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition: Honors | |
| Additionally, the Anthropology Program requires a grade of C or better in one of the following courses: | ||
| Business Communication | ||
| Proposal and Report Writing | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
The principal sub-disciplines of anthropology are represented by the following:
1. Cultural anthropology:
| ANTHR 2010 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 2300 | Globalization and the Human Condition | 3 |
| ANTHR 3060 | Culture and Interpretation | 3 |
| ANTHR 3090 | Introduction to Culture and Language | 3 |
| ANTHR 3100 | Environmental Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 3130 | Kinship and Marriage in a Global Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHR 3220 | Peoples and Cultures of Native North America | 3 |
| ANTHR 3230C | Latin American Anthropology: Race, Class and Gender | 3 |
| ANTHR 3230D | Latin American Anthropology: Regional Focus | 3 |
| ANTHR 3320A | Current Issues in Native North America: Gender and Family | 3 |
| ANTHR 3320B | Current Issues in Native North America: Indigenous Ecologies and Geographies | 3 |
| ANTHR 3320C | Current Issues in Native North America: Cultural and Political Movements | 3 |
| ANTHR 3320D | Current Issues in Native North America: Regional Focus | 3 |
| ANTHR 3360 | Culture and Capitalism | 3 |
| ANTHR 3400 | Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion | 3 |
| ANTHR 3540 | War and the Politics of Humanitarianism | 3 |
| ANTHR 3550 | Understanding Sub-Saharan Africa | 3 |
| ANTHR 4110 | Anthropology in Professional Applications | 3 |
| ANTHR 4190B | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Methods | 3 |
| ANTHR 4190C | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Regional Focus | 3 |
| ANTHR 4190D | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Others | 3 |
| ANTHR 4310 | Ethnographic Methods | 3 |
| ANTHR 4340B | Internship: Cultural Anthropology | 2-6 |
| ANTHR 4340D | Internship: Linguistic Anthropology | 2-6 |
| ANTHR 4500 | Approaches in Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 4510B | Practicum in Anthropology: Cultural Anthropology | 1-3 |
| ANTHR 4510D | Practicum in Anthropology: Linguistic Anthropology | 1-3 |
| ANTHR 4900B | Independent Study: Cultural Anthropology | 1-5 |
| ANTHR 4900D | Independent Study: Linguistic Anthropology | 1-5 |
2. Archaeology:
| ANTHR 2020 | Human Origins | 3 |
| ANTHR 3080 | Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHR 3120 | Evolution of the Human Diet | 3 |
| ANTHR 3150 | Archaeology of North America | 3 |
| ANTHR 3200 | Great Plains Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHR 3210 | World Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTHR 3280 | Archaeological Discovery and Analysis | 3 |
| ANTHR 4340A | Internship: Archaeology | 1-6 |
| ANTHR 4500 | Approaches in Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 4510A | Practicum in Anthropology: Archaeology | 1-3 |
| ANTHR 4900A | Independent Study: Archaeology | 1-5 |
3. Biological Anthropology:
| ANTHR 2020 | Human Origins | 3 |
| ANTHR 3070 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 3120 | Evolution of the Human Diet | 3 |
| ANTHR 3170 | Primate Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution | 3 |
| ANTHR 3190 | Skeletal Biology | 3 |
| ANTHR 4340C | Internship: Biological Anthropology | 1-6 |
| ANTHR 4450 | Biological Field School | 4-6 |
| ANTHR 4510C | Practicum in Anthropology: Biological Anthropology | 1-3 |
| ANTHR 4900C | Independent Study: Biological Anthropology | 1-5 |
As majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Anthropology students must meet College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University-wide requirements for graduation in addition to those stated above for the major.
LAS majors require a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 3000/4000 level. You must also complete the LAS world language requirement and career proficiency requirement.
Students in all ISU majors must complete a three-credit course in U.S. Cultures and Communities and a three-credit course in International Perspectives. Check U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives for a list of approved courses.
Students in Anthropology have the option of pursuing a B.S. or a B.A. A B.S requires six additional group requirement credits in natural science or mathematics disciplines. A B.A. requires six additional group requirement credits in social or humanities disciplines.
Anthropology B.S., B.A.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGL 1500 | 3 | ANTHR 2020 | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | 1 | Minor choice | 3 |
| ANTHR 2010 | 3 | Social science choice | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Natural science choice | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities choice | 3 | Arts & Humanities choice | 3 |
| Social science choice | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ANTHR 3080 | 3 | ANTHR 3060 | 3 |
| World Languages and Cultures/International Perspective | 4 | World Languages and Cultures/International Perspective | 4 |
| Humanities choice | 3 | ANTHR 3000 choice | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 | 3 | Minor choice | 3 |
| ANTHR 3000 choice | 3 | Natural science choice | 3 |
| LAS 2030 | 1 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ANTHR 4250 | 1 | ANTHR 3070 | 3 |
| STAT 1010 | 4 | ENGL 3000-level | 3 |
| Arts & Humanities choice | 3 | ANTHR 3000 | 3 |
| ANTHR 3000 choice | 3 | Minor choice | 3 |
| Natural science choice | 3 | Additional Area requirement | 3 |
| Summer: It is highly recommended that students complete a field school, internship, or study abroad experience during the summer between their junior and senior years however, this is not required for graduation. | |||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ANTHR 4500 | 3 | ANTHR 3000 choice | 3 |
| Minor choice | 3 | Minor choice | 3 |
| ANTHR 3000 choice | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Additional Area requirement | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
Minor
A minor in anthropology consists of at least 15 credits. The minor must include at least 3 credits that are not used to meet any other department, college, or university requirement.
| ANTHR 2010 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHR 2020 | Human Origins | 3 |
| One of the following in cultural anthropology (3 credits) | ||
| ANTHR 3060 | Culture and Interpretation | 3 |
| or ANTHR 3090 | Introduction to Culture and Language | |
| or ANTHR 3220 | Peoples and Cultures of Native North America | |
| or ANTHR 3230D | Latin American Anthropology: Regional Focus | |
| or ANTHR 3400 | Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion | |
| or ANTHR 4190B | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Methods | |
| or ANTHR 4190C | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Regional Focus | |
| or ANTHR 4190D | Topics in Cultural Anthropology: Others | |
| One of the following in archaeology or biological anthroplogy (3 credits) | ||
| ANTHR 3070 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| or ANTHR 3080 | Archaeology | |
| or ANTHR 3120 | Evolution of the Human Diet | |
| or ANTHR 3150 | Archaeology of North America | |
| or ANTHR 3190 | Skeletal Biology | |
| or ANTHR 3210 | World Prehistory | |
| Three additional credits in ANTHR at the 3000+ level | 3 | |
The Anthropology Undergraduate Minor is an LAS Minor. In addition to University policies governing minors, LAS minors require at least 6 credits in courses numbered 3000 and above, with a grade of C or higher.
Graduate Programs
The department offers a master of arts degree with a major in anthropology. Graduate courses are offered in the areas of archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Competence in statistics or a methodology relevant to the student's program of study must be demonstrated. Students are required to do original field, archival, or laboratory research that will result in a scholarly thesis.