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This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

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Anthropology

Undergraduate training in the department of Anthropology is designed for students who seek the bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree only. Students may declare a major in Anthropology and earn the B.A. degree by following the requirements below. The department also offers a minor in Anthropology. The B.A. degree program usually requires at least five quarters of enrollment. Students interested in majoring in Anthropology are encouraged to declare by the beginning of their junior year and to work closely with an adviser to develop a coherent program of study. For more complete information about the major see the department web site at http://anthropology.stanford.edu.

To declare a major in Anthropology, apply in Axess for the B.A. in Anthropology; contact the department's Student Peer Adviser(s) or the Undergraduate Student Services Specialist to prepare the major checklist and planning form submit the required forms to the Undergraduate Student Services Specialist; request a faculty adviser assignment and meet with the assigned faculty adviser for approval of the major checklist and planning form. These forms are available at http://anthropology.stanford.edu. Students must apply in Axess for the B.A. Major in Anthropology by the time junior status is achieved (85 units).

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The B.A. degree in Anthropology may be earned by fulfilling the following requirements:

  1. A faculty adviser appointed in the Department of Anthropology. Undergraduate Anthropology (ANTHRO) majors should plan to meet with their faculty adviser at least once each quarter.
  2. A program of 65 units, passed with an overall minimum grade of 'C':
    1. of the 65 units, 50 units must be in courses with the ANTHRO subject code. 15 may be approved from related areas of study, overseas studies, and/or transfer units and may be unrelated to the chosen emphasis.

      Note: Any related, overseas studies, or transfer units must be approved by the faculty advisor and by petition to the Undergraduate Committee.

    2. of the 65 units, at least 20 units with a minimum grade of 'C' must be in courses with the ANTHRO subject code numbered 100 or above and taught by Anthropology faculty.
    3. no more than 10 units of directed reading-style course work may be counted towards the 50 units required for the major in the ANTHRO subject code.
    4. no more than 10 units may be taken for a satisfactory/no credit grade: 5 units in ANTHRO courses, and 5 in related or transfer units.
  3. A minimum grade of 'B' in an ANTHRO Writing in the Major (WIM) course from the chosen emphasis. This should be taken within a year of declaring the major or before the end of the junior year.
  4. A minimum grade of 'B' in an ANTHRO Theory course from the chosen emphasis. This should be taken within a year of declaring the major or before the end of the junior year.
  5. A minimum grade of 'B' in ANTHRO 91 Method and Evidence in Anthropology or in an approved methods course from the chosen emphasis. This should be taken within a year of declaring the major or before the end of the junior year.
  6. An approved course of study which includes an emphasis chosen from the list below. Students must complete a minimum of 20 units in their chosen emphasis of which 10 units must be numbered 100 or above.
    1. Archaeology and Heritage
    2. Culture and Society
    3. Ecology, Environment, and Evolution
    4. Medical Anthropology
  7. Competence in a foreign language beyond the first-year level. Such competence is usually demonstrated by completing a 5 unit course at the second-year level with a minimum grade of 'B-'. The requirement may be met by special examination administered through the Language Center, or demonstration of superior placement scores.

    Note: Students whose programs require non-English language study as part of a geographical or linguistics focus may ask their faculty adviser to approve up to 5 units from language courses toward the degree if such courses are at the second-year level and above, or are in a second non-English language.

  8. At least five quarters of enrollment in the major. Each candidate for the B.A. in Anthropology should declare a major by the first quarter of the third year of study.

Advising is an important component of the Anthropology major. Students are encouraged to work closely with their major adviser throughout their pursuit of the degree. Advising milestones for the major include the following:

  1. In the quarter in which the major is declared, students meet with their assigned faculty adviser, create a rigorous course of study based on topical breadth, and obtain adviser approval of an Anthropology emphasis as part of the course of study and obtain the major adviser's signature on the Major Checklist.
  2. Undergraduate Anthropology majors should plan to meet with their major faculty adviser at least once each quarter before the Final Study List deadline. Any revisions to the initial checklist must be approved by the faculty adviser.
  3. Undergraduate Anthropology majors must submit an updated major checklist and planning form to the Undergraduate Student Services Specialist in the quarter before graduating.
Required Courses—
  1. Writing in the Major courses—
    1. Undergraduate majors can fulfill the Writing in the Major course requirement for the B.A. in Anthropology by taking the ANTHRO Theory course designated from a chosen emphasis.
  2. Theory courses—

    Enroll in one of the following according to the student's chosen emphasis:

    1. Archaeology and Heritage: ANTHRO 90A. History of Archaeological Thought
    2. Culture and Society/Medical Anthropology: ANTHRO 90B. Theory in Cultural and Social Anthropology
    3. Ecology, Environment, and Evolution: ANTHRO 90C. Theory of Ecological and Environmental Anthropology
  3. Methods courses—

    The following course fulfills the ANTHRO undergraduate major methods course requirement.

    ANTHRO 91. Method and Evidence in Anthropology

    Students choosing the Archaeology and Heritage emphasis may substitute ANTHRO 91A. Archaeological Methods, if given. And students choosing the Ecology, Environment and Evolution emphasis may substitute ANTHRO 91C. Methods and Analysis in Ecological Anthropology, if given.

  4. Department courses—

    Choose from the following according to the student's chosen emphasis. Students should complete a minimum of 20 units in their chosen emphasis of which 10 units must be numbered 100 or above. Department courses may fulfill the requirements for more than one emphasis; see the undergraduate student services specialist for details.

    1. For the Archaeology and Heritage emphasis, courses are numbered ANTHRO 100 through ANTHRO 113.
    2. For the Culture and Society emphasis, courses are numbered ANTHRO 120 through ANTHRO 150.
    3. For the Ecology, Environment, and Evolution emphasis, courses are numbered ANTHRO 160 through ANTHRO 178.
    4. For the Medical Anthropology emphasis, courses are numbered ANTHRO 179 through ANTHRO 185.
  5. Research courses—

    Courses listed are recommended for students writing a research paper in the major:

    • ANTHRO 92. Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing Workshop
    • ANTHRO 93. Prefield Research Seminar
    • ANTHRO 94. Postfield Research Seminar
    • ANTHRO 95A. Research in Anthropology
  6. Senior courses—ANTHRO 95B. Senior Paper
SENIOR PAPER

The senior paper program in Anthropology provides majors the opportunity to conduct original research under the guidance of an Anthropology faculty member. All Anthropology majors are encouraged to write a senior paper. Interested Anthropology majors of junior standing may apply to the senior paper program by submitting a senior paper application form, including a research topic/title of the proposed senior paper project, a two page abstract/proposal, and a letter of reference from their faculty adviser to the undergraduate student service specialist on or by February 15th in the junior year. Enrollment in ANTHRO 95A, Research in Anthropology, is recommended during Autumn and Winter quarters of the senior year. Students must enroll in ANTHRO 95B, Senior Paper, in the final quarter of the undergraduate degree program before graduating. The senior paper is submitted in the final quarter before graduation. For more information, see the Undergraduate Student Services Specialist.

HONORS PROGRAM

The honors program in Anthropology provides eligible Anthropology majors with an opportunity to conduct original ethnographic, field, laboratory, or library-based research under the guidance of an Anthropology faculty member. All Anthropology majors are urged to consider applying to the departmental honors program in Anthropology. Interested Anthropology majors of junior standing may apply for admission to the honors program by submitting an honors application form, including a research topic/title of the proposed honors project, a two page abstract/proposal, a transcript, and a letter of reference from their faculty or honors adviser to the undergraduate student services specialist on or by February 15th in the junior year. Department majors are eligible to apply for honors candidacy with a 3.4 GPA in the department major, a 3.0 GPA in overall course work, and with no more than one incomplete listed on the transcript at the time of application. Students interested in the honors program are encouraged to apply for summer research funding through the Department of Anthropology, Undergraduate Advising and Research, and area studies centers. This process requires planning as the Spring Quarter research deadline falls before the honors application due date. In most case, honors students apply for such funding early in the junior year.

  1. Required Courses—
    1. The theory and methods course appropriate to the student's chosen emphasis of study.
    2. ANTHRO 95B. Senior Paper, is required in the final quarter of the student's B.A. degree program. Senior papers with a minimum letter grade of 'A-' may be awarded departmental honors. Honors students may enroll for a minimum of 5 units and up to a maximum of 10 units.
  2. Optional Courses—
    1. ANTHRO 92. Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing Workshop, is recommended during Autumn and Winter quarters of the junior year.
    2. ANTHRO 93. Prefield Research Seminar
    3. ANTHRO 94. Postfield Seminar, is given in Autumn Quarter only. Student researchers may choose to enroll in ANTHRO 94 or to attend Summer Honors College in the summer following their junior year.
    4. ANTHRO 95A. Research in Anthropology, is recommended during Autumn and Winter quarters of the senior year.

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