The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology curriculum seeks to ensure that each student develops a solid foundation in the basic principles, theories and techniques of analysis. Since students majoring in anthropology vary in their interests and career goals, the curriculum allows for a great deal of flexibility developing individual courses of study. Students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in anthropology will usually take more than the minimum number of upper-level courses. The department provides opportunities for involvement in faculty research through its course offerings, which include independent study, internships and honors research.

Degree requirements – Bachelor of Science in Anthropology
Honors in anthropology
Undergraduate topics courses
Independent study
Internship

Degree requirements – Bachelor of Science in Anthropology

The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 36 of those credits in anthropology, 25 of which must be in upper-level (300, 400 or 500) courses. However, a student with a particular anthropological interest that can be best served by courses without the ANTH prefix may suggest a coherent selection of up to 11 credits from such classes to be counted toward the major. A plan for such selection must be presented to and approved by the program coordinator in the student’s junior year or, for those students entering the program at the junior level, at a time stipulated by the program coordinator. A maximum of 12 credits from internships and/or independent studies may be counted toward the degree requirements. For graduation, students must maintain at least a 2.25 GPA in the major courses.

Students must take the following core courses and attain a “C” grade or higher in each course:

Core requirements

ANTH/INTL 103 Introduction to Anthropology
ANTH105/INTL 104 Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 301/BIOL 341 Human Evolution
ANTH 302 Archaeological Theory or ANTH 303 Archaeological Methods and Research Design
ANTH/ENGL/FRLG/LING 448 Language, Culture and Cognition or
ANTH/ENGL/LING 449 Introduction to Linguistics
ANTH 454 Anthropological Theory and Practice
ANTH 499 Senior Seminar

Collateral requirements

Take one introductory course in geography, history, international studies or sociology (not included in the 36 credits for the major).
Fulfill an experiential learning requirement through an approved internship, service-learning course or study-abroad program.
Demonstrate competency in one language through the advanced (301) level or in two languages through the intermediate (202/205) level.

Anthropology majors are strongly encouraged to complete a minor, preferably one offered in World Studies. Students should refer to the listing in the general description of the School of World Studies.

Honors in anthropology

Majors in the anthropology program may earn a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in anthropology. Participation in honors thesis research is available to outstanding senior majors and involves the preparation of a senior thesis during the last two semesters of the baccalaureate degree program.

In order to participate in the program, students must meet program entrance requirements, identify a project mentor and receive approval for a project proposal. Honors will be awarded following acceptance of the thesis by the Honors Thesis Committee (HTC). The committee will consist of, at a minimum, the project mentor, one other member of the anthropology faculty and one faculty member from outside of the anthropology program.

The project may involve any recognized anthropological topic, theory and/or method that promises to enhance the student’s disciplinary perspective, skills and creativity. The project may involve an extension of work initiated in a course, an entirely new project or a collaborative project with the faculty mentor. If the project is an extension of work initiated in a course or developed collaboratively with the mentor, independent, separate, substantial development of the topic in the thesis should be evident in the final product. The thesis should reflect work of high quality for a senior-level course.

Students majoring in anthropology are eligible to participate in the departmental honors program if they have maintained at least a 3.0 overall GPA and at least a 3.3 GPA in the major. Application materials consist of transcripts documenting the required GPAs, a five-to-seven page proposal (including a history and description of the proposed project, an annotated bibliography of relevant sources, a work plan, and a schedule for completion of the project) and a letter of endorsement from the faculty member who has agreed to act as project mentor. Applications must be made and project approval received no later than the first two weeks of classes in the semester in which the project will commence. A departmental committee will review the application materials, meet with the candidate to discuss the project proposal as needed and render an admission decision. Once admitted, program participants will enroll in ANTH 497. The course may be included in the required hours for the major.

Students will complete six credit hours (over two sequential semesters in their senior year) in ANTH 497 and ANTH 498. The student’s work will be evaluated by the project mentor and a departmental committee at the end of the first semester (ANTH 497) and a grade will be assigned. If allowed to continue, the student will enroll in ANTH 498 the subsequent semester. At the completion of ANTH 498, the completed senior honors thesis will be submitted to the HTC following its acceptance by the faculty mentor and confirmation that the candidate has maintained the requisite GPAs.

Upon submission of the thesis, the student will make an oral presentation (to be made no later than two weeks before the end of classes) to the HTC and other faculty as deemed appropriate, summarizing the research procedures and findings. The HTC will then evaluate the thesis for the award of honors. In order to receive honors, the thesis must be evaluated as deserving of a grade of “A.” Whether or not honors are awarded, a final grade will be submitted for ANTH 498. The awarding of honors for the thesis will earn an Honors Certificate from the department and notation of the student’s standing as an honors graduate on the final grade transcript. Students must submit a final copy of the thesis to both the department and the VCU Libraries no later than the last day of classes.

Undergraduate topics courses

Topics courses in anthropology, offered as ANTH 391, are an integral part of the program and provide a rare opportunity for the advanced student. Generally these courses are restricted to a small number of students who share specialized interests in a topic that is either too advanced or too limited in its general appeal to justify its inclusion as a standard offering. At least one such course is offered each semester, and ANTH 391 can be repeated for up to a maximum of 18 credits as long as there is no duplication of the topics.

Independent study

ANTH 492 Independent Study is designed for advanced students capable of doing independent work on selected topics under the directions of specific faculty. Students may earn a total maximum of 12 credits in departmental independent study courses and internship credits, but may not enroll for more than six credits per semester in independent studies. Only majors in anthropology or related fields can enroll in these courses. All students entering these courses must have completed a minimum of 12 credits in anthropology and have an anthropology GPA of 3.0 or more.

Internship

ANTH 493 Internship is designed for advanced students capable of being of service to and benefiting from workplace experience in organizations (outside of VCU) willing to offer supervised work or research experience appropriate to the student’s anthropological interest. Applications must be approved by a faculty adviser and by the anthropology coordinator. Each student must work a minimum of 40-50 clock hours per credit hour in the organization and submit to the faculty adviser a summary of their activities and their relevance to the field and the student’s course work. Students may earn a total maximum of 12 credit hours in internship credits and independent study courses, but may not enroll for more than six credits per semester in internship credits. All students enrolling in an internship must have an anthropology GPA of 3.0 or more.