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Anthropology is the study of human beings in all walks of life, all kinds of societies, all parts of the world, and at all points in time. The discipline’s four major subfields have important connections to other social sciences, physical and biological sciences, arts, and humanities.
Using anthropology as a framework, you can understand the place of human beings in relation to their natural environment. It provides insight into our biological and cultural evolutionary background as well as our economic, social, and political organization. It also allows us to examine our social systems and the interrelations among our individual selves, our societies, and the thoughts and feelings we share with others.
Why
Study Anthropology at Iowa?
You’ll have plenty of choices for electives in anthropology. You may want to study language and culture, medical anthropology, religious activity in folk and tribal settings, gender, biological anthropology, identity, expressive culture (art, verbal arts, literature, music, and dance), human prehistory, human evolution, environment and culture, or urban anthropology. The department encourages students to study abroad.
In addition, departmental faculty are experts in the ethnology of Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, Japan, Korea, and native North America.
Course
Work
You’ll be encouraged to take courses to achieve the broadest possible cross-cultural background in anthropology as an undergraduate.
BA
in Anthropology
The degree program requires 33 semester hours (s.h.) of course work in the major. Core courses introduce you to the field of anthropology and to prehistory; human origins; and language, culture, and communication. In addition, you’ll take archaeology or biological anthropology, sociocultural or linguistic anthropology, and area studies.
The department also encourages you to take courses in related fields, such as:
- Sociology
- Linguistics
- Geology
- Geography
- History
- Art history
- Psychology
- Biology
- Museum
studies
- Foreign
languages
BS in Anthropology
Students with interests in physical anthropology, archaeological lab work, and quantitative approaches within sociocultural or linguistic anthropology are encouraged to pursue the BS degree. For the BS, you’ll fulfill BA requirements, plus course work in the following areas:
- An additional quantitative or formal reasoning tool
- Directed lab or field research
- Allied topical course work (i.e., a related minor)
The degree program requires 42 s.h. of course work in the major, not including the hours for the minor.
Areas of Emphasis
At the undergraduate level, anthropology provides a broad perspective on the discipline. In addition to the requirements for the anthropology BA and BS, the department offers a number of emphasis areas for students wishing a greater focus within the major. These areas can be completed within the existing guidelines for the BA and BS degrees and do not require additional credit hours.
Completion of an emphasis area indicates considerable expertise and its title will be included on the student’s transcript. Areas of emphasis are:
- Gender and Culture
- Cultural Resource and Heritage Management
- Enviromental Anthropology
Minor
To minor in anthropology, students must complete 15 s.h. in anthropology with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.00. At least 12 s.h. must be taken at The University of Iowa in courses numbered 113:100 and above. Emphasis areas may be used to focus a minor in anthropology to a more particular area of study.
Honors
In order to graduate with honors in anthropology, you must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program.
In addition, students in anthropology must maintain a 3.50 or higher GPA for courses in the major. They also must complete an honors research seminar, a graduate-level course, and an honors research project.
Facilities
and Resources
The department has access to the Iowa Archaeological Collection through the Office of the State Archaeologist and maintains its own collections of Midwest prehistoric and historic fauna materials. The department also maintains a documented collection of human skeletons, originally developed by Stanford University Medical School.
You’ll find well-equipped laboratories for archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology at Iowa.
The University is a charter member of the Human Relations Area Files, an extensively annotated set of source materials on the peoples of the world. Through these and other library resources, you’ll have access to source materials on more than 400 cultures.
Field
Research
Under the direction of University archaeologists, you can acquire skills in data recovery and interpretive techniques during archaeological field research in central Mexico, France, or sites here in the United States.
In recent years, students also have conducted research in Guatemala, Ghana, Nigeria, Iceland, China, Japan, Brazil, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, and the Caribbean.
Careers
Students who earn a degree in anthropology at Iowa develop a broad liberal arts background that prepares them well for a variety of interesting and challenging careers. They have special understanding of human relations and expertise for jobs involving international or cross-cultural work, and social and ethnic diversity in the United States.
Graduates develop rewarding careers in government, international affairs, conservation, economic development, public health, gerontology, urban and regional planning, social work, museum work, and education.
Many become Peace Corps or Vista volunteers or work for international, nongovernmental organizations. Others pursue graduate study in anthropology, other social science disciplines, or professional schools of health care, law, or business.
Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.
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