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Degree details...

Major

Anthropology (BA, BS) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Minor

Anthropology

Four-year Graduation Plan

Yes

Honors

 

Yes

 

Teacher Licensure

Yes, in Social Science

Links

     

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. Anthropology has four major subfields: archaeological, sociocultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology. Each has important connections to other social sciences, physical and biological sciences, arts, and humanities.

Using anthropology as a framework, you can understand the role of culture in human adaptations to different and changing conditions and the place of human beings in relation to their natural environment. Anthropology provides insight into our biological and cultural evolutionary background as well as our economic, social, political, and religious systems. It helps us reflect on our own social systems, on the interrelationships between individuals and societies, and on thoughts and feelings that promote connection or conflict.

Why Study Anthropology at Iowa?
Iowa’s Department of Anthropology offers a comprehensive undergraduate program with options for practical experience, specializations, and opportunities in all of anthropology's four subfields.

As an anthropology major, you’ll be able to study areas such as language and culture, health and healing across cultures, human prehistory, religious activity in diverse cultural settings, the influence of gender on human experience, anthropological genetics, identity, expressive culture (art, verbal arts, literature, music, and dance), nonhuman primates, human evolution, environment and culture, and urban anthropology.

You’ll be encouraged or required to do field work or research, and you'll have opportunities to study abroad.

The department's faculty members are experts in the peoples, cultures, and histories of Latin America, Europe, South Asia, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Native North America, and numerous cultural groups in the United States.

Course Work
Students majoring in anthropology earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. Both degrees require a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including credit for the major: 33 s.h. for BA students and 42 s.h. for BS students.

If you're a BA student, the major will give you a comprehensive overview of anthropology’s four subfields and a cross-cultural perspective on human experience.

For BS students, the major emphasizes opportunities to develop skill in research methods, scientific reasoning, and connecting anthropology with related fields of study. It's a good fit for students with specific interests in any of anthropology’s four subfields.

No matter which degree you earn, you'll acquire a broad background in anthropology. At the same time, the major’s flexibility will allow you to pursue specific interests.

All anthropology majors (BA and BS students) take the following courses:

  • Introduction to the Study of Culture and Society or Anthropology and Contemporary World Problems
  • Introduction to Prehistory
  • Human Origins
  • Language, Culture, and Communication
  • Issues in Anthropology
  • One course each in archaeology or biological anthropology, sociocultural or linguistic anthropology, and area studies (a focus on one of the world's geographic regions)
  • Three advanced anthropology elective courses

You’ll also want to consider taking courses in related fields, such as art history, biology, world languages, geography, geology, global health studies, history, linguistics, museum studies, psychology, and sociology.

BA students are encouraged to participate in archaeological field schools, research, and independent study.

If you're a BS student, you’ll be required to complete directed laboratory or field research. You'll also take these courses in addition to the ones listed above:

  • Two quantitative, mathematical, or formal reasoning courses
  • Course work in one of several fields related to anthropology

Optional Emphasis Area

Whether you're a BA or a BS student, you'll have the opportunity to gain expertise in an area of anthropology by completing an optional emphasis area (five courses) as part of your major. The emphasis area will be included on your transcript. Emphasis areas include:

  • Gender and Culture
  • Cultural Resource and Heritage Management
  • Environmental Anthropology

For More Details

See Anthropology in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in anthropology.

Facilities and Resources
The department has well-equipped laboratories for archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. It also offers unique collections on campus as well as access to other collections.

The department maintains its own collections of Midwest prehistoric and historic fauna materials and has a documented human skeleton collection originally developed by Stanford University Medical School. It also has access to the Iowa Archaeological Collection through the Office of the State Archaeologist.

The University is a charter member of the Human Relations Area Files. Through these and other library resources, you’ll have access to source materials on more than 400 culturally diverse societies.

Learning Outside the Classroom
You might enjoy living in the Global Village Living-Learning Community in the residence halls. You'll broaden your knowledge of international issues, languages, and cultures while living in a close-knit group.

Field Research and Study Abroad
Under the direction of anthropology faculty, you may acquire skills in data recovery and interpretive techniques during archaeological field research in Portugal, France, or sites here in the United States. Students also may participate in a primate conservation program in Tanzania.

Faculty are available to mentor student researchers in sociocultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology. In recent years, students have conducted field research in Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ghana, Iceland, India, Japan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam.

The University's Office for Study Abroad offers a wealth of programs that feature cross-cultural experiences. These will give you first-hand knowledge of the diversity and complexity of humanity that is central to the study of anthropology. See the office's list of Recommended Programs for Anthropology Majors.

Careers
As an anthropology student, you'll develop a broad liberal arts background that will prepare you for a variety of interesting and challenging careers. You'll have a special understanding of human relations and expertise for jobs involving international or cross-cultural work as well as social and ethnic diversity in the United States.

Graduates find rewarding careers in government, international affairs, conservation, economic development, public health, urban and regional planning, social work, museum work, and education. You might work to help resolve contemporary world problems by joining the Peace Corps, the Americorps program, or an international or domestic nongovernmental organization.

You'll also be prepared to pursue graduate study in anthropology or related disciplines or to earn a professional degree in law, business, or one of the health sciences.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Anthropology.

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