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Anthropology, B.A.

The Major in Anthropology

Professor Ricky Law, Director of Undergraduate Studies, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 238B, 412-268-2880, rlaw@andrew.cmu.edu

Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, Academic Program Manager, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 240G, 412-268-1260, agarnhar@andrew.cmu.edu

Ms. Beth Jameson, M.A., Academic Advisor and Humanities Coordinator, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 240A, 412-268-5666, bjameson@andrew.cmu.edu

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/undergraduate

Overview

Anthropology is the study of all forms of human diversity across time and space. The B.A. in Anthropology (ANTHRO) is an interdisciplinary major designed for students who want to understand how societies and cultures are changing in an age of uneven globalization.  The rigorous yet flexible curriculum combines courses in anthropology, history, and cultural studies that provide foundational knowledge of both global processes and regional contexts. Anthropology students develop critical skills for working across cultures, analyzing complex problems, and crafting equitable solutions. Graduates of the program have pursued careers in a wide range of fields, including law, education, international development, media, tourism, and community organizing, as well as graduate work in the social sciences, business, public health, medicine, and international relations.

Many Anthropology students complete a study-abroad experience during their sophomore or junior years, while others explore a variety of U.S.-based internships and summer research opportunities that embrace pluralistic perspectives.  Students should consult with the Academic Program Manager, Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, about new courses and study abroad courses that may be approved for the Anthropology major.

Our faculty's expertise in anthropology, history, and environmental studies enables students to develop a rich, multidisciplinary understanding of global issues and concerns (such as, climate change and the environment; inequality; migration; social and political movements; imperial legacies and contemporary politics; art, language, culture, and globalization).

Anthropology may be elected as a primary or an additional major; the requirements for each are the same. 

Curriculum

There are two required courses for the major: Introduction to Anthropology (79-201), and Advanced Seminar in Anthropology (79-400).  In addition to these two courses, majors must also complete 18 units under Topics and Methods in Anthropology, 27 units of Transnational, Global, and Regional Courses, and finally 27 units of electives.

Students may “double-count” a maximum of four courses for the Anthropology major that are used to fulfill the requirements of other majors and programs. (Note that some of the courses may have prerequisites established by the departments offering them. Students should consult with the academic advisor about how such prerequisites may affect their course of study.)  

The Major in Anthropology93 units

I. Anthropology Introductory Course9 units

Students must earn a final grade of "C" or better for the course to count toward the major.

Units
79-201Introduction to Anthropology9
II. Topics and Methods in Anthropology18 units

To gain a solid foundation in the theories and analytical topics underpinning the B.A. in Anthropology, students select 18 units (typically two courses). Students must earn a final grade of "C" or better in these courses to fulfill the Topics and Methods in Anthropology core course requirement.  

79-275Introduction to Global Studies9
79-278How (Not) to Change the World9
79-283Anthropology of Energy9
79-314How Do We Remember? The Politics and Cultures of Memory9
79-315The Politics of Water in Global Perspective9
79-317Art, Anthropology, and Empire9
79-318Sustainable Social Change: History and Practice9
79-332Medical Anthropology9
79-379Experimental Ethnography9
79-380Hostile Environments: The Politics of Pollution in Global Perspective9
79-381The Multispecies City: Anthropology of Urban Environments9
III. Transnational, Global, and Regional Courses27 units

To gain insight into how complex transnational and global processes shape and are affected by local, national, and regional dynamics, students will select 27 units (typically three courses).  Furthermore, specific Category II courses--such as Introduction to Global Studies (79-275)--listed above that are not used to fulfill those requirements may be counted as towards the required 27 units of Transnational, Global, and Regional Courses, by permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Ricky Law.

Transnational and Global Courses 
79-153Ancient Rome: How Often Should You Think About It?9
79-221From Compton to Kabul: Sound, Power, and Global History9
79-237Comparative Slavery9
79-239Theories of Nationalism9
79-270Anti-Semitism Then and Now: Perspectives from the Middle Ages to the Present9
79-273Jews & Arabs: From the Time of Muhammad to the Present9
79-276Beyond the Border9
79-280Coffee and Capitalism9
79-289Animal Planet: An Environmental History of People and Animals9
79-305Global Perspectives in LGBTQ+ History9
79-313"Unwanted": Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Patterns of Global Migration6
79-333African Americans, Race, and the Fight for Reparations9
79-350Early Christianity9
79-368Un-natural Disasters: Societies and Environmental Hazards in Global Perspective6
79-377Food, Culture, and Power: A History of Eating9
79-385Out of Africa: The Making of the African Diaspora9
Regional Courses  
Africa:
79-225West African History in Film9
79-226African History: Earliest Times to 17809
79-227Modern Africa: The Slave Trade to the End of Apartheid9
79-290The Slave Passage: From West Africa to the Americas9
Eastern and Southern Asia and the Pacific:
79-112Introduction to Asian American History9
79-207Asian American History through the Novel9
79-210Identity, Ethnicity, and Place in Modern China9
79-211Modern Southeast Asia: Colonialism, Capitalism, and Cultural Exchange9
79-264Tibet and China: History and Propaganda9
79-292China and the West9
Europe:
79-110Introduction to the Medieval Mediterranean World9
79-122Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations9
79-202Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-17509
79-203The Other Europe: The Habsburgs, Communism, & Central/Eastern Europe, 1740-19909
79-20520th Century Europe9
79-208Witchcraft and Witch-Hunting9
79-246War, Genocide, and Gender in Modern Europe9
79-272Coexistence and Conflict: Muslims, Christians and Jews in Spain and Portugal9
The Middle East:
79-116Introduction to the Modern Middle East9
79-229The Origins of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, 1880-19489
79-230The Arab-Israeli Conflict and Peace Process Through 1948 to Present9
82-215Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa9
The Americas:
79-174Introduction to Latin America9
79-223Mexico: From the Aztec Empire to the Drug War9
79-245Capitalism and Individualism in American Culture9
79-288Bananas, Baseball, and Borders: Latin America and the United States9
IV. Elective Courses27 units

Please schedule an appointment with the Academic Advisor, Beth Jameson, for guidance in selecting appropriate thematic and region-based courses that satisfy Anthropology degree requirements.

Students are required to take an additional 27 units of elective courses, selected from one or both of the subcategories below.  In addition, Category III and IV courses listed above that are not used to fulfill those requirements may be counted as electives in addition to the courses listed below.  Students should consult each semester with the Academic Advisor, Beth Jameson, about new courses approved for the Anthropology major. 

Please consult the full list of available history courses within the Undergraduate Course Catalog.

Thematic Elective Courses 
57-306World Music9
66-236Introduction to Environmental Ideas9
76-241Introduction to Gender Studies9
76-337Intersectional Feminism9
76-353Transnational Feminisms: Fiction and Film9
76-384Race, Nation, and the Enemy9
76-386Language & Culture9
79-101Making History: How to Think About the Past (and Present)9
79-150Medieval Science, Magic, and Wonders of Nature9
79-155Introduction to African American Studies9
79-170Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society9
79-204American Environmental History9
79-256Introduction to Masculinity Studies9
79-281Introduction to Religion9
79-304History of Eugenics and Scientific Racism9
79-316Photography, the First 100 Years, 1839-19399
79-321Documenting Human Rights9
79-329Introduction to Queer Studies9
79-330Medicine and Society: Health, Healers, and Hospitals9
79-343Education, Democracy, and the Arts9
79-357Science and the Body6
80-244Environmental Ethics9
80-335Social and Political Philosophy9
80-348Health, Human Rights, and International Development9
80-447Seminar in Global Justice9
Area–based Elective Courses 
79-220Screening Mexico: Mexican Cinema, 1898 to Present9
79-257Germany and the Second World War9
79-262Modern China: From the Birth of Mao ... to Now9
79-265Russian History: Game of Thrones9
79-266Russian History and Revolutionary Socialism9
79-267The Soviet Union in World War II: Military, Political, and Social History9
79-269Russian History: From Socialism to Capitalism9
79-319India Through Film9
79-320Women, Politics, and Protest9
79-322Stalin and the Great Terror9
79-331Body Politics: Women and Health in America9
82-428History of German FilmVar.
V. Senior Capstone Course12 units

The advanced seminar or “capstone” explores the vital role that historians, anthropologists, and other critical humanists play in facing the challenges of the twenty-first century. Guided by the instructor, students engage closely with a range of thought-provoking texts, compose critical reflections, and participate in deep discussions. The topic of the seminar varies year to year, at the discretion of the instructor, as do the disciplines and methods represented in the texts. What remains constant is a shared curiosity about the world in all its complexity, uncertainty, and potential.  Students must earn a final grade of "C" or better for the course to count toward the major.

79-400Advanced Seminar in Anthropology12

Sample Curriculum

This sample curriculum presents a course of study for completing the requirements for the Anthropology major that includes an optional study abroad semester.  Students may declare the Anthropology major and take required courses as early as the second semester of their first year and as late as the junior year.

First-YearSecond-Year
FallSpringFallSpring
79-201 Introduction to Anthropology79-275 Introduction to Global StudiesANTHRO Topics and Methods CourseANTHRO Topics and Methods Course
First-Year Writing RequirementLanguage Course or Gen EdANTHRO Transnational, Global, Regional CourseANTHRO Transnational, Global, Regional Course
Grand Challenge Seminar36-200 Reasoning with DataLanguage Course or Gen EdLanguage Course or Gen Ed
Language Course or ElectiveFourth Course (open)General Education CourseGeneral Education Course
Fifth Course (open)Fifth Course (open)Fifth Course (open)Fifth Course (open)
99-101 Core@CMU

Third-YearFourth-Year
FallSpringFallSpring
ANTHRO Transnational, Global, Regional Course STUDY ABROAD*79-400 Advanced Seminar in AnthropologyLanguage Course or Elective
ANTHRO ElectiveANTHRO ElectiveLanguage Course or ElectiveElective**
Language Course or Gen EdANTHRO ElectiveElective**Third Course (open)
Fourth Course (open)Language Course or Gen EdFourth Course (open)Fourth Course (open)
Fifth Course (open)Fourth Course (open)Fifth Course (open)Fifth Course (open)
Fifth Course (open)
*

Spring semester of the junior year is a popular semester for study abroad.  However, Anthropology majors may instead choose to study abroad in spring of sophomore year, or fall of junior year. Students should discuss study abroad and curricular planning with the Academic Program Manager, Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, History Department, Baker Hall 240G. Study Abroad in a summer program is also an option.

**

Many Anthropology majors choose to apply for the senior honors thesis program. The department strongly encourages students to take advantage of this option.

VI. Anthropology Internship3-9 units
79-506Global Studies Internship3-9

The Anthropology program strongly encourages students to locate internship opportunities in Pittsburgh or elsewhere that complement their historical interests (as, for example, in a museum or archaeological fieldwork) or in areas of policy research that complement their anthropological interests (as, for example, in a government agency or non-profit organization). The Academic Program Manager, Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, will assist students with matching their interests to local organizations. Anthropology students can earn up to 9 units in each internship. Up to 9 anthropology internship credits may count toward fulfillment of elective course requirements for the Anthropology major.

VII. Additional Major

Anthropology may be elected as a primary or an additional major; the requirements for each are the same.  Contact the Academic Advisor, Beth Jameson, History Department, Baker Hall 240A, to elect the additional major.

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