Anthropology [BA]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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Anthropology is the global study of humans, past and present, emphasizing cultural diversity and change. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology are prepared to understand and function in a diverse world and gain practice in applying knowledge and methods for researching past and present human communities.

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The Anthropology Major grounds students in Cultural Anthropology while enabling emphasis in one or more traditional subfields:

Cultural Anthropology – the study of cultural diversity, global forces of change connecting communities, the meanings behind cultural practices, and applying knowledge and methods to explain and solve human problems.
Physical/Biological Anthropology – the study of the diverse ways in which humans have evolved and continue to adapt to their environments through the mutual interaction of biology and culture.
Linguistic Anthropology – the study of human language use, diversity, and change emphasizing how people understand relationships to the world and each other through shared meanings.
Archaeology – the study of past human cultures through the patterns and changes in material objects they leave behind (homes, tools and other technologies, animal and plant remains, etc.).

Opportunities

Students have available the following guided opportunities to enhance their potential.

Hands-on research in Cultural Anthropology, Physical/Biological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Archaeology.
Scholarly conference presentations through guided preparation
Study and research abroad
Archaeology Field School to prepare students for employment
Internships

Anthropology has been defined as the most scientific of the humanities and the most humanistic of the sciences. It is also a truly integrative discipline. Because of this, a BA in anthropology is a perfect preparation for graduate training in a number of academic and professional fields, from law to medicine and from management to marketing.

Recent Anthropology Majors who looked for jobs upon graduation, with little or no graduate training, have found entry-level positions in the following areas: Museums & Libraries; Non-Profits and/or NGOs; Media & Film; Public Relations; Social and/or Health Service; Cultural Resource Management; Animal Care/Training; Parks, Recreation, & Conservation; Laboratory research; Human Resources; Advertising & Marketing; Hospitality industry; Public Policy; Forensic Investigations; and Biometrics.

Department Information

Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology 712 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.0012

Julian Murchison, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Bradley Ensor, PhD, 712 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.0012

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 33 hours

The coursework below is offered primarily face-to-face/in-person. Coursework may also be offered in hybrid, hyflex, and online (synchronous or asynchronous) modes. In some cases, a course may only be offered entirely online. Click on the courses below to see when and how they are offered.

Required Courses: 15 hours

Restricted Elective Courses: 12 hours

Select 12 credit hours from the following. The courses are offered on a rotating schedule, in-person/hybrid sections are available each semester, and online sections are available occasionally.

Culture Area Courses

Select six credit hours from the following.
ANTH 212 Peoples and Cultures of China [GEGA] 3 hrs
ANTH 233 Cultures of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean [GEGA] 3 hrs
ANTH 236 Peoples and Cultures of Africa 3 hrs
ANTH 237 Native North American Cultures [GEUS] 3 hrs
ANTH 351 Mexico: The Route of Cortez 3 hrs
ANTH 385 Culture of Japan 3 hrs
Methodology Course

Select three credit hours from the following.
ANTH 337 Applied Anthropology 3 hrs
ANTH 345 Ethnographic Methods 3 hrs
ANTH 361L4 Archaeological Fieldwork [GELB] 5 hrs
ANTH 362 Artifact Analysis 3 hrs
ANTH 370 Human Osteology in Anthropology 3 hrs
Students who are pursuing Medical Anthropology may select the following methodology course, with departmental permission (see advisor). Not available to all students.
ANTH 346 Qualitative Methods for Health Research 3 hrs
Topical Course

Select three credit hours from the following.
ANTH 270 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology 3 hrs
ANTH 312 Visual Anthropology 3 hrs
ANTH 329 Medical Anthropology 3 hrs
ANTH 330 Anthropology of Law and Politics 3 hrs
ANTH 336 Social and Cultural Change 3 hrs
ANTH 338 Anthropology of Religion 3 hrs
ANTH 340 Language and Culture 3 hrs
ANTH 355 Anthropology of Women 3 hrs
ANTH 363 World Prehistory 3 hrs

Culminating Experience: 6 hours

Select two anthropology courses at the 400-level (6 hrs), at least one of which must be in cultural anthropology and one of which must be designated as Writing Intensive (GEWI). The courses are offered on a rotating schedule, in-person/hybrid sections are available each semester, and online sections are available occasionally.

Options in cultural anthropology
ANTH 412W Culture, Tourism and Anthropology [GEWI] 3 hrs
ANTH 430 Museum Anthropology 3 hrs
ANTH 435 American Ethnicity Dilemmas 3 hrs
ANTH 437W Kinship, Marriage, and Social Organization [GEWI] 3 hrs
ANTH 439W Seminar in Anthropological Theory [GEWI] 3 hrs
ANTH 445W Culture Analysis Seminar [GEWI] 3 hrs
ANTH 465W Political Economy in Anthropology [GEWI] 3 hrs
Options in other sub-fields of anthropology
ANTH 461L4 Advanced Archaeological Fieldwork [GELB] 6 hrs
ANTH 462W Archaeological Theory [GEWI] 3 hrs
ANTH 471 Advanced Research in Bioarcheology 3 hrs

Exit Interview:

Students must register as soon as possible with an anthropology Faculty Mentor, who will administer their Exit Interview before graduation.

The Anthropology Faculty Mentors (and their specialties):

Dr. L. Cerroni-Long (cultural anthropology & museum anthropology)
Dr. B. Ensor (archeology & physical anthropology)
Dr. X. Feng (cultural anthropology & applied anthropology)
Dr. M. Garcia (cultural anthropology & linguistic anthropology)
Dr. M. Moore (physical anthropology & forensic anthropology)

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor. See available minors for a list of options, or contact your advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.