Anthropology
Undergraduate Programs
Description
Anthropology is the study of the origins and diversity of human biology and culture. Anthropologists study the evolution and adaptations of the human species through the four major subdivisions of the discipline: archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. The major provides training in all areas of anthropology for the liberal arts major with an interest in global awareness, cultural diversity, human evolution and adaptation, prehistory, and an understanding of human behavior.
Majors |
Program | Locations | Major / Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropology BA | BA - Bachelor of Arts |
|
47 / 120 |
| Anthropology BS | BS - Bachelor of Science |
|
39 / 120 |
Certificates |
Program | Locations | Major / Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoarcheology CERT |
|
17 / 17 | |
| Museum Studies CERT |
|
15 / 15 |
Minors |
Program | Locations | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropology Minor |
|
18 |
Policies & Faculty
Policies
Admission to Major. Admission to major is granted by the department. Contact the department for application process.
Accelerated Combined Degree (BA/BS and MS). Students interested in receiving both their undergraduate and graduate degrees in Anthropology at Minnesota State Mankato, may apply to the Department for admission into the Accelerated Graduate Program. Interested majors may apply upon the completion of 60 credits if they have a minimum GPA of 3.0. If accepted, students will work with an advisor to design an accelerated program in which up to 12 credits of 500-level courses can be applied to both their undergraduate and graduate programs. If accepted, students must maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA overall and a 3.0 in the major to continue in the program. Interested students should contact the Department for more information.
P/N Grading Policy. Up to 1/4 of the credits for the major may be taken P/N, but caution in using this option in the major is urged.
GPA Policy. Anthropology majors are urged to maintain a 3.0 or better GPA to maximize their options for graduate study and professional employment.
Contact Information
359 Trafton Science Center North
Main Office (507) 389-6318http://sbs.mnsu.edu/anthropology/
Faculty
Chair
- Kathleen Blue, PhD
Faculty
100 Level
Credits: 4
This course surveys human biological and cultural diversity through time and space. You will learn about questions like: how did humans evolve? and how do anthropologists collect and interpret information about human beings and their ancestors?Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
A general survey of the evolution of human society from the earliest times to the development of written languages. Topics include the evolution of tools, the agricultural revolution, and the origins of urban life.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-10
Credits: 3
This anthropology course explores the areas of anatomical forensic science. Students will learn the techniques and methodology involved in collection, preservation, and analysis of evidence pertaining to human remains. The course will include such subjects as analysis of skeletal trauma, victim identification, bite-mark analysis, and crime scene recovery methods. Ethnics and standards in medico-legal investigations will also be stressed.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-03
200 Level
Credits: 3
Introduces history of museums and philosophical nature of museums, covering types and definitions of museums, discusses contemporary practice in museums, and examines current issues in the profession as we face the future of museums in the twenty-first century.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08
Credits: 4
A comprehensive examination of modern archaeological theory methods and activities, focusing on American archaeology. Emphasis will be given to data collection, data analysis, and museology. Lab included.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-03, GE-10
Credits: 4
An introduction to the study of human biological evolution and variation. This course focuses on evolutionary theory, mechanisms of evolutionary change, and the fossil record of human evolution. Lab included.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-03
Credits: 4
This introduction to cultural anthropology covers cultural diversity and organization by examining several examples in detail. Both anthropological methodology and theory will be important parts of this course.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-08
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
Language provides not only communication but identification of oneself and one's group. Humans are extremely sensitive to language, dialect, jargon, and slang. An understanding of language and its relationship to culture is basic to any understanding of human beings.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
What qualifies a word as bad? How does profanity, cursing, and swearing evolve across time and vary across cultures? Where does the power of these bad words come from? What relationship do these words have to issues of gender, race, and class? This course examines the historical evolution and modern usage of obscenities to answer these questions.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-07, GE-09
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
Survey of human cultures through a variety of classic and contemporary anthropological writing and film. Students write weekly reflections. Written work is shared, discussed, and revised.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
Fear and how we depict it in popular culture. Course examines folklore traditions and how they translate in contemporary storytelling formats.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
People all around the world use tattoos, piercing, makeup and dress codes as symbolic tools to represent their ideas of self, or as a means of gender, ethnicity, and class control and domination. This course looks at how people express connection to and disconnection from culture through body art practices.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
Sex and our relationship with it. This course examines the topics of sex, sexuality, and gender by exploring the diverse range of sexual cultures of the world in the past and the present. Attention is given to the role of language, biology, culture, and the archeological record of societies's fascination with sex.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
Engaged Anthropology is a multidimensional service-learning course designed to facilitate real-world learning experiences for students on broad social issues: practice a variety of anthropological concepts, theories, and methods; and provide service to the local community.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230, or instructor Permission.
Goal Areas: GE-07, GE-11
Diverse Cultures: Gold
Credits: 1-3
Courses to be offered just one time or on an irregular basis according to topic demand for a general interest, sophomore level course.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
Individual study at an introductory level on the topic of student's choice. Designed for students who wish to pursue independent study at the freshman-sophomore level rather than the more advanced level of the 499 individual study.Prerequisites: Consent
300 Level
Credits: 3
This course examines the methodologies of all four fields of Anthropology. Students will gain practical experience in various methods that professionals utilize on a regular basis within the discipline. Discussions of the issues surrounding various anthropological methods will be part of this course.Prerequisites: ANTH 101
Credits: 3
An in-depth study of ancient Egypt, focusing on the relationship between cultural development and the unique Egyptian environment of the time. Emphasis will be placed on the interpretation of archaeological discoveries in the area.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
An examination of the ecology, behavior and biology of living primates.Prerequisites: ANTH 101 or ANTH 220 or consent
Credits: 3
This course focuses on studying the diversity of human societies using environmental approaches such as evolutionary/ecological perspectives and systems modeling. Case studies will be drawn from Native American cultures.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The variability and universality of human religious expression are explored in specific cross-cultural contexts.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
This course emphasizes the wealth of ethnographic information which may be captured by visual media. You will learn how to interpret the final product and how to recognize the limitations of visual presentations.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A survey of the people and cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa examining the rich sociocultural diversity of the continent over time.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Language is powerful. What we say, how we say it, where we say it, and to whom we say it matters. This course explores the connection between power, language, performance, and identity. The relationships between language, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class are explored by investigating historical and present day sources of language practices and events.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
This class focuses on the application of anthropology in the business and organizational domains using a cultural lens. It will provide students with a clearer view of the culture of the business world as well as tools to aid in understanding the business culture and that of their clientele.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Exploring culture through the foods we eat, preparation practices, and historic implications of food in daily life. We will examine a sampling from hunter-gathers, agricultural practices and animal husbandry, mass production, and the food industry to better understand cultural practices from around the globe.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 0
Curricular Practical Training: Co-Operative Experience is a zero-credit full-time practical training experience for one semester and an adjacent fall or spring term. Special rules apply to preserve full-time student status. Please contact an advisor in your program for complete information.Prerequisites: At least 60 credits earned; in good standing; instructor permission; co-op contract; other prerequisites may also apply.
400 Level
Credits: 3
A detailed study of Minnesota archaeology from ca. 12,000 years ago to ca 1900, with a focus on diverse and changing Native American populations.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A survey of current knowledge about the prehistoric Native American inhabitants of North America from ca. 15,000 years ago until ca. 1900. Topics will focus on the processes of cultural development, change, and disruption by Euro-American influences.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A detailed study of Latin American archaeology from ca. 12,000 years ago to ca.1900, with a focus on diverse and changing Native American populations.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A review of the history and philosophy of museums, the legal and ethical issues impacting museums, the nature and treatment of collections, creation, exhibition and exhibit design, the role of museums in education, museum personnel and financial management, and museums in the technological/electronic age.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Review of how cultural resources are being preserved and managed under current laws and regulations. Emphasis on examination of conservation, preservation and rescue methods in modern archaeology, and problems and issues in historic preservation and resource management.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 210 or consent
Credits: 3
An intensive exploration of how to identify, catalogue, and curate archeological materials in a laboratory setting. Topics will include lithics, pottery, faunal, floral, metal, and other materials as well as data structure and recordation.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
An interdisciplinary investigation into Quaternary environmental/climatic change and the impact of change on the behavior and evolution of humans. This course has three segments: 1) an examination of natural systems responsible for climatic change, the impact climatic fluctuations have on Earth systems, timing of Quaternary changes, evidence of climatic/environmental change from spatially distant, climatically distinct environments; 2) investigation into worldwide evidence of human evolution, global dispersion, and adaptation to environmental systems; introduction to various methodological approaches in Quaternary archeologic, geomorphic, and climatic studies. Focus is on proxy records used for climate/environmental reconstruction, archeolgic/geomorphologic field methods, geochronologic dating methods.Prerequisites: GEOG 101, ANTH 210; Students are strongly encouraged to take Geog 315 or 4/515 before enrolling. Geol 121 can be substituted for Geog 101 with instructor permission.
Credits: 4
This course examines the history of agricultural systems in world wide perspective, with an emphasis on understanding their social and environmental contexts and the effects on them of climate change. Case examples will highlight the conditions under which agricultural systems emerge, thrive, and fail, and the impacts of these processes on human populations.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
An advanced examination of the human skeletal system and the application of this information in the fields of bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology and forensic anthropology. This course features hands-on identification and analysis of human skeletal material, with an emphasis on laboratory techniques.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Cross-cultural examination of healing traditions, health beliefs and the impact of social, economic and political factors on the health of peoples in different cultures around the world and among diverse ethnic groups within culturally plural societies, including the United States.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
This course will acquaint students with the application of human osteological techniques in civil and criminal investigations, including assessment of the recovery scene, determination of identity and analysis of evidence relating to cause and manner of death.Prerequisites: ANTH 420
Credits: 3
Bioarchaeology focuses on the diet, health, and occupations of past populations through the analysis of their skeletal remains. Readings and lab work will promote a practical understanding of the methods used in the discipline.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The biological and cultural aspects of death, as seen anthropologically, are the focus of this course. Mortuary behavior, ritual, and treatment of the human body will be addressed both temporally and cross-culturally.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The contemporary peoples and cultures of Mexico and Central and South America. Emphasis is on cultural patterns and contemporary issues of the region.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230, or consent
Credits: 3
This course introduces concepts and methods of applying socio-cultural understanding to contemporary problems to bring about the empowerment of affected people. Case/field studies and other research methods in social sciences will change with special attention to its affect on disadvantaged groups of people. Students will also design their own applied projects.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230, or consent; ETHN 100, ETHN 101, or ETHN 150 or consent.
Credits: 3
Kinship is the most basic principle of organization for all human societies. The course analyzes the main theories and methods of studying social organization, and explores cross-cultural variations in kinship, marriage and family systems.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Major anthropological theories of gender relations are read, discussed, and applied to a variety of contemporary ethnographic case studies.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230, or consent
Credits: 3
A pivotal moment in cultural development is when city-states and nations arrive to change the structure of a cultural group. This course has varying topics to present each cultural area in its unique context. May be repeated with different topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A cross-cultural examination of the aging process, status, and treatment of elders around the world.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230, or ANTH 220, or consent
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
Examines the practical applications of anthropological knowledge to problem-oriented research and the problems of directed sociocultural change among contemporary populations. Selected projects and case studies are used to illustrate the complexity of applied sociocultural change.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 230 or consent
Credits: 4
Examination of the intellectual history of anthropology from its nineteenth century roots to today's current theoretical trends. Students will learn about the major schools of thought in anthropological theory and practice critical examination of their applications.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The aim of this course is to make students methodologically literate. Students will learn how to develop research designs that rely on qualitative research methods such as participant observation. They will learn how to apply these methods by participating in small scale studies of human behavior. Some quantitative methods will also be discussed. Students will learn critical examination of published date and conclusions.Prerequisites: ANTH 101, ANTH 220 or consent
Credits: 3
American Indians adapted to environmental systems in North America with cultures ranging from small groups of foragers to cities supported by intensive agriculture. This course presents a variety of perspectives of this cultural diversity from the Ice Age to the 20th century.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Survey of East Asian cultural region. Cultural diversity, change and continuity examined in China, Japan and Korea through institutions and cultural settings. Focus includes how modern East Asian societies face internal social changes and their changing international status.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
A faculty-supervised, student-designed capstone project for the major. Students will take ANTH 475 after completing ANTH 300. The nature of the student's thesis will be determined jointly by the student and their advisor. The capstone project is a written thesis involving writing, laboratory work, fieldwork or various combinations. Students must present completed thesis in a public forum.Prerequisites: ANTH 300
Credits: 3-6
Field experience in which method and theory are learned through participation in an ongoing field project.Prerequisites: Consent, or one of: ANTH 101, ANTH 102, or ANTH 220
Credits: 1-3
This course allows faculty the flexibility to consider the challenges of new developments in anthropology. Content will vary from one course to the next. Students may take the course, with the permission of the instructor, more than one time.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
A brief intensive hands-on introduction to an anthropological topic usually as it applies to a particular issue or skill. Topics vary but might include: Understanding that race is not a scientific concept; combating racism and ethnocentrism; participant observation methods; culture shock; cultural diversity and communication; forensics; cultural resource conservation. Pre-req: Depends on topic and instructor.Prerequisites: Depends on topic and instructor
Credits: 1-6
A brief, intensive or hands on experience based in museum best practices, theories, and methods. Variable topics.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
An introduction to archaeological laboratory techniques and museological practice, through participation in the various processes involved.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
Guided advanced laboratory work in biological/physical anthropology.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 1-3
Individual projects are done in close coordination with faculty member.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 1-3
Individual projects are done in close coordination with faculty member.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-12
Positions may vary considerably, but all involve actual working conditions in various field positions such as museums, state parks, archaeological excavations and agencies.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 1-6
Arranged internship allows students to have a hands on experience applying theories and methodology from course work in the field to area of interest. Requires coordination with a faculty member.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
Students will work with faculty in the preparation and delivery of course materials in lower division undergraduate courses. Lecture/lab prep, delivery, use of multimedia, leading discussions and exercises. Open to senior majors and minors in good standing.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-6
A specialized topic of the students' choices. Coordination with a faculty member is necessary.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 1-6
This course allows pursuit of individual avenues of study that may not be offered in the curriculum and for advanced level pursuit of special projects of research on an independent basis. Requires coordination with a faculty member.Prerequisites: none
