Undergraduate Studies

Honors Program

Outstanding anthropology students are encouraged to consider the department's honors program, which is designed to give them the opportunity to work closely with members of the faculty on research and writing projects. Declared majors in anthropology are eligible to apply, provided that they have completed 12 or more credits in the department with a grade point average in the major of at least 3.50. They must also have an overall grade point average of at least 3.25. To participate in the program, students should contact their adviser during their junior year or at the beginning of their senior year. Students should plan their course work in consultation with their faculty adviser.

Students in the honors program must fulfill the requirements for the major plus the following requirements:

1.  Among the 36 credits of course work in anthropology required for the major, students in the honors program must complete at least one course at the 300 or 400 level in each of three different subdisciplines (archaeology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistics), for a total of 12 credits:

Biological Anthropology: 310, 311,312, 313, 319, 414, 416, 418.

Linguistics: 321, 322, 325, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 434.

Archaeology: 330, 331, 332, 333, 335, 338, 339, 430, 431, 433, 435, 438.

Ethnology: 340, 341, 343, 351, 355, 360, 361, 363, 364, 365, 372, 381, 390, 450, 480.

2.  Students must write an honors thesis based upon original research under the direction of an anthropology faculty member. Any anthropology faculty member knowledgeable in your topic may supervise a thesis project. A written proposal for the intended project must be formally approved by that faculty member and the departmental Undergraduate Affairs Committee during the semester prior to the semester in which the thesis is completed. Students will enroll in A Ant 482A and 482B, "Senior Honors Thesis Seminar," during the fall and spring of their senior year. The six credits from these courses can be counted toward the 36 credits required for the Anthropology major.

3.  Research skill. Students will complete 6 credits of coursework in a research skill appropriate for anthropological research. Examples include, but are not limited to, foreign languages, statistics or other quantitative courses, and anthropological methods courses. The research skill courses must be approved by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee.

To graduate with "honors in anthropology," students must achieve an overall grade point average of 3.25 and a minimum grade point average of 3.50 in the major, in addition to the above requirements.