Undergraduate Program in Anthropology
Link to faculty/staff contact information and office hours
Spring 2023 Undergraduate Courses
QUICK LIST Spring 2023 Courses
Preliminary Syllabi will be added as received - if spring 2023 syllabus is not yet included below - click "Courses" in menu on right for a recent syllabus. All courses will use Canvas for their learning platform.
Prerequisite overrides spring 23 – If you cannot register for an upper level course because you have not met the prerequisite, in many cases you can get a prerequisite override. If you would like to request this, send an email to the professor with your name, RUID, and number/name of the course, with a CC to
Why Major in Anthropology?
Anthropology teaches students to think in a critical way, and it exposes them to a fundamental part of the Western intellectual tradition. But it also gives them a perspective on their own position in a world of cultural, physical, and political diversity. Anthropology seeks to understand the whole panorama of human existence in both geographic space and over long periods of time. It offers a backdrop against which students can understand their own cultures, traditions, and behaviors and provides them with sensitivity to understanding human biological and cultural similarities and differences.
Cultural Anthropologists focus on understanding humans through a comparative perspective, one that teaches students to be acute observers and analysts of human behavior.
Evolutionary anthropologists might study orangutans, observing behavior and collecting urine to assess their social structure.
Archaeologists might jump back a million years to probe the survival strategies, successes, and failures of the earliest humans.
Linguistic anthropologists might scrutinize conversation to learn more about the place of individuals in the family structure.
Other areas of anthropological study include forensic anthropology, business anthropology, visual anthropology, environmental anthropology, and museum anthropology. In addition to careers in teaching and research, students of anthropology can continue on to careers in the many industries that value the anthropologist's perspective and skills.
The Undergraduate Director, Professor Robert S. Scott, can provide interested students with information and guidance in planning a major or minor, and discuss how anthropology can contribute to various goals. Email for appointment:
Consider joining Lambda Alpha , the National Anthropology Honor Society. See Undergraduate Director for verification of your grades. Lifetime membership requires one-time fee of $25.00.
