Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Anthropology
Program Learning Outcomes for the BA Degree with a Major in Anthropology
Upon completing the BA degree with a major in Anthropology, students will be able to:
- Understand how the history of anthropological debates, concepts, and goals is relevant to the discipline’s changing understanding of the dynamics of cultures past and present.
- Think historically and comparatively, based on a solid understanding of anthropological perspectives on culture, experience, and social practice with regard to particular dimensions of culture, for example gender, health, law, ethics, ritual, materiality, heritage, and the environment.
- Apply disciplinary tools for responsibly researching and describing culture and critically conceptualizing the relationship between culture and factors such as historical change, power and social difference, and human diversity. These tools are based on an understanding of anthropological theory and method.
- Apply research and analytical tools to individual research questions and case studies in order to become effective producers and critical evaluators of anthropological knowledge.
- Be able to communicate with a wide range of audiences both orally and in writing.
Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Anthropology
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Anthropology must complete:
- A minimum of 10 courses (30 credit hours) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
- A minimum of 8 courses (24 credit hours) from departmental (ANTH) course offerings.
- The requirements for one area of specialization (see below for areas of specialization). The BA degree with a major in Anthropology offers two areas of specialization:
- A final Capstone or Honors research project culminating in an oral presentation as well as a written paper.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Anthropology | 30 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Anthropology | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Introductory Courses | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL/CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY | ||
| Method Course | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| ZOOARCHAEOLOGY | ||
| ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES 1 | ||
| ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH METHODS | ||
| Theory Course | ||
| ANTH 302 | ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY: A SURVEY | 3 |
| or ANTH 460 | ADVANCED ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY | |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 6 elective courses (18 credit hours) from departmental (ANTH) course offerings at the 300-level or above 2,3 | 18 | |
| Area of Specialization | ||
| Select 1 from the following Areas of Specialization (see Areas of Specialization below) | ||
Anthropological Archaeology | ||
Social-Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Research Sequence: Capstone or Honors | ||
| Select 1 of the following research sequences: 4 | 4 or 7 | |
| SENIOR RESEARCH PREPARATION and ANTHROPOLOGY CAPSTONE 5 | ||
| DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH and DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH and SENIOR RESEARCH PREPARATION 6 | ||
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Anthropology | 30 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 58-59 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student’s declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
| 1 | Students can repeat ANTH 362 up to three times, but only two of these courses will count toward the major requirements (one toward the Core Requirements: Method course, one toward the Elective Requirements). |
| 2 | Students may petition the undergraduate advisor to apply up to 2 courses (6 credit hours) of relevant coursework completed outside of the department toward Elective Requirements. |
| 3 | Courses taken to satisfy the Research Sequence: Capstone or Honors requirement may be applied toward the Elective Requirements. |
| 4 | The research sequence consists of 2 courses (4 credit hours) for Capstone students and 3 courses (7 credit hours) for Honors students. All students take ANTH 493. Capstone students will also take ANTH 495. Honors students will also take ANTH 490 for 3 credit hours and ANTH 491 for 3 credit hours. |
| 5 | The Anthropology Capstone provides an opportunity for students to conduct an independent research project on a topic that interests them, while working one-on-one with a faculty supervisor. The project culminates in a research paper and a presentation to the faculty and assembled students. The Capstone includes a one-credit research preparation course, ANTH 493, and one three-credit independent research course (Anthropology Capstone ANTH 495). |
| 6 | See the Opportunities tab for more information. |
Anthropology Areas of Specialization
The major in Anthropology has two distinct areas of specialization, Anthropological Archaeology and Social-Cultural Anthropology. Depending on a student's interest and desired area of specialization, students should see specific department advisors for assistance with elective course selection.
Area of Specialization: Anthropological Archaeology
In this area of specialization, the focus is on research skills in the library, the field, and the laboratory. Archaeology students will also engage theoretical developments and critical contemporary debates on issues such as the politics of the past and cultural heritage. Students also develop at least one analytical skill, such as ceramic analysis, archaeological statistics, spatial analysis, or zooarchaeology, drawing on the university's laboratory and computer facilities. The archaeology program at Rice has a long-term focus on the archaeology of the African past, including complex urban and pastoralist societies. The program offers students the opportunity to participate in archaeological excavations abroad as well as projects in and around Houston that focus on the African American past of the city and surrounding counties. Students inquiring about the anthropological archaeology area of specialization should see Dr. Mary Prendergast (mary@rice.edu, Sewall Hall, 590) about elective course options.
Area of Specialization: Social-Cultural Anthropology
This area of specialization engages with contemporary issues populations, and social dynamics that affect human life and culture broadly around the world. Social-cultural anthropology inquires across a vast range of human concerns from religion to social movements, from gender to medicine, from science studies to media, and from nature to law. Students are trained in ethnographic research methods and qualitative data collection, and they learn the theoretical principles that have shaped the discipline as well as contemporary, innovative approaches that question how human sociality is constituted in the 21st century. The social-cultural anthropology program at Rice has always championed interdisciplinary theoretical, and experimental modes of anthropology inquiry, and students are encouraged to add their creative intellectual insights to their research pursuits and goals. Students inquiring about the social-cultural anthropology area of specialization should see Dr. Gökçe Günel (gg15@rice.edu, Sewall Hall, 584) about elective course options.
Policies for the BA Degree with a Major in Anthropology
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the major in Anthropology should be aware of the following program restriction:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Anthropology should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:
- No more than 4 courses (12 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing may apply towards the major.
- Dr. Eugenia Georges is the undergraduate transfer credit advisor. All students seeking transfer credit in anthropology for courses taken elsewhere should see Dr. Eugenia Georges for approval.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Anthropology website: https://anthropology.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the BA Degree with a Major in Anthropology
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Archaeological Field School in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Department of Anthropology offers an archaeological field school during the summer months in Africa. Past field schools have been on the island of Gorée, located off the coast of Senegal, where research focused on the development of Gorée as a supply port for the Atlantic trade, at Songo Mnara, a 15th-century Swahili urban center on the southern Tanzanian coast, and Basanga, an Iron Age settlement mound in southwest Zambia. This course is offered for a total of six hours of credit (ANTH 364 and ANTH 370). The course is offered without specific prerequisites, but there is a general requirement that students have some prior coursework in archaeology or African history. Program fees apply.
Requirements for the Departmental Honors Program
The Honors Program is intended to acknowledge outstanding students, and to provide them with advanced training in the planning and execution of sustained, independent research. As a rule, students should petition the undergraduate advisor to be admitted to the Program no later than the 10th week of the spring semester of their junior year. Admission is at the discretion of the department faculty. The only formal prerequisite to admittance are a Grade Point Average in the major of at least 3.50 and an overall GPA at the end of the junior year of at least 3.00. Final decisions concerning admission are at the discretion of department faculty. Once admitted to the Program, students must complete a thesis, on a topic of their choosing, under the direction of one of the members of the department's faculty. Topics should be approved by the faculty advisor by the end of the first month of the senior year. Theses are due at the end of the last semester of the senior year.
The Honors Thesis includes a one-credit research preparation and support course, ANTH 493, and two three-credit research courses (Directed Honors Research ANTH 490 and ANTH 491).
All honors projects will be considered for the Distinction in Research and Creative Work.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Anthropology website: https://anthropology.rice.edu/.