Anthropology is the scientific study of human beings and their cultures across time and space. In the broadest sense, anthropology is about how the human species came to be, how it developed myriad ways of living in the world, and how those ways may change in the future. It is the major most closely associated with archaeology.
Anthropology is a unique field that combines elements of social science and natural science. Students will find themselves in all types of settings - out in the field collecting physical samples, in a lab analyzing fossils and specimens, interviewing individuals and groups to collect oral histories, in the library and community researching, and in the classroom learning how to fit all of the pieces of evidence into a cohesive theory.
Students at UWM will be exposed to all types of anthropological work. Some may find themselves more drawn to the "people" side of things and gravitate more towards electives that focus on culture and societal structures. Social anthropologists may examine issues such as workplace behavior, religious rituals, art, family structures or gender relations. Others may find linguistic anthropology - the study of the development of languages - more interesting. Students who have always envisioned themselves digging up artifacts will find archaeology or biological anthropology of most interest.
Regardless of specialization, hands-on experience is critical. UWM offers all types of field experience and research opportunities, locally and at spots around the globe.
Course of Study – Bachelor of Arts Degree
Complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major. The College also requires that students complete at least 30 credits overall in residence at UWM. For additional residency and transfer credit limitations, see L&S Undergraduate Policies and Regulations.
Students are also required to complete University-wide General Education Requirements and the specific L&S requirements listed below.
To complete a major, students must satisfy all the requirements of the major as stated in this catalog. Students who declare their majors within five years of entering the UW System as a degree candidate may satisfy the requirements outlined in any catalog issued since the time they entered. Credits used to satisfy the major also may be used to satisfy other degree requirements.
University General Education Requirements (GER)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral and Written Communication | ||
| Part A | ||
| Achieve a grade of C or better in the following course: | ||
| ENGLISH 102 | College Writing and Research (or equivalent) | |
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as OWC-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Quantitative Literacy | ||
| Part A | ||
| Earn at least 3 credits with a grade of C or higher in one of the following courses or an equivalent course, or achieve a placement code of at least 30 on the mathematics placement test (or other appropriate test, as determined by the Mathematical Sciences Department) | ||
| Mathematical Literacy for College Students II | ||
| Contemporary Applications of Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to College Algebra | ||
| Algebraic Literacy II | ||
| Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning 1 | ||
or PHILOS 111 | Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning | |
| College Algebra | ||
Or equivalent course | ||
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as QL-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Arts | ||
| Select 3 credits | 3 | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits (at least two courses including one lab) | 6 | |
| UWM Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Complete Foreign Language Requirement through: | ||
Two years (high school) of a single foreign language | ||
Two semesters (college) of a single foreign language | ||
Or equivalent | ||
| UWM Cultural Diversity Requirement | ||
| One course from the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences must also satisfy UWM's Cultural Diversity requirement | ||
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Math 111 and Philosophy 111 are jointly offered and count as repeats of one another. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.
College of Letters & Science Requirements
The degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science build on the University General Education Requirements to provide a broad base of knowledge as well as an array of skills cited by employers as critical to professional success: critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication, ability to work well with others, and adaptability to change.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), you must complete the UWM General Education Requirements as well as these L&S requirements: the International requirement, the Breadth requirement, and the Research requirement. The International requirement develops your potential for cross-cultural understanding in a globalizing world. The Breadth requirement ensures that you take classes in a wide variety of subjects, across humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Research requirement calls for you to build your critical thinking and oral and written communication skills through conducting an independent research project, usually in your major.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) you will also complete the Language other than English requirement, to further develop your understanding of cultures through language.
I. Total Credits and Upper-Division Courses Requirement
Students must complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
II. Language other than English Requirement
Students doing the BA must fulfill the language other than English requirement by either successfully completing the fourth semester of university work or equivalent in one language other than English, or by successfully completing the second semester of university work or equivalent in two languages other than English (including all world languages and American Sign Language).
Language courses (including American Sign Language) other than English taken in high school may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement. One year of high school language equates to one semester of college work. Proficiency tests approved by the Languages faculty may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement.
Completion of the L&S Language Requirement also satisfies the university-wide Language other than English GER, but not vice versa.
III. International Requirement
To meet the International Requirement, students must successfully complete some three course (minimum 9 credits) combination of
- language other than English (not including American Sign Language) at 3rd semester level or above, and/or
- non-language courses with L&S approved international content (see Courses Approved for the L&S International Requirement for course options).
IV. Breadth Requirement
In addition to completing the University General Education Requirements, L&S students must complete the Breadth requirement.
The L&S Breadth requirement calls for 6 credits each in L&S courses designated L&S Humanities, L&S Natural Sciences, and L&S Social Sciences breadth. One of the L&S Natural Science breadth courses must be a laboratory or fieldwork course. These courses must be beyond and in addition to courses in those areas used to satisfy General Education Requirements.
Please refer to the list of Courses Approved for the L&S Breadth Requirement.
V. The Major
The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. Individual departments or programs may require higher GPAs for graduation. Some departmental majors require courses from other departments. Contact your major department for information on whether those credits will count as part of the major GPA. The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major.
Research Requirement
Within their majors, students must complete a research experience approved by the L&S faculty. A list of courses satisfying the research requirement in each major can be found here.
VI. The Minor
Students are encouraged to consider completing a minor, but it is not required. To complete a minor, the College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the minor attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all minor credits attempted, including any transfer work. The minor must contain at least 9 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) courses.
Anthropology Major Requirements
Students majoring in anthropology can select from a wide variety of courses organized under three subfields:
- Sociocultural Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Biological Anthropology
Although majors take some coursework in each of the three subfields, they are encouraged to shape their own programs to meet individual needs and interests. Students majoring in anthropology must earn a GPA of 2.0 or better in anthropology courses attempted at UWM. In addition, the College of Letters and Science requires that students attain a 2.0 or better GPA in all anthropology courses attempted, including any transfer work. The major in anthropology requires 36 credits within the department. At least 15 credits in advanced-level courses (numbered 300 or above) must be taken in residence at UWM.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| ANTHRO 101 | Introduction to Anthropology: Human Origins | 3 |
| ANTHRO 102 | Introduction to Anthropology: Culture and Society | 3 |
| ANTHRO 103 | Digging Up the Past: Approaches to Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 460 | Anthropological Theory 1 | 3 |
| 9-15 credits satisfying the following requirements 2 | 9-15 | |
1 methods course | ||
1 course satisfying the research requirement | ||
1 course in each of the three subfields | ||
| 6-15 additional ANTHRO credits | 6-15 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
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Only seniors may enroll in ANTHRO 460, and it is recommended that they do so after having completed all other anthropology course requirements.
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Methods courses and research requirement courses may overlap with each other or with one of the three ANTHRO subfields. See tables below for additional details.
Methods Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 403 | The Human Skeleton 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 405 | Forensic Anthropology 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 497 | Study Abroad: 1 | 1-12 |
| ANTHRO 525 | Zooarchaeology: Analysis of Faunal Remains 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 535 | Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 560 | Introduction to Research Methods in Anthropology 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 561 | Techniques and Problems in Ethnography | 3 |
| ANTHRO 562 | Techniques and Problems in Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 566 | Archaeological Analysis and Report Preparation: 1 | 3-6 |
| ANTHRO 567 | Archaeological Field School | 3-6 |
| ANTHRO 568 | Introduction to Anthropological Statistics | 3 |
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This course may also satisfy a research and/or subfield requirement in the Anthropology major. However, no single course may count for more than two requirements.
Research Requirement Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 401 | Primate Populations 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 424 | Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 497 | Study Abroad: 1 | 1-12 |
| ANTHRO 525 | Zooarchaeology: Analysis of Faunal Remains | 3 |
| ANTHRO 535 | Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics | 3 |
| ANTHRO 560 | Introduction to Research Methods in Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 566 | Archaeological Analysis and Report Preparation: 1 | 3-6 |
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This course may also satisfy a methods and/or subfield requirement in the Anthropology major. However, no single course may count for more than two requirements.
Three Anthropology Subfields
Biological Anthropology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 301 | Human Evolution and Variation | 3 |
| ANTHRO 401 | Primate Populations 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 402 | Primate Evolution | 3 |
| ANTHRO 403 | The Human Skeleton | 3 |
| ANTHRO 404 | Human Biological Variation | 3 |
| ANTHRO 405 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 406 | Evolutionary Biology & Human Diseases | 3 |
| ANTHRO 407 | Neuroanthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 408 | Hormones and Behavior | 3 |
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This course may also satisfy a methods and/or research requirement in the Anthropology major; however, no single course may count for more than two requirements.
Archaeology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 304 | Violence and Warfare in Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTHRO 305 | The Celtic World | 3 |
| ANTHRO 306 | European Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 307 | World Archaeology: Foundations of Civilization | 3 |
| ANTHRO 308 | Archaeology of North America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 309 | Archaeology of Central and South America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 310 | Archaeology of Middle America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 311 | The World of the Ancient Maya | 3 |
| ANTHRO 313 | Archaeology of the American Southwest | 3 |
| ANTHRO 420 | Power and Ideology in Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 421 | Cities in the Ancient World | 3 |
| ANTHRO 424 | Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 425 | Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways: Past and Present | 3 |
| ANTHRO 426 | Who Owns the Past? | 3 |
| ANTHRO 465 | Historic Preservation in Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 466 | Historical Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 501 | Archaeology of Death | 3 |
| ANTHRO 502 | Lithic Analysis: Stone Tools and Human Behavior | 3 |
| ANTHRO 525 | Zooarchaeology: Analysis of Faunal Remains 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 535 | Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics 1 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 565 | Seminar in Regional Archaeology: | 3 |
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This course may also satisfy a methods and/or research requirement in the Anthropology major; however, no single course may count for more than two requirements.
Sociocultural Anthropology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 302 | Anthropology and Popular Culture | 3 |
| ANTHRO 314 | American Indian Societies and Cultures | 3 |
| ANTHRO 320 | Peoples and Cultures of Africa | 3 |
| ANTHRO 322 | Europe in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 325 | Japanese Culture and Society | 3 |
| ANTHRO 326 | Peoples and Cultures of South Asia | 3 |
| ANTHRO 328 | Comparative Studies of Music, Race, and Gender in Nationalism | 3 |
| ANTHRO 335 | American Indians of the Southeast | 3 |
| ANTHRO 340 | Cultures of Online Games and Virtual Worlds | 3 |
| ANTHRO 349 | Seminar in Ethnography and Cultural Processes | 3 |
| ANTHRO 351 | Anthropological Theories of Religion | 3 |
| ANTHRO 354 | Anthropology, Aesthetics, and Art | 3 |
| ANTHRO 355 | Globalization, Culture, and Environment | 3 |
| ANTHRO 400 | Human Sociobiology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 431 | Cities and Culture | 3 |
| ANTHRO 439 | Culture and Global Health | 3 |
| ANTHRO 440 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 441 | Nature, Knowledge, and Technoscience in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 442 | Humanitarianism in Global Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 445 | Psychological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 446 | The Child in Different Cultures | 3 |
| ANTHRO 447 | The Global Politics of Human Rights | 3 |
| ANTHRO 448 | Cultural and Human Ecology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 449 | The Human Economy | 3 |
| ANTHRO 450 | Political Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 540 | Applications of Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 543 | Cross-Cultural Study of Religion | 3 |
| ANTHRO 544 | Religious Giving in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 649 | Ethnography of Institutions | 3 |
Anthropology BA Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome 1 – Knowledge of Anthropology as a discipline
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- identify defining characteristics of anthropology as a field of study.
- identify key theoretical frameworks in anthropology and describe their evolution over time.
- identify the subfields of anthropology and compare their methods and goals.
Learning Outcome 2 – Knowledge of human cultural diversity
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- recognize and apply anthropological concepts to the understanding of cultural diversity.
- identify examples of culturally distinct practices using ethnographic examples.
- identify examples of culturally distinct practices using archaeological examples.
Learning Outcome 3 – Knowledge of human evolution
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- describe mechanisms of evolution.
- identify key shifts in hominin physical and cognitive abilities over evolutionary time.
- identify key points of debate, past and present, about details of hominin evolution.
- evaluate scientific methods for studying biological variation among modern humans.
Learning Outcome 4 – Ability to read and think critically and analytically
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- read anthropological publications and identify thesis, supporting data, and points of debate.
- assess, synthesize, and derive conclusions from multiple lines of scientific evidence.
- evaluate cited sources according to source, date, and historical context.
Learning Outcome 5 – Ability to communicate clearly in writing and speech
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- engage in constructive dialogue.
- communicate anthropological concepts clearly in both written and oral form.
Learning Outcome 6 – Ability to design and execute research in at least one anthropological subfield
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- review and evaluate anthropological research designs.
- design and complete an applied research project, articulating question, methods, and results.
Learning Outcome 7 – Ability to engage in ethical reasoning and to demonstrate civic knowledge
Students graduating from the Anthropology program will be able to:
- identify key ethical debates in anthropology, placing them in their historical contexts.
- use examples to illustrate how anthropology can contribute to contemporary life.
Letters & Science Advising
During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors and success coaches. Letters & Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional college advisors and faculty advisors. L&S college advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental faculty advisors focus on the major.
College advisors are located in Holton Hall (or virtually for online students) and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College advisors will:
- Assist you in defining your academic and life goals.
- Help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals.
- Assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures.
- Provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate.
- Monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.
Faculty advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a faculty advisor when you declare your major. Faculty advisors are an important partner and will:
- Help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department.
- Explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences.
- Serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.
Students are encouraged to meet with both their college advisor and faculty advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video.
Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate360 website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.
Accelerated Program Option
This program is offered as part of an accelerated graduate program. For more information, see Accelerated Graduate Degrees.
College of Letters and Science Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.