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.
Requirements
The anthropology minor requires 18 credits within the department, including the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 101 | Introduction to Anthropology: Human Origins | 3 |
| ANTHRO 102 | Introduction to Anthropology: Culture and Society | 3 |
| Select one from each of the following curriculum categories: 1 | 12 | |
Physical Anthropology | ||
Archaeology | ||
Ethnology | ||
Linguistics | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| 1 | Waiver or substitution in any of these categories may be approved, in some circumstances, by the assistant to the chair for undergraduate affairs in consultation with the student's advisor. |
Students must earn 9 credits in advanced-level courses (numbered 300 or above) taken in residence at UWM. The College requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on 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.
Curriculum Categories
Physical 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 | Seminar in Human Evolutionary Physiology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 405 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 406 | Evolutionary Biology & Human Diseases | 3 |
| ANTHRO 407 | Neuroanthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 408 | Hormones and Behavior | 3 |
| 1 | This course may satisfy requirements in more than one category. 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 | 3 |
| ANTHRO 425 | Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways: Past and Present | 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 |
| ANTHRO 636 | Geochronology | 3 |
| 1 | This course may satisfy requirements in more than one category. However, no single course may count for more than two requirements. |
Ethnology and Related Sociocultural Subjects
| 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 440 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 441 | Nature, Knowledge, and Technoscience in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 442 | Humanitarianism in Global Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 443 | Medicine and Pharmaceuticals in the Global Age | 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 |
Linguistic Anthropology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 361 | Applications in Linguistic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTHRO 362 | System Failure: Globalization and Language Extinction | 3 |
| ANTHRO 570 | Issues in Bilingualism | 3 |