Bachelor of Science with a Major in Anthropology
The B.S. in Anthropology combines social science and natural sciences, ideal preparation for a multitude of applied and academic careers. Our students graduate with a well-rounded knowledge of the human experience.
We offer fully-developed coursework in four subdisciplines:
- Archaeological Anthropology: Excavate and analyze the archaeological record.
- Biological Anthropology: Examine biological evolution and diversity.
- Cultural Anthropology: Interface with cultures from the past and present.
- Linguistic Anthropology: Investigate how language enables the creation of society and culture.
For more information, please see the Academic Catalog. A program map, which provides a guide for students to plan their course of study, is available for download in the Courses tab below.
Program Location
Carrollton Campus
Method of Delivery
Face to Face
Accreditation
The University of West Georgia is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Credit and transfer
Total semester hours required:
This program may be earned entirely face-to-face. However, depending on the courses chosen, a student may choose to take some partially or fully online courses.
Save money
UWG is often ranked as one of the most affordable accredited universities of its kind, regardless of the method of delivery chosen.
Details
- Total tuition costs and fees may vary, depending on the instructional method of the courses in which the student chooses to enroll.
- The more courses a student takes in a single term, the more they will typically save in fees and total cost.
- Face-to-face or partially online courses are charged at the general tuition rate and all mandatory campus fees, based on the student's residency (non-residents are charged at a higher rate).
- Fully or entirely online course tuition rates and fees my vary depending on the program. Students enrolled in exclusively online courses do not pay non-Resident rates.
- Together this means that GA residents pay about the same if they take all face-to-face or partially online courses as they do if they take only fully online courses exclusively; while non-residents save money by taking fully online courses.
- One word of caution: If a student takes a combination of face-to-face and online courses in a single term, he/she will pay both all mandatory campus fees and the higher eTuition rate.
- For cost information, as well as payment deadlines, see the Student Accounts and Billing Services website
There are a variety of financial assistance options for students, including scholarships and work study programs. Visit the Office of Financial Aid's website for more information.
Downloads
General
Required: ANTH 1102; choose three from ANTH 1105, 1004, 2002, and 1101.
Survey of Archaeology as a Subfield of Anthropology, Content includes basic theoretical concepts, analytic methods, and interpretive models of scientific archaeology. Specific concerns include identification of major shifts in political and social organization, cultural systems, and their adaptive patterns through recovery and analysis of material remains.
ANTH 1101 Voices of Culture engages students in comparing and contrasting cultural patterns of oral and written language. Students will learn about their attitudes toward language and their own ways of speaking in order to better understand the diverse linguistic practices of others.
A four-subfield introduction to the analysis and explanation of cultural similarities and differences. Discoveries, theories, problems, and debates on issues of fundamental importance to the understanding of human nature, society, and behavior through the study of cultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology.
An examination of humans from biological and evolutionary perspectives. Topics of survey and analysis include systems of human and non-human inheritance and evolution, primatology, origins, variation and adaptation, forensic anthropology, and interactions between biology and culture.
A broad ethnographic introduction to the customs and behaviors of people in several cultures. This class will examine a diverse range of contemporary cultures and explore different social structures, belief systems, and adaptations through exemplary case studies in the subfield of Cultural Anthropology.
Major Required
ANTH 4100 and 4184; choose one methods course: ANTH 3188, 3250, 4102, 4176, 4103; choose one archaeology course: ANTH 4181, 4201, 4202, 4102, 3104, 4175, 4103; choose one linguistics cours: 4173, 4176; choose one physical anthropology course: ANTH 3110, 4122, 4125, 4150, 4165, 3250; choose one cultural anthropology course: 3170, 3180, 3186, 4130, 4132, 4134, 4144, 4146, 4155, 4170, 4175, 4190, 3888.
This course will introduce students to the basics of skeletal biology and learn how to accurately identify the elements of the human skeleton. It will include the major landmarks of each skeletal element with an aim to understanding the functional morphology of bones in an individual and as an anatomical system.
This hands-on religion course will focus on the practice of religion in historical and contemporary Utopian societies in the U.S. By examining the development and legacy of one of America s most quintessential religious communities, the United Society of Believers in Christ s Second Appearing (known as the Shakers), students will gain a wide range of skills and opportunities to explore diverse approaches to religion, theory, and methodology in anthropology. We will also examine other Utopian religious societies as comparative examples. There will be a class travel component and additional Course Fees associated with this course during most semesters.
This course is designed to engage students in critically examining anthropological perspectives on the relationship between the biophysical environment and human physical health, with an emphasis on contemporary environmental health challenges. Topics covered include environment and disease, as well as health in the contexts of food production, natural disasters, radioactivity and toxicity, urban environments, mental health, and social inequalities. The course ends with a consideration of positive ways forward.
This course examines various theories of gender development and the positions of women and men cross-culturally.
This course will investigate and evaluate qualitative analysis in ethnographic field research. The course is participation intensive and will involve research in an actual field project.
In this practical course, students will learn and apply basic lab and field methods in Forensic Archaeology and Biological Anthropology. We will explore techniques used in osteology, forensics, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and primatology through hands-on activities, guided research, presentation, and written reports.
A survey of major conceptual and theoretical developments in anthropology from the early nineteenth century to the present.
Direct participation in all aspects of an archaeological excavation project. Instruction in research design, excavation techniques, recording procedures, data analyses, and field interpretation.
Direct participation in a Cultural Resource Assessment Survey (CRAS) project. Instruction in archaeological survey, mapping, excavation techniques, artifact identification, and artifact processing.
Skeletal Indicators of Health and Behavior play an important role in both Forensics and Bioarchaeology. In this course, students will build a solid knowledge of methods used in the two disciplines for the reconstruction of health and behavior in discovered skeletal remains, including trauma and injury, disease, diet, physical activity, and mobility across the landscape. Opportunity will be provided for hands-on application of methods in the BAFAL lab. Contextual forensic and bioarchaeological case reports and interpretations will be critically evaluated in student presentations and in-class discussions. Students will gain an understanding of the prospects and limitations of skeletal analyses in understanding human s past and present, including important ethical considerations in the handling of human remains.
This course will include a detailed study of the human skeleton. Primary focus will be on the methods used to identify human remains within a legal context. Responsibilities and ethics of a forensic anthropologist will be discussed.
This course provides a general introduction to concepts in medical anthropology, considering health, illness and healing from a biocultural standpoint. Topics covered include cross-cultural understandings of mental and physical health issues, global perspectives on health, and careers in medical anthropology.
A cross-cultural study of the social and cultural meanings of human experience through such phases as birth and death; adolescence; adulthood; and old age.
The relationship between humans and animals is complex, multidimensional and historically derived. This course will examine primary theories related to ecology and symbolism and identify the historical and contemporary role of animals in human society.
An ethnohistorical and ethnographic perspective of indigenous peoples of Latin America (including Central America; South America, and the Caribbean), with an emphasis on the Inca State and contemporary Andean people.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of anthropological research into the diverse ethnic, national, racial, linguistic, religious, cultural traditions, and immigration experiences of Latin@s living in the United States. It will investigate the many meaning of Latinidad, a broad-sweeping term that encompasses the heterogeneity of populations in the United States and elsewhere that trace their ancestry to various parts of Latin America.
This course focuses on the evolution of humans and our nearest relatives using evidence from fossil record and genetic analysis. It places special importance on human origins while addressing modern and future human variability from perspectives both ethical and philosophical.
Study of selected African cultures with emphasis on social organization, belief systems, history, and politics.
Study of living prosimians, monkeys, and apes, including social organization, feeding and ranging, community ecology, and conservation. Readings will focus on field studies of natural populations.
A comparative and cross-cultural approach to religious systems and theories on the anthropology of religion.
A study of the history and perspectives of linguistic anthropology with special emphasis on the relationship between language and culture.
A survey of Native American culture in Southeastern North America from the Paleoindian to colonial periods.
This course will study examples of the stories and narratives that anthropologists collect during fieldwork and those that they produce later, when they are back at their desks reflecting on their experiences. Students will be asked to think critically about the various forms of storytelling we engage in, as well as to consider the power of representation through text.
Students translate their cumulative knowledge in anthropology to analyze current human challenges and to examine anthropology as a gateway to professional careers. It includes a project that enables them to reflect on what they learned and apply it to a broader context.
A survey of the contemporary practice of shamanism as a cross-cultural system of divination, healing, and prophecy, foundational to the practice of religion and healing in most cultures (including state societies). Using examples from traditional small-scale indigenous and rural societies to the transposition of shamanism into Western urban cultures/subcultures, we examine the rationale, development, and adaptive practice of shamanism (e.g., altered states of consciousness and the use of shamanic tools and movements) as part of the wider cultural context of faith and healing.
Major Selects
Upper division electives: 9-12 hours numbered 3000 or higher. Seek instructor approval for ANTH 4186, 4881, 4885, 4900, 4983 (no more than four individualized study hours from these courses count toward the B.S. in Anthropology).
Practical experience with a public or private agency directly related to a field of anthropology.
Title and description of the type of independent study to be offered will be specified on the variable credit form at time of registration. May be repeated for up to 10 hours for credit.
Individual topics in anthropology.
Directed examination of a topic not normally offered by the program. Students must propose a detailed plan of reading stating precise learning objectives and secure the written consent of a supervising instructor before registration.
Directed field or laboratory research. Students must propose a detailed plan of research stating problem and methods and secure the written permission of a supervising instructor before registration. This course is repeatable to a maximum of 4 hours.
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Specific dates for Admissions (Undergraduate only), Financial Aid, Fee Payments, Registration, Start/End of term, Final Exams, etc. are available in THE SCOOP.
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