Regulations for all Anthropology Majors and Concentrators

Advising

Majors and concentrators should consult the director of undergraduate studies and/or relevant archaeology or biology anthropolgy consultants as listed above when entering the department and devising their program of study. Students who develop specialized interests within the department may select any willing faculty member as their adviser. Many faculty in anthropology at Columbia hold degrees in several fields or positions in other departments and programs at Columbia. All faculty in the department are committed to an expansiveness of thought and an independence of intellectual pursuit and advise accordingly.

Grading

No course with a grade of D or lower can count toward the major or concentration. Only the first course that is to count toward the major or concentration can be taken Pass/D/Fail.

Courses

Courses from other departments count toward the major or concentration when they are taught by a member of the Department of Anthropology. Courses from other departments not taught by an anthropology faculty member may sometimes count toward the major or concentration with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.

All courses taken in Barnard’s Anthropology Department fully count toward the anthropology major at Columbia. Anthropology courses taken to fulfill College requirements count toward the major.

Honors thesis

Anthropology majors with a minimum grade point average of 3.6 in the major who wish to write an honors thesis for consideration for departmental honors may elect to enroll in the Honors Seminar (V3999, 8 points). Students should have a preliminary concept for their thesis prior to enrolling in the course.

For a Major in Anthropology

The program of study should be planned as early as possible in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies and/or departmental consultants.

A minimum of 30 points in the Department of Anthropology and 6 points of related courses taken in other departments are required as follows:

Sociocultural Anthropology

1. ANTH V1002 The Interpretation of culture
2. ANTH V2004 Introduction to social and cultural theory
3. ANTH V2005 The ethnographic imagination
4. Two courses (from within anthropology or from another department) that focus on a particular culture, nation, or literature
5. Additional courses (from within anthropology or from another department) to meet the required minimum points for the major
   

Archaeology

1. ANTH V1007 The origin of human society
2. ANTH V1008 The rise of civilization
3. Additional courses (from within anthropology or from another department) to meet the required minimum points for the major

An example of an archaeology specialization is: V3820 Archaeological theory and method , V3922 The emergence of the state , V4344 The inka empire ; one set of paired courses in archaeology and sociocultural anthropology or history in the same region (e.g., G4117—North American prehistory and a sociocultural or historical course in early or native North America or V3931—Social life in ancient Egypt and a relevant history, classics, or sociocultural course concerning Egypt); and two to four upper-division anthropology courses to be arranged with the adviser.

Biological/physical anthropology

Students pursuing a major in this field should refer to the major in evolutionary biology of the human species in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology.

For a Concentration in Anthropology

A minimum of 20 points in the Department of Antrhopology are required as follows:

Sociocultural Anthropology

1. ANTH V1002 The interpretation of culture
2. Additional courses (from within anthropology or from another department) to meet the required minimum points for the concentration

Archaeology

1. ANTH V1007 The origins of human society or ANTH V1008 The rise of civilization
2. Additional courses (from within anthropology or from another department) to meet the required minimum points for the concentration