Academic Majors & Minors
- Students can declare a major/minor during, or after the second semester of their freshman year. Students should declare a major/minor no later than the end of the sophomore year.
- No more than 2 concentrations allowed, either:
- 2 majors OR
- 1 major and 1 minor OR
- 1 major
- Maintain at least a C (2.0) average in any major or minor.
- Only one (1) undergraduate degree may be earned from Emory.

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Major in Anthropology BA
Major Code | ANTH |
---|---|
Degree Awarded | BA |
Hours To Complete | 36 |
Courses Required | 12 |
Declaration of Major Contact |
Requirements
A Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology requires a minimum of thirteen courses: twelve must be at least 3 credits each, and one is a 1-credit capstone course. One of the 3-credit courses must be tied to the senior Capstone Project.
A. Introductory Courses (2 courses)
Students must take:
- 202 Concepts and Methods in Cultural Anthropology
Students must choose one of the following courses:
- 101 Introduction to Anthropology
- 201 Concepts and Methods in Biological Anthropology
- 204 Introduction to Archaeology
B. Foundational & Area Studies Courses (2 courses)
1. One foundational course that focuses on a theme or field of research:
- ANT 200 / NBB 201 Foundations of Behavior
- ANT 201* Concepts and Methods in Biological Anthropology
- LING 201 / ANT 203 Foundations of Linguistics
- ANT 204* Intro to Archaeology
- HLTH 250 / ANT 205 Foundations of Global Health
- ANT 207 / IDS 207 Foundation of Development Studies
- ANT 210 Human Biology: Life Cycle Approach
- ANT 230 Medical Anthropology
- HLTH 210 / ANT 231 Predictive Health and Society
- ANT 252 Fast Food/Slow Food
- ANT 260 Psychological Anthropology
- Other courses as designated by department
Note: *ANT 201 and 204 cannot be counted for both A and B
2. One course that focuses on a world ethnographic area:
- 280 Anthropological Perspectives (Topics Vary)
- ANT 258 / JS 258 Anthropology of the Jews
- Other courses as designated by department
C. Concentrations for Anthropology BA Majors (4 courses)
The concentration requirement consists of four courses at or above the 200 level within the concentration. Courses taken to fulfill the foundational course requirement (B.1) or capstone (E)
may not count toward the concentration.
Each student must choose a concentration at the time of declaration. The concentration may be changed at a later time. Students may choose from among the following concentrations:
1. The Anthropology of Global Development, Health, and Sustainability
Areas of study include:
- Political Economy and Development
- Environmental Anthropology
- Sustainability
- Food (In)security
- Global Health
- Inequality
2. The Anthropology of Power, Identity, and Social Justice
Areas of study include:
- History, Narrative, and Politics
- Power and Socioeconomic Inequalities
- Race and Racism
- Law, Power and Representation
- Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
- Gender and Sexuality
3. The Anthropology of Mind, Body, and Health
Areas of study include:
- Psychological and Cognitive Anthropology
- Nutritional Anthropology
- Medical Anthropology
- Global Mental Health
- Culture and Public Health
- Anthropology and Neuroscience
4. The Anthropology of Meaning, Media, and Performance
Areas of study include:
- Media and Communication
- Visual Anthropology
- Religion and Ritual
- Identity and Representations
- Language and Culture
- Performance
- Symbolic Anthropology
5. Individualized Concentration - Student will work with faculty advisor to design the course of
study. Possible areas of study include:
- Biological Anthropology
- Archaeology
- History and Anthropology
- Selected themes made in consultation with advisor
Anthropology courses and courses cross-listed with Anthropology will be designated for credit within the appropriate concentrations.
D. Anthropology Electives (3 courses)
Any Anthropology course or course cross-listed with Anthropology may count as an elective toward the Anthropology BA degree, within the guidelines listed under “additional details” below.
Course offerings for each term may be found the Course Atlas.
E. Capstone Project (2 courses)
One course of at least three credits and a 1-credit capstone course.
Seniors enrolled in the B.A degree program in Anthropology are required to complete a capstone project, which is intended to be an integrative experience. Students are expected to apply what
they have learned in Anthropology to a research problem/project of interest to them. Based on their research, and as part of or in addition to the work of their chosen capstone course option
(below), students will produce a paper of at least 20 pages or an alternative project that is the intellectual equivalent to such a paper, working closely with their advisor/instructor through ANT
499 capstone course to ensure the project is a high-level integration of their undergraduate education in Anthropology. The paper topic or alternative project must be approved by the supervising instructor.
Students must select one of the following course options for completion of the capstone project:
- 300-level topical course in anthropology.
- 400-level independent study course that involves archival research or fieldwork. Where allowed by the program, a student can enroll in an Independent Studies Course in anthropology during a Semester Abroad to complete this requirement.
- 400-level anthropology Advanced Seminar Course.
- 500-level anthropology Graduate Seminar.
All capstone students will be enrolled in a 1-credit ANT 499 course to receive advising support for completion of their advanced capstone project.
Students successfully completing the Honor’s Program may substitute their thesis for the Capstone project requirement.
With the approval of the student’s advisor, the student can complete this requirement during the Spring semester of their Junior (third) year.
Additional details
- Only one course at the 100-level may be used to satisfy requirements.
- A maximum combined total of 8 credit hours of ANT 397R (Directed Readings) ANT 495 (Honors)
and ANT 497R (Directed Research) may be applied toward the major. - No courses taken using the S/U option may be applied toward the major.
- Students are encouraged to study abroad. Up to 4 courses taken off the Emory campus (i.e. study abroad or transfer courses) may be approved to count toward major requirements. Courses must be at least 3 credits each and be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
- A maximum of two courses may double-count for both the Anthropology BA and another major
or minor.
Note: Petitions for course substitutions and exceptions will be considered by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who may seek the advice of the Undergraduate Concerns Committee as
needed.