Anthropology Major

Requirements for the Major

The major in anthropology requires a minimum of ten courses. Anthropology includes a variety of subfields, which are incorporated in the major. It is the goal of the major to introduce students to all subfields. However, students often develop special areas of interest within anthropology. To accommodate this diversity, the major offers two alternative tracks. Students interested in combining anthropology with the study of medicine, education, public policy, linguistics, art, or other fields are encouraged to talk to one of the anthropology advisers for recommended courses.

The Sociocultural Track requires:
1. All of the following courses:
  ANTH 001 PZ -Introduction to Archaeology and Biological Anthropology
  ANTH 002 PZ -Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
  ANTH 003 PZ -Language, Culture & Society  (or another course in linguistic anthropology)
  ANTH 011 PZ -The World Since 1492
  ANTH 105 PZ -Field Methods in Anthropology  or ANTH 105 PO - Methods in Anthropological Inquiry
  ANTH 153 PZ -History of Anthropological Theory
2. A minimum of four electives in Anthropology. Courses taken on Pitzer Study Abroad programs may be eligible, if they are approved by the Anthropology Field Group.
The Human Evolution, Prehistory and Material Culture Track requires:
1. All of the following courses:
  ANTH 001 PZ -Introduction to Archaeology and Biological Anthropology
  ANTH 002 PZ -Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
  ANTH 011 PZ -The World Since 1492
  ANTH 101 PZ -Theory and Method in Archaeology
2. Two upper level courses selected from the following:
  ANTH 102 PZ -Museums and Material Culture
  ANTH 103 PZ -Museums: Behind the Glass
  ANTH 111 PZ -Historical Archaeology
  CLAS 161 PZ -Greek Art and Archaeology
  ANTH 168 PZ -Prehistoric Humans and Their Environments
  CLAS 125 PZ -Ancient Spectacle
  CLAS 150 PZ -Special Topics in Ancient Studies
  CLAS 162 PZ -Roman Art and Archaeology
  CLAS 164 PZ -Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
3. A minimum of four electives in anthropology.

A student may substitute a comparable course for a required course with the permission of the field group. Students majoring in anthropology should consult with their adviser to select for the fulfillment of their formal reasoning requirement a course suited both to their interests in anthropology and their background in mathematics. Normally, courses in the student’s major cannot be taken on a pass/no credit basis.

As part of their Pitzer experience, students are encouraged to undertake internships or Pitzer Study Abroad. In the senior year, students may undertake a senior exercise with the guidance of the Anthropology faculty.

Students planning to continue studies on the graduate level should pay particular attention to the need for faculty consultation, especially with respect to preparation in statistics and foreign languages.

Honors:

The GPA standard for honors in anthropology is a minimum of 3.70 both in courses in anthropology and overall. If a student’s major advisor judges that a student’s GPA in either or both cases is close to but misses this standard due to an outlier semester or course performance, the Field Group can consider allowing an exception to this GPA standard; such an exception will be approved by the FG, however, only based on evidence of truly exceptional academic performance other than in the outlier case. For honors the senior exercise must be judged outstanding (A quality) by three readers (one from the Pitzer Anthropology Field Group, another anthropologist at any of the Claremont colleges, and a third professor from any discipline).