Degree: B.A., Anthropology
Department of Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry
The Anthropology major examines human experience across evolutionary, archaeological, and contemporary contexts, emphasizing how people create meaning, organize social worlds, and interact with their environments. Students gain training in ethnographic and archaeological methods, interpretive theory, and cross-cultural analysis, while also engaging with allied disciplines such as art history, classical studies, and museum studies. Through courses on topics ranging from human health and politics to the environment and material culture, students learn to analyze human similarities and differences with nuance and a strong foundation in social theory and evidence gathering.
The Anthropology major fosters skills in qualitative research, critical and ethical reasoning, writing, oral communication, collaborative work, and systems thinking. Students also have many opportunities for community-based research in a number of our courses, and global research is encouraged through study abroad. Graduates pursue careers in public and private sectors—including museums, cultural resource management, education, public health, journalism, marketing, advocacy, and international work—or continue on to advanced study in anthropology, archaeology, and related disciplines. Students are encouraged to pursue internships and research opportunities in the many museums, non-profit organizations, and businesses in Fredericksburg, Washington DC, and Richmond. Many students participate in anthropological or archeological field schools during the summer.
The Anthropology major is one of three majors in the Anthropology degree program, along with Art History and Classical Studies. United by inquiry into what it means to be human, the three majors share an emphasis on interpretive, archaeological, and analytical methods. Students across all three majors learn how to work with many kinds of evidence, from artifacts and images to texts and lived experience. This interdisciplinary foundation encourages critical reflection on human creativity, social life, memory, language, and material worlds, while each major offers deeper study within its own disciplinary traditions and topics of focus.
Student Learning Outcomes
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Students will interpret human cultural expression and social life across global and historical contexts from a non-ethnocentric perspective.
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Students will construct and evaluate arguments that are linked to appropriate forms of evidence (such as ethnographic, visual, material, and textual).
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Students will design and complete a research project that employs appropriate methods and communicates findings to academic and public audiences.
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Students will plan and conduct ethnographic research (e.g., participant observation, interviewing), manage qualitative data, and generate evidence-based interpretations.
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Students will demonstrate knowledge of major anthropological theories and how they can be applied to interpret human experience across cultural, historical, and social contexts.
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Students will practice ethical and reflexive approaches to how they engage with research subjects and how they represent their findings.
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Students will communicate anthropological insights clearly in written, oral, visual, and/or digital formats for scholarly and public audiences.
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Students will demonstrate collaboration, project management, and career translation skills that connect anthropological training to employment or graduate study.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 101 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| ARTH 116 | Global Art History I | 3 |
| AAHC 297 | Archaeological Methods: From Dirt to Museum | 3 |
| ANTH 298 | Ethnographic Research Methods | 3 |
| AAHC 299 | Arguments in Anthropology, Art History, Classical Studies | 3 |
| AAHC 480 | Senior Research | 3 |
| AAHC 481 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Select 12 elective credits in anthropology 1 | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
- 1
May include 1 course from the following list: HISP 207: American Archaeology; HISP 462A: Laboratory Methods in Archaeology; HISP 467: Field Methods in Archaeology; CLAS/ARTH 305: Egyptian and Near Eastern Art and Archaeology; CLAS 380: Archaeology of the Greek and Roman World; CLAS 390: The Ancient City; or another archaeology course with permission.
General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Fine Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.F.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of B.L.S general education requirements.
Electives
Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.F.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the B.L.S. degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.F.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits
Plan of Study
This suggested plan of study should serve as a guide to assist students when planning their course selections. It is not a substitute for a student's Degree Evaluation or the Program Requirements listed for this major in the catalog. Academic planning is the student's responsibility, and course selections should be finalized only after speaking with an advisor. Students should familiarize themselves with the catalog in effect at the time they matriculated at the University of Mary Washington. Students should also familiarize themselves with general education requirements which can be fulfilled through general electives as well as major/minor course requirements. Course requirements and sequencing may vary with AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge or previous coursework, transfer courses, or other conditions. To be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in 12 or more credits for the semester.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ANTH 101 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| FSEM 100 | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ARTH 116 | Global Art History I | 3 |
| 200 or 300-level Anthropology Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| ANTH 298 | Ethnographic Research Methods | 3 |
| 200 or 300-level Anthropology Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAHC 297 | Archaeological Methods: From Dirt to Museum | 3 |
| AAHC 299 | Arguments in Anthropology, Art History, Classical Studies | 3 |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| ANTH Elective or Individual Study and Research | 3 | |
| General Education Courses or Electives | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ANTH Elective or Individual Study and Research | 3 | |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| AAHC 480 | Senior Research | 3 |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAHC 481 | Senior Project | 3 |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry Faculty
Anthropology, Art History, Classical Studies, Philosophy (including Philosophy: Pre-Law), and Religious Studies
Julia A. DeLancey, Chair
Professors
Julia A. DeLancey (Art History)
Joseph G. Dreiss (Art History)
E. Eric Gable (Anthropology)
Jason C. James (Anthropology)
Mary Elizabeth S. Mathews (Religious Studies)
Jason P. Matzke (Philosophy)
Laura H. Mentore (Anthropology)
Angela L Pitts (Classical Studies)
Associate Professors
Jennifer A. Barry (Religious Studies)
Suzie Kim (Art History)
Assistant Professor
Kalpesh Bhatt (Religious Studies)
Senior Lecturer
Michael J. Reno (Philosophy)
Affiliated Faculty
Tracy Stonestreet (Art History)