Anthropology is divided into four major areas: physical or biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and socio-cultural anthropology. Applied anthropology is often listed as a fifth area encompassing all of the four major areas and involves the application of anthropological perspectives to the solution of contemporary human problems. To give thorough training, the major requirements ensure exposure to all major areas but leaves enough time to explore individual interests. The student is encouraged to work out an individual program of study with the advisor. Anthropology majors are together in many classes during their years at Miami and get to know each other well. Most classes are small enough to allow interaction between student and teacher on an individual basis.  New courses in Anthropology are also periodically added to ensure a dynamic program with varying options for diverse academic interests.

The course requirements for the Anthropology major at Miami include both a departmental unit and a group of related hours. The departmental unit consists of credit for 36 semester hours (corresponding to the categories listed below) with an overall grade point average of 2.0 in all Anthropology courses. Majors may not take Anthropology courses on a credit/no credit basis. Related hours may be taken for credit/no credit, though this is not recommended, especially if the student plans to apply for admission to graduate school.

Course Requirements for the Anthropology Major (Since Fall, 1992)

I. DEPARTMENTAL UNIT (36 semester hours distributed as follows,
A through D):

A. CORE REQUIREMENTS

1. Take all six of the following:
ATH 155 Cultures in Context (4)
ATH 212 Introduction to Archaeological Theory and Methods (3)
ATH 231 Perspectives on Culture (3)
ATH 255 Foundations of Biological Anthropology (3)
ATH 265 Language and Culture (3)
ATH 421 Senior Seminar in Anthropology (3)

B. AREA REQUIREMENTS: Check with the CDA for additional courses that may qualify. Courses in two categories (2, 3, 4, 5) must total 12 hours. To meet the 36 credit hour total for the Anthropology Major, additional courses may be chosen from any of the four categories.

2. Socio-Cultural Anthropology
ATH 301 Intercultural Relations (3)
ATH 303 Native American Cultures (4)
ATH 304 Issues in Native American Life (3)
ATH 305 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (3)
ATH 307 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (3)
ATH 322 The American Community (3)
ATH 325 Identity: Race, Gender, Class (3)
ATH 329 Religions of Africa (3)
ATH 331 Social Anthropology (3)
ATH 371 Anthropology of National Parks and Protected Areas (3)
ATH 388 Culture, Art & Artifacts (3)
ATH 411 Applied Anthropology (3)
ATH 425 Ethnographic Field Methods (3)
ATH 431 Origins of the State (3)
ATH 441 Museum Development, Philosophy, and Social Context (3)
ATH 443 The Museum Exhibit (3)
ATH 444 Museum Collections Management and Conservation (3)
ATH 471 Ecological Anthropology (3)
ATH 476 Environment and Aging (3)

3. Biological Anthropology
ATH 355 Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution (3)
ATH 395 Primate Biology and Behavior (3)
ATH 455 Heredity, Environment, and Human Society (3)
ATH 496 Observing Nonhuman Primate Behavior (4)
ATH 497 Socio-Ecology of Primates (3)
ATH 498 Evolution of Human Behavior (3)

4. Archaeology
ATH 312 Introduction to North American Archaeology (4)
ATH 313 Introduction to South American Archaeology (4)
ATH 351 Archaeological Field Methods (8--no more than 4 hours
count toward major)

5. Linguistic Anthropology
ATH 309 Introduction to Linguistics (3)
ATH 364 Language and Culture in Native North America (3)
ATH 366 African Oral Traditions (3)
ATH 465 Seminar in Linguistic Anthropology (3)

C. METHODS REQUIREMENT. Take one of the following:
ATH 351 Archaeological Field Methods (8--no more than 4 hours counts toward major)
ATH 425 Ethnographic Field Methods (3)
ATH 426 Ethnographic Field Research (1-16--no more than 4 hours
counts toward major)
ATH 443 The Museum Exhibit (3)
ATH 444 Museum Collections Management and Conservation (3)
ATH 496 Observing Nonhuman Primate Behavior (4)

NOTE: The following courses may be taken to fill the Methods Requirement, but these credits will not count towards the minimum of 36 hours required for the major:
SOC 262 (4) Research Methods
STA 261.S (4) Statistics

D. OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS.

No more than 6 hours in variable content courses (e.g., ATH 390, ATH 477, etc.) may count toward the 36 hour requirement. ATH 175, ATH 185, and ATH 221 do not count for the major.

II. RELATED HOURS (at least 16 credits).

Courses are normally chosen from geology, statistics, biological science, social science, or humanities.