Anthropology is the study of human beings and their cultures. Majors develop an eye for detail and careful observation, critical thinking, sensitivity to the unfamiliar, skills in research and writing, and an ability to describe and understand culture. The programs in archaeology and biological anthropology give hands-on research experience with faculty through fieldwork in bioarchaeology, archaeology, and museum-based data collection. The programs in cultural anthropology connect anthropological research to current social challenges such as health and disease, urbanization, and geopolitics. It is a strong undergraduate major that provides sound interdisciplinary preparation for a variety of careers.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.
Total credits: minimum 120
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Students are advised to consult with an advisor to learn how they can fulfill Mason Core requirements in global understanding, information technology, and synthesis, as well as the college-level requirement in non-Western culture.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ANTH 114 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 120 | Unearthing the Past: Prehistory, Culture and Evolution (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 390 | Theories, Methods, and Issues I 1 | 3 |
| ANTH 490 | Theories, Methods, and Issues II | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
| 1 |
SOCI 311 Classical Sociological Theory may substitute for ANTH 390 Theories, Methods, and Issues I. |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 24 credits from the following: | 24 | |
|
The following SOCI courses:
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| Classical Sociological Theory 2 | ||
| Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (Mason Core) | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
| 1 |
Students wishing to pursue careers in anthropology should consider taking ANTH 492 Contemporary Controversies in Anthropology (or subfield specialty equivalents, such as ANTH 420 Interpretation in Archaeology, ANTH 450 Qualitative Methods: Nonstatistical Approaches in Culture and Social Research, ANTH 495 Internship, or ANTH 496 Evolutionary Theory) as one of their electives. |
| 2 |
Only if not used as a substitute for core course ANTH 390 Theories, Methods, and Issues I |
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in anthropology may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing ANTH 490 Theories, Methods, and Issues II
Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.
In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
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PHIL 1
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| 1 |
Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:
|
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement) 1 | 3 | |
| ANTH | ||
| CRIM | ||
| ECON | ||
| GOVT | ||
| HIST 2 | ||
| LING | ||
| PSYC | ||
| SOCI | ||
| Or choose from the following GGS courses: | ||
| Major World Regions (Mason Core) | ||
| Human Geography (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core) | ||
| Population Geography (Mason Core) | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Urban Geography | ||
| Geography of the United States | ||
| Geography of Latin America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | ||
| Geography of the Soviet Succession States | ||
| Structures in Urban Governance and Planning | ||
| Geography of Virginia | ||
| 1 |
The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. |
| 2 |
HIST 100 History of Western Civilization (Mason Core) and HIST 125 Introduction to World History (Mason Core) may not be used to fulfill this requirement. |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by: 1 | ||
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Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test
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Or completing the following ASL three course sequence:
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| American Sign Language (ASL) I | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) II | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) III | ||
| 1 |
Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. |
Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits (additional to Mason Core Global Understanding requirement) 1 | ||
| ANTH 114 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 300 | Civilizations | 3 |
| ANTH 301 | Native North Americans | 3 |
| ANTH 302 | Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 303 | Peoples and Cultures of the Andes | 3 |
| ANTH 306 | Peoples and Cultures of Island Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 307 | Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 308 | Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 309 | Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 313 | Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 314 | Zombies | 3 |
| ANTH 316 | Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 323 | Digging and Dealing in the Dead: Ethics in Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 330 | Peoples and Cultures of Selected Regions: Non-Western | 3 |
| ANTH 332 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 381 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 383 | Cities of the Global South | 3 |
| ANTH 396 | Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARAB 360 | Topics in Arabic Cultural Production | 3 |
| ARAB 420 | Survey of Arabic Literature | 3 |
| ARAB 440 | Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 203 | Survey of Asian Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 204 | Survey of Latin American Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 206 | Survey of African Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 318 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | 3 |
| ARTH 319 | Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 320 | Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 382 | Arts of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 383 | Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 384 | Arts of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 385 | Arts of Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 386 | The Silk Road (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 482 | RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art | 3 |
| CHIN 318 | Introduction to Classical Chinese (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 320 | Contemporary Chinese Film | 3 |
| CHIN 325 | Major Chinese Writers (Mason Core) | 3 |
| DANC 118 | World Dance (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 361 | Economic Development of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 362 | African Economic Development (Mason Core) | 3 |
| FREN 451 | Topics in Sub-Saharan Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
| FREN 454 | Topics in Caribbean Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
| GGS 101 | Major World Regions (Mason Core) | 3 |
| GGS 316 | Geography of Latin America | 3 |
| GGS 325 | Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | 3 |
| GGS 330 | Geography of the Soviet Succession States | 3 |
| GGS 399 | Select Topics in GGS | 3 |
| GOVT 328 | Non-Western Political Theory | 3 |
| GOVT 332 | Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3 |
| GOVT 333 | Government and Politics of Asia | 3 |
| GOVT 340 | Central Asian Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 341 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 3 |
| GOVT 345 | Islam and Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 432 | Political Change and Social Development in Sub-Saharan Africa | 3 |
| GOVT 433 | Political Economy of East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 251 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 252 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 261 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 262 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 271 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 272 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 281 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 282 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 326 | Stalinism | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Soviet Union and Russia Since World War II | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Rise of Russia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Modern Russia and the Soviet Union (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Traditional China | 3 |
| HIST 354 | Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 356 | Modern Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Postwar Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 358 | Post-1949 China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 360 | History of South Africa (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Revolution and Radical Politics in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 365 | Conquest and Colonization in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 366 | Comparative Slavery | 3 |
| HIST 367 | History, Fiction, and Film in Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 387 | Topics in Global History (Mason Core) | 3-6 |
| HIST 426 | The Russian Revolution | 3 |
| HIST 460 | Modern Iran (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 461 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| HIST 462 | Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 465 | The Middle East in the 20th Century | 3 |
| JAPA 310 | Japanese Culture in a Global World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| JAPA 340 | Topics in Japanese Literature (Mason Core) | 3 |
| KORE 320 | Korean Popular Culture in a Global World | 3 |
| MUSI 103 | Musics of the World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 211 | Religions of the West (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 212 | Religions of Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 240 | Death and the Afterlife in World Religions | 3 |
| RELI 272 | Islam | 3 |
| RELI 313 | Hinduism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 314 | Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 315 | Buddhism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 337 | Mysticism: East and West | 3 |
| RELI 365 | Muhammad: Life and Legacy | 3 |
| RELI 374 | Islamic Thought (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 375 | Qur'an and Hadith | 3 |
| RELI 379 | Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics | 3 |
| RELI 387 | Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights | 3 |
| RELI 490 | Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 353 | Russian Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 354 | Contemporary Post-Soviet Life (Mason Core) | 3 |
| 1 |
A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. |
Note: Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Requirements | ||
| Written Communication | 6 | |
| Oral Communication | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Information Technology | 3-7 | |
| Core Requirements | ||
| Arts | 3 | |
| Global Understanding | 3 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| Natural Science | 7 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Western Civilization/World History | 3 | |
| Synthesis/Capstone Requirement 1 | ||
| Synthesis/Capstone | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
| 1 |
minimum 3 credits |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120. | ||
