Anthropology - the study of humanity in its broadest sense - is, according to the late cultural anthropologist Eric Wolf, “the most humanistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the humanities.” At Tulane, anthropology is divided into four subdisciplines: anthropological archaeology, biological anthropology, anthropological linguistics, and socio-cultural or cultural anthropology. These subdisciplines or fields are interconnected. Anthropologists at Tulane often straddle the boundaries of the subdisciplines, and they collaborate with scholars from other departments and schools of the University. Anthropology is perhaps the world’s oldest transdisciplinary field of study. At Tulane, anthropologists study topics as seemingly disparate as two million year-old fossil hominins in Africa, capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, the impact of Islam in West Africa, Mayan hieroglyphic texts, political movements in Mexico, indigenous use of the environment in the Amazon, variations in spoken New Orleans English - and much more!
The roots of Tulane’s Department of Anthropology date from 1924, when the Department of Middle American Research (now the Middle American Research Institute [MARI]) was founded on the Uptown Campus. Anthropology courses were first offered at Tulane during the 1938-1939 academic year, and by 1947, anthropologists were employed in a Department of Sociology and Anthropology. A separate four-field Department of Anthropology was established in 1968. In 2010, the Department and MARI moved into newly-renovated space in Dinwiddie Hall. The Department of Anthropology has since 1990 more than doubled in size and diversity of the faculty, and course offerings today reflect that growth.
Tulane’s Department of Anthropology has long been known for its focus in the areas of archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics of Mesoamerica (the region from Central Mexico to El Salvador), and the department retains that area of emphasis. In addition, today the geographical teaching and research interests of our faculty include, in addition to Mesoamerica, North America (especially the southeastern United States and the Gulf South); South America (especially the Andes and the Amazon); lower Central America and the Caribbean; West Africa; the South Asian subcontinent; Southeast Asia; and Europe.
- At least one course above the 1000 level in each of the four major subdivisions of anthropology: anthropological archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and socio-cultural anthropology.
- Students may take no more than two 1000-level courses (six credit hours) as electives to be counted towards the 30 credit hours required for degrees in anthropology.
- Five or six elective courses in anthropology.
- Newcomb-Tulane College requires all undergraduates to take a writing-intensive course to fulfill its undergraduate writing requirement. Some anthropology courses may have writing-intensive sections, but the additional credit hours earned through writing-intensive courses are not counted towards the 30 hours necessary for degrees in anthropology.
Four Major Subdivisions
Archaeology
Biological Anthropology
Linguistics
Socio-cultural Anthropology
Additional Information
Given the diversity of topics of interest to anthropologists, anthropology majors are encouraged to take a variety of courses in the different anthropological subfields and in related disciplines, and they are encouraged to integrate anthropology coursework within pre-professional programs of study. Upon consultation with anthropology faculty advisors, students may count up to six credits (two courses) as electives towards the anthropology major from approved courses in other departments.
The subject matter of anthropology is such that most of the curriculum is not an explicitly ordered sequence. Few anthropology courses at Tulane have specific prerequisites (exceptions, mostly linguistic courses, are noted in the catalog), and anthropology majors are expected to choose their courses from among all those with numbers less than 7000. The 6000-level courses are specifically designed for undergraduate as well as graduate students, and all junior and senior majors should choose freely from among these offerings.
Anthropology majors are eligible to apply for the 4+1 program in anthropology, based on consultation with advisors and other mentors. Students in the 4+1 program can earn B.A. or B.S. degrees in anthropology within four years, and M.A. degrees in anthropology based on an additional year of graduate coursework in anthropology taken during their fourth and fifth years. Requirements for this program are outlined on the departmental web site and in the anthropology majors handbook.
The anthropology department administers the Kenneth J. Opat Fund in Anthropology, reserved for the support of undergraduate research in anthropology. Students majoring in anthropology are encouraged to seek further information from their anthropology advisors about the use of this research fund.
