Anthropology - the study of humanity in its broadest sense - is, according to Eric Wolf “the most humanistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the humanities.” At Tulane, anthropology is divided into four subdisciplines: archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics, and socio-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 cross-disciplinary discipline, and at Tulane, anthropologists study topics as seemingly disparate as two million year-old fossil hominins, 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 the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. A separate four-field Department of Anthropology was established in 1968. In the last thirty years or so (1990-2020), the Anthropology Department more than doubled in size and diversity, and course offerings reflect that growth. In 2010, the Department and MARI moved into newly-renovated space in Dinwiddie Hall.
Tulane’s Department of Anthropology has long been known for its focus in the areas of the archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics of Mesoamerica (the region from Central Mexico to El Salvador). Today the teaching and research interests of our faculty have expanded, and in addition to Mesoamerica, they work in 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.
Requirements
Thirty credit hours of approved coursework are required for a major in anthropology. Typically, this requirement can be satisfied by ten anthropology courses. Within the 30 credit hours required for a major in anthropology, students must fulfill the following requirements for a degree in anthropology:
- At least one course above the 1000 level in each of the four major subdivisions of anthropology: archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics, 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.
- Student who choose to receive the B.S. degree must have credit for two mathematics courses.
- Newcomb-Tulane College requires all undergraduates to take a writing practicum or 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
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 2340 | Introduction to Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 2350 | Architecture and Power in the Ancient World | 3 |
| ANTH 2360 | Ancient Trade and Commerce | 3 |
| ANTH 3320 | Archaeology of Gender | 3 |
| ANTH 3430 | Archaeology of Cultural Landscapes | 3 |
| ANTH 3560 | Environmental Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 4130 | North American Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTH 4150 | African Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTH 4410 | Olmec and Maya Civilization | 3 |
| ANTH 4610 | Ceramic Analysis | 3 |
| ANTH 4620 | Lithic Analysis | 3 |
| ANTH 6100 | South American Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 6130 | Southeastern U.S. Prehistory | 3 |
| ANTH 6230 | Archaeological Theory | 3 |
| ANTH 6240 | Technical Analyses for Archaeology | 3 |
| ANTH 6430 | Archaeology of Cultural Landscapes | 3 |
| ANTH 6810 | Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs | 3 |
Biological Anthropology
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 3120 | Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction | 3 |
| ANTH 3140 | Primate Ecology and Behavior | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3450 | Methods of Observation in Behavioral Research | 3 |
| ANTH 3720 | Adaptation and Human Variability | 3 |
| ANTH 3730 | Principles of Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3745 | Bioarchaeology of Mummies | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3750 | Bones, Bodies and Disease | 3 |
| ANTH 3755 | Human Osteology | 3 |
| ANTH 3760 | Primate Evolution and Adaptation | 3 |
| ANTH 4510 | Species Concepts in Human Paleontology | 3 |
| ANTH 6020 | The Neandertal Enigma | 3 |
| ANTH 6120 | Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction | 3 |
| ANTH 6140 | Primate Ecology and Behavior | 3,4 |
| ANTH 6480 | Human Functional Morphology | 3 |
| ANTH 6500 | Human Evolution | 3 |
| ANTH 6745 | Bioarchaeology of Mummies | 3 |
Linguistics
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 3290 | The Nature of Language | 3 |
| ANTH 3310 | Historical Linguistics | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3330 | Anthropology of Gender | 3 |
| ANTH 3400 | Language and Culture | 3 |
| ANTH 3440 | Dialectology | 3 |
| ANTH 3441 | Lexicography | 3 |
| ANTH 3520 | Diaspora Yoruba | 3 |
| ANTH 3535 | Native American Language and Linguistics | 3 |
| ANTH 3590 | Introduction To Syntax | 3 |
| ANTH 3640 | Phonology | 3 |
| ANTH 3650 | Morphology | 3 |
| ANTH 3660 | Discourse Analysis | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3670 | Language & Acquisition | 3 |
| ANTH 3680 | Language and Power | 3 |
| ANTH 3690 | Language and Gender | 3,4 |
| ANTH 3780 | Language Death | 3 |
| ANTH 4930 | Languages of Louisiana | 3,4 |
| ANTH 6400 | Language and Culture | 3 |
| ANTH 6415 | Pidgins and Creoles | 3 |
| ANTH 6420 | Linguistic Field Methods | 3 |
| ANTH 6700 | Spoken Nahuatl | 3 |
| ANTH 6720 | Spoken Yoruba | 3 |
| ANTH 6800 | Spoken Yucatecan Maya | 3 |
| ANTH 6840 | Beginning Kaqchikel (Maya) Language | 3,4 |
Socio-cultural Anthropology
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 2030 | The Anthropology of Women and Men | 3 |
| ANTH 3010 | Hunters and Gatherers | 3 |
| ANTH 3060 | South American Indians | 3 |
| ANTH 3110 | Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa | 3 |
| ANTH 3160 | Peoples of The Pacific | 3 |
| ANTH 3190 | Economic Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3330 | Anthropology of Gender | 3 |
| ANTH 3360 | Anthropology of Cities | 3 |
| ANTH 3370 | Locating Southeast Asia | 3 |
| ANTH 3395 | Ethnography of Performance and Identity in New Orleans and French Louisiana | 3 |
| ANTH 3470 | Many Faces of Islam | 3 |
| ANTH 3570 | Indigenous Movements in Latin America | 3 |
| ANTH 3580 | The Politics of Fieldwork | 3 |
| ANTH 3700 | Environmental Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3710 | Historical Ecology of Amazonia | 3 |
| ANTH 3770 | Global Vietnam | 3 |
| ANTH 3850 | The Four-Field Model | 3 |
| ANTH 4210 | Seminar in Historical Ecology | 3 |
| ANTH 6060 | South American Indians | 3 |
| ANTH 6210 | Development of Anthropological Theory | 3 |
| ANTH 6340 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 6395 | Ethnography of Performance and Identity in New Orleans and French Louisiana | 3 |
| ANTH 6520 | Ethnographic Methods | 3 |
| ANTH 6570 | Indigenous Movements in Latin America | 3 |
| ANTH 6580 | The Politics of Fieldwork | 3 |
| ANTH 6710 | Historical Ecology of Amazonia | 3 |
| ANTH 6870 | Kaqchikel Maya Culture | 3 |
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.