Anthropology
College of Social and Behavioral Science
25
Average
Class Size
172
Declared
Majors
Bennion
Center
Capstones
Program
Courses
Getting Started
Begin with any of these courses:
- ANTH 1020 - Human Origins
- ANTH 1010 - Culture and the Human Experience
- ANTH 1030 - Prehistoric Archaeology
- ANTH 1050 - Evolution of Human Nature
Making Progress
Participate in a field school. We offer three archaeological field schools:
- Great Basin Archaeology - Range Creek, UT
- Zooarchaeology - Eagle Lake, CA
- Maya Archaeology - El Mirador Basin, Guatemala
We also offer two cultural anthropology field schools:
- Culture, Ecology, and Sustainability Field School - Baja California Sur, Mexico
- Ethnographic Field School - the Kingdom of Tonga
Finishing Up
- Meet with your academic advisor(s) to ensure that you have a plan to complete the academic requirements for your major and/or minor
- Apply for graduation
Community
Getting Started
- Meet and socialize with Anthropology professors and students through the Anthropology Club
- Join the ANTH SAC
- Consider being a student ambassador
Making Progress
- Engage in leadership opportunities like student government or become an orientation leader, LEAP Peer Mentor, or Bennion Center Scholar
- Consider becoming a research assistant for the Shoshoni Language Project
- Become a student member of a professional association aligned with your major, such as the AAPA or the SAA
Finishing Up
- Participate in a CEL class like ENVST 3365 - Environmental Justice
- Build research and presentation skills in ANTH 5500 - Anthropology Capstone
Knowledge & Skills
Getting Started
- Become familiar with academic resources like the Marriott Library, Knowledge Commons, the Writing Center, and the Learning Center
- Learn how to generate and read your degree audit
Making Progress
Connect with faculty members to identify possible research opportunities
Choose courses that teach a specific skill:
- ANTH 5169 - Ethnographic Methods
- ANTH 3271 - Human Osteology
- ANTH 3850 - Introduction to Museum Collections
Become a research assistant in an Anthropology lab:
- Ancient DNA Lab
- Population Genetics Lab
- Zooarchaeology Lab
- Molecular Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Lab
Finishing Up
- Turn your research into a thesis or UGS capstone project
- Explore graduate programs to take your knowledge and skills to the next level
- Become a Community Engaged Scholar
Transformation
Getting Started
- Apply for Department of Anthropology funding opportunities such as the Giles W.and Elise G. Mead Foundation Endowed Scholarship
- Meet with a Career Coach or a Student Success Coach
Making Progress
- Attend MUSE Casual Fridays to make connections with peers and professors
- Attend the ENVST/ANTH/GEOG undergraduate research symposium in September to learn about available research projects
- Find a faculty mentor
- Talk with your advisor about which of your major or allied classes incorporates elements of sustainability, such as ANTH 3486 - Human Ecology
Finishing Up
- Lead an Alternative Spring/Fall Break group
- Participate in graduation ceremonies
- Compile an e-portfolio of your favorite projects, assignments, and experiences
Impact
Getting Started
- Explore programs such as UROP, Solution Scholars, Bennion Center Scholars, the Honors College, or Lassonde+X
Making Progress
- Learn about the UGS Capstone Programs, including ANTH 5500 - Anthropology Capstone
- Consider an Alternative Spring or Fall Break through the Bennion Center
- Volunteer through the Natural History Museum of Utah
- Engage in community service projects through Red Butte Gardens, the Edible Campus Gardens, or the Bennion Center
Finishing Up
- Become an Anthropology undergraduate Teaching Assistant in ANTH 4955
- Present your undergraduate research at the CSBS Undergraduate Research Symposium in April
Careers
Getting Started
- Stop by the Career Studio (SSB 350) to get started with your resume and identify your strengths, interests, and personality
- Activate and customize your Handshake account to find jobs, internships, and career opportunities
- Meet with a Pre-Professional Advisor if you're interested in medical or law school
Making Progress
- Take ANTH 2001 - Anthropology as a Major and Career to see what you can do with a degree in Anthropology
- Attend the Meet and Eats and Career Treks events offered by the CPDC
- Attend a career fair or expo
- Create a LinkedIn account
- Stop by the Career Studio to update your resume or meet with a Career Coach to discuss your goals and plans after graduation
- Consider an internship with a potential employer using Handshake or the CSBS or ENVST Internship websites
Finishing Up
- Refine your resume and graduate school applications at the Career Studio
- Practice interviewing with a Career Coach
- Explore and apply for jobs and graduate schools in your desired area(s) of interest
Start Your Career Journey
Find support at the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC)
About the Major
You can take classes that reflect our faculty's regional expertise in Australia, New Guinea, Latin America, Europe, and Western North America. Topics include archaeological science, human evolutionary genetics, behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherer ethnography, and evolutionary approaches to human and nonhuman primate behavior. Outside of the traditional classroom, you'll have opportunities to participate in independent research and gain practical, hands-on experience with lab-based classes in our human osteology, zooarchaeology, or archaeology labs. You can also participate in one of several cultural anthropology or archaeology field programs. We have a small but productive faculty, who do important research across disciplines and encourage students to do the same.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe variation among humans and their closest relatives across the world and through time.
- Specify each of the major sub-fields in anthropology and contrast each of their approaches to studying and measuring variation.
- Apply anthropological research methods to answer a question or solve a problem.
- Explain aspects of human variation using evolutionary and social theory.
- Evaluate and synthesize scientific hypotheses about human variation using empirical data
Plan & Prepare
At the U, we plan for our students to have an exceptional Educational Experience identified by four broad categories we call the Learning Framework: Community, Knowledge & Skills, Transformation, and Impact. This major map will help you envision, explore, design, and plan your personalized Exceptional Education Experience with the Learning Framework at the core. In addition to assisting you in planning your coursework and navigating the requirements of your major, this map will help you incorporate other kinds of experiences to expand your knowledge, support your development, and prepare you for the future you want.