Degree Requirements

VCU is committed to a broad-based anthropology program for our majors. For this reason we offer all four subfields of anthropology- biological, linguistic, archaeological, and cultural subfields. Students are required to select at least one course from each of the four content areas.

Students majoring in anthropology and sociology must meet the B.A. or B.S. general education requirements of the College of Humanities and Sciences. In addition, the student seeking a concentration in anthropology needs 31 credits in sociology or anthropology, 21 of which must be in upper-level (300-400) ANTH courses. Students are required to take SOCY 101 Introduction to Sociology, ANTH 103 Cultural Anthropology, and ANTH 490 Senior Project. In addition anthropology concentrates must complete the study of a foreign language through the intermediate level (202 or 205), by course or by placement, or the equivalent number of courses in either computer science and/or statistics.

Physical/Biological Anthropology
ANTH 301 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (WI)

Linguistics
ANTH/ENGL 449 Introduction to Linguistics

Archaeology
ANTH 105 Introductory Archaeology
ANTH 302 Archaeological Theory (prerequisite ANTH 105)
ANTH 303 Archaeological Field Methods and Research Design (prerequisite ANTH 105)
ANTH 394 Historical Archaeology (prerequisite ANTH 105)

Social and Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 305 Comparative Society
ANTH 315 Anthropological Field Methods and Research Design (WI) (prerequisite ANTH 103)
ANTH 348 South American Ethnography (WI) (prerequisite ANTH 103)
ANTH 349 Contemporary Cultures of Latin America (WI) (prerequisite ANTH 103)
ANTH 350 Cultures of the World (regularly rotating sections include Cultures of the Caribbean and Cultures of Africa)
ANTH 415 Economic Anthropology
ANTH 416 The Origin and Evolution of the Idea of Race
ANTH 425 Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft (WI) (prerequisite ANTH 103)
ANTH 454 Anthropological Theory (prerequisite ANTH 103)