Five possible minors in anthropology are offered: general anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistic anthropology. Each is satisfied by the completion of the coursework described below. Each minor requires a total of 24 credits (six 4-credit courses), distributed between lower-division courses (100-200 level) and upper-division courses (300-400 level). Exceptions to the stated requirements may be made only with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.

Only courses passed with a grade of C- or better may be counted toward fulfilling the requirements of a minor in anthropology. No courses taken under the Pass/Fail option may be used to fulfill anthropology minor requirements. The Anthropology Department’s residency requirement stipulates that a minimum of three courses (12 credits) in the minor must be taken in residence at Binghamton University.

Requirements for Sociocultural Anthropology Minor

The sociocultural anthropology minor introduces students to a range of theories, problematics and questions in the study of social and cultural differences around the world. Such training is relevant to students in a wide variety of fields, including area studies (Asian and Asian American Studies, Africana Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies), economics, geography, history, art history, political science, psychology, sociology and women’s studies. This minor is useful to students engaged with questions of cultural diversity and social behavior, and to those wanting to gain a global perspective on social problems and comparative cultural phenomena:

• the foundations course in sociocultural anthropology (four credits), ANTH 166 ;
• one sociocultural area course (four credits) that focuses on the peoples and cultures of a specific world area or region, preferably chosen from among ANTH 252 -254, ANTH 256 -258, ANTH 367 -ANTH 370  or 280/380/480 (special topics courses with a sociocultural and geographic area focus);
• three upper-level courses (12 credits) in sociocultural anthropology, chosen from among ANTH 300 , ANTH 349 -359, 360-369, 430-439, 450-ANTH 465 , ANTH 477  and 380/480 (with a sociocultural focus). A maximum four credits total of any combination of ANTH 393 /ANTH 493 /ANTH 497 /ANTH 499  is allowed;
• one elective course (four credits) taken at any level and in any subfield of anthropology or in a cognate field, to be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Of the courses taken for the minor, no more than two may be at the 100 level.