Anthropology, BA

Location(s): Main Campus

Anthropology studies human populations and cultures in comparative, historical, and evolutionary frameworks. The curriculum promotes understanding the variety of past and present human groups, the cultures and societies people create, the processes that animate cultural production and social life, and the processes that underlie human biological development and evolution. Students learn and apply anthropologists’ research methods and theoretical constructs to investigate peoples and their social worlds. Excavating and analyzing the remains of past cultures, studying the interaction of biology and culture, and examining global social and cultural changes are but a few of the approaches anthropologists use to investigate the human way of life.

Students majoring in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) receive excellent training for undertaking graduate studies in anthropology or related fields or for careers outside of academia.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the general education section in the Academic Policies and Procedures for Undergraduate Students or the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements (40 credits total)

A. One foundation course in General Anthropology such as:

ANTH 111 Introduction to Anthropology

B. One sub-field foundation course in Anthropology such as:

Biological Anthropology

ANTH 168 Introduction to Biological Anthropology

Linguistic Anthropology

ANTH 114 Language, Culture, & Communication in US
ANTH 118 Intro to Linguistic Structures
ANTH 170 Intro to Linguistic Anthropology

Sociocultural Anthropology

ANTH 166 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology

Archaeology

ANTH 125 Buried Cities & Lost Tribes
ANTH 167 Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 169 Historical Archaeology

C. One Anthropology course taken at the 100 or 200-level

Students pursuing the SUNY transfer path must fulfill this requirement with one of the following:

D. One History of Anthropology course such as:

ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Thought

E. Three courses in Anthropology taken at the upper-level (300-400)

Maximum of 4 credits of ANTH 393/493, ANTH 495, or ANTH 497

Students pursuing the SUNY transfer path must take one of the following courses toward this requirement:

F. Two elective courses in Anthropology, Social Science, or Natural Science

One course must be taken at the upper-level (300/400)

Students pursuing the SUNY transfer path must fulfill this requirement with one of the following:

G. One 400-level Anthropology Capstone Course or Honors Thesis such as:

ANTH 497 Independent Work
ANTH 499 Senior Honors
Additional 400-level Anthropology courses as approved by Director of Undergraduate Studies

Additional Information about the Program

Note: ANTH 491 may not be counted toward the BA major requirements.

Only courses passed with a grade of C- or better are counted toward fulfilling the requirements of an anthropology major; transfer courses also must be C- or better to count toward the major. No more than one course taken under the Pass/Fail option is accepted to fulfill the requirements for the anthropology major.

Residency Requirement: The Anthropology Department’s residency requirement stipulates that a minimum of seven courses (28 credits) in the major must be taken in residence at Binghamton University.

For more information on the Anthropology BA program, please refer to the Anthropology department website. To apply to the Anthropology BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.