Brown University

Source: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/anth/ Parent: https://www.brown.edu/undergraduate-programs/anthropology-ab

Anthropology is the study of human beings from all times and all places, offering a holistic, comparative, international, and humanistic perspective. In studying and interpreting the vast range of similarities and differences in human societies and cultures, anthropologists also seek to understand how people themselves make sense of the world in which they live. The Department of Anthropology at Brown is a vibrant, award-winning group of scholars working primarily in the subfields of cultural anthropology, archaeology, and anthropological linguistics.  Anthropology is a varied discipline and the Concentration at Brown University reflects that diversity. Students concentrating in Anthropology must declare one of six possible concentration tracks: sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, anthropological linguistics, biological anthropology, medical anthropology, or general anthropology.

The department also supports students involved in Engaged Scholarship through the Swearer Center, through which students may pursue an Engaged Scholarship Certificate. Study abroad is also supported and encouraged. Interested students may contact the director of undergraduate studies.

Students who declared a concentration prior to fall 2019 can refer to concentration requirements here:https://bulletin.brown.edu/archive/2018-19/the-college/concentrations/anth/

General Anthropology Track

Medical Anthropology Track

1 : Other appropriate anthropology courses may be used to fulfill this requirement with DUS approval

2 : Most qualifying courses will bear a BIOL, PHP, or CLPS designation but students can choose any appropriate course to fulfill this requirement with DUS approval.

Socio-Cultural Anthropology Track

Linguistic Anthropology Track

1 : This course is in addition to the nine courses required in ANTH.   Given the teaching commitments of departmental faculty, eligible courses will generally be offered only in departments other than Anthropology. Recommended courses include Introduction to Linguistics (LING 0100) or Sociolinguistics (SLAV 1300). Students may also choose another appropriate course to fulfill this requirement with DUS approval.

2 : This course is in addition to the nine courses required in ANTH.  Students interested in studying a language not offered at Brown should consult with Linguistic Anthropology faculty and the DUS.

Anthropological Archaeology Track

1 : This requirement will be waived for students who have completed an archaeological field school.  The field school must be approved in advance of its completion for the requirement to be waived.  Per the broader requirements of the concentration, students must still complete nine anthropology credits at Brown or via transfer credits.  Note that many field schools do not carry credit.

2 : Other anthropological archaeology courses with significant geographic focus may be used to fulfill this requirement with DUS approval.

3 : Other anthropology courses with significant archaeological, material culture, or museum studies focus may be used to fulfill this requirement with DUS approval.

Biological Anthropology Track

1 : Other courses may be substituted to meet this requirement with the permission of the DUS.

Research Opportunities and Engaged Scholarship

Training in anthropology is not limited to the classroom.  Students are urged to seek out extracurricular opportunities that will round out their anthropological studies.  Such experiences might include internships, study abroad, field schools, faculty research apprenticeships, and independent projects. Interested students may contact the director of undergraduate studies.

Anthropology concentrators who are especially interested in making deeper connections between their concentration curriculum and long-term engagement with local communities in Providence and beyond may choose to pursue an Engaged Scholarship designation through the Swearer Center. Engaged scholars combine hands-on experiences such as internships, public service, humanitarian and development work with their academic learning in order to develop a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, social engagement. While most anthropology courses have some sort of ‘engaged’ element, being an Engaged Scholar in Anthropology means making a commitment to engaging more actively and intensively with the communities in which a student is living.

All Anthropology tracks are compatible with the Engaged Scholarship Certificate.

Honors

Honors

Candidates for honors should apply to the concentration advisor by the end of their 6th semester, but no later than the 4th week of the 7th semester. An application consists of a thesis proposal of 2-3 pages, describing the major research questions and methods to be used. Candidates will prepare their proposals in close consultation with their primary advisor. Candidates for honors are required to:

1. Fulfill the standard concentration requirements.
2. Have completed at least two thirds of the concentration requirements by the end of the sixth semester.
3. Be in good standing
4. Have earned a majority of “A” grades in the concentration. Classes taken S/NC will count as qualifying towards that majority if they are marked “S* with distinction” indicating that had the student taken the course for a grade, the grade would have been an “A.”

Honors candidates will:

1. Take two half-credit Anthropology Thesis Workshop courses (ANTH 1930) and at least one additional independent study course (ANTH 1970) with the thesis advisor, usually in the student’s final semester.
2. In consultation with the primary thesis advisor, identify a second reader by the start of the seventh semester.
3. Submit an approved honors thesis by the deadline stipulated each year.
4. Present the thesis in the Honors Theses Symposium in the Anthropology department.

More information on honors is available here: https://www.brown.edu/academics/anthropology/honors