Arts & Sciences Anthropology

Description

The Department of Anthropology synthesizes humanistic and scientific perspectives on human biological and cultural diversity as well as the evolutionary trends seen for humankind. Students and faculty bring this integrated perspective to interactions and collaborations with others in a variety of departments and programs in each of the Colleges across the University.

Courses in anthropology acquaint students with the range of human behavior as differentially explored within each of the subdisciplines within anthropology—archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Methodological courses outfit students with valuable analytic and research skills in qualitative, quantitative and GIS analysis as well as in content-appropriate analytic protocols, as for the analysis of archaeological and ethnographic materials.
 

Recommendations. Because of the broad and interdisciplinary nature of anthropology, we recommend that majors select additional courses outside the department to enhance their appreciation of and improve their skills in related disciplines. The student’s advisor will make specific course recommendations in keeping with individual needs and interests. See also online Career Paths.

Program Assessment. In order to assist the department in evaluating the effectiveness of its program, majors will, as they complete an ACE 10 course in their junior or senior year:

1. Participate in a focus group discussion of programmatic strengths and weaknesses.
2. Complete an exit survey, submitted anonymously.

Results of participation in these assessment activities will in no way affect a student’s GPA or graduation.

College Requirements

College Admission

College Admission

The entrance requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences are the same as the UNL General Admission Requirements. Students who are admitted through the Admission by Review process may have certain conditions attached to their enrollment at UNL. These conditions are explained under “Removal of Deficiencies.”

In addition to these requirements, the College of Arts and Sciences strongly recommends a third and fourth year of one foreign language. Four years of high school coursework in the same language will fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences’ language requirement. It will also allow students to continue language study at a more advanced level at UNL, and provide more opportunity to study abroad.

Transfer Students

To be considered for admission as a transfer student, Nebraska resident or nonresident, students must have an accumulated average of C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) and a minimum C average in the last semester of attendance at another college. Transfer students who graduated from high school January 1997 and after must also meet the UNL General Admission Requirements. Those transfer students who graduated before January 1997 must have completed in high school, 3 years of English, 2 years of the same foreign language, 2 years of algebra, and 1 year of geometry. Transfer students who have completed less than 12 credit hours of college study must also submit either their ACT or SAT scores.

Ordinarily, hours earned at a similarly accredited college or university are applicable to the UNL degree.  The College, however, will evaluate all hours submitted on an application for transfer, and reserves the right to accept or reject any of them, based upon its exclusion and restriction policies. Sixty is the maximum number of hours the University will accept on transfer from a two-year college or international institution. Transfer credit in the major or minor must be approved by the departmental advisor on a Request for Substitution Form to meet specific course requirements, group requirements, or course level requirements in the major or minor. At least half of the hours in the major field must be completed at the University regardless of the number of hours transferred.

The College of Arts and Sciences will accept no more than 15 semester hours of C- and D grades from other schools. The C- and D grades cannot be applied toward requirements for a major or minor. This policy does not apply to the transfer of grades from UNO or UNK to UNL. All D grades may be transferred from UNO or UNK, but they are not applicable to a major or minor.

Readmitted Students

UNL students who choose not to take courses for more than 2 consecutive terms, must reapply to UNL.  Students readmitted to the College of Arts and Sciences will follow the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year of readmission and re-enrollment as a degree-seeking student in Arts and Sciences. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at UNL in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. Beginning in 1990-1991, the catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation.

Admission Deficiencies/Removal of Deficiencies

Students must remove entrance deficiencies in geometry and foreign language as soon as possible, and before graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences.  For questions and more information, students should consult a college advisor in the Academic and Career Advising Center in 107 Oldfather Hall.

Removing Foreign Language Deficiencies

Students must complete the second semester of a first year language sequence to clear the deficiency and the second semester of the second year language sequence to complete the college graduation requirement in language.

Removing Geometry Deficiencies

A deficiency of one year of geometry can be removed by taking high school geometry courses through an approved independent study program, or by completing a geometry course from an accredited community college or a four-year institution. Neither of these options will count for college credit.

College Degree Requirements

College Distribution Requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (16 hours + Language)

The College of Arts and Sciences distribution requirements are designed to further the purposes of liberal education by encouraging study in several different areas within the College. All requirements are in addition to University ACE requirements. A student may not use a single course to satisfy more than one of the following five distribution requirements. A student cannot use a single course to satisfy both an ACE outcome and a College distribution requirement. A student cannot use a course from their primary major to satisfy the Breadth Requirement (F), but may apply an ancillary requirement of the primary major or a course from their second major toward this requirement. Independent study or reading courses and internships cannot be used to satisfy distribution requirements. To see a complete list of excluded courses, run a degree audit through MyRED.

Courses from interdisciplinary programs will count in the same area as courses from the home/cross-listed department(s).
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
College Distribution Requirements
CDR A - Written Communication		3
Select from courses approved for ACE outcome 1.
CDR B and BL - Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences with Lab		4
Select from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geology, meteorology, mathematics, physics and statistics. Must include one lab in the natural or physical sciences. Lab courses may be selected from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, geology, meteorology and physics. Select courses from geography1 and anthropology1 may also be used to satisfy the lab requirement.
CDR C - Humanities		3
Select from classics2, English, history, modern languages and literatures2, philosophy, and religious studies2.
CDR D - Social Science		3
Select from: anthropology3, communication studies, geography3, political science, psychology3, or sociology.
CDR E - Language		0-16
Fulfilled by the completion of the 6-credit-hour second-year sequence in a single foreign language in one of the following departments: Classics and religious studies, modern languages and literatures, or anthropology. Instruction is currently available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Omaha, Russian, and Spanish. A student who has completed the fourth-year level of one foreign language in high school is exempt from the languages requirement.
CDR F - Additional Breadth		3
Select from: natural, physical and mathematical sciences (Area B), humanities (Area C), or social sciences (Area D). Cannot be a course from the primary major.
Credit Hours Subtotal:		16-32

1	See degree audit or a College of Arts and Sciences advisor for approved geography and anthropology courses that apply as natural science.
2	Language courses numbered 210 or below apply only for the foreign language requirement.
3	See degree audit or College of Arts and Sciences advisor for list of natural/physical science courses in anthropology, geography, and psychology that do not apply as social science.

Scientific Base

Bachelor of Science Only (60 hours)

The bachelor of science degree requires students to complete 60 hours in mathematical, physical and natural sciences. Approved courses for scientific base credit come from the following College of Arts and Sciences disciplines: actuarial science, anthropology (selected courses), astronomy, biochemistry (excluding BIOC 101), biological sciences (excluding BIOS 203), chemistry (excluding CHEM 101), computer science (excluding CSCE 10), geography (selected courses), geology, life sciences, mathematics (excluding courses below MATH 104), meteorology, microbiology, physics and statistics.

See your degree audit or a College of Arts and Sciences advisor for a complete list including individual classes that fall outside of the disciplines listed above. Up to 12 hours of scientific and technical courses offered by other colleges may be accepted toward this requirement with approval of a college advisor.

Foreign Languages/Language Requirement

Languages Exemption Policy

UNL and the College of Arts and Sciences will exempt or waive students from the UNL entrance requirement of two years of the same foreign language or from the College’s language distribution requirement based on documentation only. The following are the options and procedures for documentation:

High School Transcripts

For the University entrance requirement, students must show an official high school transcript with two or more years of the same foreign language.

For the College of Arts and Sciences College Distribution Requirement E-Language, students must show an official high school transcript with four or more years of the same foreign language in high school, or show evidence of graduation from a non-English-speaking foreign high school. Students whose native language is not English must show English as a Second Language study on an official high school transcript. Four years of ESL at the high school level (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades) will be the basis for a waiver of the CDR E Language requirement.

Proficiency Examination at UNL

For the University entrance requirement, students who do not have transcript documentation can request to take a proficiency exam in the language. (This is not the same test as the Modern Languages Placement Exam.) However, UNL will provide testing only in the languages it teaches. Currently, these languages are: Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Czech, Japanese, Chinese.

For the College of Arts and Sciences College Distribution Requirement E-Language, the Department of Modern Languages will oversee the test at the 202 level. If the student passes the test, the department will sign the College Request for Waiver form and indicate the level of proficiency. The form is then forwarded to the Arts and Sciences Advising Center for approval.

The Department of Modern Languages will oversee the test and provide written documentation to the Arts and Sciences Advising Center the level of proficiency passed.

Distance Education

For the University entrance requirement, students without transcript documentation who claim proficiency in a language not taught at UNL, have the option of seeking out a distance education program in languages. If the student completes the equivalent of 102 from an approved distance education program, the student will meet the UNL entrance requirement. The student must have the course work approved before he/she takes/completes the course as equivalent to 102 by a College advisor. The student then completes the course and has the distance education program send the transcript to the Admissions Office.

For the College of Arts and Sciences College Distribution Requirement E-Language, the student can seek out a distance education program and complete the equivalent of the 202-level course. The student must submit the request on the College Request for Substitution form and have the course work approved by a College advisor. The student then completes the course and has the distance education program send the transcript to the Admissions Office.

Third Language Option

If a student demonstrates knowledge of two foreign languages at the 102 level, the College of Arts and Sciences may consider waiving two semesters of the four semester College Distribution Requirement E-Languages requirement. If this waiver were granted, the student would then be required to complete 101 and 102 in another, 3rd foreign language at UNL.

Minimum Hours Required for Graduation

A minimum of 120 semester hours of credit is required for graduation from the College of Arts and Sciences. A total grade point average of at least 2.0 is required.

Grade Rules

Restrictions on C- and D Grades

The College will accept no more than 15 semester hours of C- and D grades from other schools except for UNO and UNK. No transfer C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor. No UNL C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor.

Pass/No Pass Privilege

University regulations for the Pass/No Pass (P/N) privilege state:

• The Pass/No Pass option is designed for your use by seeking to expand your intellectual horizons by taking courses in areas where you may have had minimal preparation.
• Neither the P nor the N grade contribute to your GPA.
• P is interpreted to mean C or above.
• A change to or from a Pass/No Pass may be made until mid-term (see academic calendar for specific dates per term).
• The Pass/No Pass or grade registration cannot conflict with the policy of the professor, department, college, or University governing the grading option.
• Changing to or from Pass/No Pass requires using the MyRED system to change the grading option or filing a Drop/Add form with the Office of the University Registrar, 107 Canfield Administration Building. After mid-term of the course, a student registered for Pass/No Pass cannot change to a grade registration unless the Pass/No Pass registration is in conflict with the policy of the professor, department, college, or University governing Pass/No Pass.
• The Pass/No Pass grading option cannot be used for the removal of C- or D or F grades.

Pass/No Pass privileges in the College of Arts and Sciences are extended to students according to the following additional regulations:

• Pass/No Pass hours can count toward fulfillment of University ACE requirements and college distribution requirements up to the 24-hour maximum.
• Most Arts and Sciences departments and programs do not allow courses graded Pass/No Pass to apply to the major or minor. Students should refer to the department’s or program’s section of the catalog for clarification. By college rule, departments can allow up to 6 hours of Pass/No Pass in the major or minor.
• Departments may specify that certain courses of theirs can be taken only on a P/N basis.
• The college will permit no more than a total of 24 semester hours of P/N grades to be applied toward degree requirements. This total includes all Pass grades earned at UNL and other U.S. schools. NOTE: This 24-hour limit is more restrictive than the University regulation.

Grading Appeals

A student who feels that he/she has been unfairly graded must ordinarily take the following sequential steps in a timely manner, usually by initiating the appeal in the semester following the awarding of the grade:

1. Talk with the instructor concerned. Most problems are resolved at this point.
2. Talk to the instructor’s department chairperson.
3. Take the case to the Grading Appeal Committee of the department concerned. The Committee should be contacted through the department chairperson.
4. Take the case to the College Grading Appeals Committee by contacting the Dean’s Office, 1223 Oldfather Hall.

Course Level Requirements

Courses Numbered above 299

Thirty of the 120 semester hours of credit must be in courses numbered above 299. Of the 30 hours above 299, 15 hours (1/2) must be completed in residence at UNL.

Graduate Courses

Seniors in the University who have obtained in advance the approval of the dean for Graduate Studies may receive up to 12 hours credit for graduate courses taken in addition to the courses necessary to complete their undergraduate work, provided that such credits are earned within the calendar year prior to receipt of the baccalaureate. For procedures, inquire at the Office of Graduate Studies.

Course work taken prior to receipt of the baccalaureate may not always be accepted for transfer to other institutions as graduate work.

Residency

Residency Requirement and Open Enrollment and Summer Independent Study Courses

Students must complete at least 30 of the 120 total hours for their degree at UNL. Students must complete at least 1/2 of their major course work including 6 hours above 299 in their major, and 15 of the 30 hours required above 299 in residence. Credit earned during education abroad may be used toward the residency requirement if students register through UNL and participate in prior-approved education abroad programs. UNL open enrollment and summer independent study courses count toward residence.

ACE Requirements

Consistent with the mission and values of the University, ACE is based on a shared set of four institutional objectives and ten student learning outcomes. The ACE program was approved by faculty in all eight undergraduate colleges and endorsed by the Faculty Senate, the student government, and the Academic Planning Committee in January 2008 for implementation in the fall 2009. ACE aligns with current national initiatives in general education.

Key characteristics of ACE demonstrate the benefits of the program to students:
 

• Students receive a broad education with exposure to multiple disciplines, critical life skills and important reasoning, inquiry, and civic capacities.
• ACE is simple and transparent for students, faculty and advisors. Students complete the equivalent of 3 credit hours for each of the ten student learning outcomes.
• Students connect and integrate their ACE experiences with their selected major.
• Students can transfer all ACE certified courses across colleges within the institution to meet the ACE requirement and any course from outside the institution that is directly equivalent to a UNL ACE-certified course. Courses from outside institutions without direct equivalents may be considered with appropriate documentation for ACE credit (see academic advisor).

ACE allows faculty to assess and improve their effectiveness and facilitate students’ learning.

ACE Institutional Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes

To meet the ACE Program requirement, a student will complete a minimum of 3 credit hours for each of the ten ACE Student Learning Outcomes (a total of 30 ACE credit hours). See the ACE website at: http://ace.unl.edu for the most current information and the most recently certified courses.

Catalog Rule

Students must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year in which they are first admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at UNL. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at UNL in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. Beginning in 1990-1991 the catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation.

Learning Outcomes

Majors in anthropology will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of variation in primate, hominin and human biology and behavior, over time and across space.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of and respect for the similarities and differences that characterize humans and human societies in the world, over time and across space.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how and why change in human form and society occurs over time, as manifest around the world.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between methods and their theoretical and practical applications
5. Understand ethical aspects of anthropological research and results.

Major Requirements

Thirty-one (31) hours of anthropology as described below. At least 12 hours must be in courses at the 300 or 400 level.

Core Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ANTH 212 / ETHN 212	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	3
ANTH 232	Introduction to Archaeology	3
ANTH 242 & ANTH 242L	Introduction to Biological Anthropology and Introduction to Biological Anthropology Laboratory	4
Total Credit Hours		10

Specific Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Advanced Anthropology Courses
Select one course from each of the following areas:		9
Archaeology
ANTH 337	Archaeology of the American Southwest
ANTH 386	Digital Heritage Tools
ANTH 431	Historical Archaeology: Current Topics
ANTH 432	History and Theory of Archaeology
ANTH 433	North American Archaeology
ANTH 434	Introduction to Great Plains Archaeology
ANTH 436 / LAMS 436	The Ancient Maya
ANTH 438 / CLAS 438	Archaeologies of Europe
Biological Anthropology
ANTH 344	Human Osteology
ANTH 374	Primate Behavior and Ecology
ANTH 385	Human Origins
ANTH 422	Medical Anthropology
ANTH 442	Human Variation
ANTH 430 / NUTR 430	Nutritional Anthropology
ANTH 443	Dental Anthropology
ANTH 448 / BIOS 448	Human Growth and Development
Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 351 / ETHN 351	Indigenous Peoples of North America
ANTH 352 / ETHN 352	Indigenous Peoples of the Great Plains
ANTH 353	Anthropology of War
ANTH 362 / ETHN 362	Peoples and Cultures of Africa
ANTH 366 / ETHN 366	Peoples and Cultures of East Asia
ANTH 410 / WMNS 410	Gender: An Anthropological Perspective
ANTH 412	Family, Marriage, and Kinship
ANTH 416	Digital Anthropologies 1
ANTH 417	History of Anthropological Theory 1
ANTH 418	Ethnology and Museums
ANTH 419	Art and Anthropology of Native North Americans
ANTH 451 / ETHN 451	Contemporary Issues of Indigenous Peoples in North America
ANTH 472	Belief Systems: Animism to Zombies
ANTH 473	Ecological Anthropology
ANTH 474	Applied and Development Anthropology 1
ANTH 477	Hunters-Gatherers
ANTH 488	Contentious Issues in Anthropology 1
Credit Hours Subtotal:		9
Research Methods
Select one of the following: 2		3
ANTH 290	Fieldwork
ANTH 389	GIS in Archaeology
ANTH 461	Geospatial Approaches in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
ANTH 482	Field Methods in Ethnography
ANTH 484	Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
ANTH 487	Analysis of Archaeological Materials
ANTH 490	Advanced Field Work
ANTH 491	Advanced Laboratory Work
Credit Hours Subtotal:		3
Additional Anthropology Courses
Choose additional anthroplogy courses at any level.		9
Credit Hours Subtotal:		9
Total Credit Hours		21

1	Integrative course work is recommended. Courses above with 1 integrate knowledge from each of the subdisciplines of anthropology.
2	Fieldwork is recommended. Only 6 credits total of ANTH 290 and ANTH 490 may count toward the major. Only 3 credits of ANTH 291 or ANTH 491 may count toward the major.

Additional Major Requirements

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

A grade of C or better must be earned in all courses in the major and minor.

Pass/No Pass

No course taken Pass/No Pass will be applicable to the major or minor.

Course Level Requirement

At least 12 hours in courses numbered in the 300 and 400 series. May be satisfied by courses from the Advanced Anthropology course list or the Research Methods course list.

Requirements for Minor Offered by Department

Eighteen (18) hours of anthropology including:
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ANTH 110	Introduction to Anthropology	3
Select at least one of the 200 level ANTH core courses:		3
ANTH 212 / ETHN 212	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 232	Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 242	Introduction to Biological Anthropology
Select additional ANTH courses with at least one 300 or 400 level. 1		12
Total Credit Hours		18

1	Up to 6 hours of field study, excluding ANTH 130. The following courses may apply: ANTH 290, ANTH 291, ANTH 490, ANTH 491.

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

A grade of C or better must be earned in all courses in the major and minor.

Pass/No Pass

No course taken Pass/No Pass will be applicable to the major or minor.

PLEASE NOTE
This document represents a sample 4-year plan for degree completion with this major. Actual course selection and sequence may vary and should be discussed individually with your college or department academic advisor. Advisors also can help you plan other experiences to enrich your undergraduate education such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, learning communities, and service learning and community-based learning.

Career Information

The following represents a sample of the internships, jobs and graduate school programs that current students and recent graduates have reported.