Anthropology

Challenge your assumptions – study Anthropology. Study topics like race, gender, food, and the environment in our Sociolcultural Track or focus on Human Evolution, Archaeology, & Material Culture to study cultural diversity and material objects. Engage in research to gain insights into different cultures.

About This Program

Our anthropology program offers two distinct tracks: The Sociocultural Anthropology track and the HEAM Track (Human Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Culture Studies).
As a student in the Sociocultural track, you’ll study the social orders and meanings humans create with a global, inclusive approach.
Students in the HEAM track focus on human and cultural evolution and the material cultures of historical and contemporary ethnic groups.
The resources of our on-campus Jean M. Pitzer Archaeology Lab are available to enhance your studies.
Anthropology majors have the opportunity to apply for the Robert L. Munroe Scholarship and the Sheryl F. Miller Scholarship funds.

Start Your Application Request Information

At a Glance

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Arts

Field Group

Anthropology

Program Type

Area of Study

Anthropology

Pitzer Voices

Read Shelby's Story

“I'm thinking about why we create things. This major is about understanding why we make things and what it reflects about us. The creation of art is a mirror for our society.”

Shelby Ottengheime ’23

Anthropology major

Student Experiences

Research

Diego Borgsdorf Fuenzalida ‘24, anthropology and Spanish major, researches the return of objects and archival documents from the Chilean exile, triggered by the Pinochet dictatorship, to cultural institutions in Chile. His research contributes to the studies of object repatriation, memorialization, and nation-building in museums.

Awards

O’philia Le ’23, an anthropology and environmental analysis double major, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English in Taiwan. Our students follow a variety of career paths: Le plans to pursue a career as a public health professional.

Anthropology Program Details

View Course Catalog

What You Will Learn

Goals of the Sociocultural Track

Be able to recognize and critically engage popular versions of anthropological theories in such non-academic forms as informal conversation and mass-mediated entertainment; and, when these popular versions of anthropological theories are versions of social evolutionism and/or racism, or are ethnocentric, be able to identify their fallacies and harmful consequences.
Be able, when reading an anthropological article or book, to recognize and critically discuss the work’s relationship to major paradigmatic traditions in disciplinary anthropology (e.g., functionalism, structuralism, and semiotic theory).
Question the universality of meanings and practices; be able to identify contingent social orders through comparisons across time and geography and be able to distinguish human phenomena that are, to various degrees, invariant from those that are not.
Be able to relativize–or doubt the absoluteness of–taken-for-granted concepts in their own lives (notably “gender,” “race,” and “ethnic” identifications) and taken-for-granted institutions and domains in their own social world (such as “the family” and “the economy”).
Be able to analyze the interconnections among economics, politics, kinship and family, the psyche, and expressive and artistic forms–domains conventionally differentiated and separated by the social sciences.
Be able to identify (in particular circumstances) how cultural categories contribute to and reproduce relations of power and inequality.
Be able to plan and conduct ethnographic field research projects at an undergraduate level.

Goals of the Human Evolution, Prehistory, and Material Culture Studies Track (HEPtrack)

An understanding of the human evolutionary past, in terms of both biological and cultural factors.
An awareness of the biological facts of contemporary human physical diversity and the socio-political implications attached to the concept of “race” as a means to label differences through 500 years of history, particularly in what is now the U.S.
A recognition of diversity in cultural systems, and the roles played by material culture in the negotiation of cultures and the agency practiced by their social enactors.
An ability to analyze problems, to formulate and test hypotheses, to seek evidence and interpret data rationally, and to recognize one’s own bias as well as the biases of others.
An ability to conduct original research.

Goals of both tracks

Comprehend and critically analyze scholarly works; demonstrate a capacity to distinguish the author’s point of view from the views the author criticizes, responds to, and builds upon.
Write cogent, clear research papers and short anthropological essays.

Learn More

Visit the Anthropology Field Group page for more information and resources.

Anthropology Field Group

The major in anthropology requires a minimum of ten courses. The major offers two alternative tracks: the Sociocultural Track and the Human Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Culture Studies (HEAM) Track. The requirements for each are explained below. Both are designed to allow flexibility to accommodate the student’s interests.

For either track, a student may substitute a comparable course for a required course with the permission of the field group. Normally, courses in the student’s major cannot be taken on a pass/no credit basis.

As part of their Pitzer experience, students are encouraged to undertake internships or Pitzer Study Abroad. Anthropology students are not required to write a senior thesis or participate in a senior exercise in order to complete the major. However, this is a requirement for students seeking to graduate with honors.

Sociocultural Track

A major in Anthropology (Sociocultural Track) requires at least ten courses in anthropology or cross-listed in anthropology, including ANTH 002 PZ -Intro Sociocultural Anthropology , ANTH 105 PZ -Field Methods in Anthropology , and ANTH 153 PZ -History Anthropological Theory. The remaining seven electives can be tailored to the student’s interests. We recommend a course on the history of colonialism and/or capitalism and an anthropology course focusing on one country or region. Up to two courses taken during study abroad may be eligible as anthropology electives, if they are approved by the Anthropology Field Group.

We are happy to craft a list of suggest courses for students interested in medical anthropology, gender, sexuality, visual anthropology, anthropology and the environment, race, colonialism, decoloniality and postcolonialism, political anthropology, economic anthropology, linguistic anthropology, anthropology of food, or any other specific interest.

Human Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Culture (HEAM) Studies Track

Required Courses

All of these 3 courses:

ANTH 001 PZ -Intro Archaeology & Bio Anthro

ANTH 002 PZ -Intro Sociocultural Anthropology

ANTH 101 PZ -Theory and Method in Archaeology (or equilvalent, e.g., an approved field school)

3 elective courses selected from the following list:

ANTH 103 PZ -Museums: Behind the Glass

ANTH 111 PZ -Historical Archaeology

ANTH 145 PO -Mesoamerican Archaeology

CLAS 161 PZ -Greek Art and Archaeology

CLAS 162 PZ -Roman Art & Archaeology

CLAS 164 SC -Pompeii & the Cities of Vesuvius

CLAS 020 PZ -Fantastic Archaeology

CLAS 150BE PZ -The Roman Empire in the East

4 additional elective courses in Anthropology or related fields as approved by advisor (courses from List B may be included as elective choices for category C, but they may not be counted twice):

ANTH 003 PZ -Language, Culture & Society

ANTH 009 PZ -Food, Culture, Power

ANTH 012 PZ -Native Americans & Environments

ANTH 112 PZ -Environmental Anthropology

CLAS 175 PZ -International Cultural Heritage

EA 068 PZ -Ethnoecology

HIST 011 PZ -The World Since 1492

Or other elective courses as approved by the advisor.

Anthropology Courses

Anthropology

• ANTH 001 PZ -Intro Archaeology & Bio Anthro
• ANTH 002 PZ -Intro Sociocultural Anthropology
• ANTH 003 PZ -Language, Culture & Society
• ANTH 009 PZ -Food, Culture, Power
• ANTH 010 PZ -Humn Histrs:Onset to 1492(Or So)
• ANTH 011 PZ -The World Since 1492
• ANTH 012 PZ -Native Americans & Environments
• ANTH 016 PZ -Intro to Nepal
• ANTH 030 PZ -Engaging Africa
• ANTH 045 PZ -Law and Culture
• ANTH 049 PZ -Money, Morality and Crisis
• ANTH 050 PZ -Sex, Body and Reproduction
• ANTH 051 PZ -Disaster & Society
• ANTH 055 PZ -Reproductive Justice
• ANTH 056 PZ -Anthropology of Sound
• ANTH 070 PZ -Psychological Anthropology
• ANTH 072 PZ -Activism & Soc Mvmts in Latin Am
• ANTH 088 PZ -China: Gender,Cosmology & State
• ANTH 098 PZ -Palestine and Israel
• ANTH 099 PZ -China 21st Century
• ANTH 103 PZ -Museums: Behind the Glass
• ANTH 105 PZ -Field Methods in Anthropology
• ANTH 107 PZ -Medical Anthropology
• ANTH 111 PZ -Historical Archaeology
• ANTH 112 PZ -Environmental Anthropology
• ANTH 115 PZ -Global Latin America
• ANTH 116 PZ -Anthropology of Digital Culture
• ANTH 141 PZ -Land, City, State Latin America
• ANTH 153 PZ -History Anthropological Theory
• ANTH 154 PZ -You Can’t Teach That
• ANTH 190 SC -Senior Seminar

Classics

• CLAS 020 PZ -Fantastic Archaeology
• CLAS 161 PZ -Greek Art and Archaeology
• CLAS 162 PZ -Roman Art & Archaeology

Environmental Analysis

• EA 097 PZ -Social Production of Space
• EA 140 PZ -The Desert as a Place
• EA 141 PZ -Progress and Oppression

History

• HIST 012 PZ -History of the Human Sciences
• HIST 098 PZ -Palestine and Israel

Media Studies

• MS 111 PZ -Perspectives on Photography

Anthropology Honors

The GPA standard for honors in anthropology is a minimum of 3.70 both in courses in anthropology and overall. Exceptions require approval from the Field Group. For honors, the senior must either write a thesis or complete a project approved by the field group for this requirement. The thesis (or project, if you prefer) must be judged outstanding (A quality) by three readers (one from the Pitzer Anthropology Field Group, another anthropologist at any of the Claremont colleges, and a third professor from any discipline).

For either the Sociocultural Track or the Human Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Culture Studies (HEAM) Track, up to two courses may be counted for both fields of the combined major. Where no specific courses are listed in the below requirements, the adviser and student will make a determination of what courses will be taken and the adviser will then circulate that outcome to the field group for approval.

Sociocultural Track

A combined major in anthropology (Sociocultural Track) requires at least seven courses in anthropology or cross-listed in anthropology, including ANTH 002 PZ -Intro Sociocultural Anthropology nd either ANTH 105 PZ -Field Methods in Anthropology or ANTH 153 PZ -History Anthropological Theory.

The remaining five electives can be tailored to the student’s interests. We recommend a course on the history of colonialism and/or capitalism and an anthropology course focusing on one country or region. Up to two courses taken during study abroad may be eligible as anthropology electives, if they are approved by the Anthropology Field Group.

Human Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Culture Studies (HEAM) Track

A combined major in anthropology (Human Evolution, Prehistory and Material Culture Studies Track) requires at least seven courses in anthropology or cross-listed in anthropology, including ANTH 001 PZ -Intro Archaeology & Bio Anthro and ANTH 101 PZ -Theory and Method in Archaeology (or the PO field methods course, or an approved summer field school). In addition, students will take two courses from the advanced courses listed in the catalog for the major; normally, this will include ANTH 111 PZ -Historical Archaeology. Finally, students will take at least three other courses in anthropology, chosen in consultation with the adviser.

Anthropology Courses

Anthropology

Classics

• CLAS 020 PZ -Fantastic Archaeology
• CLAS 161 PZ -Greek Art and Archaeology
• CLAS 162 PZ -Roman Art & Archaeology

Environmental Analysis

• EA 097 PZ -Social Production of Space
• EA 140 PZ -The Desert as a Place
• EA 141 PZ -Progress and Oppression

History

• HIST 012 PZ -History of the Human Sciences
• HIST 098 PZ -Palestine and Israel

Media Studies

• MS 111 PZ -Perspectives on Photography

Anthropology Honors

A minor in anthropology requires at least six courses, including either ANTH 001 PZ -Intro Archaeology & Bio Anthro or ANTH 002 PZ -Intro Sociocultural Anthropology . Up to two courses taken during study abroad may be eligible as anthropology electives, if they are approved by the Anthropology Field Group.

Anthropology Courses

Anthropology

Classics

• CLAS 020 PZ -Fantastic Archaeology
• CLAS 161 PZ -Greek Art and Archaeology
• CLAS 162 PZ -Roman Art & Archaeology

Environmental Analysis

• EA 097 PZ -Social Production of Space
• EA 140 PZ -The Desert as a Place
• EA 141 PZ -Progress and Oppression

History

• HIST 012 PZ -History of the Human Sciences
• HIST 098 PZ -Palestine and Israel

Media Studies

• MS 111 PZ -Perspectives on Photography

View Course Catalog

Anthropology Faculty

Ángela Castillo-Ardila

Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology Field Group

Emily Chao

Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology Field Group

Sheryl Miller

Professor of Anthropology
Distinguished Teaching Chair in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology
Anthropology Field Group

Claudia Strauss

Jean M. Pitzer Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology Field Group

Contact Us

Office of Admission

admission@280760.com

(909) 621-8129

Pitzer Hall, 1st Floor

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