Program

Anthropologists study humans and their biological and cultural development through time and space. Anthropology develops a respect for the various ways of life followed by humans, and knowledge of the reasons for these practices.

Special faculty interests include Native American peoples; peoples of Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa; Illinois prehistory; language; gender; history of anthropology; primate behavior and ecology; neotropical environments and conservation; zooarchaeology; museum studies; visual culture; ethnohistory; economic anthropology; urban culture; religion; clothing and textiles; political culture; and art and artifacts.  Distinctive features of the program include opportunities for supervised archaeological and ethnographic fieldwork, for training in museum work in conjunction with the Antropology Teaching Museum, for field trips and involvement in urban community projects, and for participation by qualified majors in the Alpha Chapter of Illinois of Lambda Alpha, the National Collegiate Honors Society for Anthropology.  In addition, the faculty participates in interdisciplinary programs such as Women's Studies, Religious Studies, Museum Studies, Black Studies, and Latin American Studies.

Anthropology is also a participating department in SIUE's new Forensic Sciences minor and Native American Studies minor.  

Students in good standing wishing to apply for a major or minor may enter the program by filing a formal application through the office of Academic Counseling and Advising, and then consulting with the department Chair. Pre-registration advisement is mandatory for all declared majors and minors. All majors and minors must achieve a C or better in all Anthropology courses to earn an Anthropology degree.

All Anthropology majors are required to complete at least one course in each of the four major fields of the discipline:  biological (physical) anthropology (Anth 360a-b:  Biological Anthropology Method and Theory), cultural anthropology (Anth 300:  Ethnographic Method and Theory), archaeology (Anth 325:  Archaeological Method and Theory), and linguistic anthropology (Anth 301:  Language and Culture).

Career Opportunities

Museum Internships Links

Anthropology majors may pursue graduate degrees at both the master’s and doctoral level; such degrees lead to careers in university teaching, research, or museum work. Undergraduate anthropology majors find employment in secondary education, industry, cultural resource management, environmental studies, museums, human services, contract archaeology, and government services. Because of the breadth of the subject matter in anthropology, students frequently combine anthropology with other disciplines such as history, sociology, geology, earth science, biology, psychology, medicine, law, and the arts. Such combinations enable students to understand complex community problems and many issues of contemporary life and to expand their opportunities for interesting and rewarding careers.

Degree Requirements

BA/BS in Anthropology

The Bachelor of Arts degree, designed primarily to prepare students for advanced studies in Anthropology, includes a foreign language requirement.

Additional Degree Requirements BA/BS

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires two semesters (8 credits) of a foreign language. Instead of a foreign language, the Bachelor of Science in Anthropology requires 6 hours in field methods courses: ANTH 473, 474, or 475.  Field methods courses are offered only during the Summer Sessions.

Minor Requirements

A minor in anthropology consists of 18 hours. Students are required to take an introductory anthropology course, either ANTH 111a or 111b. The remaining hours consist of Anthropology electives selected in consultation with an undergraduate Anthropology adviser. Twelve of these hours must be in junior (300-level) or senior (400-level) courses.

Exit Requirements

Graduates are expected to be knowledgeable about the biological and cultural development of humans and the diversity of humankind. As seniors, Anthropology majors must successfully complete the senior project, ANTH 490 and 491.

Senior project research

Archaeology Open House

Study abroad

Anthropology faculty have expertise in diverse areas of specialty in all four fields (cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology), with special emphasis on Native North American, Latin American, African-American and Asian cultures, as well as Illinois archaeology, primatology, museum anthropology, and medical anthropology.

The Anthropology Department has excellent resources for hands-on learning, including a laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the Anthropology Teaching Museum, summer field schools, as well as opportunities for study abroad programs and internships.

The Anthropology Department offers an intimate and supportive learning environment between students and faculty (for example, in the mentor-student relationship), as well as among peers (for example, in the activities of the student-run Anthropology Club).

The Anthropology Department provides opportunities to conduct original independent research mentored by faculty in upper level classes and most notably in the capstone Senior Project, which provides an excellent platform from which to enter graduate school or a wide variety of career options such as cultural resource management, museology, forensics, health and human services, or foreign service.

    Anthropology is the study of humans. Sounds simple, doesn't it? In reality, anthropology is a very complex and dynamic field. The methods and theories of anthropology are continuously changed and refined as anthropologists gather and analyze new data and reanalyze old data. Anthropology is multidisciplinary, drawing from and contributing to fields ranging from evolutionary psychology to medicine to historical ecology. Anthropologists are employed in universities, government agencies, and private corporations. Other people with degrees in anthropology apply their knowledge in careers ranging from firefighters to lawyers. Whatever career one chooses, an understanding of humans and appreciation for other cultures are essential in a multiethnic society such as ours. We in the Department of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville believe that teaching these skills and other aspects of anthropology are fundamental to an undergraduate education. What could be more important than the study of humans?

Travel the world

Travel through time

SIUE Anthropology

Archaeological Field School

Please visit http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/anthropology/ for more information about the opportunities that await you!

Department of Anthropology

Dr. Jen Rehg, Chair

Peck Hall 0211

(618)650-3843

juholt@siue.edu

Anthropology