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There are five options for selecting an Anthropology minor within the Anthropology PhD program: (1) another subfield of Anthropology; (2) a synthetic concentration as defined below; (3) another unit of the university; (4) a multidisciplinary minor (2 courses from each of two units outside of Anthropology) and (5) a synthetic minor as defined below. A minor in Anthropology usually consists of 12 units, but a few concentrations in anthropology require as many as 15 units (e.g. Biological Anthropology).
Requirements for the Minor in Anthropology for Students Majoring in Other Disciplines
A minor in anthropology usually consists of 12 units, but a few concentrations in anthropology require as many as 15 units (e.g. Biological Anthropology). Non-anthropology major students can minor in anthropology in general, for which 12 units of anthropology courses are required; for these students, minoring in specific subfields or concentrations of anthropology is optional. Minor-field committees for students who are majoring in fields other than Anthropology may consist of one or two individuals, at least one of whom must be a core member of the faculty of the School of Anthropology. The minor-field portions of the written exam generally follow the procedures of the School of Anthropology, unless major and minor advisors reach another solution. Written exams will consist of one or two questions. The student will have one week to provide written answers of up to but no more than ten double-spaced pages per question.
Note: students interested in using a minor to obtain a teaching certification at the community college level must take 24 units in Anthropology.
History - In the Beginning
(Excerpted, condensed, and adapted from Raymond H. Thompson, "Anthropology at the University of Arizona, 1893-2005," Journal of the Southwest, Autumn 2005, 47(3): 327-347)
Anthropology at the University of Arizona began in 1915 with the appointment of Byron Cummings as Professor of Archaeology and Director of the Arizona State Museum. He came to Arizona from his position as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Utah. He had received his B.A. from Rutgers University in 1889 and his M.A. there in 1892. Cummings served Utah as Professor of Greek and Latin, Head of the Department of Archaeology, and for many years as Dean of Men and briefly as Dean of the College of Medicine. He played an important role in the life of the University of Utah, even organizing its first football team the first year he was there. The football stadium at Utah is named Cummings Field in his honor.
The 54-year-old Cummings left Utah after 22 years of distinguished service at the oldest university in the Far West to throw in with one of the newest in the West. In 1915, the University of Arizona community consisted of 70 faculty members and 463 students, and there were 24,045 books in the University Library. Arizona had become a state only three years before and the population of Tucson, still the largest city in Arizona, was about 15,000. When Cummings arrived on campus, University President von KleinSmid took him to an overflowing storage area, opened the door, and said something like, "Here's the museum, go to it!"
Cummings was vigorous in responding and quickly made the University of Arizona a center for archaeology. In 1928, three of his students, Clara Lee Fraps (Tanner), Florence M. Hawley (Ellis), and Emil W. Haury, received the first M.A. degrees in archaeology awarded by the University. They all stayed at Arizona as Instructors in Archaeology with academic-year salaries of $1500. Florence eventually entered graduate study at the University of Chicago where she earned her doctorate in 1934, using her excavations at Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon for her dissertation. She obtained a position at the University of New Mexico, where she spent 37 years as an inspiring and beloved teacher and continued an active professional life until her death in 1991 at age 84.
Emil stayed at the University for one year to study dendrochronology with A. E. Douglass and then went to Globe to work with Harold S. Gladwin at the Gila Pueblo Archaeological Foundation. He earned a doctorate under Roland B. Dixon at Harvard University in 1934 and returned to the University of Arizona in 1937 to replace Cummings who retired in 1938. Clara Lee remained at the University of Arizona where she inspired and nurtured several generations of students during a full half-century of dedicated service on the faculty of the Department of Anthropology.
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
University of Arizona - Main - Tucson
Non-anthropology major students can minor in anthropology in general, for which 12 units of anthropology courses are required; for these students, minoring in specific subfields or concentrations of anthropology is optional.
12
A minor in anthropology usually consists of 12 units, but a few concentrations in anthropology require as many as 15 units. It is recommended that 9 units be taken in anthropology or courses that are cross-listed to anthropology. See information under subfield majors for certain required courses. Other courses may be added to the student’s program of studies at the discretion of the chair of the minor committee. This requirement is automatically fulfilled for those students with minor foci in the Medical or Applied concentrations, for which course selections are relatively constrained.
Students following a minor focus in Biological Anthropology must complete at least 14 units, including one of the foundations courses (ANTH 545A or 545B); plus three courses from at least two of the above groupings; plus either one additional course from the above groupings or the ANTH 695C “Anthropology Colloquium” (a minimum of two units)
In addition, the School has formulated a third minor option: “areas of synthetic concentration” that crosscut anthropology subfields. Concentrations assist some students in building a regimen for training that, through focus on a particular set of issues, allows the student to span multiple subfields or disciplines. Concentrations in the School of Anthropology are Applied Anthropology; Ecological Anthropology; Medical Anthropology; Southwest Land, Culture and Society (SWLCS). A concentration can be used to direct work within the major, or it can be used as a minor focus.
At the PhD level, concentrations may be part of the major, or they may be declared as a minor focus. So, for example, a student with a major focus in sociocultural anthropology has two options for integrating applied anthropology in their program of studies: (1) to follow a major focus in sociocultural anthropology and a minor focus in applied anthropology, or (2) to fold the applied anthropology concentration into the major and then choose another minor. You should meet with your principal advisor early on to determine which program of studies is best suited to your strategic goals and interests.
Synthetic Concentrations in Anthropology
Anthropology faculty have outlined an integrated series of courses for the synthetic concentrations: Applied Anthropology; Ecological Anthropology; Medical Anthropology; Southwest Land, Culture and Society (SWLCS). Synthetic concentrations are meant to help students focus their coursework in certain topical or thematic areas, and to help build a broader sense of intellectual community within anthropology. All concentrations can serve as minor foci for the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams, and each concentration is open to students with a major focus in any subfield. Required units (12-15) vary by concentration. Students are encouraged to follow a concentration if it fits their interests, but participation in concentrations is NOT required.
The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World is an exception. This concentration is intended to be part of the major (rather than minor) focus, and entails a greater number of requirements than the synthetic concentrations listed above, including proficiency in a Classical language. As the title indicates, it is intended mainly for archaeology students.
Applied Anthropology
The profession of anthropology has expanded rapidly beyond the walls of academic employment. In response to this development, the School of Anthropology offers training in applied anthropology through coursework and guided research opportunities in the Arizona State Museum (ASM) and the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA). Students participating in this concentration are given broad training in both academic and applied anthropology. At present, most student demand for applied training is within sociocultural anthropology, and most of the research training is done through BARA; however, interest in applied training is growing in other subfields as well and all students are welcome to participate.
A total of 12 units are required for this concentration. As explained above, the concentration of applied anthropology may be used as a minor for the purposes of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam. Alternatively, students may elect another minor and apply the requirements of the concentration toward their major. Courses in applied anthropology are taught by faculty members with research interests in problem-solving and policy-making. A student’s choice of courses is made in consultation with their advisor. Students are required to take ANTH 507 “Intellectual Foundations of Applied Anthropology” and either ANTH 537 “Data Management and Analysis” or ANTH 609 “Mixed Methods in Applied Anthropology”. Decisions on which courses to take, and whether to use the applied anthropology concentration as a minor or part of the major, should be made in consultation with your major advisor.
Environmental Anthropology
The relationships between human societies and their environments are among the oldest concerns in anthropology. As the human footprint on the Earth grows, the topic of human-environment interactions becomes ever more urgent to consider and analyze. The University of Arizona School of Anthropology has historically been a leader in ecological and environmental anthropology, and many members of the current faculty have research interests in this topic. Students participating in this concentration are required to complete the core seminar ANTH 611 “Ecological Anthropology”. This seminar integrates subfields within anthropology, and it forges strong links between anthropology and other disciplines concerned with human impacts on the environment, sustainability, conservation, and evolutionary ecology, among other issues. In addition to taking the core seminar, and in consultation with their advisor, each student should then design an individualized suite of relevant courses for a total of 12 units. In so doing, the student must make every effort to diversify their overall curriculum to avoid excessive topical replication between their chosen major and minor.
Medical Anthropology Concentration
Medical anthropology examines how cultural, historical, economic, and political forces shape ideas about health, wellness, illness, and disease. It studies how these forces influence health disparities, healthcare seeking, health related practices and perceptions of risk, the structure of medical systems, and more. Attentive to the afflicted, their caregivers, and those who create knowledge and values about health and illness in their many forms, medical anthropology is capacious in its approach, using methods and materials from all anthropological subfields and numerous scholarly disciplines.
The Medical Anthropology Concentration at the University of Arizona is built on over three decades of engaged scholarship. Founded by Dr. Mark Nichter in 1989, the medical anthropology program has grown into a nationally-recognized hub for critical studies of medicine in the US and abroad, including established research on political ecology and global health. Our current faculty extend this foundational work through research emphases in reproductive technologies, clinical and laboratory ethnography, surgical practice, evolutionary and embodied approaches to health disparities, transgender studies, medical expertise, nutrition, environmental health, and science and technology studies. Students enrolled in the Medical Anthropology Concentration will develop a strong theoretical foundation that will shape and guide research projects set around the globe. The Medical Anthropology Concentration is available to students enrolled in graduate studies in the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona.
The concentration requires 12 credit hours of training in medical anthropology composed of a) ANTH 536 and ANTH 571 (3 credits each); b) one approved graduate seminar in medical anthropology (3 credits) relevant to the student’s research interests c) an independent study (3 credits) in which the student produces a research report based on primary or secondary research, a grant proposal deemed competitive for funding, or a publishable paper on which they are a sole author or co-author.
Required Courses:
ANTH 536A Medical Anthropology (Soon to be renamed: Anthropology of the Body, Health, and Illness)
ANTH 571 Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Contexts
Elective Courses May Include:
ANTH 536B Ethnomedicine
ANTH 538A Women’s Health in Global Perspective
ANTH 545B Embodying Inequality
ANTH 696B Anthropology of Science
ANTH 675A Anthropology and Global Health
Courses Currently in Development Include:
ANTH XXX Political Economics of Health
ANTH XXX Sex, Gender, Science, Medicine
ANTH XXX Reproducing the Environment
Students may fulfill the concentration requirements with other elective courses in the School of Anthropology or other departments on campus. The student’s advisor should approve all courses taken for credit toward the concentration that do not appear on this list.
The Medical Anthropology Concentration is directed by Dr. Eric Plemons. Additional core faculty members include Linda Green, Mark Nichter, Mimi Nichter, Janelle Lamoreaux, and Ivy Pike.
The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World
This concentration is intended to prepare students specifically for research on the archaeology of the later prehistoric and Classical periods in the greater Mediterranean region. A large part of the curriculum follows that of the major focus in archaeology with some additional requirements. See Archaeology above p.23 for the primary requirements.
Additional requirements for the concentration are:
1) Students must demonstrate facility in an ancient Mediterranean language (e.g., Egyptian, Greek, or Latin) via coursework (at minimum 1 class at the 500 level) or by examination.
2) Students need to complete one foreign language requirement (ancient or modern) before by the taking of the Comprehensive Examination and the second foreign language requirement within twelve months following the Comprehensive Exam.
Elective Courses May Include:
ANTH 536B Ethnomedicine
ANTH 538A Women’s Health in Global Perspective
ANTH 545B Embodying Inequality
ANTH 696B Anthropology of Science
ANTH 675A Anthropology and Global Health
None
Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.