The Department of Anthropology at New York University is one of the country's leading undergraduate centers for Cultural Anthropology, Archaeological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Physical Anthropology. The scope of the discipline's interests effectively bridges the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Anthropology asks basic questions concerning the origins and development of humans and their cultures and divergent systems of thought, belief, and social order. The faculty at NYU have a broad range of research interests that cover the globe: North America, Africa, India, the Near East, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the South Pacific. The Department also houses an extensive film and video collection, as well as teaching and research labs for Archaeological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Physical Anthropology.

Cultural/Social Anthropology is the comparative study of living populations throughout the world from the deserts of Africa to the islands of the South Pacific. It seeks to understand cultural influences such as gender relationships, social hierarchy, and symbolic representations of human behavior.

Archaeological Anthropology studies the excavated material remains of past cultures, uses scientific methods to decipher how people have lived and worked in the past. Special interests include the study of prehistoric hunters and gatherers and the development of more complex societies in North America, Europe, Egypt and Mesopotamia, and South Asia, among others.

Linguistic Anthropology examines language as a key to understanding the social, symbolic and expressive lives of members of society. It studies language's impact on other aspects of cultural life, such as social organization, religion and politics. Students conduct supervised fieldwork in various speech communities in New York City.

Physical Anthropology concentrates on the evolution, biology, and comparative behavior of human and non-human primates. It is linked to the subfields by its commitment to the study of evolution and biology within the context of culture, society, and ecology. Faculty and students are currently doing research in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Borneo.

The Department offers a major in Anthropology as well as joint majors with the Department of Classics and with the Department of Linguistics. The requirements for these majors are listed below. Highly motivated students may wish to participate in the honors program, which includes completing a major research project and writing an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.

The faculty of the department encourage students to participate in programs overseas and at home that involve field research. Students have been given credit toward their Anthropology major through programs in Kenya, Costa Rica, Greece, and India. Many of the courses in the Department include field research projects in New York City. Students learn state-of-the-art laboratory techniques for studying genetics and paleoanthropology and have access to the latest computer facilities in the departmental laboratories. Advanced students are encouraged to present their research findings at the NYU Undergraduate Research Conference.
Major in Anthropology

• Joint Major in Anthropology
• Minor in Anthropology
• Honors Major in Anthropology
• Independent Study and Internship

The major consists of 36 points, which include V14.0001, V14.0002, V14.0003, and V14.0017 (which is offered only during the spring semester). The other courses may be selected from any sub-field of anthropology. Internships approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, however, may not be applied toward the major, and a grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted toward the major. Any course with a grade of C- or lower will not count toward the major. Majors should consult regularly with the director of undergraduate studies in order to take full advantage of the seminars and research opportunities open to them.

Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology

1. All students must take V14.0001, V14.0002, V14.0003 and *V14.0017.
   *V14.0017 is taught only in the Spring semester.
   
   Of the remaining 20 points students may take any courses offered in cultural or linguistic anthropology. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty members who deal with their area of interest.
   
   Linguistic Anthropology Majors should also consult with Prof. Bambi Schieffelin for aid in developing their program of study.

Archaeological Anthropology

1. All students must take V14.0001, V14.0002, V14.0003 and *V14.0017.
   *V14.0017 is taught only in the Spring semester.
   
   Of the remaining 20 points students may take any courses offered in cultural or archaeological anthropology. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty members who deal with their area of interest.
   
   Archaeological Anthropology Majors should also consult with Prof. Rita Wright for aid in developing their program of study.

Physical Anthropology

1. All students must take V14.0001, V14.0002, V14.0003 and *V14.0017.
   *V14.0017 is taught only in the Spring semester.


Of the remaining 20 points students may take any courses offered in cultural or physical anthropology. Students are encouraged to consult with faculty members who deal with their area of interest.

Physical Anthropology Majors should also consult with Prof. Anthony Di Fiore for aid in developing their program of study.

The joint major in anthropology consists of 20 points (five courses) in anthropology and 20 points (five courses) in the joint department. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted towards the joint major. Joint Majors should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Anthony Di Fiore , and the DUGS in the joint department, in order to take full advantage of the seminars and research opportunities open to them.

Joint Major with the Department of Classics: An interdepartmental major including courses from the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Classics. One anthropology course, V14.0001, is required, along with four other anthropology courses taken in consultation with the directors of undergraduate studies in both departments. Twenty (20) points are required in Classics. See Classics (27) for additional information. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted toward the joint major.

Joint Major with the Department of Linguistics: The joint major in anthropology and linguistics emphasizes the complementarity of anthropological and sociolinguistic approaches to language. Students are required to take 20 points (five courses) each from anthropology and linguistics. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted toward a joint major. Required courses in anthropology: Human Society and Culture, V14.0001; Anthropology of Language, V14.0017; Cultural Symbols, V14.0048; and two other cultural or linguistic anthropology courses approved by anthropology’s director of undergraduate studies. Required courses in linguistics: V55.0660 or V61.0015; and at least three additional courses chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies in Linguistics. See Linguistics (61) for additional information.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ANTHROPOLOGY MINOR

The minor in anthropology consists of 16 points (four courses). Courses may be selected from any of the four subfields of anthropology: Archaeological Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Physical Anthropology. The fundamental courses (V14.0001, V14.0002, and V14.0003) are recommended as overviews of the discipline and as prerequisites for more advanced courses. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted towards the minor.Students must take at least two (2) courses from the Department of Anthropology at New York University in order to receive a degree in Anthropology from NYU. Minors should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Anthony Di Fiore, to design a program that best accommodates their interests.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR HONORS RESEARCH

A degree in anthropology is awarded with honors to selected majors who apply for admission to the program through the director of undergraduate studies during their sophomore or junior year. Honors program candidates are expected to maintain an overall grade point average of 3.65 with an average of 3.65 in the major. Candidates for the honors program complete 10 courses for a total of 40 points of anthropology course work. Two honors tracks are available. The first, typically followed by students concentrating in sociocultural or linguistic anthropology, consists of two senior honors seminars with substantial research and writing components. The second track, typically followed by those concentrating in biological or archaeological anthropology, includes two research courses, V14.0950 and V14.0951, in which a research project is carried out, and a special Seminar in Anthropology (V14.0800 or V14.0801) or a graduate course. All of these courses count toward the major.

Requirements

1. Students must take research courses V14.0950 and V14.0951
2. Students doing research in cultural or linguistic anthropology must also take V14.0800 or V14.0801, or a graduate courses in that subfield.
3. Students doing research in physical or archaeological anthropology must take a graduate course in that subfield.
4. Students are expected to undertake a research project for at least two semesters under the supervision of their faculty advisor and to write an analysis of that material in a substantial Honors paper (Thesis). This paper must be approved and graded by the student's faculty advisor and another anthropology faculty member.

INDEPENDENT STUDY AND INTERNSHIPS

Independent Study

Independent Study is an opportunity for students to work closely with a faculty advisor on a project related to their area of study. Students must choose a member of the faculty in their area of study with whom they have had at least one anthropology course. After securing approval from a faculty member in writing, the student should see the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Anthony Di Fiore, in order to register for the independent study course.It is imperative that students meet with their faculty advisor on a regular basis throughout the semester in which they are doing the independent study. Upon completion of the "course," written proof from the student's faculty advisor that the student has completed all course work for study and a grade must be presented to the DUGS. Independent Study counts towards the Anthropology Major and/or Minor and can substitute for one of the non-core anthropology courses. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted towards the Anthropology Major and/or Minor.

Internships

Internships are opportunities for students to gain practical work experience and are sponsored by selected institutions, agencies, and research laboratories. Internships are negotiated with the internship sponsor, a faculty supervisor and the student, After securing approval from a faculty member in writing, the student should see the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Anthony Di Fiore, in order to register for the an internship course. Internship courses do not count towards the Anthropology Major and/or Minor; however, they do count towards the overall point count for graduation.

Here are some places which students may find internship possibilities:

• the American Museum of Natural History
• the National Museum of the American Indian
• the Asia Society
• the Jewish Museum
• Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo
• MTV
• VH1