Anthropology

Link to a list of faculty for this program.

Contact Information—Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota 395 Hubert H. Humphrey Center 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-625-3400; fax 612-625-3095; anth@umn.edu; http://anthropology.umn.edu).

Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General Information section of this catalog for Graduate School requirements that apply to all major fields.

Curriculum—The Department of Anthropology offers graduate education in sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and biological anthropology. Major areas of faculty research and graduate student training in sociocultural anthropology include colonial and post-colonial studies, cultures of capitalism, cultural studies of science, economic anthropology, ethnographies of the state, gender/sexuality, globalization, medical anthropology, personality and culture, and urban anthropology, among other specialties. Regional specialization includes Europe, Latin America, the Pacific, the Middle East, North America, Russia, and South Asia.

The program in linguistic anthropology offers training and research opportunities in language, culture, and power; theory in sociolinguistics and the semantics of interaction; paralinguistic and nonlinguistic semiotics; and the anthropology of language styles. Regional specializations include the Middle East and the urban United States.

The program in biological anthropology offers training and research opportunities in two main areas, paleoanthropology and behavioral biology. The paleoanthropology specialty combines biological anthropologists and Paleolithic archaeologists in the reconstruction of hominin evolution and behavior through the application of evolutionary theory to the analysis of skeletal morphology, faunal remains, site taphonomy, and lithic technology. The behavioral biology specialty combines the department's biological anthropologists as well as primatologists in the Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies in the study of non-human primates, human foragers, evolutionary ecology, and evolutionary theory. Regional specialization includes Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and Europe.

The program in anthropological archaeology offers training and research opportunities in the use of sociocultural theories and interpretive strategies in the reconstruction of historic and prehistoric pasts, the application of faunal and lithic analysis to questions in paleoecology and evolutionary theory, and cultural heritage studies (CRM) through the M.A. program in cultural heritage management. Regional specialization includes Europe, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and North America.

See the Graduate Student Handbook and faculty profiles in the graduate section of the department's Web site for more detail about these programs and specialties.

Prerequisite for Admission—A B.A. degree or equivalent is required for admission.

Special Application Requirements—Three letters of recommendation and scores from the General test of the GRE should be sent to the director of graduate studies. Admission is for fall semester, except for the master's only programs; the deadline for all materials is December 1.

Key to test abbreviations (GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, MELAB).

For an online application or for more information about Graduate School admissions, see the General Information section in this catalog, or visit the Graduate School Web site.

Courses—Refer to Anthropology (ANTH) in the course section of this catalog or in Twin Cities Courses on the University Catalog Web site for courses pertaining to the program.

Use of 4xxx Courses—4xxx anthropology courses may be included on the Degree Program Form if they are taught by members of the graduate faculty.

M.A. Degree Requirements

For Plan A and Plan B, 30 semester credits, with at least 14 in anthropology and 6 in a minor or related field. Students should consult the Graduate Student Handbook for special requirements for sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

Language Requirements—None.

Final Exam—The final exam is oral.

Minor Requirements for Students Majoring in Other Fields—The minor program is individually designed by the student and the director of graduate studies. Minimally, students must take 6 credits in anthropology (5xxx courses or above).

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Requirements include 36 credits of coursework; 24 in anthropology and 12 in a minor or supporting program. Students should consult the Graduate Student Handbook for special requirements for sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

Language Requirements—Requirements depend upon student's special area of research.

Minor Requirements for Students Majoring in Other Fields—The minor program in anthropology is individually designed by the student and the director of graduate studies. A minimum of 12 credits in anthropology (5xxx courses or above) must be completed for the minor.

Faculty

Key to membership categories (abbreviations after faculty names).

Professor
Patricia Albers, American Indian Studies, ASM
William Beeman, SM
Guy E. Gibbon, SM
Stephen F. Gudeman, SM
John M. Ingham, SM
David M. Lipset, SM
Riv-Ellen Prell, American Studies, ASM
Gloria G. Raheja, SM
Peter S. Wells, SM
Joseph J. Westermeyer, Psychiatry, AM2

Associate Professor
Karen Ho, SM
Stuart McLean, SM
Jean M. Langford, SM
Martha Tappen, SM
Karen-Sue Taussig, SM
Gilbert B. Tostevin, SM
Thomas Wolfe, History, ASM

Assistant Professor
Katherine Hayes, SM
Kieran McNulty, SM
Gilliane Monier, SM
Susan C. Mulholland, ASM
Hoon Song, SM
David Valentine, SM
Michael Wilson, SM

Lecturer
Scott F. Anfinson, ASM
John A. Soderberg, AM
Michelle M. Terrell, AM

Fellow
Sonia E. Pattern, Family Medicine and Community Health, AM