Program Overview

---

Anthropology Program

The Anthropology program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) offers a comprehensive education in the field of anthropology, with a focus on the practical aspects of anthropology to help solve human problems. The program introduces students to the four major subfields of anthropology: archaeology, ethnology, biological anthropology, and linguistics.

Program Description

Anthropology is the study of humankind, comparing peoples of all places and times to understand the panorama of human existence. The field looks at the human experience through aspects like language, biology, religion, family life, politics, economics, and others. While many anthropologists work in other cultures amid exotic settings, MTSU's anthropology degree program also emphasizes the practical aspects of anthropology to help solve human problems.

Careers

An anthropology degree enriches students with skills that are applicable in any workplace, including:

• Analytical and critical thinking
• Cultural relativism
• Ethics and professionalism
• Verbal and written communication
• Data gathering, assessment, and interpretation With these skills, students are qualified for professions such as:
• Archaeology
• Community organizing and services
• Cultural resources management (CRM)
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
• Education
• Environmental impact assessment
• Environment and natural resources
• Ethnic and cultural organizations
• Federal / state / local / tribal government
• Forensic anthropology
• Historic preservation
• Humanitarian services
• Human rights and social justice
• International aid and development
• International diplomacy
• Languages, translation, and interpreting
• Law and Criminal Justice
• Libraries and Archives
• Marketing
• Media
• Medicine and health services
• Museums and curation
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Parks and historic sites
• Public administration
• Public relations
• Public health and epidemiology
• Refugee and immigrant services
• Scientific and creative writing
• Social service agencies

Employers of MTSU Anthropology Degree Alumni

Employers of MTSU anthropology degree alumni include:

• Universities/colleges/community colleges
• Nature centers
  atural history or history museums
• Government/planning agencies
• U.S. Forest Service/U.S. Corps of Engineers
• Environmental or engineering firms
• Private foundations/international organizations

Degree Requirements

The Anthropology program offers two degree options: a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The degree requirements for each option are as follows:

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

• True Blue Core (TBC): 41 hours
• Major Requirements: 43 hours
• Minor: 15-18 hours
• Electives: 18-21 hours
• Total: 120 hours

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

• True Blue Core (TBC): 41 hours
• Major Requirements: 43 hours
• Foreign Language: 6 hours
• Minor: 15-18 hours
• Electives: 6-12 hours
• Total: 120 hours

Major Requirements

The major requirements for both the B.S. and B.A. degrees include:

• ANTH 2800 - Professions in Anthropology
• ANTH 3000 - Anthropological Theory
• ANTH 3010 - Ethnology
• ANTH 3210 - Archaeology
• ANTH 3310 - Biological Anthropology
• ANTH 3410 - Linguistic Anthropology
• ANTH 3530 - Anthropology Research Methods
• ANTH electives: 12 credit hours

Area Studies

Students must choose 6 credit hours from the following area studies courses:

• ANTH 3509 - Peoples and Cultures of China and Japan
• ANTH 3510 - Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia
• ANTH 3514 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa
• ANTH 3515 - Peoples and Cultures of Native North America
• ANTH 3516 - Peoples and Cultures of Europe
• ANTH 3517 - Peoples and Cultures of Brazil
• ANTH 3518 - Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
• ANTH 3520 - North American Prehistoric Archaeology
• ANTH 3521 - The Archaeology of Mexico and Central America
• ANTH 4520 - Archaeology of the Southeastern United States

Archaeology/Biological Anthropology

Students must choose 3 credit hours from the following Archaeology/Biological Anthropology courses:

• ANTH 3230 - Archaeology of Salt
• ANTH 3240 - Ancient Civilizations
• ANTH 3350 - Archaeology of Death
• ANTH 3520 - North American Prehistoric Archaeology
• ANTH 3521 - The Archaeology of Mexico and Central America
• ANTH 3610 - Archaeological Methods
• ANTH 3630 - True Crimes and War Dead: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology
• ANTH 3650 - Forensic Anthropology
• ANTH 4300 - Human Osteology
• ANTH 4310 - Bioarchaeology
• ANTH 4520 - Archaeology of the Southeastern United States
• ANTH 4620 - Environmental Archaeology
• ANTH 4860 - Historical Archaeology
• ANTH 4950 - Archaeological Field School

Cultural Anthropology/Linguistics

Students must choose 3 credit hours from the following Cultural Anthropology/Linguistics courses:

• ANTH 3120 - Popular Culture in Global Perspective
• ANTH 3130 - Anthropology of Music
• ANTH 3640 - Visual Anthropology
• ANTH 3720 - Environmental Anthropology
• ANTH 3730 - Medical Anthropology
• ANTH 3750 - Race, Class, and Gender
• ANTH 3752 - Cultural Images of Gender
• ANTH 4120 - Practicing Anthropology
• ANTH 4130 - Anthropology of Globalization
• ANTH 4140 - Immigrants and Globalization in the American South
• ANTH 4620 - Environmental Archaeology
• ANTH 4730 - Economic Anthropology
• ANTH 4750 - Anthropology of Religion
• ANTH 4940 - Ethnographic Field School

Faculty

The Anthropology program at MTSU is led by a team of experienced faculty members, including:

• Dr. Paul Emanovsky, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Paul N. Eubanks, Professor
• Dr. Shannon Chappell Hodge, Professor
• Dr. Thomas Dean Holland, Professor
• Dr. Ida Fadzillah Leggett, Professor
• Dr. William Leggett, Associate Professor
• Dr. Richard Pace, Professor
• Dr. Andrew R. Wyatt, Professor

Information

The Anthropology program at MTSU provides students with a broad preparation in anthropology through the "four-field approach," emphasizing a basic introduction to the four subdisciplines of anthropology: archaeology, ethnology, biological anthropology, and linguistics. A special emphasis of the program is on involving students in "fieldwork," which has been the mainstay of the discipline since its founding. All faculty members are actively involved in research and are dedicated to involving students in that research.