Welcome

Anthropology explores the widest possible definition of human diversity through research, history and comparative analysis to better comprehend future trends as well.

Anthropologists test hypotheses largely through fieldwork. The program at City College is designed to offer students a background in the four fields of the discipline:

♦  Archaeology    ♦  Sociocultural Anthropology   ♦  Linguistic Anthropology    ♦  Physical Anthropology

Within the Department, students may focus specifically on Anthropology, the holistic study of people across time and space. Studying humans as both biological and cultural beings affected by their environment, anthropology is inherently interdisciplinary, bridging the humanities, arts, natural sciences, and social sciences. Within this wider field, Anthropology at The City College of New York has refined its focus to specialize in the study of inequality and social justice within urban contexts and rural divides and through time. Focusing on migration, diasporas, transnationalism, global racial patterns, refugees in the world system, colonialism, whiteness, debt, and political economy, Anthropology at CCNY is concerned with issues of representation, identity, citizenship, and exclusion, as well as race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gender.

With this focus, the study of Anthropology plays a vital role within the College. It can provide a theoretical and methodological center for various interdisciplinary programs at the College, such as Black Studies, Asian Studies, Middle East and North Africa Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and International Studies. It can also provide the cross-cultural perspective necessary for students planning careers in other fields, including engineering, architecture, education, heritage management (i.e. museums and public archaeology), international development and international relations, journalism, medicine, and public health, social work, and allied professions. All of these fields require knowledge of social interaction, respect for cultural differences and histories, and a commitment to public and community engagement. This focus also serves majors and minors well, providing a firm foundation for graduate work for those who choose to go on in the field. Most importantly, it provides all students with a framework for understanding themselves in the context of their community, nation, and world.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Undergraduate B.A. Major

The City College of New York offers a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology, with basic and advanced courses, along with independent studies and courses on selected topics.

*As many as 6 of the 15 elective credits may be related courses outside the Department of Anthropology, e.g., courses in Asian Studies, Biology, Black Studies, History or Sociology. These courses must be chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor.

Undergraduate Minor

All 15 credits must be courses within the Anthropology department. Consult with the Chair or Faculty Advisor.

Courses Offerings