Anthropology majors typically take the following courses in the fall semester of their first year:
First-Year Experience Learning Community Courses
We will register you in these courses.
- Philosophy (PHIL 201)
- English Composition (ENG 101) OR Theology (TRS 201)
Why am I taking these classes? Honors students take equivalent honors courses.
Major and Elective Courses
You will need to choose and register for these courses.
- Cultures in a Global Society (ANTH 101), Introduction to Archaeology (ANTH 108), or Human Evolution (ANTH 105)
- A foreign language (see below)
- A liberal arts foundations course; a course toward a minor, certificate, or other focus area; or a free elective
Language placement
Your major requires you to complete the study of a foreign language through the intermediate level. Catholic University teaches the following languages that satisfy this requirement: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. If you are interested in learning a language not listed here, consult with your advisor.
If you have previously studied a foreign language and are interested in continuing with that same language, or if you can demonstrate fluency in a foreign language, you should complete the language placement exam.
About Your First Semester Courses
To begin your introduction to anthropology you can choose between three course options. Select the class which best fits your schedule.
Your first option is “Introduction to Anthropology: Cultures in a Global Society” (ANTH 101), which introduces students to basic concepts of sociocultural anthropology and the study of cultural differences among peoples of the world. The class poses questions about how lives are touched by media images and information, transnational markets, consumer desires, global ecology, conflicting aspirations, religious revivals, and rewritten histories.
Your second option is “Introduction to Archaeology” (ANTH 108), which provides a survey of how we use the past to understand the present. We learn how archeologists ask questions, pose and test hypotheses. We review several approaches including the scientific methods used to find and study archeological sites. We also examine the less tangible aspects of the past such as the role of gender, religion, and cosmology. Reaching back to our existence as hunters and gatherers and the transition to village life we explore the perils of settling down and the lessons archeologists have learned from past human behavior. We explore how humans have modified plant life through domestication, how over-exploitation caused the demise of some early civilizations while others learned from their mistakes.
Your third options is "Human Evolution" (ANTH 105) which provides an introduction to physical anthropology and the course of human evolution. Topics include cultural adaptation, natural history of the earth, the fossil hominid, human populations, and human ecology.
For your foreign language, you may wish to choose a language spoken by a culture that interests you, or if you are considering studying abroad, the language spoken there.
For your fifth course, you can choose what you like. You can take a liberal arts elective or a free elective course in a subject of your interest. Or, you may wish to begin study in a secondary subject area, perhaps for a minor or certificate.
To learn more about the Anthropology major, consult the Anthropology Department’s website.
Know which courses you want? Get registered.