Anthropology

Biological Anthropology Track

Breadcrumb

Biological Anthropology Track

Biological anthropology focuses on the biological aspects of the human condition, emphasizing especially our evolutionary legacy and the role of social processes in shaping biological phenomena.

The Department of Anthropology offers a core course in biological anthropology (Human Evolution) as well as advanced courses on the human skeleton and other select topics.

The Biological Anthropological track is ideal for students interested in understanding humans from a biocultural perspective. The Human Evolution course provides a core founding in biological anthropology while the Human Skeleton course trains students in hominin skeletal anatomy, essential for further study in bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and paleoanthropology.

  1. A foundational course in biological anthropology, taken when students begin on the biological anthropology track:
    • Human Evolution (ANTH0310)
  2. A foundational course in cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, or linguistic anthropology to ground students in the social dimensions of anthropology:
    Hominin fossil casts from the Anthropology Teaching Laboratory
    Hominin fossil casts from the Anthropology Teaching Laboratory

    Choose One:

    • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANTH0100)
    • Culture and Health (ANTH0300)
    • Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (ANTH0800)
  3. A course in biological anthropology methodology:
    • The Human Skeleton (ANTH 1720)
  4. Five anthropology courses of the student’s choosing. At least three of the electives will need to be at the 1000-level to meet the requirements of the concentration.
    2 MB PhD students sorting animal remains from the archaeological site of Lacanja
    Ph.D. students sorting animal remains from the archaeological site of Lacanja Tzeltal, Mexico. Photo by Andrew Scherer.
  5. At least one non-anthropology course with a biological focus. Any course with a BIOL prefix can be used to fulfill this requirement. Students are especially encouraged to consider a course with a significant content devoted to genetics and/or evolutionary theory. This course is in addition to the nine courses required in ANTH.
  6. At least one course in statistics. This course is in addition to the nine courses required in ANTH. Possible courses regularly offered at Brown include:

    • Choose One:

      • Essential Statistics (APMA 0650)
      • Statistical Analysis of Biological Data (BIOL0495)
      • Statistical Methods (CLPS 0900)
      • Introductory Statistics for Education Research and Policy Analysis (EDUC 1110)
      • Introductory Statistics for Social Research (SOC 1100)
      • Essentials of Data Analysis (PHP 1501)
      • Other courses may be substituted to meet this requirement with the permission of the DUS.
  7. Senior Seminar, (Re)Making Anthropology (ANTH 1990), normally taken in senior year, designed to provide students a firm understanding of what defines the discipline of anthropology, as grounded through a look at anthropology’s past, present, and future.