Professors: Judith Shapiro (President Emerita), Lesley Sharp
Associate Professor: Nadia Abu El-Haj (Chair), Brian Larkin, Paige West
Assistant Professors: Severin Fowles, Paul Kockelman
Other officers of the University offering courses listed below:
Professors: Lila Abu-Lughod, Partha Chatterjee, Myron Cohen, Terence D’Altroy, E. Valentine
Daniel, Nicholas Dirks, Ralph Holloway, Mahmood Mamdani, Don J. Melnick,
Brinkley Messick, Rosalind Morris, Elizabeth Povinelli, David Scott, Michael Taussig
Research Professor: Nan Rothschild
Associate Professors: Elaine Combs-Schilling, Marina Cords, Steven Gregory, Marilyn Ivy, John Pemberton
Assistant Professors: Nicholas De Genova, Neni Panourgia, Sandhya Shukla
Lecturers: Rashmi Sadara, Karen Seeley
For a complete list of
faculty on leave see:
http://www.barnard.edu/provost/facleavelist.html
Anthropology examines how cultures provide frames for the ways people think, act and make sense of their society. Now, with the quickening movement of culture, ideas and people we seek to examine the forms of life that emerge from this movement and the interactions and conflicts that result. Barnard Anthropology provides students new ways to perceive and analyze the world, to understand difference and to think on a global scale while still focused on the lived experiences of everyday life.
Majors in anthropology can take advantage of internships offered by several major museums and libraries in New York City. Various summer schools provide opportunities for research in archaeology and ethnography and, under certain circumstances, such work may be credited toward the Barnard degree. Students interested in cultural anthropology are encouraged, whenever possible, to conduct research in the New York area, or, during their summer vacations, in other localities. The department also encourages majors to consider spending a semester abroad; students who plan to do so should plan early, in consultation with the chair and their advisor, in order to incorporate required courses in proper sequence.
All courses, except those limited to majors, satisfy the College’s distribution requirements. Courses listed as W 4000 are open to majors, non-majors, and interested graduate students.
The department also cooperates with related programs such as Africana Studies, American Studies, Foreign Area Studies, Human Rights Studies, Urban Studies, and Women’s Studies, and with other departments offering, as an option to their majors, a four-course cluster in Anthropology. Arrangements for combined, double, joint, and special majors are made in consultation with the chair.
Every major is urged to acquire a general knowledge of three of the four fields of anthropology (social and linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and physical anthropology) and of their interrelationship. To this end, the student’s program should be designed in consultation with her adviser as soon as possible after the declaration of the major. Continuing and frequent meetings with the adviser are encouraged.
Ten courses are required for the major, including:
| ANTH V 1002 | The Interpretation of Culture |
| and two of the following: | |
| ANTH V 1007 | The Origins of Human Society |
| ANTH V 1008 | The Rise of Civilization |
| ANTH V 1009 | Introduction to Language and Culture |
| EEEB V 1010 | The Human Species: Its Place in Nature |
| plus: | |
| ANTH V 3040 | Anthropological Theory I |
| ANTH V 3041 | Anthropological Theory II |
| and: | |
| BC 3871–BC 3872 | Senior Thesis Seminar: Problems in Anthropological Research |
| plus at least three other courses of the student's own choosing. | |
In consultation with advisers, programs will be designed to reflect the students’ interests and plans—whether they intend to go on to graduate studies in anthropology or expect to enter
other fields.
It is recommended that students who plan to major and do so in socio-cultural anthropology take BC 3868y (Ethnographic Field Research in New York City) before their senior year. Many seniors choose to incorporate a fieldwork component in their thesis research and having some experience of field methods is extremely important. Those interested in other sub-disciplines may wish to take this or another “methods” course and should consult their advisers. Students are also encouraged to check listings for courses offered by EEEB and ANEB at Columbia for possible Anthropology credit, in consultation with the Barnard department chair.
Senior Essay
All students majoring in Anthropology are required to submit an essay of substantial length and scholarly depth. Such a paper will usually be written during the course of the Senior Seminar (BC3871–BC3872) or, under special circumstances and with department approval, in one or two semesters of BC 3999x, y Individual Projects.
Double and Joint Majors
Students doing a double or joint major in Anthropology and another subject are required to register for at least one semester of BC 3871–BC 38
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR
The minor consists of five courses: ANTH V 1002; one of the following: ANTH V 1007, ANTH
V 1008, ANTH V 1009, or EEEB 1010; plus three other Anthropology courses selected in consultation with the chair.
Pre-law and premedical students who wish to minor in anthropology should seek the advice and approval of the department chair.