Mission
The mission of the Department of Anthropology is to research and teach
about humankind the world over from the distant past to the present.
Anthropology consists of subfields that specialize in the human past,
human biology and evolution, language, society, and culture, and
provides cross-cultural, environmental, international, and global
perspectives on past and present human behavior. At Idaho State
University, an important part of the anthropology mission is to apply
anthropological concepts to the resolution of important social,
cultural, and environmental problems of our times. The Department of
Anthropology offers courses leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree and
the Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees in Anthropology. For a
full description of the M.A. and M.S. degrees, refer to the Graduate
Catalog. The Anthropology major provides training in all four
subdisciplines in the field, including archaeology, biological
anthropology, anthropological linguistics, and sociocultural
anthropology. The department also offers minors in Anthropology,
American Indian Studies, Latino Studies, and Linguistics, and
opportunities for specialization in archaeological science; ecological,
medical, and applied anthropology; language preservation;
biocomplexity; informatics; and oral history.
Undergraduate Learning Objectives And Outcomes
Program Objectives – Students who have completed an
undergraduate major in Anthropology at Idaho State University should be
able to:
1. Understand basic methods, concepts,
alternative theories and approaches, and modes of explanation
appropriate to each of the subfields of the discipline.
2. Read and understand anthropological theory at the
level of Bachelor of Arts.
3. Understand the use of quantitative and qualitative
analysis in anthropological research.
4. Understand a comparative approach to the human
condition, both cross-culturally and chronologically.
5. Demonstrate technical writing skills at the level
of Bachelor of Arts.
Learning Outcomes – Students in the Senior Seminar
will demonstrate the following competencies based on the above
objectives:
1. Apply knowledge of anthropological
methods, approaches, and modes of explanation to contemporary social
issues.
2. Use theory to formulate a testable explanation for
a given cultural behavior.
3. Select and perform quantitative and qualitative
analytical techniques at a basic level.
4. Carry out a research project using cross-cultural
or diachronic (or combination of the two) comparative methods.
5. Write a competent senior research project.
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Beyond the general university requirements, a student seeking Bachelor
of Arts degree with a major in anthropology must complete at least 47
credits in the following curriculum, earning at least a C grade in all
lower and upper division core courses. Students for both the major and
the minor in anthropology must have a minimum of 1 year of foreign
language at the college level to graduate.
Required Lower Division Courses:
ANTH 1107 The Nature of Language 3 cr
ANTH 2203 Introduction to Archaeology 3 cr
ANTH 2205 Introduction to Archaeology Laboratory 1 cr
ANTH 2230 Introduction to Biological Anthropology 3 cr
ANTH 2250 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology 3 cr
ANTH 2237 Peoples and Cultures of the Old World 3 cr
OR
ANTH 2238 Peoples and Cultures of the New World 3 cr
OR
ANTH 2239 Latino Peoples and Cultures 3 cr
TOTAL: 16 cr
Required Upper Division Courses:
ANTH 4401 History and Theory of Sociocultural Anthropology 3 cr
ANTH 4403 Method and Theory in Archaeology 3 cr
ANTH 4430 Human Evolution 3 cr
ANTH 4450 Socio-linguistics 3 cr
OR
ANTH 4455 Linguistic Analysis I 3 cr
OR
ANTH 4458 Historical Linguistics 3 cr
ANTH 4492 Senior Seminar 3 cr
ANTH 4495 Department Colloquium 1 cr
TOTAL: 16 cr
IN ADDITION:
Upper Division Anthropology Elective Courses 9 cr
ENGL 3307 Professional and Technical Writing 3 cr
MATH 3253 Introduction to Statistics 3 cr
TOTAL: 15 cr
Minors are available in
American
Indian Studies,
Anthropology,
Latino Studies, and
Linguistics.
Minor in American Indian Studies
Required Courses
ANTH 2238 Peoples and Cultures of the New World 3 cr
ANTH/HIST 2258 Native American History 3 cr
ANTH/ENGL 4453 American Indian Literature 3 cr
TOTAL: 9 cr
Plus FOUR of the following courses:
ANTH 1101 Elementary Shoshoni I 4 cr
ANTH 1102 Elementary Shoshoni II 4 cr
ANTH 2206 Indigenous Traditional Parenting 3 cr
ANTH 3301 Introduction to Shoshoni Folklore 3 cr
ANTH 4406 American Indian Health Issues 3 cr
ANTH 4421 Federal Indian Relations 3 cr
ANTH 4452 American Indian Verbal Arts 3 cr
ANTH 4454 Survey of American Indian Languages 3 cr
ANTH 4472 Native American Arts 3 cr
ANTH 4474 Topics in Indian Education 3 cr
ANTH/POLS 4478 Federal Indian Law 3 cr
ANTH/POLS 4479 Tribal Governments 3 cr
ANTH 4489 Topics in American Indian Studies 3 cr
Minimum Total: 21 cr
Minor in Anthropology
Required Courses
ANTH 1107 The Nature of Language 3 cr
ANTH 2203 Introduction to Archaeology 3 cr
ANTH 2205 Introduction to Archaeology Laboratory 1 cr
ANTH 2230 Introduction to Biological Anthropology 3 cr
ANTH 2250 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology 3 cr
IN ADDITION: Upper Division Anthropology Courses 9 cr
TOTAL: 22 cr
Minor in Latino Studies
Required Courses
ANTH 2250 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology 3 cr
ANTH 2239 Contemporary Latinos in the U.S. 3 cr
OR
ANTH 2239 Peoples of Mexico Through Film 3 cr
OR
ANTH 2239 Culture South of the Border 3 cr
HIST 2251 Latin America 3 cr
One year intermediate Spanish:
SPAN 2201-2202 Intermediate Spanish 8 cr
OR
SPAN 3301-3302 Spanish Conversation and Composition 6 cr
OR
Other with permission of Latino Studies Director 6 cr
Plus 6 credits from the following for a total of at least 21
credits
(3 credits must be 4000 level or above):
ANTH 2239 Contemporary Latinos in the U.S. 3 cr
ANTH 2239 Peoples of Mexico Through Film 3 cr
ANTH 2239 Culture South of the Border 3 cr
ANTH 2239 Ancient Meso America 3 cr
ANTH 2239 Other approved classes
ANTH 4487 Ethnographic Fieldschool* 3-6 cr
ANTH 4489 Latin American Indigenous Resource management 3 cr
HIST 4450 Golden Age Castile 3 cr
HIST 4460 The Global Hispanic Monarchy 3 cr
SPAN 3342 Survey of Latin American
Literature and Civilization 3 cr
SPAN 4462 Early Twentieth Century
Spanish American Literature 3 cr
*When offered in Mexico, Guatemala and other Latin American countries
Minor in Linguistics
Required Courses
ANTH/LANG/ENGL 1107 Nature of Language 3 cr
ENGL 2281 Introduction to Language Studies 3 cr
ANTH/LANG 4455 Phonetics 3 cr
OR
ENGL 4485 Linguistic Analysis 3 cr
OR
PHIL 4410 Philosophy of Language 3 cr
One year of a foreign language* 8 cr
Plus 9 credits from the following, for a total of 26 credits:
ANTH/ENGL 3367 Language in the United States 3 cr
ANTH 4450 Socio-linguistics 3 cr
ANTH 4452 Survey of American Indian Languages 3 cr
ANTH/LANG 4455 Phonetics 3 cr
ANTH/LANG 4456 Introduction to Phonology and Morphology 3 cr
ANTH 4458 Historical Linguistics 3 cr
ANTH 4459 Linguistic Field Methods 3 cr
ANTH/LANG 4457 Survey of Indo-European Languages 3 cr
ANTH/ENGL/LANG 4484 Topics in Linguistics 3 cr
ENGL 2280 Grammar and Usage 3 cr
ENGL 4481 Advanced Grammar 3 cr
ENGL 4483 Varieties of American English 3 cr
ENGL 4485 Linguistic Analysis 3 cr
ENGL 4486 Old English 3 cr
ENGL 4487 History of the English Language 3 cr
LANG 4488 Comparative Philology 3 cr
PHIL 2201 Introduction to Logic 3 cr
PHIL 4410 Philosophy of Language 3 cr
* in addition to the 8 credit hours of foreign language required under
General Education Goal 10B.
Anthropology Courses
Only Juniors and Seniors may register for 4000-level courses without
permission of the instructor.
ANTH 1100 General Anthropology 3 credits. Introduction to fields
of anthropology: physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and
ethnology, and to biological and cultural development of humans.
Satisfies Goal 12 of the General Education Requirements. F, S, Su
ANTH 1101 Elementary Shoshoni I 4 credits. Basic communication
skills and grammar of Shoshoni and introduction to Shoshoni
culture. Cross-listed as SHOS 1101. With ANTH/SHOS 1102, satisfies
Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F
ANTH 1102 Elementary Shoshoni II 4 credits. Furthering basic
communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni and introduction to
Shoshoni culture. Cross-listed as SHOS 1102. With ANTH/SHOS 1101,
satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. S
ANTH 1107 Nature of Language 3 credits. General survey of
structure and use of language. Topics include language origins,
descriptive and historical linguistics, language and culture, and
history of the English language. Cross-listed as ENGL 1107 and LANG
1107. S
ANTH 2201 Intermediate Shoshoni I 4 credits. Intermediate
communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni. Deepens
understanding of Shoshoni culture and builds on skills and knowledge
gained in Elementary Shoshoni. Cross‑listed as SHOS 2201. With
ANTH/SHOS 2202, satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education
Requirements. F
ANTH 2202 Intermediate Shoshoni II 4 credits. Intermediate
communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni. Deepens
understanding of Shoshoni culture and builds on skills and knowledge
gained in Elementary Shoshoni. Cross‑listed as SHOS 2202. PREREQ:
ANTH/SHOS 2201 or equivalent. With ANTH/SHOS 2201, satisfies Goal 10B
of the General Education Requirements. S
ANTH 2203 Introduction to Archaeology 3 credits. Introduction to
basic methods, data and concepts of archaeology. S
ANTH 2205 Introduction to Archaeology Laboratory 1 credit.
Exercises and experiments introducing the methods and techniques of
archaeology. COREQ: ANTH 2203. S
ANTH 2206 Indigenous Traditional Parenting 3 credits. Using the
traditional knowledge of a Shoshoni language speaker, course is based
in language and philosophy. Includes concepts of personhood, relations
between parent and child, and the philosophy and use of childcare
artifacts such as cradleboards. F
ANTH 2210 Conversational Shoshoni 3 credits. Refresher in
Shoshoni words and phrases for those with previous exposure to the
language and culture. S
ANTH 2212 Introduction to Folklore/Oral Tradition 3 credits.
Folklore genres and folk groups, including introductory experience in
folklore fieldwork focused on study of a genre or group of genres
within verbal, customary, or material culture. Cross-listed as ENGL
2212. R1
ANTH 2230 Introduction to Biological Anthropology 3 credits.
Introduction to human biology, including human origins, evolution,
human adaptation, and diversity. F
ANTH 2233 Sex, Culture and Human Evolution 3 credits. Examination
of worldwide variation in human sexuality from an anthropological and
evolutionary perspective. D
ANTH 2237 Peoples and Cultures of the Old World 3 credits.
Examination of human social and cultural diversity from different parts
of the Old World. Topics include social structure, ecology, religion,
politics, and language. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. Satisfies
Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. D
ANTH 2238 Peoples and Cultures of the New World 3 credits.
Examination of the human social and cultural diversity from different
parts of the New World. Topics include social structure, ecology,
religion, politics, and language. May be repeated for up to 6 credits.
Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. F, S
ANTH 2239 Latino Peoples and Cultures 3 credits. Examination of
the human, social and cultural diversity among Latino people in
different regions of the world. Topics include ethnicity, health and
healing, social structure, ecology, religion, politics, prehistory and
language. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. Satisfies
Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. F, S
ANTH 2250 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology 3 credits.
Explores cultural and biocultural behavior including cross cultural
examination of enculturation, culture and personality, social
organization, kinship and marriage, economics, politics, and ideology.
Focus on cultural dynamics and contemporary issues in cultural
anthropology. F
ANTH 2258 Native American History 3 credits. Assesses diversity
of North American natives, their life and thought; European impact;
federal policy; and natives’ response to continual cultural and
physical assault. Cross-listed as HIST 2258. D
ANTH 3301 Introduction to Shoshoni Folklore 3 credits. Survey of
Shoshoni beliefs, customs, music, dance and various genres of oral
tradition including tales, legends and myths. Includes the material
manifestations of Shoshoni culture, including arts and crafts,
costuming and folk technology. R1
ANTH 3367 Language in the United States 3 credits. A survey of
the languages of the United States (American Indian languages,
immigrant languages, and ethnic and regional varieties of English)
along with the social and political aspects of American language use.
Cross-listed as ENGL 3367. PREREQ: ANTH/LANG/ENGL 1107. D
ANTH 4401 History and Theory of Sociocultural Anthropology 3 credits.
Survey of the development of anthropology, various schools of thought,
important personalities, and concepts that have contributed to
anthropology over time. PREREQ: ANTH 2250 or permission of instructor. S
ANTH 4402 Ecological Anthropology 3 credits. Interaction of human
biocultural systems and environment. Relations of natural resources,
technological inventories, social organization, cultural categories.
Native resource management practices. PREREQ: ANTH 2203, ANTH 2250,
ANTH 2230, BIOL 1100 or permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4403 Method and Theory in Archaeology 3 credits. History
of the development of current methods and theory in archaeology and
contemporary applications. PREREQ: ANTH 2203 or permission of
instructor. F
ANTH 4404 Material Culture Analysis 3 credits. Methods and analyses
used in archaeology and anthropology to understand the
relationship between objects and culture. PREREQ: ANTH 2203 or
permission of instructor. COREQ: ANTH 4405. D
ANTH 4405 Analytical Techniques Laboratory 1 credit. Analytical
techniques laboratory to accompany ANTH 4404. Students will
complete an assigned project in material culture analysis. PREREQ: ANTH
2203 or permission of instructor. COREQ: ANTH 4404. D
ANTH 4406 American Indian Health Issues 3 credits. An overview of
health concerns, both current and past, of American Indian people, and
the biological and sociocultural factors which influence health status.
PREREQ: Permission of instructor. AF
ANTH 4407 Anthropology of Global Health 3 credits. How cultures
define health and illness, and how these definitions ultimately
influence the health status of individuals. PREREQ: Prior Anthropology
course or permission of instructor. F
ANTH 4408 Topics in Medical Anthropology 3 credits.
Rotating topics, including international health issues,
ethno-psychiatry, ethnomedicine and non-western healing
systems. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: Permission of
instructor. D
ANTH 4409 Clinical Medical Anthropology 3 credits. Explores the
culture of biomedicine and the beliefs of patients. Topics include
doctor/patient communication, cultural competency, cultural
construction of risk, critiques of high-tech medicine and the
international pharmaceutical industry. S
ANTH 4410 Introduction to Cultural Resources Management 3 credits.
Introduction to CRM reviewing historic preservation and federal
legislation as they pertain to archaeology; practical experience in
site survey and recording. PREREQ: ANTH 2203 or permission of
instructor. D, W
ANTH 4413 Old World Archaeology 3 credits. Prehistory of the Old
World. Precise areal focus and periods may vary. Includes both theory
and exposition. May be repeated for up to 6 credits with different
course topics. PREREQ: ANTH 2203 or permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4414 New World Archaeology 3 credits. Examination of the
prehistory of the Americas with emphasis on the North American
Continent. May be repeated for up to 6 credits with different course
topics. PREREQ: ANTH 2203 or permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4430 Human Evolution 3 credits. Examines relevant topical
issues/problems in human evolution from a bioanthropological,
ecological, and demographic perspective, including paleoanthropology,
evolutionary genetics, and the impact of health, nutrition, and disease
in human populations. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: ANTH
2230 or permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4432 Human Osteology 3 credits. Provides a comprehensive,
working knowledge of the human skeletal system presented in a
laboratory context, including identification of individual bones,
osteogenesis, pathologies, demography, and the applications of
knowledge and techniques in real world settings. PREREQ: ANTH 2230 or
permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4439 Principles of Taphonomy 3 credits. Effects of
processes which modify organisms between death and the time the usually
fossilized remains are studied. Emphasis on vertebrates.
Cross‑listed as BIOL 4439, GEOL 4439. PREREQ: Permission of
instructor. AS
ANTH 4449 Sociocultural Anthropology Research Methods 3 credits.
Study of the methods of field work and analysis in sociocultural
anthropology; design of field studies; data types; techniques for
collection and analysis of empirical data; report writing; experimental
field projects. AF
ANTH 4450 Socio-linguistics 3 credits. Study of the patterned
covariation of language and society, social dialects and social styles
in language; problems of bilingualism, multilingualism, creoles and
language uses.Cross-listed as ENGL 4488. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107,
ENGL 2280 or ENGL 2281, or permission of instructor. F
ANTH 4452 American Indian Verbal Arts 3 credits. Analysis of
current theories in the study of oral literature and ethnopoetics,
focusing on the oral traditions of American Indians. PREREQ:
ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107 or permission of instructor. AF
ANTH 4453 American Indian Literature 3 credits. Considers
literary works by and about North American native people, especially in
relationship to history, genre, and culture, including oral traditions.
Cross-listed as ENGL 4453. PREREQ: Goal 1. R2
ANTH 4454 Survey of American Indian Languages 3 credits. History
of scholarship, analysis and classification of American Indian
languages with emphasis on the languages of a particular phylum or
geographical area. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107 or permission of
instructor. AF
ANTH 4455 Phonetics 3 credits. Introduction to descriptive
linguistics focusing on the phonetics and phonetic phenomena of English
and the other languages of the world. Extensive practice in perception
and production of such phenomena. Cross-listed as LANG 4455. PREREQ:
ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107. D
ANTH 4456 Phonology and Morphology 3 credits. Phonological theory
and analysis; current theories in morphology. Phonological rules,
representations, underlying forms, derivations, justifications of
phonological analyses; morphological structure, derivational and
inflectional morphology; relation of morphology to phonology.
Cross-listed as LANG 4456. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107. D
ANTH 4457 Survey of Indo-European Languages 3 credits. Survey of
Indo-European languages from ancient to modern times, their
relationships to one another, and chief characteristics. Cross-listed
as LANG 4457. PREREQ: completion of Goal 10B. D
ANTH 4458 Historical Linguistics 3 credits. The methods and
theories of the historical study of language. The comparative method,
internal reconstruction, linguistic change over time, genetic typology
of languages, and applications to prehistory. PREREQ:
ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107. AS
ANTH 4459 Linguistic Field Methods 3 credits. Practical experience
in linguistic analysis of a language using data elicited from a native
speaker. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: ANTH 4456 or
permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4463 Applied Statistics in Anthropology 3 credits. Practical
applications of commonly used statistical analyses in anthropology.
PREREQ: MATH 1153 or permission of instructor. AF
ANTH 4464 Analytical Methods 3 credits. Examination of and
practical experience in applying advanced quantitative,
qualitative, and laboratory methods and analyses. May be taken for up
to 6 credits. PREREQ: ANTH 4463 or permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4472 Native American Arts 3 credits. Survey of Native
American arts and industries, including prehistoric, ethnographic,
and contemporary venues. PREREQ: ANTH 2238 and permission of
instructor. D
ANTH 4474 Topics in Indian Education 3 credits. Rotating
review of topics dealing with issues in Indian education. Consult
current schedule of classes for exact course being taught. D
ANTH 4478 Federal Indian Law 3 credits. Examination of tribal
governments; their relationship with the federal government;
sovereignty, jurisdictional conflicts over land and resources; and
economic development. Cross-listed as POLS 4478. D
ANTH 4479 Tribal Governments 3 credits. Complex legal position of
Indian tribes as self-governing entities; principles of inherent
powers; governmental organization, lawmaking, justice, relation to
state and federal government. Cross-listed as POLS 4479. D
ANTH 4480 Varieties of American English 3 credits. In-depth study
of various dialects of American English, including historical evolution
of different dialects, effects of migration on dialects, and influences
of non-English immigrant languages on development of American English.
Field-work studying the Snake River dialects of Idaho. Cross-listed as
ENGL 4480. PREREQ: ANTH/LANG/ENGL 1107. D
ANTH 4481 Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology 3 credits.
Selected topics in social, political, economic, and religious
systems/organization. Intensive survey of literature and analysis of
relevant materials. See current schedule of classes for exact course
titles. May be repeated for up to 9 credits with different course
topics. PREREQ: Upper Division status or permission of
instructor. D
ANTH 4482 Independent Problems in Anthropology 1-3 credits.
Investigation of an anthropological problem chosen by the student and
approved by the staff. May be repeated for up to 6 credits.
PREREQ: Permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4483 Field Research 3 credits. Practical experience in field
research. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: Permission of
instructor. D
ANTH 4484 Topics in Linguistics 3 credits. Rotating topics in
different areas of linguistics. Consult current schedule of classes for
exact course being taught. May be repeated with different content.
Cross-listed as ENGL 4484 and LANG 4484. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 1107 or
ENGL 2280 or ENGL 2281. D
ANTH 4485 Anthropology of War and Violence 3 credits. Survey of war
and violence from its evolutionary foundations through its modern
representations. History and ethnography of violent conflict around the
world. PREREQ: Any upper division social science course. AS
ANTH 4486 Archaeology Field School 1-6 credits. Practical field
and laboratory training in archaeological excavation techniques and
methods of analysis. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ:
ANTH 2203 or permission of instructor. Su
ANTH 4487 Ethnographic Field School 1-6 credits. Supervised
fieldwork in cultural anthropology in a given ethnographic setting
where students and faculty work on a specific set of field problems.
May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: ANTH 2250 and ANTH 4449 or
permission of instructor. D
ANTH 4489 Topics in American Indian Studies 3 credits. Rotating
review of topics dealing with issues in American Indian studies.
Consult current schedule of classes for exact course being taught. May
be repeated with different content. D
ANTH 4490 Topics in Folklore 3 credits. Focused study of
an issue in folkloristics or a particular genre of folklore, including
history of the scholarship concerning that issue or genre. Rotating
topics. May be repeated for up to 9 credits with different topics.
Cross-listed as ENGL 4490. R1
ANTH 4491 Archaeology Laboratory Analysis 3 credits. Directed
analysis of archaeological remains and report writing. May be repeated
for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: Permission of instructor. F, S, W
ANTH 4492 Senior Seminar 3 credits. Integration and application
of anthropological theories and methods to current research issues. S
ANTH 4494 Visual Anthropology 3 credits. Documentary and
ethnographic filmmaking techniques including story structure,
interviewing, audio and lighting, camera handling, composition, POV,
and editing. Anthropological critiques of visual representation.
Students create their own short film for a final project.May be
repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: ANTH 1100 or ANTH 2250 or
permission of instructor. F
ANTH 4495 Department Colloquium 1 credit. Presentations of current
research issues in Anthropology by faculty and students. S
ANTH 4497 Workshop 1-2 credits. Workshops aimed at the
development and improvement of skills. Does not satisfy requirements
for a major or a minor. May be repeated. Graded S/U. D
