Concentration Requirements

The Department of Anthropology offers students three programs of study: Archaeology, Social Anthropology, and a combined track that brings together both fields. 

Basic Concentration Requirements

Required Courses

  • Archaeological Method and Theory. Ordinarily met with GENED 1105 (after Fall 2019) or ANTHRO 1010 (prior to Fall 2019)
  • ANTHRO 97x: Sophomore Tutorial in Archaeology (Spring Term)
  • ANTHRO 98a: Junior Tutorial in Anthropology (Fall Term)
  • Five additional Archaeology courses, any level 
  • One Social Anthropology course
  • One course related to Human Evolution. This course must be approved by the DUS or ADUS.

Additional Information:

  • Pass/Fail: Two courses may be taken Pass/Fail and counted toward the concentration. All Anthropology tutorials are letter-graded.
  • Statistics/Archaeological Science: Concentrators in Archaeology are encouraged to take courses in statistics, archaeological science and/or computer science (including GIS). Competence in handling quantitative data is extremely important in anthropological research, and such competence is best obtained through formal training in statistics and scientific methods.
  • Study and Research Abroad: If a student has received Harvard degree credit for courses taken in a Harvard-approved oversees studies program, the student may petition the DUS and ADUS for permission to count these courses towards Archaeology concentration requirements.
  • Field Experience: Archaeology concentrators are required to participate in a field experience. While this is not a course requirement, it may be completed by having an experience, training, or internship, including museum internships, for which there is not credit given. 

Required Courses

  • ANTHRO 1610: Ethnographic Research Methods (Fall Term)
  • ANTHRO 97z: Sophomore Tutorial in Social Anthropology (Spring Term)
  • ANTHRO 98a: Junior Tutorial in Anthropology (Fall Term)
  • Four Social Anthropology courses, any level
  • Two courses in Anthropology (Social Anthropology or Archaeology), of which at least one must be an Archaeology course (any level).
  • One related course: One additional course in Anthropology or in any social sciences field or advanced foreign language. Students may substitute a relevant course in humanities or science fields with approval from the DUS or ADUS. 

Additional Information:

  • Pass/Fail: one course may be taken Pass/Fail and counted toward the concentration. This will ordinarily be in the related course category. All Anthropology tutorials are letter-graded.  
  • Study and Research Abroad: If a student has received Harvard degree credit for courses taken in a Harvard-approved oversees studies program, the student may petition the DUS and ADUS for permission to count these courses towards Social Anthropology concentration requirements.

Required Courses

  • Archaeological Method and Theory. Ordinarily met with GENED 1105 (after Fall 2019) or ANTHRO 1010 (prior to Fall 2019)
  • ANTHRO 1610: Ethnographic Research Methods (Fall Term)
  • ANTHRO 97x: Sophomore Tutorial in Archaeology (Spring Term)
  • ANTHRO 97z: Sophomore Tutorial in Social Anthropology (Spring Term) 
  • ANTHRO 98a: Junior Tutorial in Anthropology (Fall Term) 
  • One course in Archaeology
  • One course in Social Anthropology
  • Two courses in Archaeology or Social Anthropology. One Graduate Research Seminar (2000-level) encouraged, but not required.
  • One related course: one additional course in Anthropology or a related discipline, Human Evolutionary Biology, or human evolution. This course must be approved by the DUS or ADUS. 

Additional Information:

  • Pass/Fail: Two courses may be taken Pass/Fail and counted toward the concentration. All Anthropology tutorials are letter-graded
  • Statistics/Archaeological Science: Concentrators in combined Archaeology and Social Anthropology are encouraged to take courses in statistics, archaeological science and/or computer science (including GIS). Competence in handling quantitative data is extremely important in anthropological research, and such competence is best obtained through formal training in statistics and scientific methods.
  • Study and Research Abroad: If a student has received Harvard degree credit for courses taken in a Harvard-approved oversees studies program, the student may petition the DUS and ADUS for permission to count these courses towards Archaeology concentration requirements.