Undergraduate Program

General Information
Bachelor of Arts Requirements
Minor Requirements
Honors Track
Opportunities for practical experience
Funding
Preperation for Advanced Studies
Undergraduate Mentoring Program
Undergraduate Anthropology Club
Contact Us

General Information

Majoring or minoring in Anthropology prepares you for a series of careers [see also this pdf document on careers]. The Department of Anthropology at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa welcomes students interested in majoring or minoring in anthropology. This page provides helpful information for such students as well as those who have already declared majors or minors in the undergraduate program in anthropology at UH.

Applying. To apply for undergraduate study at UH, contact the UH Admissions and Records Office.

Declaring. To declare a major or minor in Anthropology, consult these online forms available from Student Academic Services, or go to Queen Lili`uokalani Center 113 to pick up forms in person.

Advising. Students interested in Anthropology or in need of academic advising can contact the Department's Undergraduate Chair, Professor Christian Peterson, or the Department Chair, Professor Christine R. Yano. Students should choose an advisor from the department faculty who shares similar interests and who can help them to achieve their academic goals. Contact information for all faculty is available online. Students should also consider the College of Arts & Sciences advising services for assistance planning their personal academic trajectory.

Student Grievance Procedures. Students involved in academic disputes with faculty may invoke their rights for a hearing by following procedures administered by the Office of Student Affairs. The first responsibility of the student in an academic dispute is to discuss the matter with the instructor concerned. If that does not resolve the matter, they may pursue a hearing at other levels of administration, as set out in UH Academic Policies and Procedures. A checklist for students seeking resolution of questions involving academic grievances is available here.

Courses. All of our Department faculty members teach undergraduate courses. Courses in the Anthropology Department are offered in each of the four subfields of anthropology: Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology (see Discursive Practice). The Department offers several summer session archaeology field schools for students interested in studying archaeology. Students should also consult the UH course catalog.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Requirements

Students must complete 31 credit hours.

Required courses: ANTH 152, 210, 215, 215L, and 490 (formerly 305); and six 300- and 400-level courses.

Three of the 300- and 400-level courses may be from related disciplines with prior approval of student's adviser.

A grade of C or better in prerequisite courses is required for all courses. (A C- is not acceptable.)

For general education core and graduation requirements, please refer to the University of Hawai'i Catalog.

Forms: Graduation Worksheet ("Goldenrod") form, College and Major Transfer form, Certification of Academic Minor, and Change of Registration form.

Minor Requirements

Students minoring in anthropology must complete 15 credits of upper division (300+) Anthropology courses which includes one Theory course and one Methods course. It is highly recommended that students take ANTH 300 (Contemporary Problems) to complete the Theory requirement. Alternatively, they may take any 400 level course designated as a Theory course by the Department of Anthropology. Students must also take one upper division course designated as a Methods course by the Department of Anthropology. Courses will be chosen by the student, in consultation with their undergraduate advisor, to suit the student's needs and interests. Courses must be completed with a grade of C (not C-) or better.

Forms and instructions for declaring a minor can be found at the Student Academic Services website.

Honors Track

The Honors Track in Anthropology is designed to provide our most talented and highly motivated students with exceptional opportunities to excel in their study of one or more of Anthropology’s subfields, including enrolling in graduate-level courses and conducting original research or implementing service learning projects with guidance from faculty members.

Students wishing to pursue the Honors Track in Anthropology must apply to, and be accepted into, the UHM Honors Program. They must complete all Honors Program requirements. In addition, students must declare Anthropology as their major and complete all requirements of the major.

Students in the Honors Track in Anthropology will benefit from smaller class sizes and more individualized attention than in regular courses. Anthropology majors will also benefit from the integrated nature of the program. Some Anthropology courses will substitute for required courses in the Honors Program. This will enable participants in the Honors Track in Anthropology to graduate with Honors without lengthening the time to completion of their degrees.

For full course requirements and offerings of the Honors Track, click here.

For further information, please contact Dr. Terry Hunt (Director, UHM Honors Program) or Dr. Christian Peterson (Undergraduate Advisor, Anthropology).

Opportunities for Practical Experience

Anthropology is a field that encourages participatory forms of study and research—in other words, it encourages you to get involved with the people and places that you are interested to learn about. Hence the program encourages community work of all kinds, including independent study, internships, and volunteer work.

Independent Study. Anthropology majors are encouraged to consult with faculty about opportunities for involvement with research that they direct. Look over the list of department projects and faculty and discuss your ideas with any of the faculty who share your interests. It is possible to obtain academic credit for a supervised project. See how one of the department’s undergrads arranged her own project working at the Mission Houses Museum.
Summer Archaeological Field Schools - The Department of Anthropology coordinates annual field schools to facilitate learning field techniques in a hands-on environment. Click here for a full listing of the current Summer Archaeological Field Schools
Projects - There are a number of ongoing research and community projects coordinated by both faculty and students. Click here for a full listing of current projects
Volunteer. Those wishing to gain experience through work with organizations in the community may pursue a variety of opportunities, including involvement with local museums, such as the Bishop Museum or the National Park Service and the various historic sites and parks that they manage in Hawai‘i.
Internships. The University maintains a database of paid internship opportunities. To sign up for notification of openings, register with the student internship website. Again, department faculty can advise you about organizations that may have opportunities for paid work that allows you to learn and apply your skills as an anthropologist.

Funding

Information on sources of funding for undergraduate students in anthropology can be found here. The Department offers the Carol Eastman Scholarship for undergrads once a year. Other sources of funding can be found outside the Department and students are encouraged to contact the UH Financial Aid Office.

Preperation for Advanced Studies

A Bachelor's degree in Anthropology positions students well for further (graduate) study in a range of fields such as Journalism, Law, Medicine, Library Science, Public Health, Social Work, Education, teaching English as a Second Language, as well as Anthropology. Generally, for a professional career as an anthropologist in a teaching, research, or museum position one additionally obtains the M.A. and/or Ph.D. degree.

Anthropology is an exciting career that can take you many places. If you are interested in exploring career opportunities in anthropology, please consult the following resources in the University of Hawai'i libraries:

1. A video entitled, Anthropologists at Work: Careers Making a Difference (VHS 11948 & guide) at Wong Audiovisual Center, 3rd floor of Sinclair Library. This video provides a glimpse of the variety of roles that anthropologists play in modern society.

2. Careers in Anthropology (by John Omohundro; Hamilton Reference section: GN 41.8.056 1998). This book reviews a range of anthropology specialties, and helps students decide whether anthropology is an appropriate career given their interests. It also describes the range of knowledge and abilities anthropologists use, and includes valuable discussions about how to go about becoming an anthropologist.

3. A Guide to Careers in Physical Anthropology by Alan S. Ryan (Editor), Publisher: Bergin & Garvey ( 2001).

To begin your search, you might also consult the following websites for general information on careers in anthropology and for specific information on subfields of biological/physical anthropology and archaeology:

http://www.aaanet.org/careers.htm (General Anthropology)
http://www.usd.edu/anth/handbook/hbjob.html (General Anthropology)
http://www.wadsworth.com/anthropology_d/ (General Anthropology)
http://www.nku.edu/~anthro/careers.html#advice (General Anthropology)
http://anthropology.tamu.edu/why_anth.htm (General Anthropology)
http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/anthro/dlcfaq.html (Archaeology)
http://www.physanth.org/careers/AAPAcareer.htm (Physical Anthropology)
http://weber.ucsd.edu/~jmoore/bioanthro/Careers.html (Physical Anthropology)

Undergraduate Mentoring Program

Anthropology is nothing if not built upon relationships between people. We see ourselves as a community interwoven and held together by common interest in the study of humankind. To that end, we foster ties with one another in part through relationships of mentoring. Beginning in Fall 2011, the department has undertaken a pioneering undergraduate mentoring program with paid graduate student mentors. The mentor-mentee relationship is one that is beneficial to all: undergraduates gain insights into the discipline of anthropology, as well as graduate student life; graduate students gain teaching experience and the opportunity to guide budding anthropologists to future involvement with the discipline.

In general, mentors and mentees meet once a week. The kinds of mentoring activities may include:
-help with course work
-help with honor’s thesis
-talk about graduate student research
-attend on-campus events together (departmental colloquia, GSO conference, SPAS conference) and discuss afterward
-attend a dissertation defense
- discussion of how to apply to graduate school

At the end of each semester, mentors and mentees are required to submit a one-page assessment of their experiences.

A call for anthropology majors and minors interested in participating in this mentoring opportunity will take place at the beginning of every semester.

Undergraduate Anthropology Club

The University of Hawaii at Manoa Undergraduate Anthropology club is comprised of undergraduate anthropology students, while members majors include all of the sub-fields in the Anthropological discipline: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, physical/biological anthropology, and medical anthropology. Drawing strength from our cross disciplinary membership we are working to create a holistically oriented group that can provide support and networking to is members.

This semester our club has chosen to focus on Environmental Anthropology within our community both on and off campus. We are working in partnership with the College of Hawaiian Studies and Lyon Arboretum in projects involving ethnobotany and community education in regard to `Aina (land). The first Saturday of every month the club joins in a work party in the at Hawaiian Students College in the Lo’i at Hana`apapa. The club will also be volunteering at Lyon Arboretum in the Ethnobotany gardens.

Our club goal is to engage and bring together anthropology students to share anthropological ideas, issues, and problems within the university, local community, and global community. We are an organization that hopes to serve many anthropology students, jumpstarting their involvement with the local community and abroad, while creating a space for networking and disciplinary support.

Our meetings are open to the Campus Community

Contact Us

Undergraduate Advisor

Professor Christian Peterson
Email: anthadv@hawaii.edu
Office Phone: (808) 956-8460
Office Location: Dean 201

page last updated September 21, 2012