Anthropology
Chair: Marty Otañez
Program Assistant: Connie Turner
Office: North Classroom Building 4002
Undergraduate Advisor: Tiffany Terneny
Graduate Director: Charles Musiba
Telephone: 303-315-7328
Fax: 303-315-7336
Website: clas.ucdenver.edu/anthropology/
Overview
Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.
The unique intellectual challenge of anthropology is to integrate knowledge from many disciplines for a global understanding of cultural and biological diversity in the past and the present. Individual courses in cultural and biological anthropology and archaeology cut across lines of the humanities and social and natural sciences. Because of this integrative perspective on the human condition-and the training provided in objectively assessing cultural patterning and social interaction-anthropology graduates have a strong and versatile base for careers in a variety of fields. Graduates of our program get jobs as professional archaeologists; work in international NGOs as researchers in the health sciences and public health, as college teachers and in international development; while others have been very competitive in prestigious PhD programs (e.g., Berkeley, Pennsylvania, McMasters, Oxford, Stanford).
Specialties and Tracks
CU Denver’s Department of Anthropology provides an outstanding graduate education in anthropology, giving students a broad yet thorough grounding in the three major subfields of anthropology, as well as specialized instruction in one or more research orientations in which department faculty have substantial expertise. The graduate faculty in anthropology are particularly known for their research and publications in medical anthropology; immigrant health and immigration; disability; maternal and child health; human growth and development; human evolution; modern human variation; human locomotion; experimental economics; visual anthropology; ethnicity and identity; political economy; Southwestern, Mexican and Neanderthal archaeology; paleoenvironment; and urban and community anthropology. Across the specializations there is a strong emphasis on research design and methodology, providing students concrete job-related skills. Area studies emphases include Latin America, East Africa, the Mediterranean, and the US Southwest. Students also have opportunities to study abroad, to participate in one of several field schools, and to gain international research experience.
Topical Concentrations
- Medical Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Biological Anthropology
Click here to learn about the Anthropology MA Plans of Study.
The graduate program in Anthropology is an active participant in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Western Regional Graduate Program (www.WICHE.edu). Students from WICHE states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) pay in-state tuition while maintaining residency in their home state. Just indicate in your application packet that you wish to take advantage of this program.
Financial Aid
The department offers limited tuition assistance, teaching assistantships and research assistantships for graduate students on a semester-by-semester basis. Appointment is competitive and is typically based on a student’s academic credentials, GRE scores and preparation in anthropology. Contact the department for details. For information on grants, federal work-study programs, scholarships and loans, contact the CU Denver Financial Aid Office.
Application Process
Application is open to holders of a BA, BS or higher degree in any field. We welcome applications from individuals pursuing particular interests and careers, especially those related to one of the areas of concentration noted above. The priority departmental deadline for review of applications is February 15. Our final application deadline is March 15 for admission the following fall. Applications received by February 15 will receive priority consideration for funding, and those received after that date will be considered on an as-needed basis.
Acceptance to the program is competitive and based on the application as a whole rather than preference in any one area:
- an undergraduate record of good quality (3.0 GPA or higher for all undergraduate studies)
- prior training in Anthropology1
- three letters of recommendation
- a statement of the applicant’s goals, both in graduate school and in their career, after completing the degree
- One copy of transcripts from all undergraduate/graduate institutions attended
- Optional: GRE scores (verbal, analytic and quantitative)2
If you have no prior anthropology training, we encourage you to gain the necessary background as a non-degree student before applying to the graduate program.
- 1
Students may be admitted without prior anthropology training, but may be required to make up deficiencies without graduate credit during the course of their graduate study.
- 2
GRE scores are optional, not required. We will not penalize you if you don't take the GRE or submit GRE scores; we will evaluate your application on the basis of the evidence you submit. We understand that there are multiple methods of demonstrating your ability to succeed in graduate school. GREs are only one measure, and thus if submitted will be taken into account along with all other submitted material.
Faculty
Professors:
Christopher Beekman, PhD, Vanderbilt University
Sarah Horton, PhD, University of New Mexico
Tammy Stone, PhD, Arizona State University
David Tracer, PhD, University of Michigan
Associate Professors:
Charles Musiba, PhD, University of Chicago
Marty Otañez, PhD, University of California-Irvine
Assistant Professors:
Jamie Hodgkins, PhD, Arizona State University
Christine Sargent, PhD, University of Michigan
Anna Warrener, Washington University St. Louis
Emeritus:
John Brett, PhD, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley
Instructors:
Tiffany Terneny, PhD, University of Texas-Austin
Adjunct Faculty and Affiliated Faculty:
Sharon Devine, PhD, University of Colorado
Jean Scandlyn, PhD, Columbia University
Caley Orr, PhD, Arizona State University
Instructional Faculty:
Nicholas Denning
Michael Kilman
Gail Krovitz
Mary Shirley
Kristen Sweet-McFarling
Greg Williams
Anthropology (ANTH) Courses
Designed to give students a chance to evaluate critically some practical or theoretical problem under faculty supervision and to present results of their thinking to fellow students and instructors for critical evaluation. Prereq: Permission of instructor. Restriction: Restricted to Anthropology graduate students. Cross-listed with ANTH 4000. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Restricted to Anthropology graduate students
This course is concerned with the underlying biological and cultural determinants of health throughout the human life cycle in global and cross-cultural perspective. Note: The first of a two-course sequence in medical anthropology and global health studies; the second is ANTH 5024. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4010. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Surveys the ways of deriving meaning from anthropological data by numerical means, including, but not confined to basic statistical procedure. Note: this course assumes that students have completed a college-level algebra course. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4050. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
A travel-study course that provides students the opportunity to work on global health issues in the context of a supervised internship experience. In addition to a formal internship placement or directed research opportunity, students attend formal lectures and participate in seminars devoted to addressing those health issues most relevant to the country in which the course is being taught. Note: this course assumes that students have completed HBSC/ANTH 4010/5014, HBSC/ANTH 4020/5024, HLTH 6070 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4080 and PBHL 4080. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Introduction to the theory and methods of zooarchaeology through lectures, readings, and hands-on lab work identifying and analyzing mammalian skeletal material. Students will learns what mammalian remains indicate about biological and cultural evolution of humans. Cross-listed with ANTH 4121. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree majors. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
A comparative analysis of gender-based status and social roles of women and men, with women's status and roles emphasized due to their near-universal construction as the "other" sex. Examines, in cross- and sub-cultural context, the relations among women's status and their subsistence and reproductive activities; and the division of labor by sex, ideology and political economy. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4200. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
This experiential course explores anthropological critiques, decolonizing approaches, and multi-media strategies to fieldwork methods with a focus on oral histories, visual narratives, community based participatory research, and indigenous ways of knowledge creation. At the end of the course, the student should have the cultural understanding and the methodological skills to complete a team-based fieldwork project successfully. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4230. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Typically Offered: Fall.
Considers the determinants of fertility variation within and among traditional human societies. Biocultural and ecological perspectives on pubertal timing, marriage patterns, birth seasonality, duration of birth intervals and reproductive senescence. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1303 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4260. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Explores how society, through culture, creates collective and individual bodies; embodied experience across the life course; and the body as an expression of social power, bodily modification and adornment. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree majors. Cross-listed with ANTH 4270. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
This course critically explores anthropological approaches to public health problems. Through a number of key issues and case studies, we examine how public health practice can be enhanced through anthropological research, theory and methodology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4290. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
This course examines health issues associated with transnational migration from an anthropological point of view. Drawing upon case studies, we examine the health of migrant communities in both host and sending nations. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4300. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Surveys the major prehistoric and protohistoric cultures and societies of that area of Mexico and Central America identified with the evolution of Meso-American civilization. Major topics include early human colonization of the Americas, the domestication of plants and animals, the emergence of regionally-based cultures and societies, trade and exchange and the evolution of urbanism and the state. Primary emphasis on such ancient cultures and societies as those of the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec and Aztec. Note: this course assumes that students have completed an introductory archaeology course. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4320. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Examines the theoretical basis and methodological tools used by archaeologists in the analysis of prehistoric stone tools. Topics of discussion include the mechanics of stone fracture, typologies, use wear analysis and core reduction techniques. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1302 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4330. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
This course provides an overview of anthropological contributions to the study of globalization. Particular attention is devoted to: transformations in global capitalism, state and immigration policy, transnational families, health and transnationalism. Note: previous coursework in anthropology is strongly recommended for success in this course. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4350. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Explores the theory and methods used by archaeologists to investigate prehistoric hunter gatherers. Topics of concern include mobility, subsistence, procurement, and socio-political organization. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1302 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4380. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Addresses inequality and power through a long-term archaeological and theoretical perspective. Discusses explanations for the origins of power and inequality and their role in early small-scale societies and emerging complex politics. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1302 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4400. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
This is an advanced course on natural history/anthropology museums. It will examine practical issues facing museums, and consider the complex questions that museums raise. The class includes lectures, discussions, and hands-on collection work, and exhibit/ outreach development. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree majors. Cross-listed with ANTH 4440. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Typically Offered: Spring.
This flexible course offers an advanced treatment of issues in human biological evolution. Topics may emphasize morphological evolution, behavioral evolution, the environment of human evolution, non-human primate comparative information. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4500. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Studies demographic and ecological variables as they relate to human populations. Aspects of natural selection, overpopulation and environmental deterioration are considered. Note: this coures assumes that students have a background in biological or physical anthropology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4560. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Introduces spatial archaeology through intrasite analysis and regional studies. Methods treated include site location and quantitative spatial organization. Theoretical topics include definitions of community, ancient urbanism and the impact of subsistence and politics on relations to the landscape. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1302 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4570. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Focuses on the human fossil record for the taxon Homo sapiens, including the earliest members of this group ("early" or "Archaic" Homo sapiens), the Neanderthals and so-called "Anatomically modern" Homosapiens. The goal of the course is to survey the major issues within the area of modern human origins, and to learn about the evolutionary relationships, lifeways and behaviors of these groups. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1303 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4580. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Studies nonhuman primate behavior with emphasis on understanding social behavior, ecology and issues related to human evolution. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 1303 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4590. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Introduces students to the theories and concepts of medical anthropology, the study of human health and illness. Explores conceptions of the body, modalities of healing, the clinical encounter, and new medical technologies. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4600. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Drawing from anthropology and interdisciplinary disability studies, this course explores disability and impairment across time and space. Course materials integrate ethnography, archives, novels, films, podcasts, and social media to develop a holistic, empirically grounded understanding of disability as part of human diversity. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors. Cross-listed with ANTH 4650. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Seminar series on current issues in medical anthropology. Faculty offer a range of different courses, including the political economy of drugs, health and human rights, and reproductive health. Prereq: graduate standing. Repeatable. Cross-listed with ANTH 4800. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Designed to build on specialized course work in the subdisciplines of anthropology, this course emphasizes the basic concepts that integrate and unite the discipline and give it unique perspective. These are the concepts of culture, adaptation and human evolution. In the last several weeks of the course, students consider the applicability of the anthropological perspective to specific human issues. Note: Centers on the critical examination and discussion of presentations made by department faculty and graduate students. Restriction: Restricted to Anthropology graduate students. Cross-listed with ANTH 4810. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Anthropology graduate students
Typically Offered: Fall.
Directed study based on a specific subfield of anthropology. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator for approval. Prereq: Permission of instructor required. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Students will engage in original research projects supervised and mentored by faculty. Students must work with faculty prior to registration to develop a proposal for their project and receive permission to take this course. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator for approval. Repeatable. Max hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Students participate in archaeological field research and data recovery and conduct laboratory analysis of materials recovered in the field. Emphasis is placed on excavation technique and accuracy of record keeping. Note: this course assumes that students have a background in archaeology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with ANTH 4910. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator for approval. Department consent required. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
This course is reserved for CU Denver faculty-led study abroad experiences. The course topic will vary based on the location and course content. Students register through the Office of Global Education. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Global Education Study Abroad.
An inquiry into current research of critical and general interest to anthropologists. Variable format. Note: students should receive permission from the instructor prior to registering for this course. Prereq: Graduate standing. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
A flexible seminar format for dealing with topics of special interest in medical anthropology on an advanced graduate level. Topics to be considered vary from semester to semester. Examples include high altitude adaptation, anthropological perspectives on substance abuse, epidemiology, environmental and occupational health, the health consequences of cultural change and cross-cultural psychiatry. Note: Topics vary from semester to semester. Note: students should receive permission from the instructor prior to registering for this course. Prereq: Graduate standing. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Examines legal, ethical and social issues that have come about with advances in human genetics. Topics include privacy, informed consent, discrimination, forensics, medical malpractice and property rights. Prereq: Graduate standing. Cross-listed with HBSC 6320 and 7320. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Much of the data collected in the social sciences is interview and text-based. This course explores methods for collecting and analyzing these data and theoretical paradigms that underlie these methods. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
An in-depth inquiry into important theories in cultural anthropology through extensive primary source reading. Practice in formulating theory, critical thinking and theoretical writing are emphasized. Note: First course in a two-course required graduate sequence. Note: this course assumes that students have completed undergraduate coursework in cultural anthropology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
An intensive introduction to linguistic anthropology. Following a brief survey of technical linguistics, focus is on: the roles of language in society; multilingualism; language and identity; language and worldview; language, gender, class and power; language as social action; and other topics. Students carry out investigations based on models from their reading, as well as responding to the theoretical approaches of the field. Note: this course assumes that students have completed undergraduate coursework in cultural anthropology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Explores contemporary theoretical methodological perspectives in archaeology. Structured to proceed from a survey of the history of archaeological thought based on recent retrospectives, to an analysis of works reflecting current perspectives and directions. Topics include: archaeological interpretation, classical versus scientific archaeology, versus culture-history, functionalist and materialist paradigms, ethno-archaeological and text-based studies, neo-evolutionism, interactionist models, Marxist perspectives, processual theory. Note: this course assumes that students have completed undergraduate coursework in archaeology. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Examines the methods and techniques used in archaeology, including theory-building, hypothesis testing and middle range theory. Core materials emphasize the learning and critique of basic archaeological assumptions and the methods and theories used to scrutinize the collection and interpretation of data. Topics include chronometric applications and paleo-environmental reconstruction. Note: this course assumes that students have completed ANTH 6307 or equivalent. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Examines the historical development and modern practice of biological anthropology, including the theoretical and methodological foundations of this field. Emphasis is placed on the evidence for human and non-human primate evolution and the processes that influenced this evolution. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Considers the theory and methods used in investigations of biological variation in contemporary human populations. This includes the biological and cultural sources responsible for creating and maintaining contemporary variation as well as their functional consequences. Methods of research design and how to write a grant and scientific articles are considered. Prereq: Graduate standing. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
A flexible seminar format for dealing with topics of special interest in physical anthropology on an advanced graduate level. Topics vary from semester to semester. Examples include: anthropology of nutrition, paleoecology, primate evolution, field experience in paleontology, advanced osteology and advanced human ecology. Note: This course assumes that students have completed undergraduate work in biological/physical anthropology. Prereq: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree students. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Department consent required. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator for approval. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Department consent required. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS Graduate Academic Services Coordinator for approval. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Repeatable. Max hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade with IP
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Additional Information: Report as Full Time.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.