Students in the Archaeology concentration learn how past societies interacted with each other and shaped the landscapes and environments they inhabited by excavation and analysis of their material culture. Our students acquire theoretical and foundational knowledge in the classroom and acquire practical skills via experiential learning through lab work and our Archaeology Field School and can earn a certificate in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies. With a concentration in archaeology students learn how to preserve, catalogue, and manage cultural resources, use technologies such as LiDAR and remote sensing, and learn methods based in geoarchaeology and geophysics to understand past populations and relay that knowledge to the greater archaeology and general public.
Our archaeology faculty research and teach courses that explore archaeology in Colorado, the Americas, and globally with expertise in the following areas:
- Andean archaeology
- Geoarchaeology
- Hunter-gatherer ecology
- Inca and Spanish empires
- Landscape archaeology
- Lithic technology
- Mesoamerican archaeology
- Mining communities
- Paleo-Indian studies
- Public archaeology
- Remote sensing and LiDAR
- Rocky Mountain and Plains archaeology
- Taphonomy
-
Zooarchaeology
Faculty also provide many opportunities to work in labs and research centers including: the Archaeological Repository, Center for Archaeology and Remote Sensing, the Archaeology Lab, the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology, and the Center for Research in Archaeogeophysics and Geoarchaeology.
Careers in Archaeology
Graduates in archaeology have the skills to build careers in government agencies, cultural resource management (CRM), historical preservation, law, public education, and museum curation.
Careers in archaeology include:
- Cultural resources specialist
- Environmental archaeologist
- National Park Service technician
- Archaeology project manager
- Museum director and collections manager
- Geospatial analyst
- Archaeology lab director
Effective Fall 2024
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| ANTH 100 | Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| ANTH 101 | Practicing Anthropology | 1 | |
| ANTH 120 | Human Origins and Variation (GT-SC2) | 3A | 3 |
| ANTH 121 | Human Origins and Variation Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 3A | 1 |
| ANTH 140 | Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1) | 3D | 3 |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| 1B | 1B | 3 | |
| Electives | 12 | ||
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| GR 100 | Introduction to Geography (GT-SS2) | 3C | 3 |
| Select one course from following: | 3 | ||
| Quantifying Anthropology | |||
| Working With Data | |||
| The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology | |||
| Applications of Quantitative Research | |||
| Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | |||
| 1C | 1C | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences1 | 3A | 3 | |
| Electives | 13 | ||
| Total Credits | 31 | ||
| Junior | |||
| ANTH 400/GR 400 | History of Theory-Anthropology and Geography | 4B | 3 |
| Select a minimum of six credits from the following Archaeological Concepts and Practice courses not taken in another category: | 6-8 | ||
| Archaeology of Rock Art | |||
| Impacts on Ancient Environments | 4A | ||
| Anthropological Perspectives on Food | |||
| Archaeology and the Public | 4A | ||
| Field Class in Archaeology | |||
| Anthropological Report Preparation | 4A | ||
| Archaeology of the Ancient Near East | |||
| The Archaeology of Time | |||
| Heritage Resource Management | |||
| Select a minimum of six credits from the following Archaeological Methods courses not taken in another category: | 6 | ||
| Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies | |||
| Geoarchaeology | |||
| Archaeological Investigation | |||
| Human Osteology | |||
| Digital Digging--Geophysics in Archaeology | |||
| Lithic Technology | |||
| Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management | |||
| Anthropology Curation and Exhibition Methods | |||
| Zooarchaeology | |||
| Biological Anthropology minimum of 3 credits (see list below) | 3-4 | ||
| Cultural Anthropology minimum of 3 credits (see list below) | 3-8 | ||
| Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 24-32 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Students must take ANTH 493 concurrently with one of the courses listed in the selection below it: | |||
| ANTH 4932 | Capstone Seminar | 4C | 1 |
| Select one of the following AUCC 4A courses not taken in another category:2 | 3 | ||
| Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory | 4A | ||
| Archaeology of Mesoamerica | 4A | ||
| Impacts on Ancient Environments | 4A | ||
| Great Plains Archaeology | 4A | ||
| Archaeology and the Public | 4A | ||
| Anthropological Report Preparation | 4A | ||
| Select two of the following Place and Space in Archaeology courses not taken in another category: | 6 | ||
| Study Abroad--England: Hadrian's Wall | |||
| Archaeology of North America | |||
| Race/Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean | |||
| Archaeology of the Ancient Nile | |||
| Archaeology of Ancient Roman Food | |||
| Study Abroad--Pompeii in Italy: Life and Death of a Roman City | |||
| Archaeologies of Graffiti | |||
| Colorado Prehistory | |||
| Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory | 4A | ||
| Archaeology of Mesoamerica | 4A | ||
| Great Plains Archaeology | 4A | ||
| Gods, Heroes, Stones--Greek Archaeology | |||
| Archaeology of the Ancient Near East | |||
| Seminar: Archaeology | |||
| Select one geography course (subject code GR) not taken in another category | 3 | ||
| Electives3 | 15-23 | ||
| Total Credits | 28-36 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Biological Anthropology
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following not taken in another category: | |||
| ANTH 274 | Human Diversity (GT-SC2) | 3A | 3 |
| ANTH 275/SOC 275 | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 330 | Human Ecology | 3 | |
| ANTH 365 | Quantifying Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 370 | Primates | 3 | |
| ANTH 371 | Growing Up Primate | 3 | |
| ANTH 372 | Human Osteology | 3 | |
| ANTH 373 | Human Evolution | 3 | |
| ANTH 374 | Human Biological Variation | 3 | |
| ANTH 375 | Evolution of Primate Behavior | 3 | |
| ANTH 376 | Evolution of Human Adaptation | 3 | |
| ANTH 377 | Anthropology Perspectives-Evolution, Society | 3 | |
| ANTH 378 | Bipedal Apes | 3 | |
| ANTH 379 | Evolutionary Medicine and Human Health | 3 | |
| ANTH 465 | Zooarchaeology | 3 | |
| ANTH 470 | Paleontology Field School | 4 | |
| ANTH 472 | Human Biology | 3 | |
| ANTH 473 | The Neandertals | 3 | |
| ANTH 474 | Human Skeleton Analysis | 3 | |
| ANTH 475 | Methods of Analysis in Paleoanthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 492B | Seminar: Biological Anthropology | 3 | |
Cultural Anthropology
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following not taken in another category: | |||
| ANTH 225 | Anthropology of the Arts | 3 | |
| ANTH 232/MU 232 | Soundscapes-Music as Human Practice | 3C | 3 |
| ANTH 310 | Peoples and Cultures of Africa | 3 | |
| ANTH 312 | Modern Indian Culture and Society | 3 | |
| ANTH 313 | Modernization and Development | 3 | |
| ANTH 314 | Southeast Asian Cultures and Societies | 3 | |
| ANTH 315 | Global Mobilities–The African Diaspora | 3 | |
| ANTH 317 | Anthropology of Human Rights | 3 | |
| ANTH 321 | Beer, Brewing, and Culture | 4A | 3 |
| ANTH 322 | The Anthropology of Religion | 3 | |
| ANTH 330 | Human Ecology | 3 | |
| ANTH 333 | Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction | 3 | |
| ANTH 334 | Narrative Traditions and Social Experience | 4 | |
| ANTH 335 | Language and Culture | 3 | |
| ANTH 336 | Art and Culture | 3 | |
| ANTH 338 | Gender and Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 340 | Medical Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 343 | Applied Medical Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 401 | Psychological Anthropology Laboratory | 1 | |
| ANTH 405 | Public Anthropology and Global Challenges | 3 | |
| ANTH 412 | Indians of North America | 3 | |
| ANTH 413 | Indigenous Peoples Today | 3 | |
| ANTH 414/ETST 414 | Development in Indian Country | 3 | |
| ANTH 415 | Indigenous Ecologies and the Modern World | 3 | |
| ANTH 416 | Gender, Culture, and Health | 3 | |
| ANTH 417 | Indigenous Environmental Stewardship | 3 | |
| ANTH 423 | Cultural Psychiatry | 3 | |
| ANTH 440 | Theory in Cultural Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 441 | Method in Cultural Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 442 | Ethnographic Field School | 3-8 | |
| ANTH 443 | Ethnographic Field Methods | 3 | |
| ANTH 444 | Cultures of Virtual Worlds–Research Methods | 3 | |
| ANTH 445 | Psychological Anthropology | 3 | |
| ANTH 479/IE 479 | International Development Theory and Practice | 3 | |
- 1
ANTH 274 fulfills AUCC 3A.
- 2
ANTH 493 must be taken concurrently with one of the AUCC 4A cultural anthropology courses listed with ANTH 493 in the senior year. Using Competencies (AUCC 4A) must be taken concurrently with ANTH 493. Courses approved for AUCC category 4A taken in the sophomore, junior, or senior year and not concurrently with ANTH 493 and not included in the approved list in the program will not count toward completion of the 4A requirement for this major. Students taking Senior Honors Thesis (HONR 499, 3 credits) also are required to register for ANTH 493 (1 credit).
- 3
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300 to 400-level).
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ANTH 100 | Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| ANTH 101 | Practicing Anthropology | 1 | |||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| 1B | X | 1B | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||||
| Total Credits | 13 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ANTH 120 | Human Origins and Variation (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | 3 | |
| ANTH 121 | Human Origins and Variation Laboratory (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 1 | |
| ANTH 140 | Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1) | X | 3D | 3 | |
| Electives | 9 | ||||
| AUCC 1B and CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| GR 100 | Introduction to Geography (GT-SS2) | 3C | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3 | |||
| Electives | 6 | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
| Quantifying Anthropology | |||||
| Working With Data | |||||
| The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology | |||||
| Applications of Quantitative Research | |||||
| Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | |||||
| 1C | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |||
| Electives | 7 | ||||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select a minimum of six credits from the Archaeological Concepts and Practice courses (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab) | 6-8 | ||||
| Select a minimum of six credits from the Archaeological Methods courses not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab) | 6 | ||||
| Total Credits | 12-14 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ANTH 400/GR 400 | History of Theory-Anthropology and Geography | X | 4B | 3 | |
| Select one Biological Anthropology course not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab) | 3-4 | ||||
| Select one Cultural Anthropology course not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab) | 3-8 | ||||
| Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 12-18 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Take one Geography course (subject code GR) not taken in another category | 3 | ||||
| Electives | 12-15 | ||||
| Total Credits | 15-18 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ANTH 493 | Capstone Seminar | X | 4C | 1 | |
| AUCC 4A: Select one course not taken elsewhere from the AUCC 4A List on the Concentration Requirements Tab | X | 4A | 3 | ||
| Select two Place and Space in Archaeology courses not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab) | X | 6 | |||
| Electives | X | 3-8 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 13-18 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||