Sociology and Anthropology

Department of Sociology and Anthropology Minors

Course descriptions and minor details are available in the Undergraduate Catalog

Minor in Anthropology

Anthropology is a broad, holistic field that seeks to understand people, from earliest times to the present. A bachelor of arts will open you to opportunities in government, private business, community organizations, education, health organizations, research institutions and the media. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of anthropologists is projected to grow 19% through 2022, faster than the average for all occupations.

Students have the option to major or minor in Anthropology in the classroom, online, or in a combination of both formats. Our program offers coursework in all four subfields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Students have the opportunity to study abroad to Puerto Rico, Germany, India, Ecuador and Peru. We also offer an archaeological field school. Students participate in excavations at the Mississippian Orendorf village site and the adjacent, multi-component Rice Lake Terrace site.

Anthropology minors are required to complete two courses plus 12 additional hours of anthropology coursework, for a total of 18 hours.

  1. ANTH 110, 111: 6 s.h.
  2. Anthropology Electives: 12 s.h.

Minor in Sociology

Sociology is the study of human societies, their structure, and the ways individuals and groups relate to one another. Sociological knowledge is vital to the understanding of contemporary issues and topics such as poverty, crime, delinquency, deviance, mental illness, urban growth and decay, marriage and family life, behavior in bureaucracies, and the organization and delivery of human services.

Since an understanding of human social behavior is essential in many fields, a Sociology minor is an excellent companion to many majors. Because of its emphasis on group behavior, inequality, and social structure, a minor in Sociology is particularly well suited to students interested in careers in business, law enforcement, social services, psychology/counseling, and education.

A minor in sociology requires 18 total hours. A student must complete SOC 100 and 15 additional hours in sociology.

  1. SOC 100: 3 s.h.
  2. Sociology Electives: 15 s.h.

Minor in Cannabis and Culture: 18 s.h.

The Cannabis and Culture minor is an interdisciplinary minor. This program includes individual courses, taught by instructors from one or more departments, that embrace the subject matter and class methods of several disciplines. This minor includes courses from at least two departments (not including the student’s major). To enroll in an interdisciplinary minor, students should consult their major academic advisor.

  1. Core Courses: 9 s.h.
    ANTH 180—Cannabis Cultures: The Anthropological Study of Cannabis (3)
    LAS 420—Senior Seminar in Cannabis and Culture (3)
    REL 180—Religion and Drugs (3)
  2. Directed Electives: 9 s.h.
    Select 9 s.h. from the following courses with at least 3 s.h. at the 300- or 400-level. No more than two courses from one department:
    ANTH 210—Medical Anthropology (3)
    ANTH 333—Drugs and Cultures: From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma (3)
    ANTH/BOT 463—Ethnobotany (4)
    ANTH/REL 324—Religion, Magic, and Shamanism (3)
    ENG 363—Cannabis in Popular Culture (3)
    HIST 385—History of Drugs (3)
    PHIL 120—Contemporary Moral Problems (3)
    POLS 302—Introduction to Public Policy (3)
    POLS 400—Comparative Public Policy (3)

Note: A maximum of 3 s.h. of LAS 420 may count for this minor.