The Department of ESS offers a Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) degree in Anthropology through completion of at least sixty (60) credits in Anthropology. This will include sixteen (16) core courses that are compulsory and at least four (4) courses from the list of electives provided by the Anthropology department (list given below). A four-year BSS program has been designed that outlines the courses to be offered in different semesters of the academic calendar year. The following is the structure of the BSS (Anthropology) program.
Areas | Number of Courses | Credit Hours |
Core courses | 16 | 48 |
Electives (at least 4) | 9 | 27 |
Non-Major | 8 | 24 |
General Education | 7 | 21 |
Total | 120 |
The following courses form the core requirement of the BSS program with the aim of providing an in depth theoretical and practical knowledge of the core fields in Anthropology.
ANT 102: Introduction to Anthropology (3 credits)
ANT 104: Biological Anthropology (3 credits)
ANT 201: Language, Society and Culture (3 credits)
ANT 202: Inequality and Power (3 credits)
ANT 203: Social Theory (3 credits)
ANT 301: History of Anthropological Thought (3 credits)
ANT 302: Contemporary Issues in Anthropological Theory (3 credits)
ANT 320: Politics, Domination and Society (3 credits)
ANT 321: Economy and Society (3 credits)
ANT 330: Anthropology of Development (3 credits)
ANT 350: Gender and Society (3 credits)
ANT 370: Kinship, Marriage and Family in Everyday Life (3 credits)
ANT 375: Reading Ethnography: Understanding the Anthropological Method(3 credits)
ANT 376: Research Methodology: Quantitative method (3 credits)
ANT 420: Religion and Society (3 credits)
ANT 401: Anthropological Thesis (3 credits)
Along with core courses in Anthropology, a student needs to complete 27 credits from the elective courses. The elective courses are:
ANT 101: Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
ANT 210: Anthropology of Corporate Culture (3 credits)
ANT 310: Population and Society (3 credits)
ANT 325: Theories and Problem of Nationalism (3 credits)
ANT 335: Urban Society (3 credits)
ANT 331: Rural Society and Culture (3 credits)
ANT 342: Body and Society (3 credits)
ANT 351: Gender and Development (3 credits)
ANT 340: Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
ANT 311: Social Movements (3 credits)
ANT 345: Social Networks and Social Capital
ANT 355: Law, Human Rights and Justice: Anthropological Perspectives (3 credits)
ANT 408: South Asian Society and Culture (3 credits)
ANT 410: Gender and Islam (3 credit)
ANT412: Independent Study (3 credits)
ANT 415: Understanding Secularism (3 credits)
ANT418: Senior Seminar
ANT 422: Globalization, Transnationalism and Migration (3 credits)
ANT 433: Environmental Anthropology (3 credits)
ANT 435: Special Topics
The semester-wise breakdown of the courses is proposed to be as follows:
Semesters | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
Spring |
ANT 102 ANT 103 ANT 201 |
ANT 202 ANT 203 Elective |
ANT 350 ANT 321 Elective |
Elective ANT 401 |
Summer | Residential Semester Savar |
ANT 301 ANT 376 Elective |
ANT 375 ANT 320 Elective (2) |
ANT 401 |
Fall | General Education |
ANT 302 ANT 370 Elective |
ANT 420 ANT 330 Elective (2) |
In addition to a major in Anthropology, the Department will also offer a minor Program in Anthropology. The minor in Anthropology will provide a thorough grounding in conceptual, theoretical and methodological aspects of the discipline, along with a wide range of elective courses that will allow students to explore different areas of Anthropology according to their specific interests. Students who are doing a major at BRAC University in other areas such as Economics, Business, Law or Engineering would choose to do a minor in Anthropology. By integrating a minor in Anthropology with their knowledge in the major areas, students would develop a deeper understanding of the social world and respect for cultural diversity.
To be eligible for a minor in Anthropology, students are required to complete a total of 27 credits. Of these, 12 credits must be in the core areas of Anthropology. Students may choose to take elective courses from a variety of options to fulfill the requirements of the rest 15 credits.
Required (Core) Courses: 12 credits
The following courses are compulsory for all intending students:
ANT 102: Introduction to Anthropology (3 credits)
ANT 301: History of Anthropological Thought (3 credits)
ANT 302: Contemporary Issues in Anthropological Theory (3 credits)
ANT 375: Reading Ethnography: Understanding the Anthropological Method (3 credits)
Elective Courses: 15 Credits
Students must take an additional 5 courses from the list of core and elective listed above for the Major in Anthropology.