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ANTHRO

Anthropology

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Spring 2027

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

Find your next class

39 courses

An interdisciplinary graduate seminar exploring Latin American society and culture through multiple academic lenses.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Introductory survey of African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments, covering nationalism and social change.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · James Delehanty

The workload included a heavy reading load, but exams and a five-page paper were considered manageable if students completed the assigned work.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Interdepartmental seminar in African studies topics involving interdisciplinary inquiry in African societies and cultures.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Introduction to Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Kathryn Sanchez

Lectures delivered a lot of information quickly, requiring diligent note-taking to succeed on tests. One student noted that multiple-choice questions often targeted small details mentioned only once during class.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Ethnobotany course exploring interactions between human cultures and plants, covering topics like traditional resource management, crop domestication, archaeobotany, indigenous knowledge, and phytochemistry.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Eve Emshwiller

The course was rated as extremely difficult, with students reporting that grading was opaque and weekly assignment feedback was never released, leaving them unaware of errors.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

This course examines and interprets the roles of American Indian women in traditional societies and contemporary North America.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

World Archaeology introduces the ancient world, tracing human culture from its origins to the start of written history through archaeological research at global sites.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Sarah Clayton

Students completed assigned readings and watched videos that were required to do well on exams. While some materials were lengthy, others were described as short and manageable.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introductory course in cultural anthropology focusing on comparative cross-cultural analysis of social organization, economics, politics, and culture, with emphasis on U.S. ethnic and racial minorities.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Claire Wendland

The course involved three big projects and open-note tests administered over a couple-day period, with students receiving two attempts on exams.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Principles of Biological Anthropology covering the genetic basis of morphological, physiological, and behavioral variations in human populations and their evolution.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · John Hawks

Weekly quizzes are reasonable and open-note. Students reported earning high grades with low workload by paying attention in lecture and completing readings.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Principles of Archaeology introduces methods, historical development, and scientific principles of archaeology, focusing on generating and interpreting information about the human past.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Sarah Clayton

Students reported a light workload of two papers and two exams, with readings that were not super necessary. One student said there was no final.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to Culture and Health explores how culture, biology, and power shape human experiences of birth, health, therapy, and death using anthropological tools.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Claire Wendland

Exams were described as very difficult because they referenced specific details from extensive reading assignments. Although the reading load was reduced for one semester, it remained a significant amount of work.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Topics in Archaeology covers selected areas, periods, or problems in archaeology.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jonathan Kenoyer

The course required a lot of reading. Exams were described as hard and fair, with specific difficulty noted in map-based questions.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Critical study of Archaeological Science using laboratory-based approaches in archaeometry, chemistry, and materials analysis.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample

A global archaeological survey tracing the origins of pristine civilizations from the development of food production to the emergence of the world's first civilizations in six key regions.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jason Yaeger

A past student noted there was lots of material and that you basically needed to know it all for the exams, suggesting you pick and choose readings rather than buying the expensive course pack.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Topics in Ethnology covers variable content including peoples and cultures of the European part of the USSR, Soviet Asia, anthropology of space and time, and American Indian folklore.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Katherine Bowie

The course involved a heavy reading load, with students reading approximately one book per week throughout the semester.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introduction to identifying and interpreting animal bones, including analysis of an archaeological bone assemblage.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

A comprehensive course on primate nutritional ecology covering foraging theory, digestive physiology, nutrients, field/laboratory methods, and intersections with reproduction, disease, and conservation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Undergraduate seminar involving discussion and preparation of reports on specific topics, with the exact focus indicated by the changing title of each offering.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Karen Strier

Students were expected to be concise with the instructor and know their questions before asking them.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Survey of psychological approaches in cultural anthropology, including ethnopsychiatry, emotion, the self, cognitive development, and culturally defined deviance and mental illness.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Senior Honors Thesis offering mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Problems in Anthropology offers independent research in physical anthropology, archaeology, or cultural anthropology under supervision.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Practicum in archaeological curation covering prehistoric stone, bone, and ceramics, including artifact identification, conservation, and preparation for storage or display.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Fundamentals of anthropological theory and thought using a cross-section of basic works in social science, emphasizing discussion and critical analysis.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Seminar course in cultural anthropology focusing on current literature, methods, and assigned problems.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Seminar on archaeological problems involving current literature, methods, and work on assigned problems.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample