Current M.A. Courses

Field | General Anthropology
Term | Fall 2026

This course introduces key concepts and practices in the teaching of college-level anthropology. It provides training in the practical aspects of classroom instruction, including instructional planning, classroom management, and student engagement. Topics include university policies, use of instructional technologies, development of teaching materials, and approaches to supporting student learning. Students examine teaching strategies, mentoring practices, and communication methods relevant to academic settings. The course also addresses the development of course syllabi and instructional delivery in higher education contexts.

Field | Cultural Anthropology
Term | Summer 2 & Fall 2026

This course introduces students to the examination of the intricate relationships between language, culture, and social institutions. The course investigates how linguistic practices, the social variation of language use (grammar and lexicon) within and across communities, across time and place, and in relation to social categories such as ethnicity, class, and identity. The course introduces major theories in language, culture, and society, explores methodological approaches used to study language in its social context, and evaluates empirical research on linguistic variation and change.

Field | General Anthropology (Core)
Term | Fall 2026

This course provides graduate students with a basic understanding of probability theory, descriptive statistics and inferential univariate and bivariate statistical methods commonly used in social sciences. The course introduces students to hypothesis testing and the application of parametric and nonparametric procedures widely used in scientific inquiry. It illustrates how to use the appropriate statistical tests with different types of numerical data. Students utilized statistical formulae to demonstrate the assumptions required for each test, the limitations of the results and appropriate interpretations of those data.

Field | Cultural Anthropology
Term | Fall 2026

This course provides an advanced survey of the historical foundations and development of cultural anthropology, with emphasis on major theories, central debates, and methodological approaches. Topics include evolutionism, functionalism, structuralism, ethnoscience, neo‑Marxism, modernity, and postmodernism, explored through classic texts and ethnographic case studies. The course highlights connections between foundational theoretical perspectives and contemporary anthropological practice, providing analytical tools for interpreting culture, meaning, and power within global and historical contexts while situating anthropology’s intellectual legacy in relation to broader social transformations.

Field | Archaeology
Term | Fall 2026

This course provides graduate-level instruction in the historical development of archaeology, major theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and representative case studies from Old World and New World contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding how archaeological knowledge is produced, evaluated, and applied within anthropology. The course provides students from all subfields with a shared foundation in archaeological scholarship and prepares archaeology students for advanced research by situating their work within broader disciplinary debates and practices.

Field | Biological Anthropology
Term | Fall 2026

This course introduces students to the principles and processes by which research projects in biological anthropology are devised, implemented, and communicated. Topics examined include how to identify and refine a research topic, define its scope and limitations, develop a focused peer-reviewed bibliography, and elaborate a coherent research design. Emphasis is placed on aligning research questions, hypotheses, variables, sampling strategies, data collection methods, and analytical approaches. Through readings, discussions, and structured assignments, the course addresses evaluation of ethical considerations, application of professional citation practices, and integration of advisor feedback into a complete thesis proposal.

Field | Cultural Anthropology
Term | Fall 2026

This course examines the practice of applied anthropological research through authentic collaborative partnerships with organizations and local communities. It introduces principles of organizational and community-based participatory research, oral history and archival methods, and qualitative data collection and analysis. The focus is on designing a semester-long project with a local community partner that addresses a unique research situation or problem, using professional standards for ethical collaboration, project planning, data management, and the production of public-facing deliverables.

Field | Archaeology
Term | Fall 2026

This course provides an advanced survey of the theories, methods, and practices of historical archaeology, with emphasis on current scholarly debates and methodological approaches. It examines case studies from diverse historical and geographic contexts to analyze relationships between past societies and material culture. Through critical reading, discussion, and analysis of recent research, the course explores interpretive frameworks used in the discipline. Practical exercises introduce the identification and analysis of historical artifacts from Texas and North America within broader comparative contexts.

Field | Biological Anthropology
Term | Fall 2026

This course focuses on technical case report writing and evidentiary best practices in forensic anthropological analysis of human skeletal remains. In addition to biological profile estimation techniques, research methods and theoretical foundations used for trauma analysis and taphonomic interpretation are reviewed and critically evaluated. Jurisdictional authority, evidence handling, chain of custody, reporting responsibilities, and recovery methods are also examined. Emphasis is placed on professional standards, methodological rigor, interpretation of complex case evidence, and the integration of analytical findings within medicolegal investigative contexts. 

Prerequisite: ANTH 5375 with a grade of "C" or better.

Field | Archaeology
Term | Fall 2026

This course draws upon archaeological, biological, linguistic, and environmental evidence to understand the earliest human prehistory of the Americas. Questions concerning when the first people arrived, where they came from, and how they migrated are examined through ongoing scholarly debate. The course explores the natural environments of the Late Pleistocene and reviews known Paleoindian cultures such as Clovis, Folsom, Plainview, and Cody, as well as archaeological sites that may predate them.