This major provides interdisciplinary training that embraces the natural convergence of society, culture, and health, and draws on the Department of Anthropology's strength in bridging the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. The joint major in global public health and anthropology prepares students to analyze various cultural traditions through the lens of health; to examine complex relationships within economic, political, cultural, physical, and biological environments; and to apply anthropological approaches to public health problems. The joint major is designed to prepare students for multidisciplinary careers in a variety of settings and/or for advanced academic training in public health, anthropology, or other related fields.
Students in this combined major must consult with the DUS or other departmental adviser to work out a course plan, especially as this major requires students to study away for one semester. The following are the fifteen courses (60 points) that must be completed with a grade of C or higher [please note that the post-intermediate language requirement for the major applies only to students who matriculated before fall 2021; if they are granted a waiver or exemption from the requirement, they must take an additional (third) 4-point elective in the major. Students who matriculate in and after fall 2021 have no post-intermediate language requirement for this major, and are all required to take three major electives]:
Global public health requirements (six courses/24 points):
- Health and Society in a Global Context (UGPH-GU 10; no prerequisites)
- Biostatistics for Public Health (UGPH-GU 20). This satisfies the College Core Curriculum requirement in Quantitative Reasoning.
- Epidemiology for Global Health (UGPH-GU 30)
- Health Policy in a Global World (UGPH-GU 40)
- Environmental Health in a Global World (UGPH-GU 50)
- Undergraduate Experiential Learning in Global Public Health (UGPH-GU 60)
Note well: UGPH-GU 10 is the prerequisite or corequisite for UGPH-GU 20, 30, 40, and 50. UGPH-GU 30 is an additional (recommended) prerequisite or corequisite for UGPH-GU 40. In addition, UGPH-GU 10, 20, and 30 are firm prerequisites for UGPH-GU 60.
If you matriculated in or after fall 2021, you are not required to take a foreign language course above the intermediate two level (one course/4 points). Students in this category are instead required to take a third elective in the major to replace the discontinued (for them) 4-point post-intermediate language requirement and satisfy the total number of credits required for the major.
If you matriculated before fall 2021, you are required to take one foreign language course above the intermediate two level (one course/4 points). Students in this former category may petition for a waiver from the requirement, or may use an NYU language placement or language exemption exam to meet this requirement. If they successfully waive or exempt out of the requirement, they must take an additional (third) 4-point major elective (see below) to satisfy the total number of credits required for the major. For more details, consult the archived PDF of the 2020-2022 CAS Bulletin at bulletin.cas.nyu.edu, or discuss with a major adviser.
Anthropology core courses (three courses/12 points):
- Culture, Power, Society (ANTH-UA 1)
- Medical Anthropology (ANTH-UA 35)
- Global Biocultures (ANTH-UA 36)
Anthropology elective courses (three courses/12 points). Any ANTH-UA course pertaining to the cultural, linguistic, or biological anthropology of living humans may be approved as an elective. See below for a selection of recommended courses:
- Human Evolution (ANTH-UA 2)
- Language, Power and Identity (ANTH-UA 16)
- Conversations in Everyday Life (ANTH-UA 32)
- Human Variation (ANTH-UA 51)
- Evolutionary Medicine (ANTH-UA 55)
- Emerging Diseases (ANTH-UA 80)
- Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality (ANTH-UA 112)
- Disability Worlds (ANTH-UA 113)
- Race, Difference, and Social Inequality (ANTH-UA 323)
- Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (ANTH-UA 326)
- Human Rights and Culture (ANTH-UA 331)
- The Social Life of Food: Producing, Selling, Cooking, Sharing, Eating (ANTH-UA 410)
Major electives (three courses/12 points):
- Three additional electives must be completed in the GPH program or anthropology, by advisement. For students who matriculate in and after fall 2021, the third elective replaces the discontinued (for them) post-intermediate language requirement in this major.
- Students who matriculated before fall 2021 technically have a major elective requirement of only two courses/8 points; however, if they waive or exempt out of the major's post-intermediate language requirement, they must take a third major elective for 4 points.
All majors must also study away for one semester.