If you are studying Anthropology as a discipline under the Bachelor of Arts (BAM) programme, the most important thing is to identify the correct course codes and understand how these courses fit into the programme structure.
The BAM programme offers Anthropology as one of its 14 disciplines. Students can choose three disciplines from the prescribed groups, subject to the rule that only one discipline can be selected from each group. Anthropology is included in Group 4, along with Economics.
This guide covers the Anthropology courses listed for BAM, their course codes, titles, credits and semester-wise progression.
Anthropology in the BAM Programme
Anthropology is one of the disciplines available in the Bachelor of Arts programme.
The discipline structure is divided into five groups:
- Group 1: English, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit
- Group 2: Sociology, Education
- Group 3: Political Science, Public Administration, Mathematics, Philosophy
- Group 4: Economics, Anthropology
- Group 5: History, Psychology
A student choosing Anthropology from Group 4 cannot choose Economics from the same group. The other two disciplines must be selected from different groups.
BAM Anthropology Courses
The Prospectus lists four Discipline Specific Courses for Anthropology:
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BANC131 | Anthropology and Research Methods | 6 |
| BANC132 | Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology | 6 |
| BANC133 | Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology | 6 |
| BANC134 | Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology | 6 |
Each course carries 6 credits. Together, these four courses account for 24 credits in Anthropology.
BANC-131 – Anthropology and Research Methods
Course Code: BANC-131
Course Title: Anthropology and Research Methods
Credits: 6
BANC-131 is the first Anthropology Discipline Specific Course listed in the programme structure.
It appears among the courses available for the first semester, where students select their first two disciplines.
The Prospectus identifies the course title and credit value but does not provide a detailed unit-wise syllabus on these pages. Therefore, detailed topics should not be assumed from the programme title alone.
Find resources for BANC-131
Students searching by course code can look for:
BANC131 Course Material
BANC131 Notes
BANC 132 – Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology
Course Code: BANC-132
Course Title: Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology
Credits: 6
BANC-132 is the second Anthropology course listed in the BAM structure.
It is included among the Discipline Specific Courses available in the second and third semester progression.
Find resources for BANC132
- BANC132 Study Material
- BANC132 Course Material
- BANC132 Notes
- IGNOU BANC132 Study Material
BANC133 – Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Course Code: BANC-133
Course Title: Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Credits: 6
BANC-133 is the third Discipline Specific Course in Anthropology.
It appears in the course options for the fourth and fifth semesters.
Find resources for BANC133
- BANC133 Study Material
- BANC133 Course Material
- BANC133 Notes
- IGNOU BANC133 Study Material
BANC134 – Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology
Course Code: BANC-134
Course Title: Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology
Credits: 6
BANC134 is the fourth Anthropology Discipline Specific Course listed in the Prospectus.
It appears in the course options for the fifth and sixth semester structure.
Find resources for BANC134
- BANC134 Study Material
- BANC134 Course Material
- BANC134 Notes
- IGNOU BANC134 Study Material
Anthropology Course Progression
The four Anthropology courses form a 24-credit sequence:
BANC131
↓
BANC132
↓
BANC133
↓
BANC134
However, the BAM programme does not simply assign every student the same discipline combination. The actual semester selection depends on the three disciplines chosen by the student and the programme’s group-selection rules.
The Prospectus explains that students complete four courses in each of their three selected disciplines, resulting in 24 credits for each discipline over six semesters.
How Anthropology Fits into the BAM Credit Structure
The BAM programme requires 120 credits for the Bachelor’s Degree.
The Discipline Specific Course component accounts for 72 credits:
- Anthropology — 24 credits
- Second selected discipline — 24 credits
- Third selected discipline — 24 credits
Each individual Discipline Specific Course carries 6 credits.
Therefore, if Anthropology is one of your three selected disciplines, completing all four BANC courses gives you the required 24 Anthropology credits.
BAM Anthropology and Semester Selection
The programme introduces the selected disciplines progressively.
In the first semester, students choose two disciplines. The third discipline is introduced in the second semester. The Prospectus states that students subsequently complete four courses from each selected discipline over the six-semester programme.
For Anthropology specifically, the listed courses are:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BANC131 | Anthropology and Research Methods | 6 |
| BANC132 | Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology | 6 |
| BANC133 | Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology | 6 |
| BANC134 | Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology | 6 |
| Total | 24 |
Anthropology Study Material by Course Code
Students should use the exact course code when looking for their learning resources.
BANC131
Anthropology and Research Methods
BANC132
Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology
BANC133
Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology
BANC134
Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology
The official Prospectus confirms these four course codes and titles.
Other Anthropology-Related Course in BAM
Apart from the four Discipline Specific Courses, the Prospectus also lists Tourism Anthropology (BANS183) under the Skill Enhancement Courses. It carries 4 credits.
This is different from the four BANC Discipline Specific Courses and should not be confused with the core Anthropology sequence.
How to Find the Correct BAM Anthropology Material
If Anthropology is one of your selected BAM disciplines, first check the course code on your programme/course structure.
For example:
BAM → Anthropology → BANC131
Then:
BANC131 → Anthropology and Research Methods
Similarly:
BAM → Anthropology → BANC132
Using the exact course code is particularly useful when searching for study resources because it identifies the specific paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the course code for Anthropology and Research Methods?
The course code is BANC131, and the course carries 6 credits.
What is BANC132?
BANC132 is Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology and carries 6 credits.
What is BANC133?
BANC133 is Fundamentals of Social and Cultural Anthropology and carries 6 credits.
What is BANC134?
BANC134 is Fundamentals of Archaeological Anthropology and carries 6 credits.
How many credits does Anthropology contribute to BAM?
The four listed Anthropology Discipline Specific Courses carry 6 credits each, making 24 credits in total.
Can Anthropology and Economics both be selected?
No. Both Anthropology and Economics belong to Group 4, and the programme allows only one discipline from each group.
Conclusion
Anthropology is one of the 14 disciplines available under the BAM programme and belongs to Group 4, alongside Economics. Students selecting Anthropology complete four Discipline Specific Courses:
BANC131 → BANC132 → BANC133 → BANC134
Together, these courses provide 24 credits toward the Bachelor’s Degree.
For students looking for individual resources, the most useful approach is to search by the exact course code—BANC131, BANC132, BANC133 or BANC134—and then verify the course title before using the material.
Source: IGNOU Common Prospectus, BAM programme section, pages 143–151. The Prospectus specifically states that the detailed list provided there covers the courses currently listed for the programme and that courses for subsequent semesters may be provided subsequently.