Information for Anthropology Majors
revised March 2004
 

Anthropology is the study of humans and their cultures at different levels of social complexity, in different environments, and at different times and places. Anthropologists compare human populations across cultures and consider the interplay between biology and culture in forming human behavior. Anthropological study has four foci:

• Biological anthropology: the study of the evolution and biology of humans and other primates
• Cultural anthropology: the study of the various ways of life of recent and present-day peoples
• Archaeological anthropology: the study of past cultures through analysis of their material remains
• Linguistic anthropology: the study of language in its cultural context

Each of these contributes to a discipline that attempts to understand how and why humans look and behave the way they do.

An undergraduate major in anthropology provides a broad educational base that can be the core of a liberal arts education or the background for specific vocational or professional goals of a student. Anthropology is of particular value to students planning professional careers in a world of cultural and ethnic diversity. Anthropology majors are required to take core courses in all four areas of the discipline, but may emphasize one or more of them in their remaining courses. Students may also develop an interdisciplinary program in cooperation with other departments or schools. In addition, the department offers an anthropology minor to students who are majoring in other departments and who will profit by more formal training in the discipline.

The Department of Anthropology provides many opportunities for students to become involved in research and encourages all students to do so. Such experiences help a student develop creativity, critical thinking skills, and skills in problem solving and writing. Students who are interested in doing anthropological research have several options, including both working in close conjunction with a faculty member and working on an independent project, which may lead to an honors degree for eligible students.

Undergraduate training in anthropology prepares students for work in government agencies (both in the United States and overseas), museum positions, field positions in, for example, archaeology, ethnography, human paleontology, death investigation, or linguistic studies, and for graduate study leading toward college or university teaching of anthropology. An anthropology degree also provides good background for careers in business, journalism, health care, law, and many other fields.