Anthropology is the study of human experience across space and time, and has historically been subdivided into four major sub-disciplines: archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. What is Anthropology?
Faculty have expertise in Latin America, Europe, East Asia and North America. Faculty research considers Ecological Anthropology, Peruvian and North American Archaeology, European Iron Age Archaeology, Medical Anthropology, the Anthropology of Business, AI, Ethnicity, Religion, and the Anthropology of Water.
In today's globalizing world, understanding human diversity in the broadest sense is a valuable skill that anthropology students acquire in their course of study. Former majors report using these skills in a variety of arenas that include the medical and education fields, marketing and public relations, international business and finance, and cultural resource management and museum studies.
Learning about other societies through regular participation in their daily lives is the central method of cultural anthropology. Many of our courses provide opportunities for this kind of research on campus and in neighboring towns. Additionally, every anthropology major is required to complete a semester-long field methods project either here or abroad.
We especially encourage study abroad options for students interested in cultural anthropology as they gain invaluable experience and expertise in cross-cultural interaction and research.
Field methods credit may also be obtained through completion of an archaeological field school through the University of the South or other pre-approved program in the United States or abroad.
Community engagement is a powerful way to combine anthropological research with service to the larger community. Anthropologists increasingly look for ways to give back to the communities they seek to understand, and in the methods courses in particular, students work closely with consultants from our local communities.
