Anthropology BA

Anthropology is the scientific study of humankind.

Student examining bones

Understand the lived human experience from multiple perspectives.

Our Anthropology Bachelor of Arts program examines human societies from both a scientific and a values/beliefs viewpoint. It allows you to unpack all that it means to be human in time, space and biology.

Career Opportunities

Anthropology is everywhere and can take you in so many directions:

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Health Services
  • Education
  • Government Service
  • Technology
  • Business

Why Anthropology at 麻豆原创?

  • We teach our students sought-after professional skills, such as: clear written and spoken communication, broad thinking and synthesis, and the presentation of complex information to varied audiences.
  • Emphasis is on experiential learning in classrooms, internships, field experiences and in studying abroad.
  • We offer six minor options (anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and medical anthropology), which allow students majoring in other fields to complement their studies with a foundation in the humanities.
  • Topics covered include: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, applied anthropology and can be easily aligned to add a second major or minor.
Student examining bones in anthropology class

More Program Specifics

Understand the courses you鈥檒l take, the curriculum requirements to meet, and the concepts you鈥檒l gain mastery of. This program also offers 6 minor program options. Get all the detailed information you鈥檙e looking for.

Our Anthropology Faculty

Ensuring That You'll Be Ready

Peter Little

Peter Little

鈥淎nthropology prepares students for a culturally diverse world by developing a deeper understanding of the variety of past and present human groups, the cultures and societies people create and sustain, the processes that animate cultural production and social life, and the social and environmental conditions that shape human biological development and change.鈥

Anthropological Experience Abroad

Program Details

Course Information

Program/Learning Goals

Outcomes

Outcome 1: Students will understand the essential concepts of the four sub-disciplines of Anthropology. 

Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ethical considerations of conducting research on human and animal subjects. 

Outcome 3: Students will demonstrate an ability to utilize anthropological concepts and content to understand the world around them.

Outcome 4: Students will demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and present data guided by anthropological theory.

Upon completion of this program, students will:

  • understand the essential concepts of the four sub-disciplines of Anthropology
  • demonstrate an understanding of the ethical considerations of conducting research on human and animal subjects
  • demonstrate an ability to utilize anthropological concepts and content to understand the world around them
  • demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and present data guided by anthropological theory

Writing in the Discipline

Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?

Anthropology seeks to understand what it is to be human from a holistic perspective: through distant and recent time, globally across space and comparatively between human and nonhuman primate groups. Writing is a fundamental and necessary part of the practice of anthropology, from the collection of data during fieldwork to the communication and dissemination of results and conclusions to scholars and to the public in reports, articles and books. Capturing the nuances and complexities of behaviors in a variety of contexts, past and present, requires being able to write in a variety of styles and for a variety of purposes.

Which courses are designated as satisfying the Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirement by your department? Why these courses?

While students are introduced to writing in the discipline in the four introductory courses, the WID designated courses in the Anthropology Department are ANTH 233: Methods in Anthropology and ANTH 460: Senior Seminar. These are the two courses that bring together and build on skills and knowledge from other courses in the major and in which students learn how to ask and answer anthropological questions. In ANTH 233 students learn to use appropriate anthropological methods and to create a variety of written materials while in ANTH 460 they build on these skills to undertake a semester-long research project that culminates in a paper that conforms to anthropological writing conventions.

What forms or genres of writing will you learn and practice in your WID courses? Why these genres?

Students learn the conventions of anthropological writing as well as some of the different forms that anthropological writing can take while engaged in collecting and analyzing data for a series of formal writing projects. Students learn how to record observations; write analyses of data in report and narrative forms; write academic papers that conform to anthropological writing conventions.

What kinds of teaching practices will you encounter in your WID courses?

Practices that students will encounter include mandatory and voluntary drafting and revision; scaffolded assignments; peer and instructor feedback in writing and individual conferences; formal and informal writing; critical reading/deconstructing academic papers.

What should I be able to do when I have satisfied your WID requirement?

Use appropriate styles of writing to collect anthropological data based on a variety of field techniques and present your conclusions and the implications of that data, and you will have learned the power of using evidence-based writing to intervene in the world around you.

Minors in Anthropology

The Anthropology Department offers a general minor in anthropology, as well as several focused-minors that fit well with various majors offered across campus. 

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