Anthropology

What it’s about:

Anthropology is the study of people-their origins, physical nature, and social behaviour. Anthropology majors explore human cultural and biological evolution and the way all peoples, from prehistoric times to today, adapt to their environment; form families, clans, tribes, and nations; regulate behaviour through laws and government; worship and celebrate; communicate; educate their young; and adapt to change.

What the study of this major is like:

Majors in anthropology focus on the similarities and differences between human beings and other primates, as well as on the similarities and differences among human populations. Anthropologists are interested in all aspects of what it means to be human.

You learn how people in different parts of the world live their lives and adapt to their environments. Most programs require courses in each of the four main subdivisions of anthropology: physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. Elective courses allow you to follow your interests-a specific country or cultural unit, such as Japan or Mexico, or a topic, such as political systems, child-reading practices, music, or art.

Physical anthropology (also known as biological anthropology) investigates when and where human beings first appeared; you may even handle stone tools, skeletal materials, and plaster casts of the remains of people who lived many centuries ago. You may spend time in a local zoo observing chimpanzees and other primates to compare their actions with human behavior. In addition, you’ll examine genetic evidence, as you trace human biological origins and evolutionary development.

Cultural anthropology explores specific cultures or concentrates on aspects shared by all cultures-religion, politics, law, or ecology. Cultural anthropology study the diversity found in contemporary societies, from the few remaining peoples who hunt and gather roots and berries to those who shop in supermarkets and live in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, New York, and London.

In linguistic anthropology, you examine the relationship of language to other aspects of culture. For instance, you study methods of communication-including body language, dialects, jargon, and slang; you observe how the language people use reflects their perception of and interaction with the world around them.

Archaeology, which deals with excavating, analyzing, and interpreting physical and cultural remains, is increasingly studied as an independent major or graduate program. Most anthropology programs offer introductory courses and opportunities to study field methods during a summer session.

Some programs encourage students to apply what they learn to contemporary problems facing the United States or rather industrial societies; this approach is usually called applied anthropology.

As a rule, instructors will have spent a year or more living and studying among the people they are teaching about; the firsthand experience of living for extended periods in other cultures is an important part of anthropological training. In fact, fieldwork in other cultures sets anthropology apart from other social sciences and usually results in engaging lectures.

Most colleges offer courses in the four main subdivisions of anthropology, but few have courses in all the specialized subjects or include all regions of the world with equal thoroughness. If you are interested in a specific society, such as Japan, or a specific topic, such as legal anthropology, you should read course catalogs carefully to see if a particular program covers the topics you want.

Career options and trends:

Social worker; genetic counselor, field archaeologist; teacher of English as a second language (ESL); cultural artifact specialist; educator; national/state park interpreter, environmental impact assessment researcher, travel agent/guide/consultant; museum administrator or technician.

Some occupations, such as field archaeologist, genetic counselor, and museum technician, may require additional specialized training and experience; graduate study is usually required for research, social work, and teaching.

Anthropology provides good preparation for a wide variety of jobs-in government, business, social services, the new media, museums, and education-that require an understanding of cultural and national difference and the ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors