Anthropology, B.S.

The Anthropology program at ÿ�մ�� educates students on the principles of anthropological knowledge through critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. A strong foundation in anthropology is achieved through classroom participation, individual mentoring, fieldwork opportunities, and collaborative scholarly research. Students acquire the skills needed to achieve success in a diverse and increasingly complex cultural environment through a better understanding of human diversity, contemporary as well as ancient; an advanced knowledge of human evolution; a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing humanity today; and a broader appreciation for the complexity of culture as it shapes human communities and societies. The program creates a space for students to explore the human condition as they develop a more sophisticated understanding and appreciation of human variation across the globe and through time. Students in this program will be well prepared for advanced education in the discipline or well-positioned to integrate anthropological knowledge into their future professional endeavors.

Program Features

The skills you develop in this program can serve you whether you move on to the workforce, advanced study in anthropology, or study in another field.

Research
Analysis
Communication
Foundational global information
Respect and concern for other cultures and peoples

We encourage students to take advantage of faculty-led fieldwork opportunities in Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. Our bio-archaeology lab and nearby archaeology field school provide hands-on learning. Students become familiar with the application of anthropology while working on faculty research projects.

Concentrations

Anthropology, B.S. - General

Anthropology is the holistic study of humans, our evolution as a species, cross-cultural diversity, the development of culture, and our shared prehistoric and historic past. The concentration in General Anthropology allows students to explore the four primary sub-disciplines; cultural, linguistics, archaeology, and biological anthropology. After a foundation in the discipline, students choose advanced classes and focus on a methodology that aligns with their individual interests. Students complete their study with the option of an internship, supervised research project, or a field school.

Anthropology, B.S. - Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the evidence and material remains of human culture in the past. This concentration offers students an in-depth and practical understanding of the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of human culture. Students learn how to explore the past using scientific methods of excavation, dating techniques, and comparative collections. Teaching is carried out in a dedicated archaeological lab and in the field through hands-on excavation at local sites in New England, and abroad in England and Ethiopia.

Anthropology, B.S. - Biological

Biological anthropology is the comprehensive study of our species from an evolutionary perspective, with an emphasis on understanding humans today as biocultural organisms. This concentration explores human origins and the fossil record, with an in-depth exploration of our closest relatives through time and throughout the contemporary world. The mechanisms of evolution are studied within the context of population genetics and human variation. A bioanthropology lab offers a vast collection of skeletons and skeletal casts.

Anthropology, B.S. - Cultural

Cultural Anthropology is the comprehensive, cross-cultural study of human behavior ÿ�մ�� .� beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. This concentration uses a comparative approach to understanding culture from a holistic perspective with a focus on the connections between local communities, nation-states, and global processes. Understanding sociocultural institutions and concepts, including religion, economics, political systems, education, race, gender, and healthcare, is essential to appreciating the human experience across cultures.

Anthropology, B.S. - Linguistics

Linguistic Anthropology is the study of human speech and language. This concentration focuses students on the nature and structure of language and the origins of human language and symbolic thought. Language and symbolic thought are foundational to human culture and offer a window into the vast diversity of cultures we experience today. This uniquely human characteristic is explored through the study of theory, language variation, the evolution and learning of language, and the nature of language change.

Learning Outcomes

Synthesize arguments and lines of thought relevant to the human condition.

Students are able to analyze and describe the importance of meaning and interpretation in relation to cultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic analyses of the human condition.
Students are able to analyze relationships between past and present, and local and global dimensions of human behavior and social life.
Students are able to recognize the consequences of power and inequality within and between societies.

Articulate key themes and concerns within the four sub-disciplines of cultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic anthropology.

Students are able to explain the importance of human culture for individuals and social groups.
Students are able to evaluate the evidence for evolution in the human species over the past eight million years.
Students are able to analyze the material remainders of the human past and describe the importance of archaeological artifacts.
Students are able to explain the role of language in creating worldview and social meanings.

Demonstrate ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing.

Students are able to construct analytical essays and research papers with clearly delineated logical arguments and clear rhetorical structure.
Students are able to use proper technique in written work, including the use of citations and bibliography, correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Students are able to deliver a presentation based on anthropological research to a classroom audience.

Demonstrate ability to understand and apply theory in anthropology.

Students are able to demonstrate a critical understanding of anthropological concepts and correct usage of terminology within the discipline.
Students should be able to evaluate anthropologic texts and understand and describe the major principles, controversies, and critiques.
Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of diverse ways of being human, past and present.

Demonstrate ability to conduct research in anthropology.

Students are able to demonstrate an appreciation and knowledge of ethical practice in anthropological research.
Students are able to demonstrate the ability to synthesize and analyze multiple authors, perspectives, and arguments.
Students should be able demonstrate a complex understanding of anthropological methodology in at least one of the four subdisciplines.

Careers

Our anthropology students choose from a diverse array of career pathways. Those who move on to advanced work in a discipline study at top-tier research institutions. Many of our graduates opt for the challenge of volunteer experiences by serving in the Peace Corps, Americorps, and Teach for America. Other students continue into advanced study in education, teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), history, or medicine, and other related disciplines. We have alumni working in cultural resource management, cybermarketing, forest service, education, forensics, health care, and social work. Other alumni have taken their anthropological skills into entrepreneurial ventures and have started their own businesses. One of our graduates runs a wilderness nature school, and another has started a business in the travel industry. As globalization increases, so does the need for anthropologists.