Anthropology (BA) Program Assessment

Mission

Anthropology is a comprehensive science of humankind, concerned with a comparative and holistic approach to the study of human society and culture across time and space. The Anthropology program emphasizes an applied anthropological approach to enable students skillfully use theories and methods to address the pressing issues of our contemporary era. The Anthropology program draws upon theoretical and methodological approaches in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.  The anthropology major and minors present basic concepts in cultural anthropology, ethnographic methods, statistical research skills, and higher- level content courses. The program also gives students knowledge in the four subfields of anthropology (archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology). The anthropology minors provide solid methodological training that students can use in conjunction with work in various fields such as psychology, education, law, global economics, human rights, business, or health. The Anthropology program aims to provide students with methodological, conceptual, and professional skills that will help them work in other fields with an ability to respect other cultures learned through coursework and experience in fieldwork encounters.  The Anthropology program goals include preparing students for graduate studies in cultural anthropology and social justice.  As a discipline, Anthropology is uniquely equipped to educate students on agency and the power of social movements, therefore we aim to foster an understanding of human structures of power and societal inequalities, by offering ways to identify and analyze the causes, manifestations, and effects of social injustice globally and locally.   The courses that make up the Anthropology major and minors present basic concepts in cultural anthropology, ethnographic methods, statistical research skills, along with higher-level content courses. The core of the Anthropology minor provides solid methodological training that students can use in conjunction with work in various fields.   Students will also learn that anthropology as a discipline has a strong commitment to issues of social justice and human rights.