Majoring in Anthropology???

[Ccauceg]

So im in my second year in college and I have been looking around for a major, and its been hard. The more I think about it the more I want to do anthropology. I have been doing alot research on the department and the classes seem pretty good for me. What i am asking is, is there anyone around here that is/has majored in anthropology. How where the classes? Does it consist of alot of writing and reading? Any information would be great.

Thanks

 

[Phranquey]

I didn't major in anthropology, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express...:lmao:

Seriously, though, I did take an Anthro class in school, and the one thing I can tell you is that you can almost create your own field of study, and study is the operative word. I think the loose definition is "study of humankind", which leaves any specialty available. You can go archaeological, physical, cultural, ethnic, linguistic, folklore, religious etc, etc, etc.... Anything having to do with groups of people. There is probably even a cuisine anthropology.

 

[abraxas]

Wish I would have. Over the last 15 years or so I've become extremely interested in protohistoric desert cultures and would love to have had a career in archaeology. Something I've noticed though, in developing my interests I've spent huge amounts of time reading and researching papers that took huge amounts of time to research and write by authors in the disciplne.

 

[flygning]

I'm majoring in anthropology. In fact, I'm in my last semester...and I'm not sure I'll get out alive

It really is a major where you can do anything you want with it. Depending on what school you're at and how extensive their program is, you typically have to take a class or 2 in several very specific categories (physical, archeology, ethnographic, etc) and the rest of your major classes are essentially electives-- you can choose whatever you want in any area you want, and they typically don't depend on prerequisites (other than a few 100-200 level classes that you'd take your first semester as a major).

The biggest thing about anthro is the amount of reading. Most undergrad classes don't have research papers until you get to the 400 level. Other than that, most of the classes could really be what you would call "easy" if you came from, say, a hard science like physics (like me). I'm taking a human genetics class and this is the first one I'm truly worried about failing since I declared my major.

 

[Alpha]

I tend to lump anthropology in with sociology as generally useless, catch-all disciplines. The key identifier of which is the percentage of people who go on to teach others how to "do" anthropology or sociology instead of, rather than in addition to, applying it.

In some remarkable cases it could be a really legitimately useful thing if you intend to do something other than go into academia for the rest of your life. Otherwise I'd reconsider.

Read Paul Farmer's "Pathologies of Power" and Fanon's "Wretched of the Earth," think about whether you want to spend the rest of your life in academia, and then decide.

 

[Alpha]

I should have been more clear in my last post. What I meant to say was the following.

Most majors in undergrad have a single intrinsic vocational use, and that's going into academia. I'll tell you first-hand, as a recently graduated poly sci major, that if you try to find a job with just a BA under your belt, you'll quickly discover that when job postings say "such and such major or related," chances are your major isn't related, unless it's a vocational major like business or communication (the latter I still think is worthless). Going to grad school for the same discipline of course only pushes you further into academia.

But there are two sides to that problem. On one hand your liberal arts major doesn't really mean much of anything in the job world. On the other hand, you don't have to major in something to study it. I love anthropology but there's no way I would ever major in it.

Other authors to look into (who are stuck in academia) are Davis (Late Victorian Holocausts), and Alexander de Waal (Famine Crimes). Amartya Sen is more of a political scientist, but plays the anthro field and actually does practically useful things with it.

 

[flygning]

Alpha is right in a sense that anthropology is very closely linked to academia. What a lot of anthropologists do is teach at a university in order to fund archeological or ethnographic studies that interest them. This sort of thing requires many years of post-graduate studies.

However, there are a lot of practical uses for, say, archeology. For one thing, every single new construction project, whether a road or a building or whatever, requires an archeologist on staff to identify and document any remains found in the process of digging. Also, all public lands (national park service, BLM, forest service, etc) hire archeologists to document any cultural resources found on the lands. Unfortunately, only the national park service actually does anything to protect those resources-- the others document them but the land use rules do little to prevent their destruction. Last time I checked (ok, I check nearly weekly) an archeologist can start out at $45k with national park service with just a bachelor's degree.

 

[Corry]

I'm not majoring in it, but if I weren't doing what I am, it'd be a major I'd seriously consider. I LOVED my anthropology class, and I'm hoping to take another at some point.

 

[Corry]

Oh, and it's HARDLY a useless field. That's a pretty damn insulting thing to say.

 

[Alpha]

It's relatively useless from a vocational standpoint if you don't want to go into academia and it's your only degree.

What's it to you? You're not even an anthro major. Lay off.

 

[Corry]

It's relatively useless from a vocational standpoint if you don't want to go into academia and it's your only degree.

What's it to you? You're not even an anthro major. Lay off.

Why would it matter if I'M an anthro major? Even if I didn't say that it's one that I'm highly interested in, I know some briliant people who have devoted thier lives to anthropology, some in academia, and some not. A very large part of Anthropology IS educating the public anyway.

And no, I won't 'lay off'. If you are going to continue to constantly be offensive, you'd better be ready for backlash. An even better suggestion? Keep in mind that this forum is made up of a WIDE array of people, and continually pushing your narrow-minded views on everyone isn't a good idea. Thousands of other members can get thier viewpoints across, whether they agree or disagree, in a civil manner, you can to.

 

[Corry]

Back to the topic at hand: Anthropology

For those who don't already know, here is a breakdown fo the 4 main areas of Anthro:

Cultural Anthropology:

Cultural Anthropology is the study of culturally transmitted behaviors passed on from generation to generation that defines a group. This includes things such as language, social structure, law, religion, technology, and economy. A Cultural Anthropologist may study kinship patterns, social norms, legal systems, education, trade, and a host of other human activities.

Cultural Anthropology is divided into two parts Ethnography and Ethnology. Ethnography is the study and description of specific culture or subculture. Ethnology is the construction or application of theory based on the ethnographic information recovered and the comparison of cultural phenomena across cultures. Cultural Anthropologists use both in their study of human culture. Cultural Anthropologists may draw on Archaeology, Linguistics, Art, Religion, Economics, and other disciplines in their work.

Physical Anthropology:
Physical Anthropology is the study of the human body, how it evolved, and how it is modified by human behavior. Physical Anthropologists may also study other primate species both those extinct and those in the modern world. Physical Anthropologists may search for and study the remains of ancient hominids in Africa and elsewhere to gain incite into the evolution of the human species, or living humans or the remains prehistoric burials to understand genetic relationships with other groups, demographics, diet, occupation, health and lifestyle of the individual or group under study. Physical Anthropologists also assist police in the investigation of crimes and work in industry to help design products for human use specific to the body, such as aircraft seats, etc.
Archaeology:

Archaeology is the study of past cultures through the recovery and examination of prehistoric cultural materials. Archaeologists study materials used in daily household, economic, and ritualistic functions and other human activities. When human remains are encountered the archaeologist may seek to identify its genetic relations with known groups, status of the individual, occupation, and overall health. When animal and plant remains are encountered it may be significant to know the species to determine climate, its nutritional value, its uses by historic groups, and other issues.

The artifacts such as stone tools and pottery help understand the activities and occupations of the users, trade patterns, and cultural relationships. House floors may help in understanding family structure, size, and activities. Understanding the physical environment by studying the soils on which the site is found may help determine the climate and age of the site. Archaeologists use the fields of Physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Botany, Otology, Art, Agronomy, Geology, and other disciplines to help interpret the data to reconstruct the culture represented.
Anthropological Linguistics:
Linguistics is the study of human language and communication. Linguists are found not only in Anthropology, but also in language studies, cognitive research, medical research, mathematics, computer science, and other fields. There are many types or specialized areas of linguistics, including formal linguistics (influenced especially by Noam Chomsky), socio-linguistics, historical linguistics, dialectology, phonetics, and psycholinguistics. For anthropologists, linguistics primarily concerns the development of language and the historic relations that tie groups together and how language is related to the construction of a group's organization and world view. Some anthropological linguists analyze not only spoken or written language but also non-verbal forms of communication such as personal space and gestures. They may also study communication of other primate or non-primate species.

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/hsse/researchguides/anthrotutorial/page2.html

The uses of Anthropology are almost endless, and can be found in many more areas of work than one might think. Google, and ye shall find.

 

[Alpha]

Why would it matter if I'M an anthro major? Even if I didn't say that it's one that I'm highly interested in, I know some briliant people who have devoted thier lives to anthropology, some in academia, and some not. A very large part of Anthropology IS educating the public anyway.

And no, I won't 'lay off'. If you are going to continue to constantly be offensive, you'd better be ready for backlash. An even better suggestion? Keep in mind that this forum is made up of a WIDE array of people, and continually pushing your narrow-minded views on everyone isn't a good idea. Thousands of other members can get thier viewpoints across, whether they agree or disagree, in a civil manner, you can to.

What part of "I love anthropology" is unclear to you? I simply said in a manner of speaking I wouldn't count on making a living out of it unless you went into academia.

Just because you disagree with my viewpoint or find it offensive on someone else's behalf doesn't make it narrow minded. In fact, I'd bet a lifetime ban from this board that I've studied more anthropology than you. I did a ground-up 20,000 case political anthropology study that should be going into publication soon. So don't tell me what educating the public is about.

How ironic it is that you would come down on me because of my opinion in the name of letting people's "viewpoints across." I've just as much right to say what I have as anyone else.

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

yikes.

I'm a sociology major.. I'm not planning on going into academia.. though soc is very different from anthropology. I did find the statement that its a "useless" major slightly offensive.. but in any case.

My field will probalby be human services, possibly working in group homes for MH. I'm considering furthering my education to get my masters in couceling so taht I can work in a rehab/MH/MR home and make more money than just a program director.

Problem with me is I just don't know if my heart is in it still.. I've been workign the field for so long that I've become jaded by it and have seen too much cruelty. I'd love to believe that I could make a difference if I tried... but I have seen too much to really believe that

 

[Alpha]

I always found it...how should I say...curious...that a discipline which supposedly concerns itself with social and group psychology doesn't require any of its disciples to take a single psychology course.