There are currently 28 anthropology faculty members. Five of the faculty are archaeologists, who specialize in North American prehistoric and historical archaeology, the ancient Middle East, and Africa. Five are linguists, with particular expertise in African, Native American, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian languages and sociolinguistics. One member of the faculty is a folklorist, who focuses on the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and another is an architectural historian with research specializations in American material culture and urban landscapes. The majority of the faculty consists of socio-cultural anthropologists, whose teaching and research interests span the globe and engage numerous theoretical interests. Particular geographical concentrations include the cultures of South Asia, East Asia, Indonesia, Melanesia, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and North America.
There are currently over 200 students majoring in anthropology. While this number represents a diverse group of students with a wide range of interests, it is small enough to maintain a high rate of faculty-student interaction. Students are encouraged to participate in faculty research, and many have worked with faculty conducting ethnographic research, and archaeological field and laboratory work.
Upon graduation, some students pursue graduate degrees in specialized areas,
preparing themselves for careers in teaching, research, or applied anthropology.
Many go on to careers in law and medicine, aided by their knowledge of anthropological
concepts such as cultural diversity and human evolution. In addition, there
are more business opportunities open to the anthropologist today, as our current
era of global economics demands the appreciation of different cultural perspectives.
Still, many enter educational fields and social services: teaching in the U.S.
and abroad; joining the Peace Corps; and working in museums and on archaeological
excavations.
Declaring an Anthropology Major/Minor To declare an Anthropology major, phone the Anthropology Department (924-7044), tell the secretary that you want to declare an Anthropology major, and ask her to make an appointment with one of the major advisors or to give you the office hours of an advisor. Any of the advisors can sign you up for the major, but if you prefer to speak to a particular advisor, tell the secretary that. The current advisors are:
On the day of your appointment, bring along a major declaration form (pick it up in Garrett Hall) and a recent VISTAA form. The VISTAA form is not obligatory, but you do need to remember what anthropology courses you have had and when you took them. It also helps to look over the Anthropology section of the Undergraduate Record before your meeting, so that you have an idea of what the requirements are and what courses you would like to use to complete your major. Usually the person who helps you fill out the declaration form becomes your major advisor. Once you have declared the major, your course registration information will be sent to you from the Director of the Undergraduate Program in Anthropology. We encourage you to make an advising appointment with your advisor every term. To declare an Anthropology minor, follow the steps outlined above. You will not need to bring any forms with you to your appointment.
For students who want to work on an individual research project, ANTH 496 allows considerable flexibility. There is no formal limitation on the kind of project as long as a faculty member is willing to direct it, but the projects should not duplicate what is already available in a regular course. Applicants should have their projects roughly defined when they apply to the faculty member. The normal requirements for ANTH 496 are a reading list comparable in substance to those in regular courses and a term paper and oral examination at the end of the semester.
For more information about the undergraduate program, click on one of the following links:
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