Anthropology

Take me to the Department of Anthropology website.

The Field

Anthropology, a scientific and a humanistic field, examines the nature and significance of human diversity in its biological, historical, and cultural forms. Straddling the social sciences and human biology, anthropology challenges conventional views that regularly mystify, categorize, or stereotype human diversity by race, gender, language, nationality and class. Avidly comparative and cross-cultural, relying on assessing the full range of human diversity now and in the past, the field examines and interprets the interplay of culture, history, biology, and identity formation.

The Major

The Department of Anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UMass Amherst is among the largest in New England, with 15 distinguished full-time faculty members, about 200 undergraduate majors, and 85 graduate students. Four overlapping subdivisions—cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology—offer more than 50 courses for undergraduates and flexible major requirements. Anthropology majors develop depth and breadth in their specific programs of study that lead them to outstanding careers in a variety of people-oriented occupations.

The Minor

Students can gain preparation and grounding in a particular facet of anthropology without fulfilling the full range of requirements of the major. The minor may focus on one of the four subfields, on the past and present cultures of a specific region of the world (e.g., Latin America, Europe), or on a topical specialty that crosscuts subdisciplines of anthropology (e.g., medical anthropology, cultural ecology, non-state societies). 

The Future

Many anthropology majors attend graduate school, although not necessarily in anthropology, since the course of study is not narrowly constructed. The cross-cultural and comparative perspectives offered provide a solid background for a variety of people-oriented occupations: in government, international development, personnel management, human services, sales and marketing, and teaching. The need for high school teachers of anthropology is on the rise, as is the demand for anthropologists at the B.A. level (particularly archaeologists and biological anthropologists) in cultural resource management, health care, and international programs.

Internships and Study Abroad

The Department of Anthropology encourages students to gain as much practical experience as possible through internships, practica, and Community Service Learning. Besides experiencing what being an anthropologist is like, internships help students prepare for employment or graduate study. Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Lynnette Leidy Sievert, 105 Machmer Hall), student advisers, or the department’s Experiential Education Coordinator. Study abroad for one or two semesters is encouraged as well. Go to the International Programs Office for details.

More Information: Department of Anthropology; 413.545.2221

For information about the UMass Amherst Archaeological Field School,
click here.

Physical Anthropologist Studies Human Evolution through Bones
As a high school student in Gabon, Africa, Brigitte M. Holt, assistant professor of biological anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, didn’t know much about physical anthropology. But she really enjoyed the early human evolution section of a history course.
read more…