Working with an anthropology degree
There are two great reasons why studying anthropology should be considered by
undergraduate and master's students.
First, the material is intellectually exciting: anthropology students
enthusiastically complete their course of study.
Second, anthropology prepares students for excellent jobs and opens doors to various career paths: the course of study provides global information and thinking skills critical to succeeding in the 21st century in business, research, teaching, advocacy, and public service.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
See two recent Marshall Anthropology Alumni speak reflect on their experiences in the program and its value to them as they begin their careers. Interested in archaeological fieldwork? Watch a video about the MU Archaeological Field School
To learn more about working with an anthropology degree, you can visit the career information page of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). You might also like to see the Careers in Anthropology pages, the brochure What do Anthropologists Do?, or an overview of the value of an anthropology degree to business all of which have been prepared by the AAA. Our own MU Career Career Services offers a "What can I do with this Major" for Anthropology (and other fields).
The National Association for Practicing Anthropologists has also created a very useful guide that is tellingly titled Anthropologists at Work: Responses to Student Questions About Anthropology Careers. In addition, there are some interesting podcasts under Profiles in Practice available from practicing anthropologists on the AAA website.
Finally, you can have a look at an Essay on Careers in Anthropology (with video clips) prepared by Gary Ferraro for Wadsworth Publishing.
For an up close look at fieldwork, you can check out a short (8 minute) film produced by the MIT Department of Anthropology which does a very good job of describing the conduct of ethnographic fieldwork. As evidenced in the above links, ethnographic fieldwork is increasingly used by companies around the world to give them a better picture of, for example, how consumers use products in their everyday lives than would be available from something like survey data alone.
ANTHROPOLOGY GLOBAL NEWS FEED
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDSCHOOL
Archaeology, the science of reconstructing and
understanding past and present cultures from their material remains, is taught
in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
The sites investigated by the field school in the last twenty plus years cover the span of human occupation in West Virginia, from the Early Archaic, at St-Albans (ca. 6000 BCE, Kanawha County), through the Late Prehistoric, at Snidow (ca. 1250 CE, Mercer County) and Clover (ca. 1580 CE, Cabell County), to the historic period, at the Madie Carroll House in Guyandotte (ca. 1850 CE, Cabell County). In addition to gaining practical knowledge of archaeological field techniques, students learn about our state’s long past, from the earliest Native American nomadic foragers and their journey towards becoming settled farmers, to the first Euro-American and African-American colonists who established the communities we live in today.
No previous experience is required to enroll in ANT 323, only an interest of things past, a curiosity of how we got to where we are today, and a taste for detective work. And yes, getting very dirty in the process. It is hard work, often tedious, but always rewarding. For more information, contact Dr. Nicholas Freidin, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Smith Hall Room 428/424 or call (304) 696-2794. The Marshall University Archaeological Field School as been written up. Check out the MU-AFS in the Parthenon
