What is anthropology? Anthropology is the study of humans as both biological and cultured animals and is broadly inclusive of prehistoric, historic, and contemporary societies in a variety of global settings.
At Cedar Crest, emphasis is given to cultural anthropology, the sub-field that looks at social arrangements in non-western cultures. Cultural anthropology is a window on the cultures of the world, surveying the variety of family systems, political and economic structures, religions, and expressive forms. Classes include a culture area course on the Caribbean and a number of topical courses. The themes of race, gender, and globalization appear prominently in many courses.
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Anthropology at Cedar Crest exists as a minor, which combines nicely with many different types of majors. Some students elect to self-design a major in anthropology by taking additional courses at nearby institutions and adding some cognate courses at the college.
There are exciting opportunities for students, from field trips in many classes to internships of different kinds. The program offers students the opportunity to do undergraduate research in several ways: supervised fieldwork and a research internship in a funded research project, internships at historical and cultural agencies, and assistantships in the summer. For anyone interested in fieldwork, the new course called Field School in Caribbean Anthropology (Ant 235) is held for an intensive ten-day period in early January in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Anthropology is useful for those who wish to work in any field of community or urban studies, social services, museology, or education.