Anthropology

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Jeffrey Hass, Chair
Professor Diaz-Barriga, Dorsey, Hass, Oware
Associate Professors French, Nourse, Richards, Sweis
Professionals from the field also are employed as adjunct faculty

The major in anthropology stresses cultural anthropology, the study of contemporary and historically recent human societies around the world. Specifically, cultural anthropology focuses on the ways in which various individuals and groups (societies) construct their ideas (culture) about the world and the ways in which these ideas influence how various people behave. Courses in anthropology compare diverse cultures to ascertain their similarities as well as their differences. Some courses in cultural anthropology study particular regions of the world and the way in which those peoples construct their realities and find meaning in their lives. Other courses in cultural anthropology select various dimensions of human life - family, gender, religion, politics, art, etc., and examine how one of these subjects relates to all the other dimensions in one particular culture or across cultures in general.