A minor in anthropology introduces you to culture and cultures around the world: how people do things, why they do things or why they are made to do things.
Anthropology connects the global to the local, the economic to the social, the real to the symbolic. Studying anthropology allows you to see how other cultures deal with gender differences, raise children, grow food, organize themselves and create systems of justice and power. Insights into these different ways of doing things gives you a much broader perspective on your own culture, raises your curiosity about people unlike you and helps you to become a more conscious citizen.
What is Anthropology
an·thro·pol·o·gy : anthropos (human) + logos (knowledge, science, word) — the study of humans and their cultures.
Unlike psychologists, we study people as members of groups, in which group identity, economy and locality are critical facets of personhood. Unlike philosophers, we study people in the flesh, not just their ideas. Unlike sociologists, we study people all over the world and at varying degrees of subgroups. Unlike economists, we study people making a living and the conditions in which they do so while also making a life. Unlike political scientists, we study relations of power with reference to the particularities of the culture within which people are embedded.
Career Opportunities
Anthropology provides diverse opportunities and careers:
Real World Applications
- Forensic anthropology
- International relations and diplomacy
- Translation and cross-cultural communication in diverse settings such as hospitals and corporate offices
- Work in the non-profit and governmental sectors in the U.S. and abroad
- User experience research for large corporations
Potential Employers
International organizations, nonprofits, police departments, schools, medical environments, consulting firms, user-experience research firms, corporations, marketing firms, and more!
Anthropology Minor Curriculum
Explore anthropology through courses such as:
- ANTH201 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- ANTH285 Food and Society
- ANTH225 Global Perspectives on Sexuality
- ANTH238 Men and Masculinities
- ANTH255 Culture and the Environment
- ANTH311 Ethnography — Studying People Firsthand or "People Watching"
I decided to get a minor in anthropology at Clarkson because I wanted to pursue a career as a cultural anthropologist. The anthropology classes taught me how to think critically about culture, power and what it means to be human.
