Anthropology Department

Three Summer Field Schools 2012
Michigan Archaeology
Eco-Villages in New Zealand
Archaeology in Ukraine

This site provides students, parents, and the regional community with useful information on the GVSU undergraduate anthropology major and minor programs. Anthropology is the study of humans. The sub-fields within anthropology are Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Linguistics and Applied anthropology. Anthropology as a discipline teaches/promotes:

  • holism - the concept that all aspects of human behavior are interrelated and important in understanding what it means to be human,
  • cross-cultural analyses - to understand the wide range of diversity in human behavior in order to eliminate prejudice and bias,
  • human diversity  - uses a variety of methods to observe and measure the range of human behavior and culture. 

Anthropological perspectives provide students with unique abilities to contribute to standard job skills such as: diversity sensitivity, management, interviewing techniques, research/program design, statistical/survey techniques, teaching/training, communication. 

What about a Career in Anthropology?

The government Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011) reports:

  • Employment of anthropologists and archeologists is expected to grow 21 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations.
  • More anthropologists will be needed to research human life, history, and culture, and apply that knowledge to current issues.
  • A growing number of corporations are expected to use anthropologists’ analyses to understand increasingly diverse workforces and markets, allowing businesses to better serve their clients or to target new customers.
  • The employment of archeologists will be largely influenced by the level of construction activity. Archeologists should have the best job prospects in cultural resource management (CRM) firms.

For more information: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Life-Physical-and-Social-Science/Anthropologists-and-archeologists.htm

Advising: Course Checklists (2011-2012)

Careers in Anthropology
Book Resources
(doc)

Internships:
Anthropology in Action

Internship Program and Opportunities
Program Brochure
(
pdf)

At this site, you can find out about: