Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies - Anthropology

The Anthropology program offers a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with an Anthropology track and Anthropology minor. Anthropology is the discipline that bridges the humanities–science divide, examining humanity across the widest possible perspective, from our biological origins, through the prehistoric past, and into the full diversity of our modern cultural and social differences. It promotes not only a better understanding of others and the cross-cultural interactions that play such a vital role in our increasingly global societies, but also of ourselves. In either of these programs, students will gain a broad knowledge of human biological and cultural diversity in the past and present, an ability to think critically about the often-contentious issues raised by this diversity, and the ability to communicate their knowledge and opinions through a wide variety of media. Anthropology provides an interdisciplinary foundation for graduate work in the social sciences and a useful background for anyone who will find themselves working with people of other cultures, either here or abroad, whether in business, medicine, teaching, or advocacy groups. Anthropologists work as activists, archaeologists, health care workers, marketing consultants, crime scene investigators, administrators and researchers in a wide variety of fields, and even create realistic languages for fictional worlds in Hollywood! Careers in Anthropology Because of anthropology’s holistic interest in small-scale communities, even in the virtual space of the internet, anthropologists have been in demand in a wide range of fields under globalization processes. Of course, this “applied” profession requires at least a master’s degree. The largest employer of applied cultural anthropologists is the United States government, followed by Google. In addition to excavations, archeologists may work in cultural resource management. Physical anthropologists may engage in forensic crime labs, while linguistic anthropologists may work to preserve or revive threatened languages.