Anthropology Questions
Q: What is anthropology?
A: Most simply defined, anthropology is the study of humans — who we are, including our culture, our beliefs and social behavior, our evolution and biology, our languages, and our music, art and architecture, to name just some of the things that make us human. Anthropology is the study of people living today as well as people who lived in the recent and distant past. It seeks answers to such important questions as how human behavior has and continues to change over time, why and how groups of people throughout the world share both cultural and biological similarities as well as some dissimilarities, and how the human species has evolved over millions of years. Anthropology includes three broad subdisciplines that offer unique but overlapping perspectives on who we are:
1) sociocultural anthropology (which includes linguistics),
2) archaeology, and
3) physical (or biological) anthropology.
Q: What is sociocultural anthropology?
A: Sociocultural anthropology has a unique approach to collecting and analyzing data. Anthropologists go out into the communities they study and spend long periods of time observing people, talking to them and participating in their activities. While they may do some statistical analysis, their most important contributions usually come from qualitative analysis. This approach is called "ethnography." Because of its inductive, exploratory character, it is particularly suited to understanding complex, dynamic situations where changes are happening on several levels at once.
Q: What is archaeology?
A: Archaeologists study material remains in order to understand and explain human behavior. At ASU, a particular area of interest is understanding the long-term impacts of human activity on the landscape, and how past civilizations have coped with environmental and climate changes. Traditionally, archaeologists have excavated and analyzed the tools, weapons, pottery, architecture, and other artifacts that were left behind by prehistoric societies in order to reconstruct their ancient cultures. Today archaeologists no longer limit themselves to the study of prehistoric peoples but also investigate more recent cultures, adding their insights to the information available to historians through the written record. Archaeologists also work as specialists in preserving knowledge of our country's past through historic preservation and cultural resource management.
Q: What is physical (biological) anthropology?
A: It is the study of human biology. This includes human anatomy, hominid evolution, genetic and physical variations of human populations across time and space, and comparative primate studies. Bioanthropologists have also been involved in medical genetics research, forensics, developing standardized clothing sizes, protection of primate species, and other activities related to contemporary issues.
Q: What is applied anthropology?
A: Applied anthropology is simply "anthropology put to use" (to quote John Van Willigen). It is any kind of anthropological research that is done to solve practical problems. This means that there are stakeholders and clients who stand to gain or lose from the project. Anthropology can be used to solve problems in an enormous variety of fields. Some common examples include: Health and Medicine, Business, Human Rights, Education, Environmental Issues, Community Development, Museums, Disaster Research and Management, and International Development.
Q: What is forensic anthropology?
A: A forensic anthropologist is one who is educated in physical anthropology (particularly skeletal biology), archaeology, anatomy and allied sciences, usually with a Ph.D. There are few people who make a living solely as forensic anthropologists. Instead, most are connected with universities and lend their talents to police agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys or courts. Other forensic anthropologists work with state, regional or national government agencies and may be involved in the identification of victims of mass disasters or international war crimes. There is a certification process for the forensic anthropologist.
Q: Where can I find out what colleges and universities have forensic anthropology programs?
A: You can go to ForensicAnthro.com for general information. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences has a list of college programs in forensics.
Q: What can I do with a degree in anthropology?
A: Anthropology teaches skills that are applicable to a wide range of career choices. Some of the more obvious choices are professor of anthropology, contract archaeologist, forensic anthropologist, librarian, archivist, museum curator, museum conservator, museum staff and environmental consultant. Many also find careers in the fields of business (anthropology is currently very popular in the business world), broadcasting, environmental and urban planning, journalism, film, law, health research, foreign service, education, police work, publishing, tourism, and urban planning, to name only a few. Our alumni work in academia and all sectors of our economy. For a listing of the current employers of some of our alumni, click here. For actual job titles of our more than 2,100 graduates, click here. Students who join the ASU Student Alumni Association have access to the searchable ASU alumni online directory for career networking. To become a member, click here.
Q: What are the requirements for a degree in Anthropology?
A: The anthropology major consists of a minimum of 39 or 40 semester hours in anthropology and a minimum of 3 semester hours in statistics. At least 18 of the semester hours must be in upper-division courses (300-400 level). Refer to the Undergraduate General Catalog for degree requirements and course listings. From the Undergraduate Catalog choose the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and then choose the School of Human Evolution and Social Change to see the B.A. Requirements for Anthropology.
Q: Can I take anthropology classes at other ASU campuses?
A: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences requires that students complete at least 12 semester hours of upper-division course work at ASU Tempe in the department/school of their major in order to be eligible for graduation. Students should check with their advisor before registering for anthropology classes on other campuses.
Q: What is the difference between ASB and ASM course prefixes?
A: ASB stands for Anthropology Social and Behavioral and ASM stands for Anthropology Science and Mathematics.
