What should we look for in an Anthropology program?

College Majors
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<p>I would recommend that you first focus on identifying schools that are the best overall fit in terms of quality, affordability, ability to be admitted, and personal preferences (location, size, etc.) rather than a specific department. Then you can narrow down the list based on a specific department or program. Keep in mind that students often change their majors, so a school should be strong in several areas of interest.</p>

<p>So, specifically for anthropology, here are some things to consider:
• If you have specific regional or topical interests, does the department have faculty who specialize in those areas?
• Does the school have programs in related areas that can offer supporting coursework? For example, if you are interested in Africa, does the school have a strong African studies program including African languages? If you are interested in medical anthropology, is there a major/minor/certificate program in global health or is there a school of public health that offers programs and courses for undergraduates? If you are interested in anthropological linguistics, does the school also offer linguistics major? If you are interested in folklore or ethnomusicology, does the school offer programs in those areas? If you are interested in visual anthropology, is there a program in documentary film? If you are interested in food anthropology, is there a nutrition program? If you are interested in development, are there relevant courses and programs in other departments?
• Is there an anthropology club? Is there a chapter of the anthropology national honors society (Lambda Alpha)?
• While there are no rankings of undergraduate anthropology programs, graduate rankings can give you some idea of the strength of the department (though it won’t tell you anything about the quality of undergraduate teaching). If the department offers a doctoral program, how does it rank?
• Have any faculty in the department received teaching awards?
• How many faculty are in the department? How many how students major in the department? How combine anthropology with another major, and how easy is it to do so at a particular university (both across arts & sciences departments and across schools of the university)?
• How many students went on to graduate programs in anthropology and related fields? To what graduate programs were they admitted?
• What are the opportunities for undergraduate research, including field research? Where have undergraduate students conducted field research?
• What are the study abroad opportunities at a particular school?
• Are there relevant museum collections, either at the university or in a nearby city?
• If you are interested in applied anthropology, check out schools listed here: <a href=“http://www.sfaa.net/resources/education/”>http://www.sfaa.net/resources/education/&lt;/a&gt;
• Is the anthropology major a general program, or do students choose a subspecialty track (e.g., cultural, biological, etc.)?
• Are there any special subspecialty tracks in the major, e.g., medical anthropology, forensic anthropology, etc.?
• Does the department primarily focus on cultural anthropology, or is it balanced among the four major subfields of anthropology (cultural, biological, archaeology, linguistic) in terms of faculty and course offerings?
• How many courses are offered in a typical semester?
• Whhat is the quality of undergraduate advising in the department?
• Does the department take a particular approach or have a particular theoretical orientation?
• Opportunities to interact with international students can be one of the most valuable educational experiences for any undergraduate student. This can be paricularly valuable for an anthropology major. Ho many international students attend a particular school and what opportunities are available for American students to paricipate in their social and cultural organizations?</p>

<p>Here are some other links to check out:
<a href=“http://www.studentanthropologists.org/”>http://www.studentanthropologists.org/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“404 Page Not Found - The American Anthropological Association”>404 Page Not Found - The American Anthropological Association;
<a href=“http://www.copaa.info/index.htm”>http://www.copaa.info/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.thisisanthropology.com/become-an-anthropologist”>http://www.thisisanthropology.com/become-an-anthropologist&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/anthrop/undergraduate/why-major-in-anthropology/”>http://www.bu.edu/anthrop/undergraduate/why-major-in-anthropology/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/tag/maximizing-success-for-undergraduate-anthropology-majors/”>http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/tag/maximizing-success-for-undergraduate-anthropology-majors/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://people.cas.sc.edu/moskowitz/jobs/ACAD_ANT_Omohundro.pdf”>http://people.cas.sc.edu/moskowitz/jobs/ACAD_ANT_Omohundro.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.uvm.edu/~anthro/documents/SA_april2012.pdf”>http://www.uvm.edu/~anthro/documents/SA_april2012.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2013/06/17/anthropologys-response-to-finding-jobs-for-its-undergraduates/”>http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2013/06/17/anthropologys-response-to-finding-jobs-for-its-undergraduates/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“@NewCommBiz | Ideas for Social Media Strategists”>http://www.newcommbiz.com/an-open-letter-to-anthropology-students-from-the-business-world/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;