Anthropology and every language and minor in between

College Majors
1

<p>Alright then. Question times guys.</p>

<p>I should be going to UTK this time next year. Now, I am currently wanting to major in anthropology. Wait, wait. I know. “But kid, don’t you know that field is so huge with so many parts and such?!” Yes. Yes I do. That’s part of why I adore it. See, I am currently highly interested in a double major in forensic and cultural anthropology. Why? Well, because of this. </p>

<p>[UT</a> Knoxville | College of Arts & Sciences - Department of Anthropology](<a href=“http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/faculty/ddhr.html]UT”>http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/faculty/ddhr.html)</p>

<p>I love this thing so much. This is what I dream of. So. This is where my questions start. </p>

<p>How might I get to a major in Forensic Anthropology? I realize that I would have to go along the physical/biological route for a time, but past that, I have no idea. What more would this entail of me?</p>

<p>Even though I’m kind of set in my opinion, does anyone think that it might not be good to double major with those two? If you believe this, go ahead and give me what you believe to be a better alternative. (I might get a minor in Biology. There is a chance of this. Because dear gods, I love Biology too.)</p>

<p>And now, the most important question. Language. I am very interested in research and study abroad. I adore linguistics and all language. So here is my issue. What the heck do I take? One, I love Japanese. I love the sound of it, the characters, the culture behind it, all of it. But, it is harder to get internship opportunities with this and I don’t think that my majors would fit well with it. Two, Portuguese. It is an interesting language that is in an area of the world that my majors could help me find a job in. Three, Spanish. I took three years of spanish in high school, and I like the language and I like Spain. But again, I have no idea.</p>

<p>So this is the thing. Language is my main problem and I want to find something that is a good fit. If you think of one I haven’t listed, great. Mention it to me. I love all language, but have a frustrating time teaching myself if I don’t have the fundamentals. I can easily learn more spanish now that I’ve been exposed to a few years of it and can understand the basics. It’s just hard to get a good start, for me. </p>

<p>Anyways, I’m rambling now. Have any advice? Toss it to me. I’d be happy to get it. Another side note: if I do go through with my current plan, I am very much hoping to go into graduate school, unless I can’t afford it or find a job with my majors out of undergraduate, which isn’t that likely. But hey.</p>

<p>…yeah. Please answer! I’d love any advice, so much.</p>

2

<p>Your major would be in anthropology, not a double major in cultural anthropology and forensic anthropology. Though some undergrad anthropology programs permit a subconcentration in a subfield of anthropology, UTK is not one of those. You can, however, use your electives to focus some of your coursework in one or more of the subfields. (Archaeology might have more bearing on forensic anthro than cultural anthro.)</p>

<p>The anthropology faculty at UTK could best advise you of the pathways in forensic anthropology. Here are relevant some links, however:
<a href=“http://people.uncw.edu/alertm/faqs.htm[/url]”>http://people.uncw.edu/alertm/faqs.htm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www/theabfa.org/diplomates.html[/url]”>http://www/theabfa.org/diplomates.html&lt;/a&gt;
[Forensic</a> Anthropology Information Guide](<a href=“http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/forensic-anthropology.html]Forensic”>Forensic Anthropology Information and Resources)
[DISCIPLINES</a> & SUBDISCIPLINES -FORENSIC](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/theory_pages/forensic.htm]DISCIPLINES”>http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/theory_pages/forensic.htm)
<a href=“http://www/csuchico.edu/best-of-csuchico/forensic-anthropology.shmtl[/url]”>http://www/csuchico.edu/best-of-csuchico/forensic-anthropology.shmtl&lt;/a&gt;
[Advice</a> about a Career in Forensic Science](<a href=“http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/faculty/nute/FScareers.html]Advice”>http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/faculty/nute/FScareers.html)</p>

<p>If you want to go into forensic anthropology, you would probably need to get a doctorate. It’s probably not a good idea to try to specialize prematurely. At the undergrad level, I would suggest pairing your anthropology major with core courses in basic sciences as it will be harder to pick these up later. Biology is fine, chemistry and physics, too, and possibly certain aspects of kinesiology might be relevant. A science background might give you an edge in graduate admissions and research over other would be forensic anthropologists; it’s not so important for cultural anthropology. The above links also indicate some relevant coursework for your interests. Anthropology is a liberal arts major, so the range of jobs available is similar to those of other liberal arts majors; it’s unlikely that you’ll find anthropology jobs without a graduate degree.</p>

<p>The Disaster, Displacement, & Human Rights Center covers a very broad range of interests. I’m not sure if your interests in it are mostly in the forensic aspects, or whether they are broader than that. If your interests are in the non-forensic aspects as well, there are other potentially relevant minors including geography (natural hazards, population geography, etc.); political science E.g., political violence, war); sociology (e.g., criminology; social justice; environmental sociology; globalization); or, global studies.</p>

<p>Language: For a PhD, UTK requires at least one language of scholarship. Other programs may require 2, often French and German, though the range of permitted languages is usually broader in cultural anthropology, especially regarding languages for field work.</p>

<p>So consider languages you might need for research (usually a reading knowledge for languages of scholarship, but speaking ability is important for fieldwork). For cultural anthropology, if there is a world region that interests you, consider taking a relevant language. If you’re in love with Japanese, study it, but it will require several years of study to gain some proficiency in that language. If you’ve already studied Spanish, you might continue that language. Portuguese is good too, but I think you’re mistaken if you think you will find a job in a Portuguese-speaking region on the basis of your major. If you want a job in Brazil or another Portuguese-speaking region, you’ll have a better chance with a major in Latin American studies + a field such as business or economics. If you’re interested in Latin America, you might consider studying both Spanish and Portuguese. You mentioned that you love all languages, but I’m not sure how you know that since you apparently studied only three years of Spanish. You may have studied others on your own, but if so, you haven’t mentioned which ones.</p>