Admissions Contact

Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions

Academic Contact

Thomas Rein
Associate Professor
Geography, Anthropology, & Tourism
Associate Professor
Anthropology
Ebenezer D. Bassett Hall
416 07
Brian Sommers
Professor, Department Chair
Geography, Anthropology, & Tourism
Professor
Geography
Co-Director
International Studies
Ebenezer D. Bassett Hall
417-01

Anthropology, BA

Central to Uncovering Human Behavior.

Central's BA in Anthropology provides students with a comprehensive, integrated, and interdisciplinary social science background and prepares them for a range of careers. Graduates work in a variety of fields from education to public service, marketing, and international management, to cultural resources management and museum curation.

The department offers minors in cultural anthropology, archaeology, practicing anthropology, and biological anthropology. These programs give students holistic and cross-cultural perspectives that complement many majors and career goals.

Program Features

  • Classes on-campus and in a hybrid format
  • Small class sizes
  • Expert faculty accessible to students
  • Internship and study abroad opportunities
  • Financial aid and scholarships available
  • Free on-campus child care available

Anthropology at Central

Anthropology means “the study of people.” It assumes that generalizing about human life takes an integrated study of human biology and culture, past and present, and simple and complex lifeways. Anthropology is composed of four sub-fields. Cultural anthropology describes and explains variation in human cultural and social types. Biological anthropology explains the physical nature and development of humankind, and other primates. Archaeology considers past human life and how societies grow, change, and become extinct. Linguistics (the only sub-field not taught directly in our department) examines human and primate communication processes.

The Anthropology program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive, integrated, and interdisciplinary social science background and to prepare them for a range of careers; our graduates work a variety of fields, from education to public service, marketing and international management, to cultural resources management and museum curation. The department offers minors in cultural anthropology, archaeology, practicing anthropology, and biological anthropology. These programs give the student a holistic and cross-cultural perspective that complements many majors and career goals.

Minors

Did You Know?

Central graduates go on to careers as archaeologists, archivists, conservators, forensic anthropologists, medical anthropologists, nurses, professors, genetic counselors, interpreters, social workers, and many more.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the holistic foundations of the discipline and an appreciation for the interrelated nature of the discipline’s subfields.
  2. Participate in documenting and data-collecting research projects and/or practical anthropological experience.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of at least one world area, spatially or temporally defined.
  4. Present research results in oral and written form.
  5. Use relevant methods of quantitative data collection and statistical analysis.
  6. Use applicable methods of qualitative data collection and analysis.
  7. Understand, identify and articulate cultural and linguistic relativism, as well as the lack of a biological basis for racist or ethnocentric ideologies or expressions.