Major Program
A major in anthropology at Hamline University introduces students to a wide variety of ways of studying humans in various contexts through time, across cultures and geographies. The program expects all majors to gain a functional understanding of the approaches, methods and theories of the discipline’s four traditional subfields—archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and sociocultural anthropology—as ways of studying human variation and cultural difference. Typically majors choose to more intensively focus in one or more subfields as they advance through the program.
The anthropology department has a deep commitment to integrating theoretical concepts and approaches with high-impact experiences in everyday contexts. From off campus experiences of study abroad, archeological field schools and lab internships, to high-stakes group work and community-based research courses, anthropology majors may choose among a wide range of interesting and innovative courses that demonstrate anthropology’s relevance to understanding the complex questions of our contemporary world.
The program encourages all majors to design and execute an anthropologically oriented research project that brings together the interests of each major, insights from relevant coursework and independent research. Projects may rely on lab research, ethnographic field research, work in a different culture or archaeological field work. Such projects draw together research methodologies, theoretical approaches and techniques that demonstrate student learning in an exemplary way—producing a final product that demonstrates each student’s unique achievement. Outstanding students are encouraged to work closely with their faculty mentors on summer collaborative research or honors projects.
Hamline University’s anthropology department has a commitment to the value that anthropology and anthropological insights have in making global citizens who will act thoughtfully, knowledgeably, ethically, and with conviction long after they have graduated. We also, however, recognize the importance of being able to communicate the skills and abilities acquired by our majors into their lives, work and career contexts. To this end, our program emphasizes the connections between the academic discipline and the ways anthropological approaches, ethical concerns and professional methodologies can be used in other contexts after graduation—work in non-profits, private businesses, and governments at local, national or trans-national levels. After graduating our majors have gone on to apply their education in a wide range of work in research labs, museums, and local and national corporations. They work in areas such as public health, the criminal justice system, heritage preservation, environmental protection and international development. Many work in second and even third languages. Some have gone on to graduate school in international studies, heritage preservation, public health, museum and tourism studies, and Ph.Ds. in anthropology.
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