Anthropology

Why take courses in this discipline?

Anthropology is a holistic study of humankind that encompasses archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and biological anthropology. It is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on the sciences, humanities, and social studies. Students have opportunities to conduct fieldwork and research in any of the subfields. For majors, this can comprise a senior thesis. Grinnell’s anthropology major prepares students for graduate school as well as careers domestically and internationally in such fields as medicine, museology, regional planning, journalism, business, social services, and more.

How does the discipline contribute to the liberal arts?

Courses in anthropology primarily concern the study of human behavior and society although some overlap significantly with the natural sciences via techniques, observations, and experimentation. Through anthropology courses, students will enhance their abilities to read, think, and write more clearly. Additionally, some courses will help them to enhance their quantitative reasoning skills while others will focus more on qualitative data and its meaning. As a discipline that studies humans, their ancestors, and their relatives across time and space, Anthropology epitomizes the liberal arts education.

What kinds of questions are asked in this discipline?

Anthropology, the study of humankind, strives to take the broadest possible perspective on the human condition. Anthropologists explore peoples and cultures around the world, past and present, to become familiar with and understand our common humanity, cultural diversity, the organization of social life, societal change, the evolution of our species, our place in the natural world, and our affinities with other species. Anthropology approaches culture holistically, studying the interrelationships among the many facets of human life: family, kinship, language, gender, exchange, ritual, myth, technology, socialization, biology, power, privilege, and subsistence. Typically, archaeologists concentrate on cultures of the past, cultural anthropologists on those of the present, linguistic anthropologists on language as a rule-governed sign system, and biological anthropologists on the complex interrelationship between cultural and biological factors in human life, past and present. Anthropological research is often conducted outside the context of Western society, but increasingly anthropologists have applied their perspectives to the study of questions in the West.

How does a student get started?

First-year students should take Anthropological Inquiries (ANT 104), which introduces students to the discipline and serves as a prerequisite for most other courses.

Students majoring in anthropology must also take a course in statistics (MAT 115 or STA 209) and complete one year of a language study (or demonstrate competency).

Students majoring in anthropology are also encouraged to pursue research and study-abroad opportunities.

AP/IB Credit

A score of 5 on the IB anthropology exam would count for four credits in the social studies division.

Courses in Anthropology

All Courses in Anthropology

Regular 200-Level Courses

• Human Evolution
• Disaster, Society and Culture
• Jews, Multiculturalism, Antisemitism
• Biological Determinism and the Myth of Race
• Ethnography of Communication: Method and Theory
• Illness, Healing, and Culture
• Racing Through Genetics
• Primate Behavior
• Intentional Communities
• Anthropology of the Modern Middle East and North Africa
• Culture and Agriculture
•  Anthropology of Racism & Ethnicities
• Language, Gender, and Sexuality
• Theories of Culture
• Anthropology, Violence, and Human Rights
• Archaeology of North America

Recent Seminars

• The Cultural Politics of Fashion
• Anthropomorphisms
• War, Peace, and Human Nature
• Anthropology of Religion
• Experimental Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology
• Fighting Words: Conflict, Discourse, & Power

Recent Special Topics

• Health, Inequality, and Social Justice
• Politics of Cuisine and Consumption of the Other
• African Archaeology
• Nature and Culture on the American Prairie
• Comparative Primate Skeletal Morphology

Off-Campus Study

There are numerous off-campus programs where a student may take an anthropology course or conduct anthropological research. Students should consult with an anthropology faculty member in determining which program will best meet their goals. Up to 8 credits from a study abroad program could be counted towards the major depending on the program and the course(s).

Contributions to Other Majors/Concentrations

Courses in anthropology contribute to concentrations in:

• American studies
• East Asian studies
• Latin American studies
• global development studies
• peace and conflict studies
• environmental studies
• linguistics

Department Events and Opportunities

Anthropology students can apply for numerous awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The anthropology department has funds specifically dedicated to enabling students to conduct research – both domestically and internationally.