Anthropology, A.A.

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Anthropology is the study of humans, from a holistic perspective; that is, anthropologists study humans as biological, cultural, language-using animals in constantly changing, dynamic relation to each other.

Anthropology, then, is necessarily broad-based, incorporating diverse areas of study, research and analysis. Physical anthropologists focus on the biological development of Homo sapiens, over time and under evolutionary influences. Cultural anthropologists primarily examine contemporary folk societies, viewing humans as culture-bearing animals. Attention is paid to the function of major cultural institutions, including subsistence and economy, technology, marriage patterns, family and kinship forms, social class and status, ownership and inheritance, law and social control, religion, magic and myth, ritual and the life cycle. Archaeologists, as anthropologists, attempt to reconstruct the behaviors and past cultures of prehistoric human populations based on the archaeological record.

The study of anthropology helps you to understand your own cultural and social background and how to relate to other people in everyday life.

An anthropologist is well equipped for any job requiring the ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and to serve culturally varied communities.