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Degree in Anthropology

Format: In person on the Statesboro Campus
Credit Hours: 124

Gain the knowledge and skills to make a difference in local and global communities by earning your degree in Anthropology!

Georgia Southern University’s Anthropology program is a vibrant community of passionate students, award-winning teachers and renowned scholars. Combining comprehensive coursework with practical career training, our program of study gives you the vision to know the questions to ask, the research tools to find the answers, and the skills to turn your findings into social solutions.

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Major in Anthropology

The Anthropology degree program at Georgia Southern offers broad, multidisciplinary training in the four-field discipline (Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology), with special emphasis on practice and application of Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology. Anthropology majors work alongside our world-class faculty in diverse field settings, as well as our state-of-the-art labs and archaeological repository.

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural anthropologists spend extended periods of time observing communities to understand the perspectives, practices and social organization of other groups and cultures to enrich human understanding on a broader level.

Linguistic Anthropology

Linguistic anthropologists explore how language and communication form the basis for crucial aspects of different societies and cultures. The links between how we communicate and relate to one another, and how we see the world, are central to this field of study.

Archaeology

Archaeologists study human behavior through the artifacts, sites and created landscapes that people leave behind. Students in archaeology will explore the complex and fascinating relationships between past environments, political and economic systems, cooperation and conflict, identity and meaning, and human adaptations in our ever-changing world.

Biological Anthropology

Biological anthropologists examine the similarities and differences found among humans across the world by studying how humans evolve and adapt to different environments. They seek to understand how biology and culture shape our lives.

Program Requirements

In addition to a strong liberal arts base of classes, our majors are required to take 33 hours of upper-division anthropology courses, many of which have hands-on and/or research applications.

Student Learning Outcomes

Effective Fall 2013

  • SLO 1: Students who graduate with a B.A. in Anthropology will be able to apply key research methods of anthropology that are appropriate in constructing an anthropological research project.
  • SLO 2: Students who graduate with a B.A. in Anthropology will be able to interpret, criticize and apply key theoretical paradigms appropriate in developing an anthropological research project.
  • SLO 3: Students who graduate with a B.A. in Anthropology will be able to demonstrate critical reading skills and fluency with the purpose, concepts and arguments in anthropological source materials.
  • SLO 4: Students who graduate with a B.A. in Anthropology will be able to demonstrate argumentation, analysis and synthesis through writing in a variety of contexts.
  • SLO 5: Students graduating with a B.A. in Anthropology will participate in a variety of professionalization experiences through in-class projects, internships, experiential learning, and service opportunities depending on their track in the program.

Anthropology Minor

Students may also minor in Anthropology by completing 15 credit hours in Anthropology classes.

Field Experience and Anthropology Internship Opportunities

At Georgia Southern, Anthropology students discover the past through hands-on fieldwork and laboratory analysis, learning practical, career-focused professional skills. Recent archaeological projects include survey and testing of

  • Camp Lawton (a Confederate Army military prison near Millen, Georgia)
  • Prehistoric Native American encampments, villages and mound sites (along the Savannah River and its tributaries)
  • Locations in the Savannah national Historic Landmark District (as part of projects with the Digging Savannah public archaeology initiative)

Anthropology majors can earn course credit working in nonprofit organizations, government agencies and other organizations, applying their anthropology training to real-world problems and settings. These experiences allow them to master applied anthropology — when anthropologists connect their research to problems or concerns identified by communities and work with communities toward a solution.

Students gain work experience in archaeological curation and artifact conservation as volunteers and paid employees in our archaeological labs and the R M Bogan Archaeological Repository. Anthropology students may also take their studies abroad.

Additionally, students can join the Georgia Southern Anthropological Society, a student organization that builds students’ peer networks and professional connections, arranges field trips to anthropological events and places of interest, helps organize and fund student attendance at anthropology conferences, sponsors guest speakers and explores how we can see anthropology in everything.

What Can I Do With an Anthropology Degree?

The Anthropology degree coursework prepares students for work in a variety of different fields. The skill set anthropology provides is highly prized for careers in anthropology, marketing, human relations, social work and international business.

Jobs for anthropology majors:

  • Archaeologist/Archaeological field technician
  • Human resources representative
  • Foreign service officer/diplomat
  • International/Humanitarian aid
  • Foreign language teacher
  • Research coordinator/consultant
  • Public health specialist
  • Historic preservationist
  • Community developer
  • Heritage interpreter
  • Social services worker
  • Museum curator
  • Diversity officer
  • Administrator
  • Charity officer

The American Anthropology Association also has some excellent resources on the job prospects and career opportunities for our graduates.

Do You Have Questions? Contact Us!

Jared Wood, Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Your Undergraduate Program Coordinator

M. Jared Wood
912-478–5789
mwood@georgiasouthern.edu

Program Advisors

Miguel Alvarado
Carroll Bldg 1087C, Statesboro Campus
malvarado@georgiasouthern.edu

McKenzie Peterman
Success Center 119, Armstrong Campus
mpeterman@georgiasouthern.edu

Department Office

912-478-5443
SAM@georgiasouthern.edu

P.O. Box 8051
Carroll Bldg, Rm 1003
Statesboro, GA 30460
Fax: 912-478-0703

 Anthropology Facebook

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Last updated: 9/8/2021