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DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Proficiences

Cumulative Competencies for the anthropology major



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Winners of the Anthropology Alumni Award 2005

This is a guide for recognizing the skills and information you will be building as you continue through the anthropology major.



Year One  (101,102,103, 104)


By the end of their first year, majors should have taken 2 of the above and:

-know and use anthropological concepts

-have experience writing anthropologically

-be able to think critically

-know the major perspectives of anthropology (linguistic, cultural, archaeological, biological) and be familiar with the general teachings of two of these.

-appreciate the diversity of humans in space and time

-appreciate the effects of social race, class, and ethnicity on human life

-know how to find anthropological literature on topics relevant to class work (articles, ethnographies, research projects)

Year Two (additional course from 101-104; 192, 210, 220, 225)


By the end of their second year, majors should:

-be able to integrate the perspectives of three areas of anthropology

-apply anthropological concepts to specific cultures

-develop an integrated research paper using professional sources

-recognize theory and method in the anthropological literature.

Year Three  (300 level courses)


During their third year majors should be able to:

-develop anthropological research topics

-read and use scholarly literature

-research and analyze data in a more extensive research paper utilizing anthropological method and theory

-develop oral presentations

-be able to present papers in the American Anthropological Association style

-be able to understand a culture area, including the similarities and diversities in it.

-be able to look at a cultural topic in a large number of cultures throughout the world.

Year Four  (480, 499, 491)  senior sequence and independent study


The final level of skill development in the anthropology curriculum takes place in the senior sequence of course (480, 499). By the time they complete these course:

-Majors should know the history of American anthropology

-They should recognize and be able to use major anthropological theories

-They should be able to use a variety of anthropological research methods.

-They should be able to generate anthropological questions based on contemporary literature.

-They should be able to write an analytic research paper tracing theoretical changes in one topic of their choice.

-They should have strong writing and oral communication skills.

-They should be able to read and evaluate articles from professional journals.

What if I didn't begin as a first year student?

Obviously, students take different paths in their educational journey. A  few come to the university with a  clear  view of  being an anthropology major.  Many more recognize their vocation after they have studied for a number of semesters. In any case, by the time you graduate with the anthropology major you should have all the skills and knowledge defined in the competencies.

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