Anthropology Programs

Majoring in Anthropology

Anthropology emphasizes a holistic approach to the study of humans, located in all parts of the world through all periods of time. Our anthropology major offers an option in archaeology. Please visit our Archaeology Page for more information. Other anthropology majors tend to focus on cultural anthropology. The minor in anthropology fits well with social science and humanities majors. Graduates are employed in the area of human services, entry-level work with local or federal government agencies and employment in the business community. Our program also prepares students for more advanced study which leads to careers in teaching and research at colleges, universities or museums or other not-for-profit organizations.

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Mission Statement:

Our mission is to introduce students to the field of anthropology and its application of understanding the human conditions. We take a holistic and comparative approach to the study of humans in all parts of the world, through all periods of time. While anthropology consists of the four interrelated fields of cultural, physical, linguistic, and archaeological, our program focuses primarily on archaeology and cultural anthropology. We seek to prepare students to be global citizens, with understanding and appreciation of the uniformity and diversity of cultures, both within and beyond the US borders, past, present, and future. We also seek to prepare students to apply anthropological theory and methods to address anthropologically the needs of the local, regional, and global community. We seek to continue to contribute to the MU mission and larger university community by participating in the General Education curriculum as well as the interdisciplinary African American, International, Latina/o, and Women and Gender's Studies Programs.

The Anthropology program has adopted the following student outcomes: 

1.     Anthropology majors will be able to apply a wide range of anthropological research methods in appropriate courses.

2.     Anthropology graduates are able to communicate orally information appropriate to the anthropology discipline.

3.     Anthropology students with a the archaeology option will obtain practical experience on archaeological or historic preservation research projects.