Please be sure to click on the images within the site. Each one will lead you to different and exciting portals across cyberspace!! Enjoy! ~American Anthropology
Natarja the Cosmic Dancer who represents the rythmic movement of the entire CosmosAnthropology LinksAmerican Anthropological AssociationAmerican Association of Physical AnthropologistsAmerican Folklore SocietyAmerican Society for EthnohistoryArchaeological Institute of AmericaPaleoanthropology SocietySociety for American ArchaeologySociety for Applied AnthropologyNational Association of Student AnthropologistsEncyclopedia SmithsonianAnthropology Review DatabaseAnthropology Resources on the InternetUniversity of Chicago Library--Internet Resources in AnthropologyAnthropology & Archaeology Yahoo Search DirectoryMichigan State University Library Anthropology Indexes & DatabasesJournal of AnthropoeticsUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and AnthropologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryMuseum of Anthropology--University of British ColumbiaResearch ChannelSmithsonian InstituteNational Archaeological DatabaseAnthroBaseAnthropology Review DatabaseAnthroSource
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I'VE GOT THE DEGREE, NOW WHAT?--A PERSONAL EXPERIENCEA serious frustration that some graduates of anthropology experience is the difficulty of finding suitable employment. At first, some feel that their degree, oftentimes misunderstood by others, was a waste of time. Having experienced this dilemma firsthand, I discoverd from my friends that other degrees and disciplines experience the same difficulties and that the most important aspect of your resume is your experience. Therefore, I would certainly recommend to those persons considering a major in anthropology to think carefully about your work and/or volunteer experience during your college years.For others, such as myself, I chose to pursue a graduate degree outside of anthropology while being able to utilize my anthropology skills. I received my Masters in Public Administration and focused on Public and Social Policy. It seems that so many of us who are fascinated by anthropology--this awe-inspiring disciple--are encouraged to go out and make changes in the world. We are called upon by the mysterious beauty of the world and its people, the ancient customs of civilizations of yesteryear, the unique sounds of an exotic language, and, simply, the search to know one's place in the universe.Sadly, many of the PhD candidates in anthropology will have difficulty finding employment as a professor in anthropology. It is such an attractive discipline that the number of post-graduates far exceeds the academic positions available--something the undergraduate programs fail to emphasize to its graduates. However, this should not stop you from considering how anthropology can be used in other areas outside of academia. As a quick note to those who are currently majoring in anthropology in college, I strongly recommend that you all lobby your anthropology department to provide career counseling and guidance for post-college employment. Some universities are getting better about helping the social science majors find employment, yet too often they are overshadowed by the undergraduate business programs.In my opinion, one of the most fascinating areas that anthropologists can be utilized is within the field of public health. There are many advantages to entering this field with anthropology under your belt. And, I'll do my best to lay them out for you...First, public health professionals recognize anthropology as an important aspect of public health. You'll have the opportunity to work alongside other social and behavioral scientists who enjoy discussing public health as much as you do.Second, one has many routes to choose from as he or she moves up the public health career ladder. Whether you decide to become a community health specialist, an epidemiologist, medical anthropologist, health policy coordinator, health program specialist, behavioral scientist, infectious disease expert, etc., you'll always be thankful that you had your training in anthropology since it gives you such a powerful edge for understanding culture, evolution, human anatomy, change through time, human relationships, and interdisciplinary research, in general.Third, public health is based on scientific reasoning and logic, and usually appeals to those analytical thinkers out there like ourselves. Seldom will you experience pseudoscience except for those pseudoscience lobbyist groups pushing thier own agendas. Instead, you'll find yourself collaborating with experts that base their data off of evidence rather than personal opinions. However, once you enter the realm of public policy, you'll find it more challenging since you must now sway the opinions of politicians and public policy makers. It's fun and it has a direct impact on society.Fourth, there is a dire need for public health professionals, so employment opportunities are numerous. The field continues to expand and the types of jobs that one can pursue is unlimited. Furthermore, employees in public health will be retiring and this demand will only increase. Also, the public is becoming aware of the dangers posed by natural disasters, bioterror incidents, and epidemics, which only increases the need for public health experts. There are many internet portals for public health jobs; check them out and see what the requirements are for these positions, which will help guide you for developing a suitable career path.Fifth, there are many educational opportunities to enter the public health field; however, I will warn you that it normally requires a graduate degree, yet, it is small price to pay for more money and better career progression; furthermore, entry into these graduate programs is fairly simple since many of the barriers to admission have been removed due to the demand for new professionals. Please note that entry into the public health field does not require a Master in Public Health (MPH); however, it does help. As I stated previously, I entered public health by pursuing my Master in Public Administration and simply focused on public health policy. Today, I help design new public health programs, develop better processes for existing public health programs, work with community stakeholders to develop partnerships and coalitions in public health across the state, and assist epidemiologists with program evaluation to determine if changes in our health programs and current efforts are having a positive or negative impact on the state.And, finally, public health will allow you to hold on to your fascination with anthropology since understanding people and their behavior is one of the most important aspects of public health.Regardless of how you use your anthropology degree after you graduate, I wish you all the best of luck. My career path in public health is just one of many paths. There is no right path, and each leads you down a unique and challenging road. The most amazing aspect of anthropology is that, despite these differences in the four fields, each blends together with remarkable similarity and allows all of us as anthropologists to communicate with each other and share our fascinating, engaging, and thought-provoking experiences.For those of you are just getting started in your degree program, I've included some information below that I retrieved from the AAA website.It is comforting to know that there are others out there like yourselves who enjoy the study of humanity. I encourage all of you to share your experiences on this website and to help educate others out there about this amazing discipline.Best Wishes To All,Tim
Austin, TX
Disease Prevention & Intervention
Strategic Planner for Public HealthClick on the links below for more information on Public Health:What is Public Health?Health Affairs JournalWorld Health Organization (WHO)Global Health CouncilInternational Society for Equity in HealthAnnie E. Casey FoundationCenters for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)Health Research GroupPan American Health Organization (PAHO)Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades TropicalesEncyclopedia of Public HealthAssociation of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)American Public Health Association (APHA)Public Health Employment ConnectionUSA Jobs - Federal Job SearchAmerican Anthropological Association - CareersCareers in Anthropology (NKU)Society for Applied AnthropologyThe following information was obtained from the American Anthropological Association website at http://www.aaanet.org/careersbroch.htm.Careers in AnthropologyAnthropology: Education for the 21st CenturySo you want to study anthropology, eh? There are two great reasons why studying anthropology should be considered by undergraduate and master's students.First, the material is intellectually exciting: anthropology students enthusiastically complete their courses of study.Second, anthropology prepares students for excellent jobs and opens doors to various career paths: the course of study provides global information and thinking skills critical to succeeding in the 21st century in business, research, teaching, advocacy, and public service.What Is Anthropology?Anthropology is the study of human behavior. That exploration of what it means to be human ranges from the study of culture and social relations, to human biology and evolution, to languages, to music, art and architecture, and to vestiges of human habitation. It considers such fascinating questions as how peoples' behavior changes over time, how people move about the world, why and how people from distant parts of the world and dissimilar cultures are different and the same, how the human species has evolved over millions of years, and how individuals understand and operate successfully in distinct cultural settings. Anthropology includes four broad fields--cultural anthropology, linguistics, physical anthropology and archaeology. Each of the four fields teaches distinctive skills, such as applying theories, employing research methodologies, formulating and testing hypotheses, and developing extensive sets of data.Anthropologists often specialize in one or more geographic areas of the world--for example, West Africa, Latin America, the British Isles, Eastern Europe, North America and Oceania. In addition, anthropology studies focus on particular populations in a locale or region. Some anthropologists study cultural practices, such as Pyrennes' Basques use of cooperatives in their economic system, which must be modified to fit the overarching Spanish or French legal structures. Other examples of cultural practices studied by anthropologists include marriage rituals among Scots-Irish Americans in a suburban North Carolina community, Morris dancing on May Day among southwestern English village inhabitants, and aesthetic and linguistic aspects of Trinidadian calypso and "road songs." Physical anthropologists observe biological behavior, attempting to understand ongoing human evolution and the human adaptations to particular environments, such as maternal physiological response to pregnancy, the effects of altitude on maternal and fetal well-being, perhaps performing comparative studies of physiological responses to short-term high altitude residence (e.g., Euro-Americans and African Americans in Colorado) versus longer-term high altitude residence (e.g., indigenous Quechua-speakers in Peru or Sherpas in Nepal). Historical archaeologists help preserve aspects of the recent past, such as settlement patterns in the western U.S. plains. Archaeological studies generally involve teams of specialists who work with domesticated plant remains, indicators of animal life, and the manmade artifacts produced or imported into a particular area.Anthropologists are careful observers of humans and their behavior, maintaining an intense curiosity: What does it mean to be human? Why do people behave in particular ways? What are the historical and environmental pressures that helped shape the experience and behavior of a specific group of people? What are universal facts of human life?What Does Anthropology Teach That Is Useful outside the College Setting?Careful record-keeping, attention to details, analytical reading, and clear thinking are taught by anthropological courses. Social ease in strange situations, critical thinking, and strong skills in oral and written expression are cultivated by anthropological training. Using a range of social, behavioral, biological and other scientific research methods, anthropology majors learn to supplement statistical findings with descriptive data gathered through participant observation, interviewing, and ethnographic study. An anthropologist is a trained observer who knows the importance of collecting data, in listening and watching what others are doing, in reflecting on what has actually as well as apparently occurred, in researching the context, in applying various explanatory models, and in adopting a broad perspective for framing an understanding. Whatever the topic of research, anthropologists share a particular holistic vision that requires using a repertoire of methods in order to forge a deeper understanding of situations. This holism characterizes the best anthropology and imparts the perspective for which the profession is valued.While the job market for academic anthropologists is relatively steady, demand for anthropologists is increasing in other areas, stimulated by a growing need for analysts and researchers with sharp thinking skills who can manage, evaluate, and interpret the large volume of data on human behavior. The extent of occupational flexibility reflects the emphasis on breadth, diversity, and independence of thought. What we know about the future marketplace indicates the type of global, holistic knowledge which an anthropological perspective brings.Anthropology as a Major: Its Fascinating Subject Matter and Utility for Careers and Subsequent EducationWhat Options Does an Undergraduate Anthropology Major Have after the Bachelor's Degree?There are many career and educational options for anthropology majors. Further anthropological study leads to both traditional anthropological careers of teaching and research as well as in applied anthropology. Academic anthropologists find careers in anthropology departments, social science departments, and a variety of other departments or programs, such as medicine, epidemiology, public health, ethnic, community or area studies, linguistics, cognitive psychology, and neural science.Applying anthropology offers many opportunities to use anthropological perspectives and skills. Jobs filled by anthropology majors include researchers, evaluators, and administrators. Cultural anthropologists have the range of careers filled by other social scientists; biological and medical anthropologists have other skills which are useful in the growing sector of health related occupations. Many archaeologists are employed in American cultural resource management projects which are required by federal and state laws before major building ventures.Further study in graduate or professional school are common paths for anthropology undergraduate majors. Anthropology provides a strong basis for subsequent graduate level education and training in international law, public health, and other areas as well as the social sciences.What Job Opportunities Will Anthropology Afford the New Graduate?Job opportunities are generally forged by the individual, not by the program which one follows in college. The best college program encourages the performance skills which anthropology excels in molding in its students. The prudent undergraduate will take a well-rounded course of study, with a few practical career-skill courses interwoven in her or his overall program. Anthropology provides a good counterpoint to business courses, foreign language study, technical training, fine arts, and so forth. In addition to imparting invaluable core knowledge about the human animal and its cultural and biological history, anthropology lends itself flexibly as a tool to refine whatever other interests one brings to the higher-educational process.Anthropological study provides training particularly well suited to the 21st century. The economy will be increasingly international; workforces and markets, increasingly diverse; participatory management and decision making, increasingly important; communication skills, increasingly in demand. Anthropology is the only contemporary discipline that approaches human questions from historical, biological, linguistic, and cultural perspectives. The intellectual excitement and relevance of the wide range of information presented in anthropology assures that students are engaged and challenged. Moreover, it complements other scientific and liberal arts courses by helping students understand the interconnectivity of knowledge about people and their cultures. Increasingly, undergraduate and master's students are coming to understand that the issues affecting their futures and the information they will need to prosper cannot be found in narrow programs of study.The undergraduate anthropology major will be exposed to archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. They learn how to study people and how communities and organizations work. The master's degree candidate receives additional training in how to combine these perspectives and skills to solve problems. Many undergraduates have difficulty selecting their major, changing their minds several times as they search for a course of study which interests them and can lead to postcollege employment. That search sometimes results in costly extra years of study. The undergraduates choosing to major in anthropology can be comfortable that their choice is both exciting and practical.Career Paths: Academic, Corporate, Nonprofit, or GovernmentMost of America's professional anthropologists have traditionally worked in higher educational institutions, teaching and researching, but today there are many other career options for trained anthropologists. Many anthropologists with master's degrees or bachelor's degrees work for contract archaeology firms at archaeological sites, in physical anthropology laboratories, and in museums in a wide range of areas. Similarly, there are many opportunities as social science researchers and in other areas available to anthropologists at every level of training. A doctorate is required for most academic jobs. The nonacademic employment of cultural anthropologists is greatly expanding as the demand for research on humans and their behavior increases. Since 1985, over half of all new PhDs in anthropology have taken nonacademic positions in research institutes, nonprofit associations, government agencies, world organizations, and private corporations. While the job market for academic anthropologists is relatively steady, demand for anthropologists is increasing in other areas, stimulated by a growing need for analysts and researchers with sharp thinking skills who can manage, evaluate and interpret the large volume of data on human behavior.Academic. On campuses, in departments of anthropology, and in research laboratories, anthropologists teach and conduct research. They spend a great deal of time preparing for classes, writing lectures, grading papers, working with individual students, composing scholarly articles, and writing longer monographs and books. A number of academic anthropologists find careers in other departments or university programs, such as schools of medicine, epidemiology, public health, ethnic studies, cultural studies, community or area studies, linguistics, education, ecology, cognitive psychology and neural science.Corporations, Nonprofit organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Federal, State and Local Government. Anthropology offers many lucrative applications of anthropological knowledge in a variety of occupational settings, in both the public and private sectors. Non-governmental organizations, such as international health organizations and development banks employ anthropologists to help design and implement a wide variety of programs, worldwide and nationwide. State and local governmental organizations use anthropologists in planning, research and managerial capacities. Many corporations look explicitly for anthropologists, recognizing the utility of their perspective on a corporate team. Contract archaeology has been a growth occupation with state and federal legislative mandates to assess cultural resources affected by government funded projects. Forensic anthropologists, in careers glamorized by Hollywood and popular novels, not only work with police departments to help identify mysterious or unknown remains but work in university and museum settings. A corporate anthropologist working in market research might conduct targeted focus groups to examine consumer preference patterns not readily apparent through statistical or survey methods.Anthropologists fill the range of career niches occupied by other social scientists in corporations, government, nonprofit corporations, and various trade and business settings. Most jobs filled by anthropologists don't mention the word anthropologist in the job announcement; such positions are broadly defined to attract researchers, evaluators and project managers. Anthropologists' unique training and perspective enable them to compete successfully for these jobs. Whatever anthropologists' titles, their research and analysis skills lead to a wide variety of career options, ranging from the oddly fascinating to the routinely bureaucratic.The average postbaccalaureate time needed to obtain the master's degree is two years and the PhD, about eight years. The lengthy time required for an anthropology master's and doctorate is due in part to the custom of completing a field project for the thesis or dissertation and mastering several bodies of knowledge about the area, including comprehensive language training, before departing for the field site. The field research is generally several months for the master's student and 12 to 30 months for the doctoral student.High school students interested in a career in anthropology should develop a firm background in social studies and history, math, science, biology and languages, both English and foreign. The computer has become an important research tool and computer skills are useful.Anthropology's Career AdvantagesDiversity. Anthropology is a career that embraces people of all kinds. It is a discipline that thrives with heterogeneity--in people, ideas and research methods. Anthropologists know the wisdom of listening to multiple voices and linking the work coming from researchers who bring different backgrounds and apply various approaches to their endeavors. The American Anthropological Association is committed to increasing the diversity of the profession.Career Options. The following careers illustrate the range of choices that an anthropology student might explore after graduation. Social facility, critical thinking, and skills in oral and written expression are cultivated by anthropological training. The range of occupations reflects the emphasis on breadth, diversity, and independence of thought.
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Heroes:
Just a Few of Our Favorite Anthropologists!
Franz Boas - The Father of American AnthropologyAlred Kroeber - Bridged archaeology with cultureEdward Sapir - was an American anthropologist-linguist, a leader in American structural linguistics, and one of the creators of what is now called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. He is arguably the most influential figure in American linguistics, influencing even Noam Chomsky.Raymond Dart - an Australian anatomist and anthropologist best known for his discovery in 1924 of a fossil of Australopithecus at Taung in Northwestern South Africa.Marvin Harris - one of the most well known cultural anthropologists who, having been influenced by the works of Marx and Malthus, helped to develop and expand the principles of cultural materialism, which focuses on the origin, maintenance, and change of human cultures with the assumptions that the various parts of society are interrelated and the foundation of a sociocultural system is the environment.Jane Goodall - PrimatologistCarl Sagan - While not trained as an anthropologist, this multi-disciplinary scientist helped to awaken humans to the world around them and, through his many works, has done wonders for the fields of anthropology by popularizing science through his discussions on human intelligence, evolution, and our place in the Cosmos.Miles Richardson is a distinguished Latin American Cultural Anthropologist at Louisiana State University who is fascinated with human cultural evolution, Latin American culture, anthropoetics, and much more.I consider Miles to be my most important mentor of my life. He's the type of professor that leaves you scratching your head at the end of class, but by the end of the semester, that little lightbulb shines with a brilliant luminescence. I had the great privilege to learn so much about anthropology from such an honorable human being. He has and always will be an inspiration to me!Other great heroes of anthropology include, but are not limited to, the following (this is not a complete list of anthropologists, and does not support one particular anthropological theorist over another):John Adair, Scott AtranNigel Barley, Fredrik Barth, Vasily Bartold, Keith H. Basso, Daisy Bates, Ruth Behar, Ruth Benedict, Theodore C. Bestor, Lewis Binford, Wilhelm Bleek, Anton Blok, Pierre Bourdieu, Brent & Elois Ann Berlin, Paul BrocaMauro Campagnoli, Joseph Campbell, Edmund Carpenter, Napoleon Chagnon, Pierre Clastres, John and Jean Comaroff, Frank Hamilton CushingRegna Darnell, Ella Cara Deloria, Raymond J. DeMallie, Mary Douglas, Eugene Dubois, Émile DurkheimMircea Eliade, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Arturo EscobarRaymond Firth, Raymond D. Fogelson, Meyer Fortes, Diane Fossey, Michel Foucault, James FrazerGeri-Ann Galanti, Clifford Geertz, Alfred Gell, Ernest Gellner, Max Gluckman, Maurice Godelier, David Graeber, Hilma Granqvist, J. Patrick Gray, Marcel Griaule, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm GrimmMichael Harner, Jacquetta Hawkes, Edgar Lee Hewett, Arthur Maurice Hocart, Earnest Hooton, Ian Hodder, F. Clark Howell, Ale,, Hrdlicka, Patrick Hunout, Zora Neale Hurston, Dell HymesInger InterlachWilliam JonesSergei Kan, David Kertzer, Richard G. Klein, Dorrinne K. Kondo, Andrey Korotayev, Conrad Kottak, Grover Krantz, Charles H. Kraft, Adam KuperWilliam Labov, George Lakoff, Bruno Latour, Edmund Leach, Murray Leaf, Louis Leakey, Mary Leakey, Richard Leakey, Richard Borshay Lee, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Robert LowieAlan Macfarlane, Bronislaw Malinowski, John Alden Mason, Marcel Mauss, Phillip McArthur, Margaret Mead, Mervyn Meggitt, Nikolay Miklukho-Maklay, Sidney Mintz, Ashley Montagu, James Mooney, John H. Moore, Lewis H. Morgan, Nancy Munn, George Murdock, Robert F. MurphyLaura Nader, Raoul Naroll, Erland NordenskiöldGananath Obeyesekere, Marvin Opler, Morris Opler, Sherry OrtnerBronislav Pilsudski, Hortense Powdermaker, Harald E.L. PrinsJames QuesadaPaul Rabinow, Wilhelm Radloff,
Roy Rappaport, Hans Ras, Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown,
Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, Kathy Reichs, Audrey Richards
W. H. R. Rivers, Paul Rivet, Eric Ross, Gayle Rubin,
Robert A. RubinsteinMarshall Sahlins, Roger Sandall, Wilhelm Schmidt, Tobias Schneebaum, Thayer Scudder, Elman Service, Afanasy Shchapov, Jacques Soustelle, James Spradley, Julian Steward, Pradip Kumar Singh, Herbert Spencer, Marilyn StrathernMichael Taussig, Edward Burnett Tylor, Colin Turnbull, Terence Turner, Victor Turner, Bruce Trigger, Albert Trouwborst
Karl Verner, L. P. VidyarthiMax Weber, Camilla Wedgwood
Hank Wesselman, Douglas R. White, Leslie White, Tim White,
Benjamin Whorf, Unni Wikan, Clark Wissler, Eric Wolf, Sol Worth
