Anthropology - Major

Anthropology is the study of cultures across the boundaries of space and time. As our world is becoming increasingly interconnected, we are faced with the challenges of understanding the diversity of beliefs, life-ways and practices of people who we identify as different from ourselves. As a discipline of study within the College of Arts and Sciences, anthropology is no longer limited to the study of “primitive” peoples and cultures. Contemporary anthropologists are concerned with:

• How and why are cultures created?
• What social, political, economic and environmental conditions promote particular cultural understandings while suppressing others?
• How does culture intersect with history, economics, international business and education?

Cultural Anthropology at Nazareth College is an exciting program of study that provides you with the conceptual and methodological tools to examine these questions while studying challenging social and cultural phenomena such as international race relations, gender, sexuality, nationalism, terrorism, war and the displacement and resettlement of people now experiencing refugee life throughout the world. Our courses introduce you to new theories and methods that are influenced by perspectives that are concerned with issues of social justice including postcolonial studies, feminism, postmodernism, and political economy that have emerged to understand these complex global phenomena.

Our faculty invites you to a program of study that prepares you to pursue your career goals with the contemporary needs of international and intercultural communication skills and perspectives. Most of our classes are small so that students can receive personal attention from their faculty in both their classroom experiences as well as in advising students in selecting courses while developing their career goals. We maintain a deep commitment to a liberal arts training where students receive interdisciplinary perspectives in conjunction with their professional training in such fields as business administration, nursing, and public health. Students can also combine anthropology with the Inclusive Education Program (Quad Program) and become teachers. Anthropology majors have also continued to pursue graduate education and receive masters and doctoral degrees in anthropology or other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including sociology, social work, political science and international relations.