Anthropology
Anthropology is dedicated to studying what it means to be human. Whether in our own neighborhoods or on the other side of the globe, the forces shaping our societies are in constant flux. The Anthropology Department’s approaches to teaching must respond to those complex changes, going beyond the boundaries of traditional scholarship while remaining committed to the comparative and holistic perspectives that make anthropology unique among the social sciences. The Anthropology faculty regularly collaborate with community partners for the purpose of training students in the many facets of ethnographic and archaeological research while demonstrating how anthropology offers value to contemporary societies. For example, students can participate in archaeological fieldwork and cultural resource management on 750 acres of College-stewarded lands in conjunction with ongoing work of the College Archaeologist and in direct consultation with the Mohegan Tribe, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation. The department also collaborates with the Mohegan Tribal Historic Preservation Office in the offering of an archaeological laboratory internship.
The Anthropology Department course offerings reflect the faculty’s research strengths: modern material culture studies, experimental archaeology, Indigenous cultural heritage, migration, social movements, social constructions of gender and race, sustainable food systems, human ecology, religion, and images of race and “otherness” in art. Students majoring in Anthropology have the option to design a path of study that satisfies a concentration in Archaeology or Food Studies.
All Anthropology majors and minors are encouraged to enrich their growing anthropological knowledge by participating in study away, local engagement, and internship programs. These and other experiential education opportunities help students better understand that people live and experience the world in different ways. Students participate in a pre-departure seminar that prepares them to engage with different ways of living and imagining the world. Students studying away will experience firsthand the ways in which everyday life and routine is mediated by local politics, economics, customs and religion. They also have a unique opportunity to reflect on their own identities and the identities of others in regard to nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religious beliefs. In the process, students will develop language skills and solidify their understanding of the relationships between language and culture. Ultimately, students will learn to adjust and adapt to new situations, environments and systems - skills and resourcefulness that will be useful throughout their lives
Professors: Benoît, Cole, Steiner, Uddin; Associate Professors: Black, Graesch (chair)
Associated Faculty: Professor: Roberts (Dance); Associate Professor: Wilson (Music); Assistant Professor: Takamori ( East Asian Languages and Cultures);
Associate Teaching Professor: Ivanov (Slavic Studies)
Affiliated Faculty: Professor: Lizarralde (Botany)