At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Anthropology minor is designed to provide undergraduate students with exposure to the range of human variation across time and space. Our minors enroll in courses that explore that variation through the subdisciplines of archaeological, biological, and cultural anthropology. We maintain laboratory facilities in all three subdisciplines and the Matson Museum of Anthropology, all excellent learning facilities for our students. In addition, the department offers summer field school opportunities in cultural anthropology and archaeology. A Minor in Anthropology is excellent preparation for further study in any discipline that requires ability to understand and deal with other cultures, for example, teaching, counseling, business, medicine, law, or communications.
What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of humanity - our biology, behavior, cultural complexity, and evolution. Anthropologists study living people across cultures and populations; past people through the fossil, archaeological, and historical records; as well as living and extinct nonhuman primates. Anthropologists document, describe, and seek to understand biological and cultural variation in humans both past and present as a way to understand and explain the human condition. The field is divided into several integrated areas of study. Archaeology focuses on past societies, both ancient and historic, in order to understand and explain culture change over time. Biological Anthropology describes and explains human biological variation today and in the past. Human Ecology or Cultural Anthropology studies contemporary societies and cultures and their interactions with the environment.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You are interested in human cultural and biological variation and you want to understand human behavior and biology.
- You find human diversity fascinating and want to explore and understand the human condition.
- You want to study important questions such as ‘what makes us human?’ and ‘what is the origin and importance of human diversity?’
- You want to pursue a career in anthropological research, museum curation, education, health professions, law, non-governmental organizations, or international relations.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| ANTH 2N | World Archaeology  | 3 |
| ANTH 21 | Introductory Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 45N | Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 3 credits from any ANTH course except ANTH 1 | 3 | |
| Select 6 credits from the ANTH 400-489 range | 6 | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program
Abington
Michael Bernstein
Associate Professor of Psychology
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7479
mjb70@psu.edu
Career Paths
A minor in Anthropology from Penn State is useful for students interested in a range of professional career paths, including academic research, law, medicine, government, business, non-governmental organizations, and education.
Careers
Possible career paths include:
- Human Services
- Non-profit organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Law
- Health professions
- Human resources
- Marketing
- Public health
- Government agencies: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), US Department of State-Foreign Service
- Advanced research in the field
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN ANTHROPOLOGY
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Students who minor in Anthropology will find that their undergraduate education is excellent preparation for the advanced training required for many professions. The minor track can supplement study in a range of other fields and prepare students for specialized graduate study in medicine, law, journalism, public administration, and virtually all of the "human services" fields. Most professional schools and graduate programs seek well-rounded, broadly educated applicants who can understand the implications of the advanced, specialized training they will receive in post-graduate training.
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
410 Carpenter Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-2509
anthropology@la.psu.edu
Abington
DIVISION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7479
mjb70@psu.edu