Anthropology: The Study of Humans
by Sara Kowalski, Class of 2017, Humanities Fellow
Commonly described as “making the strange familiar and the familiar strange,” anthropology is the study of human culture from the past, present, and future and everything that culture intersects with. Anthropology is an enormous and incredibly important field of study. After all, in a lot of ways, it’s the study of what it is to be human. Although it is not considered part of the humanities in the Rochester curriculum, it is included under the umbrella of our Humanities Center as a “humanistic social science”—perhaps the most humanistic you can get!
The Department of Anthropology
Our anthropology department was founded by Lewis Henry Morgan, a Rochestarian and one of the most important founding fathers of anthropology as a field of study, making Rochester’s program one of the oldest in the country!
To honor his memory, the program holds an annual Lewis Henry Morgan Lecture Series in which top anthropologists from around the country come to Rochester. Because the Rochester anthropology department does not have a graduate program, the undergraduate students are able to get very involved in this event, attending the lecture as well as a lunch with the visitor(s).
Another advantage of not having a graduate program is that the undergrads get their faculty’s undivided love and attention. The small department has a strong sense of community, and the professors are very supportive of their students and their independent research. Students can comfortably sit in their favorite professors’ offices for hours chatting.
Most anthropology students study abroad at least once during their undergrad years, often doing research while they’re there. And all students are immersed in research when they’re here in Rochester too. Many choose to do independent research projects, with subjects ranging from the national opioid epidemic to the Inner Loop here in Rochester.
There is also a prestigious honors program in which students can conduct their own honors research and defend a thesis on it! Not to mention, the courses themselves are all very much research-based from the outset. To help with the expenses, there are department-sponsored grants as well as the usual Discover Grants and other awards available through the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Definitely consider taking ANT 101 your first year. You might discover you’re a life-long anthropologist at heart!
The Undergraduate Anthropology Council
Another way to get involved in anthropology on and off campus is to join the Undergraduate Anthropology Council (UAC). UAC is all about raising awareness about anthropology (which is a big task considering how so few people know what it is!) and also “sparking discussion” about anthropological topics, and they do this in a lot of fun ways.
Two or three times a semester, UAC hosts Coffee and Culture during which students and faculty members get together over coffee and bagels for a casual discussion about whatever the students want.
Every February 15, UAC celebrates National Anthropology Day! This past year, the American Anthropological Association gave the group free lanyards, stickers, and t-shirts. Counting down to the day, UAC organized a photo campaign for anthropology students to describe why they love anthropology. Then, on the day itself, UAC also built a Diversity Wall asking students on campus what’s one culture they felt they were a part of, then collected all of the responses on a board.
On the academic side of things, UAC also organizes research presentations by faculty members, Skype calls with alumni (there is a strong alumni network among Rochester anthropology students), and student thesis presentations. They also host anthropology-related film screenings (e.g., Nalani by Day, Nancy by Night) and get together for podcast listening parties (e.g., The Familiar Strange). And of course, the group is always open to new ideas from their members for events and activities to do!
For more information, subscribe to their Facebook page: Student Anthropologists at the University of Rochester. There’s an active Facebook group you can join too.
And for even more on anthropology, check out this blog post, “How I Discovered My Passion for Anthropology.”