Anthropology
The Anthropology Program at New College seeks to impart a broad perspective on past and present peoples and cultures around the world through study of the methods and materials of the discipline. Through required coursework, students develop a solid knowledge of the scope and objectives of Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology and of at least one other subdiscipline (Biological Anthropology and/or Linguistics). They also acquire in-depth critical knowledge of the theory and methods of Anthropology. Students are encouraged to participate in fieldwork and develop their research skills and a critical perspective through the completion of a senior research project, conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in the program.
Students and faculty have cooperated in projects ranging from archaeological digs in Central America and the Middle East to active planning for the homeless in Sarasota, from critiques of sexism in human evolutionary models to studies of the creolization process in Black English Vernacular. Theory and practice go hand-in-hand as students develop their understanding of the world and share this with fieldworkers, academics and planners outside the New College community.
Anthropology is a quintessentially interdisciplinary field of study. A concentration in anthropology begins with work in the four concentration subfields of the discipline: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistics. As students proceed, their work in specialized theoretical and area courses is complemented by work in languages, other social sciences, natural sciences and humanities; combined areas of study range from anthropology and literature to anthropology and biology.
Intermediate/advanced courses and tutorials are offered in the history of anthropological theory, method and theory in archaeology, myth and ritual, ecological anthropology, urban anthropology, historical archaeology, human origins, primate behavior, anthropology and literature and ethnographic methods.
Area courses focus on Old World, Middle Eastern, Mesoamerican and Andean prehistory, contemporary cultures of the United States, the Middle East and Middle America. Students wishing to focus on the prehistory and ethnography of other regions of the world may do so through tutorials.
