Triple major studies differing resources and utilizes multiple research styles
When Athena Tharenos ’24 first arrived at The College of Wooster, she didn’t consider herself much of an academic, nor did she see a […]
Overview
What are the research opportunities for anthropology majors at The College of Wooster?
Faculty members in anthropology at The College of Wooster have ongoing research projects in North and Latin America, Africa, East Asia and the Mediterranean and focus areas that include medical anthropology, gender and sexuality, witchcraft and religion, linguistic anthropology, educational anthropology and evolutionary theory. Because all students at The College of Wooster complete a senior Independent Study project, undergraduates work directly with faculty mentors to complete original research of their choosing.
Anthropology at The College of Wooster
The Anthropology and Sociology programs at Wooster are closely affiliated. The programs emphasize the value of learning how to deal with contemporary social and cultural issues and how to develop problem-solving and research skills. Students have abundant opportunities to learn and conduct research outside the classroom, including a course taught once a year in a juvenile prison and semester programs abroad. Students can opt to be part of a 3-2 program with Case Western Reserve University, allowing them to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in social work in five years. Wooster graduates in anthropology often go on to graduate school or pursue careers in education, law, public administration, public health, business, and medicine.
Learn More about Sociology at WoosterFaculty & Staff
Christa Craven
Professor of Anthropology and Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies, Program Chair of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (On leave Spring 2025)
Heather Fitz Gibbon
Professor and Department Co-Chair of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies
Setsuko Matsuzawa
Professor of Anthropology and Sociology; East Asian Studies
Lisa Monetti
Juliana Wilson Thompson Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology
Olivia Navarro-Farr
Professor of Archaeology, Sociology, and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology
Anne Nurse
Professor and Department Co-Chair of Sociology and Anthropology (On leave Fall 2024)
Santha Schuch
Administrative Coordinator - Africana Studies, Archaeology, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Zareen Thomas
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Latin American Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (On leave Fall 2024)
Latest Anthropology News
Archaeology major draws conclusions about Maya political systems based on excavation on site in Guatemala
Archaeology major Henry McMahon spent the summer before his senior year at The College of Wooster in Guatemala surveying an ancient plaza inside El […]
Anthropology major explores cultural heritage preservation of African Americans cemeteries
Troy Johnson ’24 grew up hearing stories from her grandparents about African American cemeteries and their importance beyond being burial sites, and her senior […]
Research into Japanese folklore evolution gratifying for student-designed major
Mia Mann ’24 came to The College of Wooster with an interest in multiple majors; anthropology, East Asian studies, and history all appealed to […]
Major
Anthropology explores the variety of human groups and cultures that have developed across the globe and throughout time. Anthropologists hope that by seeing ourselves in the mirror of alternative cultural and historical possibilities, we can come to a better understanding of our own assumptions, values and patterns of behavior.
Students who major in anthropology take 12 major-specific courses in addition to foundational courses in the liberal arts and electives. After taking Introduction to Anthropology, majors delve into courses including Ethnographic Research, People & Cultures, Physical Anthropology and Linguistic Anthropology. Archeology and sociology courses are popular related areas of study.
View CoursesMinor
To earn a minor in Anthropology, students complete six courses, including:
- Introduction to Anthropology
- People and Cultures
- Physical Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology or Intro to Archaeology (choose one of the three)
- Enthnographic Research or Social Statistics (choose one)
- And two additional elective Anthropology courses
Independent Study
In the senior year, each student works with a faculty mentor to conduct an intensive investigation of a subject of the student’s choosing, which results in the senior Independent Study thesis. Recent students have investigated folklore and oral traditions in rural Ohio, the place of dreams in the Sioux culture, and tuberculosis as a symptom of poverty in Ecuadorian society.
View the IS Handbook for Sociology and Anthropology
Search the I.S. Database
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Related Articles
Triple major studies differing resources and utilizes multiple research styles
When Athena Tharenos ’24 first arrived at The College of Wooster, she didn’t consider herself much of an academic, nor did she see a […]
Archaeology major draws conclusions about Maya political systems based on excavation on site in Guatemala
Archaeology major Henry McMahon spent the summer before his senior year at The College of Wooster in Guatemala surveying an ancient plaza inside El […]
Anthropology major explores cultural heritage preservation of African Americans cemeteries
Troy Johnson ’24 grew up hearing stories from her grandparents about African American cemeteries and their importance beyond being burial sites, and her senior […]
Research into Japanese folklore evolution gratifying for student-designed major
Mia Mann ’24 came to The College of Wooster with an interest in multiple majors; anthropology, East Asian studies, and history all appealed to […]
Alumni
Many anthropology majors from The College of Wooster go on to complete graduate study in anthropology, but many others pursue careers in education, international development, law, social work, public administration, business, English as a Second Language (ESL), counseling, medicine, or museum studies.
Related Articles
Theatre & Dance and Anthropology alumna combines theatre with social activism
Stephanie Castrejón ’16 came to The College of Wooster as a self-described shy student who had difficulties speaking up in class and realizing where […]
Anthropology alumna expands public knowledge of underrepresented stories
Sara Artes ’03 oversees the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling cultural and historical exhibitions
Lectures
Stieglitz Memorial Fund
Established in 1989 in memory of Martin Stieglitz, a sociology major at The College of Wooster who died in an off-campus apartment fire in the spring semester of 1989, this fund supports an on-campus lecture by a prominent sociologist or anthropologist. Stieglitz Lecturers are selected by department faculty members and invited to speak at an event for students and members of the Wooster community.
Stieglitz Lecturers in past years have included:
2019: Patrick J. Carr, Billy Clubs and Terry Stops: Minority Youth Experiences of Police
2018: Matthew W. Hughey, White Bound: Nationalists, Antiracists, and the Shared Meanings of Race
2017: Lieth Mullings, Engaged Anthropology: Race, Racism, and Social Movements in the Americas
Faculty Emeriti
