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.
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 about Sociology at Wooster
Professor of Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Sociology and Anthropology (on leave 2022-23 academic year)
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies
Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology and Sociology; East Asian Studies
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology (On Leave Spring 2023)
Associate Professor of Archaeology; Sociology and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology
Visiting Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology, Middle Eastern & North African Studies
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
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Latin American Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Kayla Stevens ’23, a senior anthropology major at The College of Wooster, recently shared her experience as a Louise Lamphere Intern in Washington, D.C. […]
As the holiday season approaches, an article published by the History Channel discussing holiday traditions during World War II highlighted the work of Pam […]
Major: Anthropology Class Year: 2023 Organization: Trinity United Church of Christ As an intern at Trinity United Church of Christ I will be analyzing […]
Majors: Anthropology and Biology Pathway: Digital & Visual Storytelling Class Year: 2023 Organization: Trinity United Church of Christ Interning at Trinity Church of Christ […]
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 CoursesTo earn a minor in Anthropology, students complete six courses, including:
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
| Student | Year | I.S. Title | Major 1 | Major 2 | Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Please search to view results | |||||
“I met a grandfather who climbed over a 6-foot-tall fence to rescue a puffin. It’s not that they devote their lives to these birds, […]
Name: Shelby Jones Major: Anthropology Minor: History Advisor: Dr. Siavash Samei; Dr. Beth Derderian (second reader) My research focused on the Woman (“Venus”) of Willendorf figurine, one of […]
Name: Kate Read Major: Anthropology Minor: Art History Advisors: Dr. Elizabeth Derderian & Dr. Zareen Thomas This independent study focuses on the idea of forming a national identity […]
Name: Audrey Holder Major: Anthropology Minor: Environmental Studies Advisors: Seiko Matsuzawa, Heather Fitz Gibbon (second reader) There have been several studies that link food […]
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.
Sara Artes ’03 oversees the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling cultural and historical exhibitions
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