Anthropology

Welcome!

Anthropology is the study of human culture and biology in the past and present. The Anthropology Program at Western Kentucky University provides opportunities for students to major or minor in anthropology, offering students a coherent program of study that enriches their knowledge of human culture, develops their cross-disciplinary perspective, and prepares them for a variety of careers. In particular, the program provides opportunities for students to study the interaction of culture and biology, both in contemporary societies as well as in the archaeological and evolutionary past. While a broad, four-field approach is emphasized in the program, the curriculum prepares students for graduate studies and employment in cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, visual anthropology, or cultural resource management.

Experiential learning is emphasized throughout the Anthropology Program, allowing students to gain hands-on field and laboratory experience excavating sites, analyzing artifacts, documenting cultural lifeways, and recording oral histories. The Anthropology Program sponsors two student organizations, the Anthropology Club and Lambda Alpha (national honorary).

Because of its broad spatial, temporal, and topical reach, anthropology complements nicely studies in other disciplines, including folk studies, history, sociology, criminology, psychology, geology, geography, biology, chemistry, foreign languages, music, art, English, religion, and philosophy. We've even had students combine degrees in anthropology with physics and agriculture.

 

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