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 Anthropology is a multidimensional study of
humankind, integrating cultural, sociological, and evolutionary perspectives of
human diversity within a single discipline. Crossing boundaries that have often
separated the humanities and sciences, anthropology examines both the organic
evolution of our biological family and the variety and unity of peoples,
societies, and cultures worldwide and across millennia. The shared goal of
anthropology's various subfields is to contribute to a global picture of the
human experience and, accordingly, Dartmouth's Department of Anthropology
offers a four-field program of study in sociocultural anthropology,
archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.
Sociocultural anthropologists study contemporary or recent societies,
comparing forms of technology and material culture, social organization,
economies, political and legal systems, ideologies, and religions.
Archaeologists analyze the material remains of past human societies, adding a
time dimension that includes but goes beyond societies with written histories.
Biological anthropologists study the organic expression of human evolution.
Combining evidence from genetics, primate behavior, and the fossil record, they
seek to document and explain our emergence from earlier forms, as well as our
on-going evolution and diversity. Linguistic anthropologists study the
characteristics of human language use and communication taking place in
different social contexts.
Thus anthropology's greatest strength lies is its intrinsic
interdisciplinarity, its blending of quantitative and qualitative methods, its
concern with simple societies and highly complex ones and the connections
between them, and its explorations of the distant past as well as the present.
A fresh potential emerges from our growing focus on ecological feedback and on
the increasing density and frequency of global interconnections. In seeking
ever-more sophisticated understanding of complex systems, we continue to
realize the integrative possibilities among otherwise disparate approaches.
All department faculty
have engaged in original field research, and through research
assistantships and other programs we offer majors and other
interested students the possibility of extending their disciplinary interests
beyond the classroom.
Peer Academic Link for the Academic year 2007-2008
- Kyle Finnegan '09
- Lauren Breach '09
- Jordan Sedlacek '09
- Alex Tarzy '08
- Molly Fales '08
- Ashia Sheikh '08
- Emi Ito '08
- Lauren Breach '08
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