Department of Anthropology

Pre-Fall 2007 Anthropology Major with an Physical Anthropology Emphasis

This is a major for students who are planning careers in primatology, police work and forensics, or genetics counseling. Physical anthropologists are concerned with the biological aspects of human evolution and human variation. Research specialties include evolutionary theory, genetics, demography, anatomy, adaptation, growth, disease, osteology, and primate evolution and behavior. Physical anthropologists usually begin with the fossilized remains (bones and teeth) of an individual, then go on to make generalizations about numbers of individuals and the population of which the individual was a part. Studies of teeth, bones, growth, biochemical genetics, ecology, and non-human primates combine to answer the oldest human problem: What are we and how did we come to be what we are?

Skills Developed in this Degree

The physical anthropology emphasis provides students with a background in human evolution. Understanding the human organism from a biological/evolutionary perspective is the foundation of all physical anthropology offerings, from introductory and general education courses to advanced seminars. Advanced courses provide students with additional skills, particularly relating to human skeletal analysis. The ability to find out information, think critically about it, and to communicate that information through writing and speaking are the necessary skills for many careers in today’s culturally diverse world.

Consult your advisor about specific requirement for an Anthropology Major with an Emphasis on Physical Anthropology .