Anthropology

Academic Department Introduction

Anthropology explores the diversity and commonalities of the human condition across the world, throughout time. Anthropologists work in faraway places and at home, examining the contemporary moment as well as the distant past. The field is inherently multicultural and multidisciplinary. It covers history, archeology, biology, and social and cultural studies. Our students gain a profound understanding of human nature and the role of culture in everyday lives, including their own. Our faculty carries out research in Nepal, the Balkans, Bolivia, Sudan, Iceland, Central Asia, and Wellesley, Mass.

Learning goals

Learn the basic features of human prehistory, as represented through material and fossil remains.
Practice methods used in anthropological field research, including the excavation of archaeological sites and the construction of ethnographies.

Programs of Study

Anthropology major and minor

Students will gain an understanding of how human cultures vary in their social institutions and practices across time and space.

Major requirements

Minor requirements

Course highlights

Digital Religion: Virtual Gods and Automated Adoration in the Modern Age

REL238

How has technology impacted religion? How has religion influenced technology? This course explores how digital technologies like the Internet, social media, gaming, virtual reality, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence (AI) have changed the way that people think about and practice religion. Throughout this course, we will focus on the relationships between religion, digital media, robotics, and popular culture online using both real-world case studies and current research in the fields of religion, anthropology, and science and technology studies (STS). (ANTH 248 and REL 238 are cross-listed courses.)

Between East and West - A Prehistory of Central Eurasia

ANTH216

Spanning from the Black Sea in the West, to the vast expanse of the Tibetan plateau in the East, Central Eurasia is a critical crossroads of human prehistory. Geographically, ecologically, and culturally diverse, contemporary humans and their ancestors have occupied and moved across this landscape for nearly two million years. This course will engage contemporary and historical research on the populations and cultures that have inhabited this region; from the extinct Paleolithic populations of Denisovans and Neanderthals, to the expansive horse cultures of the Bronze Age. Students will gain an appreciation for this region as a place of contact and wellspring of cultural and technological innovation. In addition to surveying this prehistory, the course will investigate how the ancient past continues to reverberate in the present in surprising ways. (ANTH 216 and RAST 216 are cross-listed courses.)
Museum Anthropology: Curating Equity and Representation

ANTH302

This seminar will immerse students in current developments in Museum Anthropology through an exploration of the history of museum development, the role of museums in society, and the ethical considerations of preservation and education. Under an anthropological lens, the history of development of museums in the global North can be used to contextualize recent movements to decolonize the collection, curation, and display of ethnographic and archaeological material. After researching up-to-date international exhibitions, students will critically assess museum curation practices and then develop their own outreach projects in small groups. This course will include virtual visits to New England area museums–including the MFA Boston, Harvard Peabody Museum, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.

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Research highlights

In collaboration with Wellesley colleagues, Professor Adam Van Arsdale is constructing a virtual reality (VR) evolutionary anatomy lab, which enables students to access, explore, and interact with human skeletal anatomy and the human fossil record in ways that are not possible in the “real” world.
Professor Susan Ellison’s research links debates about democracy, foreign aid, justice, and trust to lived experiences of violence and financial insecurity. Ellison’s book, Domesticating Democracy: The Politics of Conflict Resolution in Bolivia (Duke University Press, 2018), received the Bryce Wood Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association and the Association of Political and Legal Anthropology book prize in critical anthropology.

Beyond Wellesley

Careers of anthropology graduates include health care, K–12 education, and higher education. Recent employers include Massachusetts General Hospital, Americorps, and MIT.