Anthropology Major & Minor
The Anthropology program at Stonehill focuses on the holistic study and understanding of other cultures from an insider’s point of view and explores the diverse ways in which human beings perceive and order the social world.
Leveraging the sciences of human behavior
Stonehill’s exceptional programs in criminology, sociology and anthropology provide tools to thrive in a broad array of professions.
Program Overview
The Anthropology program, which centers on cultural and linguistic anthropology, gives students a competitive advantage in future pursuits by affording unique insight on the many factors that determine who we are and influence how we live.
Stonehill College’s focus on cultural anthropology helps students gain the skills to understand and appreciate human culture, and to study how people understand, organize, preserve and transform their social worlds. The theoretical lens and methodologies of anthropology center around dialogues with populations of concern, taking their culture into account and respecting their human and cultural rights.
The program aims to enhance students’ ability to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world by offering them an important critical framework for assessing the needs and appreciating the values and interests of diverse communities.
Interdisciplinary in nature, anthropology complements several programs at the College, including foreign languages, international business, healthcare administration, political science, arts administration, environmental studies and history.
Outcomes
Stonehill students have gone on to study anthropology at the graduate level, complete postgraduate service, including in the Peace Corps and Stonehill Service Corps, and begin careers in areas that include education, social work, travel consultation and business.
Fields that fit well with an anthropology degree include:
- Museum work
- International NGOs and development work
- Diplomatic corps
- Healthcare
- Non-profits
- Education
- Business
The skills I learned in the Anthropology program at Stonehill have helped me to understand humans in a more complex way, which will help me to accommodate and understand the diverse people I will encounter in any profession.
Study Abroad Opportunities
The anthropology faculty encourages students who have the desire, the academic skills and the opportunity to avail themselves of the College’s established international programs.
Places where past anthropology students have studied abroad include:
- Beijing Center, Beijing, China
- Université Stendhal, Grenoble, France
- City Year, Athens, Greece
- National University, Maynooth, Ireland
- Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
The anthropology faculty has available information on a wide variety of anthropology programs and internship possibilities located abroad. Students are encouraged to meet with the program chair for more information.
Research Opportunities
Anthropology students primarily use ethnographic research as cultural anthropology is qualitative, and its literature grounded in fieldwork.
Students’ coursework is informed by anthropological theory, ethnographic and archaeological research.
Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
The Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is an opportunity for students who have completed their first year at Stonehill to perform full-time, high-quality research over the summer months under the guidance of an expert faculty researcher. A student in the SURE program spends eight-10 weeks of the summer collaborating with a professor – and sometimes other students – on an original research project that fits into the faculty member’s overall research program.
The experience includes postgraduate career seminars, program-wide outings, weekly lunches and a student poster session in the fall. SURE students generally live on campus and receive a stipend for their summer work.
Recent SURE Anthropology Projects
Recent Accolades
Organizations involved in assessing U.S. colleges and universities continually cite Stonehill as being among the best in the nation when it comes to value, outcomes and a commitment to making the world a better place. See full list of accolades.
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WSJ “Value Added” Formula Rockets Stonehill Higher in Rankings
Stonehill moved up 62 places in this year’s WSJ “America's Best Colleges 2024” rankings, putting it in the top 12 among Massachusetts schools and top 6 percent nationally.
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Princeton Review Ranks Stonehill in Top 20 in U.S. for Quality of Life
After considering input for 165,000 at colleges and universities across the country, The Princeton Review recently ranked Stonehill College 19th out of 389 schools for quality of life.
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Money Magazine Ranks Stonehill Among Most Elite Colleges in U.S.
Less than 20% of the 700 schools on Money’s 2023 Best College list, including Stonehill, received 4.5 stars or higher in the magazine’s 5-star rating system.
Sample Courses
Museum Studies
Illness and Society
Anthropology of Violence
Partnerships & Special Programs
Contact Information
