Program Overview

Anthropology

A major in anthropology represents a broad field of study encompassing four subdivisions: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archeology, and biological anthropology. Courses offer comprehensive approaches to anthropology’s diverse subject matter and provide an important component of a liberal arts education for both majors and non-majors.

students showing artifacts in an anthropology lab.
Two students show artifacts from the anthropology department as part of Oberlin’s annual Lab Crawl, which invites campus members to explore different faculty labs.
Photo credit: Jennifer Manna

Program Facts

  • Program Type: Major, Minor
    • Bachelor of Arts (BA)
  • Department: Anthropology

Program Director

Amy Margaris ’96,
Associate Professor of Anthropology

Contact

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Winter Term

Oberlin’s four-week winter term in January encourages students to discover the value of self-directed education. You may pursue individual or group projects that are directly linked to your field of study or explore opportunities unrelated to your major. Complete your project on or off campus.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Student Senate, Chess Club, Solarity, the Oberlin Review—these are among the more than 175 student groups and clubs available to you. From politics to faith and identity, and from special interest to sports, Oberlin has an array of clubs eager for new members, new ideas, and new leadership.

Why Study Anthropology at Oberlin?

1 Gallaudet Exchange Program
11 Study Away Programs
1 Online Ethnographic Collection

Sample Courses

  • ANTH 101 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (4 credits)
  • ANTH 227 - Medical Anthropology (4 credits)
  • ANTH 353 - Culture Theory (4 credits)
  • ANTH 416 - Race, Racism, and Human Variation in Global Perspective (4 credits)
Curriculum and requirements

Anthropology Faculty

Anthropology faculty are dedicated teachers, researchers, and scholars. Their interests are wide-ranging, including cultural anthropology and theory, ethnomusicology, ecology, world and ancient languages, linguistics, and indigenous peoples.

Explore Faculty within Anthropology

Upcoming Anthropology Events

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Anthropology News

Baron Pineda Discusses the Challenges of Social Media Content Standards

November 17, 2020

Professor of Anthropology Baron Pineda will present “Grey Areas: Universal Standards, Cultural Difference and Local Contexts in Social Media Content Moderation” as part of the Tea At Two Virtual Series presented by the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School. His talk will take place from 2-3 p.m., Thursday, November 19. Learn more about Pineda’s work in this Q&A.
Portrait of Professor Baron Pineda
View all Anthropology news