Anthropology

Social Anthropology is concerned with the social and cultural diversity of contemporary human communities and groups. Through ethnographic methods of research, which include intensive participant observation of community life over an extended period of time, Social Anthropologists study topics such as gender, race and ethnicity; religion; economic development; illness and healing; human rights and political violence; popular culture and the role of media in society; food and consumption; and the impact of globalization. Ethnographic research is conducted in all parts of the world, in settings such as urban neighborhoods, college campuses, global markets, refugee camps, hospitals, and government offices and courtrooms as well as in rural towns and backcountry settlements.

Studying Social Anthropology is exciting and broadens the mind. It invites students to think cross-culturally about the human condition. Social Anthropology offers a conceptual toolkit for students who are interested in an international experience, whether studying abroad, preparing for an international career, or simply becoming informed citizens of a globalized world. Social Anthropology students learn skills that enable them to operate in different cultural environments, skills that can be transferred to careers in fields such as education, journalism, law, business, medicine, politics and public service, as well as in humanitarian and development fields.

The secondary field in Social Anthropology is designed to offer students a general introduction to anthropological knowledge and methods as well as a more focused study of some particular topic or world area. We thus offer four different pathways, all of which will appear as “Anthropology” on the transcript:

• General Social Anthropology
• Medical Anthropology
• Anthropology of Asia
• Anthropology of Human Rights

Each pathway consists of four half-courses, including one introductory level course. Students are encouraged, though not required, to take a junior tutorial (Anthropology 98z), a small discussion-based tutorial in which they work intensively on writing and analytical skills, as a “capstone” of their study of Social Anthropology.

Other Information

With the exception of Freshman Seminars offered by Social Anthropology faculty, all courses must be taken for a letter grade and students must earn a C or higher for the course to count toward the secondary field.

Student participation in study abroad programs or internships, through which they can get their own cross-cultural experience, is especially encouraged. If a student has received Harvard credit for courses taken in a Harvard-approved overseas studies program, that student may petition for permission to count one or two courses (one course per semester of overseas study) toward the requirements of the Anthropology secondary field.

Courses in Social Anthropology offered by the Harvard Summer School and approved for Harvard College credit may be counted towards the secondary field in Anthropology without requiring approval by the Secondary Field Adviser, as long as the courses are appropriate to the subject matter or focus of the secondary field. Courses in other schools at Harvard may be taken for credit but require cross-registration and prior approval per signature by the Secondary Field Adviser.

Advising Resources and Expectations

The Secondary Field Adviser for Social Anthropology is Professor Ajantha Subramanian (subram@fas.harvard.edu). She is available for advice about the program and course selection. Either the Secondary Field Adviser or the Social Anthropology Director of Undergraduate Study, Professor Mary Steedly, must sign the final form for secondary field credit. The Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Ms. Elizabeth Rew (rew@wjh.harvard.edu), is also available for general information. All students interested in a secondary field are expected to register their interest with the department using the Secondary Fields Web Tool and have an initial advising conversation with the Secondary Field Adviser, DUS or Assistant DUS.