Anthropology and Archaeology

Anthropologists study the varying ways of life among humans, considering relations among biological, cultural, economic, political, and geographic factors. The anthropology major allows students to concentrate in areas of interest such as culture, linguistics, or archeology, while providing a strong preparation across the discipline.

The College is officially affiliated with its neighbor, Historic St. Mary's City, to provide one of the few archaeology programs for undergraduates in the United States. The program offers research not only into the cultures of both Native American settlements and 17th-century English colonization, but also a summer field school in historical archaeology.

Students often choose a secondary focus, pairing anthropology and archaeology with history, religion, biology, international languages and cultures, African and African Diaspora Studies, sociology, or women, gender, and sexuality studies.

St. Mary's Project (SMP)

Anthropology provides a rich background from which to study issues related to culture. Examples include:

• Trading faces: Facial reproduction and skeletal identification
• Façon de Venise on the Chesapeake frontier
• Culture of the sky: Astronomy in ancient civilizations
• Fox hunting rituals and traditions in Southern Maryland
• Living objects: Museums and the care of American Indian artifacts

Travel Abroad

What better way to learn about human cultures and traditions than to visit them? One St. Mary's student decided to study the practice of polygyny in West Africa, where it is more common than in other Muslim societies. As a result of his one-on-one interviews in The Gambia, he concluded that it is a dying practice.

Life After St. Mary's

Half of all St. Mary's students continue on to graduate or professional school. Recent anthropology majors have chosen to study at:

• Johns Hopkins
• Arizona
• Michigan
• UNC--Chapel Hill
• William and Mary

The affiliation between St. Mary's College and Historic St. Mary's City is wonderfully equipped to offer a get-ahead major in anthropology/archaeology. Recent graduates have concentrated on biological anthropology (connecting biology with human evolution and culture), linguistic and socio-cultural anthropology (relations between culture and social life), and archaeology.

Special Opportunities

There are over three hundred archaeological sites within the limits of the National Landmark surrounding Historic St. Mary's City. The Field School in Historical Archaeology is one of the longest running in the United States. Current research projects range from analysis of 18th-century deposits on the college campus to excavations at the site where William Nuthead operated the first printing press in the English colonies south of Massachusetts. Past research projects range from site-intensive excavations through site surveys and include the excavations at Brick Chapel of 1667 and the examination of three lead coffins found in the Chapel.

For more information, visit the Anthropology Department Web site at
http://www.smcm.edu/anthropology/index.html