Anthropology studies humankind from a comparative perspective that emphasizes the diversity of human behavior and the importance of culture in explaining that diversity. While the discipline encompasses the biological nature of our species and the material aspects of human adaptation, it takes as fundamental the idea that we respond to nature and natural forces in large part through culture. Anthropology, then, is the study of human beings as cultural animals. Sociocultural anthropology draws its data from the direct study of contemporary peoples living in a wide variety of circumstances, from peasant villagers and tropical forest hunters and gatherers to urban populations in modern societies, professionals in technological organizations, as well as from the history and prehistory of these peoples.
The Anthropology program at MIT offers students a broad exposure to anthropological scholarship as well as perspectives on topics relevant to other fields in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and engineering. It also provides more intensive introduction to areas of faculty specializations: social and political organization, science and technology, environmentalism, agriculture and food production, religion and symbolism, photography and film, ethics, law and human rights, gender studies, nationalism and ethnic identity, and the anthropology of medicine and scientific research.
The anthropology curriculum is divided into seven groups: 21A.100 to 21A.199 introductory subjects; 21A.200 to 21A.299 central topics in social anthropology; 21A.300 to 21A.399 subjects dealing with how technologies derive from and relate to their cultural settings; 21A.400 to 21A.499 subjects organized by geographic area and historical periods; 21A.500 to 21A.599 advanced undergraduate subjects intended primarily for majors and minors; 21A.600 to 21A.699, special topics, seminars, and research subjects for undergraduates; and 21A.700 to 21A.999 graduate subjects.
Subjects offered in the program fall into six themes:
For additional information, see http://web.mit.edu/anthropology/course_desc/index.html.
Students taking a concentration in anthropology should enroll in either 21A.100 Introduction to Anthropology or 21A.109 How Culture Works, and two other subjects. Anthropology subjects qualify for several interdisciplinary concentrations, including those in Women's and Gender Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and Science, Technology, and Society.
The undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Anthropology (Course 21A) provides a thorough grounding in cultural anthropology.
Majors learn about the concept of culture and processes of meaning-making, the nature of anthropological fieldwork, and the connections between anthropology and the other social sciences. They study the various theories that attempt to explain human behavior as well as the range of methods anthropologists use to analyze data. Students can focus on geographical areas, such as Latin America or modern western society, and on issues like neocolonialism, ethnic conflict, human rights, expressive culture, or globalization.
The anthropology student comes to understand that the hallmark of the discipline is the comparative study of human societies. Emphasis is on understanding diversity and the importance of the concept of culture in explaining that diversity, as well as on learning about the universals of behavior that may underlie diversity.
The Minor in Anthropology consists of six subjects arranged into three tiers as shown below. Students create individual programs with the help of the minor advisor to ensure that they gain a coherent introduction to the methods, approaches, and some of the results of the discipline.
| Tier I | One subject: | |
| 21A.100 | Introduction to Anthropology | |
| or | ||
| 21A.109 | How Culture Works |
|
| Tier II | Four subjects with a unifying theme (not to include 21A.100 or 21A.109). See the list of suggested themes above; students may also suggest alternative unifying themes. |
|
| Tier III | One subject: | |
| 21A.510 | Seminar in Anthropological Theory | |
| or | ||
| 21A.512 | |
Seminar in Ethnography and Fieldwork |
Joint degree programs are offered in anthropology in combination with a field in engineering or science (21E, 21S). See the joint degree programs listed under Humanities.
Either 21A.100 or 21A.109 is strongly recommended as a preliminary subject for all anthropology degree programs.
In collaboration, the Anthropology Program, the History faculty, and the Program in Science, Technology, and Society offer a Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS) leading to the PhD; see the description under the Program in Science, Technology, and Society.
Subjects in anthropology are described in the online MIT Subject Listing & Schedule, http://student.mit.edu/catalog/index.cgi. Further information on subjects and programs may be obtained from the Anthropology Office, Room 16-267, 617-253-3065.
Susan S. Silbey, PhD
Leon and Anne Goldberg Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
Section Head
Michael M. J. Fischer, PhD
Professor of Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies
Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Humanities
Stefan G. Helmreich, PhD
Professor of Anthropology
James Howe, PhD
Professor of Anthropology
Jean Elizabeth Jackson, PhD
Professor of Anthropology
MacVicar Faculty Fellow
Erica C. James, PhD
Class of 1947 Career Development Associate Professor of Anthropology
(On leave, fall)
Heather A. Paxson, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Christine J. Walley, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Manduhai Buyandelger, PhD
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
(On leave, spring)
Graham M. Jones, PhD
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
William Bushell, PhD
Mac Chapin, PhD
Mihye Cho
Yehuda C. Goodman, PhD
Constance Perin, PhD
Kieran Downes, PhD
Michele I. Friedner, PhD
Arthur Steinberg, PhD
Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus