Anthropology's goal is to document the diversity of ways humans live and have lived throughout the world. Anthropologists go “off road,” working directly with people and their artifacts, to examine their beliefs and values, how they make a living, how they express themselves, how they interact, and how they affect and are affected by the natural world. Why is this important? An increasingly globalized and multi-cultural world requires anthropological knowledge and insight. Anthropology is essential to students interested in working in both the US and overseas on contemporary issues in areas such as social policy work, international development, public health, community-based advocacy, environmental and social justice, and cultural preservation. Students in the JMU Anthropology program get to develop their interests by taking a wide range of classes in cultural, linguistic and biological anthropology and archaeology. At JMU, Anthropology majors can also do individually-driven practical and hands-on research in internships, anthropology labs, excavations and field-schools, and on study-abroad programs. Join us: learn what is going on in the world and help to make it a better place. Anthropology courses courses are offered both in-person and online.

Complete available courses that are equivalent to JMU's 100 or 200 level required courses in Anthropology. Earn credit in courses in Anthropology that will transfer to your major at JMU.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and James Madison University within your first year

Students in the Sociology and Anthropology majors have a wide range of opportunities to develop the rigorous research skills necessary for a strong entry into their professional lives or graduate school. In the classroom, students learn research skills in courses such as SOCI 300 Sociological Inquiry, SOCI 480 Senior Seminar in Sociology, ANTH 435 Ethnographic Genres and Methods, ANTH 445 Methods and Research Perspectives in Biological Anthropology, and ANTH 455 Archaeology: Methods of Analysis and Interpretation. These are all small, upper-level seminar-style classes that offer direct hands-on learning. Outside of the classroom, students in Sociology and Anthropology are highly engaged in issues that impact people's daily lives. So it is not surprising that our majors also practice their research skills outside of the classroom. These opportunities include: Field Schools and Study Abroad Programs, the Archaeology Lab, Internships, Service Learning Experiences, and Research and Teaching Assistantships with Professors. In terms of student research opportunities, many Sociology and Anthropology majors decide to “dig deeper” with their research and study one-on-one with their professors in researching and writing up Independent Studies and Honors Theses. Our majors frequently present the results of their research at the department symposium, as well as at regional and national scholarly conferences.

Students majoring in Anthropology develop skills in all the critical career competencies: formulating and answering critical questions; excellent writing and presentation skills; leadership and group work experience; digital literacy; cross-cultural competency. They learn how to conduct independent research and ways to analyze and present their findings, and they have plenty of access to academic and professional mentoring throughout their time in the department.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: James Madison University