Anthropology

Overview

The anthropology program at New College seeks to impart a broad perspective on past and present peoples and cultures around the world through study of the methods and materials of the discipline. Through required course work, students develop a solid knowledge of the scope and objectives of cultural anthropology and archaeology, and of at least one other sub-discipline (biological anthropology and/or linguistics). They also acquire in-depth critical knowledge of the theory and methods of anthropology. Students are encouraged to participate in fieldwork and develop their research skills and a critical perspective through the completion of a senior research project, conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in the program.

Students and faculty have cooperated on projects ranging from archaeological research in Florida, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Middle East to active planning for the homeless in Sarasota, from critiques of sexism in human evolutionary models to studies of the creolization process in Black English Vernacular. Students have conducted independent research worldwide, including studies of remote tribal groups in West Papua and Amazonian Peru. Theory and practice go hand-in-hand as students develop their understanding of the world and share this with fieldworkers, academics, and planners outside the New College community.

Anthropology is a quintessentially interdisciplinary field of study. A concentration in anthropology begins with work in the four major subfields of the discipline: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics. As students proceed, their work in specialized theoretical and area courses is complemented by work in languages, other social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Combined areas of study range from anthropology and literature to anthropology and biology.

Intermediate/advanced courses and tutorials are offered in the History of Anthropological Theory; Method and Theory in Archaeology; Ethnography: Theory and Practice; Myth and Ritual; Ecological Anthropology; Urban Anthropology; Anthropology of Humanitarianism and Development; The Anthropology of Food; Historical Archaeology; Historical Archaeology of Latin America; Human Origins; Primate Behavior; Anthropology and Literature; Visual Anthropology; The Anthropology of Performance; Colonial Encounters; Race and Ethnicity in Global Perspective; Landscapes: Past and Present; Tourism: Culture, Power, Place; Anthropology and the Law; Conservation and Indigenous Knowledge; Medical Anthropology; Anthropology of Surgery; and Global Mental Health.

Area courses focus on the ancient and recent history of Mesoamerica, the Andes, and North America. Cultural area courses focus on the contemporary cultures of the United States, the Middle East, Central America, East Asia, and Africa. Students wishing to focus on the prehistory and ethnography of other regions of the world may do so through tutorials.

Training for Research

Anthropology majors are required to take courses on the History of Anthropological Theory, and Method and Theory in Archaeology. In addition, students specializing in socio-cultural anthropology must take a field methods course, Ethnography: Theory and Practice. Students specializing in archaeology generally begin their fieldwork by attending a field school somewhere in the United States. Two popular programs are the summer programs run by the University of South Florida and the University of Arizona. In addition to the above course work, anthropology majors are required to have training in a foreign language; a course in statistics is recommended for those planning to attend graduate school. Anthropology students apply their research training in the preparation of their senior project/thesis, which calls for an integration of data (often gathered in the field) with relevant bodies of anthropological theory. Some theses are equivalent to M.A. theses and often yield publishable results.

Faculty in Anthropology

Uzi Baram, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
Erin Dean, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Yidong Gong, Assistant Professor of Anthropology (On Leave)
Frederick Pirone, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Maria D. Vesperi, Professor of Anthropology

Requirements for the AOC in Anthropology

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Students planning to attend graduate school are strongly advised to take introductory courses in both fields. Students wishing to major in these subfields should work out a plan of study with their advisor. Fieldwork is also strongly recommended for students planning to attend graduate school in anthropology.

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Anthropology

A minimum of six (6) academic units.

Facilities

The Hal C. Ball Anthropology Laboratory houses a 2,000-volume library on Mesoamerican anthropology. It also contains a collection of anthropology texts and manuals, a series of hominid and primate skulls, several large slide collections, audio-visual and photographic equipment, and PC and MAC computer workstations for student use.

The New College Public Archaeology Lab (NCPAL) focuses on research into the past of Sarasota and Manatee and provides opportunities for civic engagement with surrounding communities. NCPAL serves to facilitate student learning in archaeological methods and techniques. NCPAL features laboratory space for processing and interpreting artifacts, an office for archaeological site reports and geographic information systems, and storage space for excavated finds as well as equipment for archaeological excavations and heritage analysis.

Internships and Fieldwork Opportunities

Anthropology majors are strongly encouraged to do fieldwork and internships. Many use these experiences to gather data for their senior theses.

Museology Internships

Museology internships are available in conjunction with the local museums. These internships take place as semester-long tutorials or as January or summer Independent Study Projects.

Fieldwork

The anthropology faculty provides students with advice on locating field schools and anthropological projects worldwide, or assists them in planning their own fieldwork. Past students have participated in archaeological projects in many parts of the United States, as well as in Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Others have conducted cultural research in various parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The program has also sponsored several field projects in cultural anthropology and archaeology in Sarasota and the Tampa Bay area.

Funding for Fieldwork

The anthropology program has limited funding for student travel and research through the Anthropology Endowment Fund and the Bertram H. White Awards. Additional sources of funding for student research are available through the New College Student Academic Council, the New College Foundation and the New College Alumnae/i Association. Students planning fieldwork in Israel may also apply to the Jewish Federation of Sarasota/Manatee Counties, among other sources.

Representative Senior Theses in Anthropology

• The Archaeology of Coastal Belize, Central America
• Chinese Outside of Chinatown: Immigration, Assimilation, and Community in Sarasota/Bradenton
• The Location is Great, But the House Needs Work: 1995 Excavations at FT27, Grupo Suroeste, Ek Balám, Yucatán, Mexico
• Paradigms and Practice in American Linguistics
• The Past is the Contested Zone: An Analysis of Ideological Biases in Models of Human Evolution
• Recycling Culture: Exile and Cultural Survival in a Tibetan Refugee Community of Nepal
• Speak for Demselves: An Ethnographic and Archaeological Investigation of The Bluff Community, Cat Island, Bahamas
• The Traditional Medical Knowledge of an Herbal Healer in South Florida: An Ethnographic Study
• Zora Neale Hurston: Resistance to and Transformation of Traditional Concepts of Orality, Gender, and Community
• VacciNATION: Religious Exemptions and Reasoning of Individuals with Vaccine Hesitancy
• The Crux of Conservation: Debating Ecotourism During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Monteverde, Costa Rica
• The Disruptive Potential of Performance Art in Colonial Museums
• A Discussion of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
• Constantly Varied/Functional: an Exploration of Ethnographic Filmmaking in the Digital Age
• Mending Broken Lives: Recovery among Argentina's Family Members of the "Disappeared"