Study Abroad

            The department of anthropology strongly encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity but does not require it for the major. Consult your advisor to work out the course of action best suited to your goals and interests. When registering intent to study abroad, Anthropology majors should reflect carefully about how their choice of program connects to and will enhance their anthropological studies. We encourage majors and minors to study abroad, particularly in programs that will immerse them in a second language and/or in a distinctly different cultural context. Many anthropology students elect to study abroad on experientially focused programs(e.g., SIT) rather than those involving enrollment in conventional semester courses on a university campus. In such cases, we expect that the student will complete a significant independent study project; the combination of such a project with relevant course work together can count as a 300-level elective for the major.

            Anthropology students often wonder what they can do with their major after Colby. The fact is that anthropology is an excellent preparation for any professional field. Studying anthropology  encourages the development of holistic and critical thinking, research design skills, awareness of complex cultural differences, and a sophisticated understanding of contemporary global realities. The intensive study of anthropology offers essential training in skills that employers value: excellent communication skills (both oral and written), sensitivity to complex patterns of diversity both at the individual and community level, an ability to research and analyze real world problems and social experiences both at home and abroad, among others. All these analytical and conceptual skills are invaluable in the contemporary workplace.

            The department encourages anthropology majors and minors to explore internship and other career-related opportunities as much as possible while at Colby: including Janplan and summer internships, volunteer work, and other avenues for applying your anthropological learning outside the classroom. Check out the department website for student reflections about recent internship experiences: (http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/acaddept/anthropology/studentresearch.cfm).