Anthropology Major and Minor | Skidmore College

Study the human condition — past and present — by examining cultural complexities, diving into fieldwork, and uncovering biological insights in a discipline as multifaceted as you.

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For Skidmore’s anthropology students, creative thought isn’t just encouraged but required. Explore classes in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology and develop essential skills necessary for drawing conclusions about humanity that translate to any career.

What will you learn?

Major in anthropology and begin your studies with Introduction to Cultural Anthropology or Anthropology of the Human Past classes. Additional courses establish a foundation in anthropological theory, teach you to apply research methods, and expose you to cultural diversity around the world. The major culminates in a capstone course and completion of at least 33 credits.

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Where will you go?

Anthropology graduates are equipped to explore the “why” behind the human experience. Through research and analytical training, you will develop versatile, investigative, and creative skill sets that prepare you for a range of career paths.

Career paths	Recent employers	Graduate schools
Cultural resource management Education Environmental sustainability Entertainment and Filmmaking Foreign service International development Market and consumer research Medicine, Public health, Global health Museums Public policy and analysis User Experience (UX) research	Barbour Inc. Galerie Lelong Hispanic Society Museum and Library Moscow Day School Netflix Rock and Roll Hall of Fame United Healthcare Yale University Brown University Medical School Milbank (global law firm) United Nations (Drug Control and Crime Prevention)	Columbia University University of Cambridge University of Massachusetts Amherst The New School University of Rochester Johns Hopkins University George Mason University Northeastern University University of Chicago University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Creative lessons from creative professors

Professor Heather Hurst with a scene from "Indiana Jones: Legends of the Hidden Temple" in the background

Our take on Indiana Jones

Professor Heather Hurst ’97, an archaeologist and internationally recognized expert in Maya culture, shares her perspective on how real-life archaeology compares to “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”

Watch the video

Student works in the BTCIS on a fake forensic crime scene

Become a classroom detective

Assistant Professor Kathryn Baustian’s class, Forensic Anthropology: Bones, Bodies, and Trauma, uses mock crime scenes to gain experience analyzing, documenting, and collecting evidence.

Learn about this class

Professor Joowon Park lectures in a classroom while holding a piece of white paper in his hand, with students in the foreground

Learn the secret to K-popularity

Professor Joowon Park empowers first-year students to investigate K-pop's immense popularity and global reach.

Read the story

Student crouches down in a mountainous desert landscape to greet a white and orange cat

Discover abroad

Anthropology majors are encouraged to study abroad through approved programs in more than a dozen countries. Gain experience in ethnographic or archaeological field research skills while immersing yourself in the customs, traditions, values, and daily life of different cultures.

Visit our offerings

Skidmore College student Lily Whelden ’25 works to excavate artifacts from the site of a Revolutionary War-era smallpox hospital in Lake George Battlefield Park with Professor of Anthropology Siobhan Hart

Discover at home

From unearthing the history of the Denton homesite, an 18th-century farmstead and 19th-century estate in our North Woods, to digging into a Revolutionary War-era smallpox hospital site in Lake George, students are making incredible archaeological discoveries in Skidmore’s own backyard.

Inside Skidmore’s Lake George lab

Skidmore College student Leo Parra ’24, an anthropology and chemistry double major, works on research in the SMIC Lab in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences

Uncover global mysteries

Leo Parra ’24 paired anthropology and chemistry to shed light on the mysterious origins of two samples found at a Guatemalan field site.

Read the story

Revitalize truth

Skidmore students investigate Indigenous history and art in Saratoga Springs — and challenge how it’s represented in museums, public memory, and the land itself.

Visit the StoryMap projects website

Tap into campus resources

With over 5,000 artifacts, ecofacts, samples, and related records, the Skidmore Archaeological Collection facilitates research of the College grounds, Saratoga Springs, and the American Northeast.

Learn more about Skidmore's Archaeological Collection

Faculty

Award-winning. Creative. Thoughtful and supportive.

Meet your professors

Contact Anthropology

office

Bolton 349
Phone: 518-580-5420
Fax: 518-580-8067

administration

Associate Professor and Chair Joowon Park
park@skidmore.edu

Administrative Assistant Kathryn T. Kane
kkane@skidmore.edu