JOB DESCRIPTION
“Anthropos” means human and “logia” means knowledge—anthropologists study us. The field of anthropology includes everything from figuring out how human beings evolved millions of years ago to examining the way we organize our societies today.
Physical, or biological, anthropologists focus on human physical characteristics, trying to understand how they are shaped by heredity and environment. Some concentrate on the fossil remains of ancient humans and closely related primates such as apes. Others specialize in primatology, studying the behaviour of living primate populations, usually in the wild.
Cultural and social anthropologists compare historical and contemporary human cultures from all around the world, looking at religion, mythology, art, customs, and political, legal, and economic systems. In studying and documenting the amazing diversity of human life they also try to understand what we all have in common.
Other specialties include linguistic anthropology, which studies the structures of languages, and urban anthropology, a newer specialty that looks at social trends in city life. A medical anthropologist might look for evidence of when a particular disease began afflicting human beings and examine how different cultures have treated it.
Anthropologists also apply their knowledge in very practical ways. An urban anthropologist might assist city planners in the development of a public housing complex; a physical anthropologist could design a Neanderthal display for a local museum; and a linguistic anthropologist’s research might help teachers to create better English as a foreign language courses.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Most anthropologists are academics, based in universities and colleges. They spend the majority of their time teaching, researching, and writing.
A lot of anthropologists’ research is done indoors, in libraries, museums, and archives. However, it often involves “fieldwork” as well, which could mean anything from living in another culture for a period of time to doing excavations in the remote arctic. Fieldwork can be very challenging—mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Academic anthropologists have relatively flexible schedules, but work long hours. Teaching schedules change from term to term, but research requirements and deadlines often demand evening and weekend work.
Large museums also hire anthropologists. Anthropologists working as curators give presentations, conduct research and publish the results, prepare displays and educational materials, and catalogue and conserve collections.
Non-academic anthropologists work for governments, hospitals, social service agencies, and community organizations. They also work in the private sector for market research companies, consulting firms, and human resources departments.
The work of non-academic anthropologists usually has some direct practical application, such as the delivery of a government service, the reconstruction of a historical site, or the marketing of a new consumer product or service.
EARNINGS
Anthropologists who become university or college professors have PhDs. Average starting salaries range from $40,000 and $50,000 a year, depending on the quality of the anthropologist’s research and the wealth of the institution. By mid-career an anthropology professor will make between $50,000 and $60,000 a year; after many years in the field, they make between $80,000 and $100,000 a year.
Salaries for anthropologists who work for governments or corporations vary according to the nature of their job and their level of experience. For example, someone with a master’s degree starting out as a research assistant at a government agency might make $35,000, but with experience may earn up to $60,000 a year. Salaries in the private sector tend to be higher; community organizations pay somewhat less.
EDUCATION
Education & Training
The majority of people employed as anthropologists have either a master’s degree or a PhD in anthropology. Master’s programs may be either 1 or 2 years in length. It takes about 5 years to complete a PhD.
A master’s degree will usually qualify you for work in a government department, the private sector, and for some museum positions. To become a professor of anthropology at a college or university you need a PhD.
In recent years, some colleges have started offering career-oriented training at the master’s level, often with a special emphasis in a particular area of work such as public anthropology or medical anthropology.
Related College and University Programs
Anthropology
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
Sociology
Paleontology
Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
CAREER PATH
|
|
| |
| LEVEL 1 |
PhD Candidate/Teaching Assistant |
| EARNINGS |
$15,000 to $25,000 a year |
| REQUIREMENTS |
• Bachelor’s and master’s degree in anthropology |
| RESPONSIBILITIES |
Conducting fieldwork and research; writing a dissertation; some teaching; marking papers and exams. |
|
| |
| LEVEL 2 |
Assistant Professor / Associate Professor |
| EARNINGS |
$40,000 to $70,000 a year |
| REQUIREMENTS |
• PhD in anthropology
• Assistant Professor: teaching experience and several published articles
• Associate Professor: a published book |
| RESPONSIBILITIES |
Teaching classes; conducting fieldwork and research; writing articles and giving conference papers; working on a first or second book; sitting on committees that set policies for the department or the university. |
|
| |
| LEVEL 3 |
Professor |
| EARNINGS |
$60,000 to $100,000 a year |
| REQUIREMENTS |
• Many published articles and at least one book
• At least 10 years of academic teaching and research |
| RESPONSIBILITIES |
Teaching classes; conducting fieldwork and research; writing articles and giving conference papers; working on a second or third book; sitting on departmental or university committees. |
|
RELATED JOBS
Archaeologist
Community Worker
Forensics Specialist
Historian
Kinesiologist
Market Research Analyst
Professor
Psychologist
Scientist
Social Worker
OTHER RESOURCES
Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association
Concordia University
1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West
Montreal, QC H3G 1M8
http://alcor.concordia.ca/~csaa1
E-mail:
csaa@vax2.concordia.ca
Canadian Anthropology Society
http://www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~casca
For links to Canadian university departments of anthropology:
http://socserv.socsci.mcmaster.ca/~casca/other/anthdepts.html
University of British Columbia’s famous Museum of Anthropology
http://www.moa.ubc.ca
Canadian Museum of Civilization
http://www.civilization.ca
National Anthropological Archives (US)
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa
(Don’t miss the online exhibits!)
The Leakey Foundation
http://www.leakeyfoundation.org/foundation
(An organization for research on physical anthropology)
The Applied Anthropology Computer Network (US)
http://anthap.oakland.edu
For great applied anthropology career information:
http://anthap.oakland.edu/napafaq.htm
Anthropology career information from the American Anthropological Association:
http://www.aaanet.org/careersbroch.htm
Some sites that compile anthropology-related links:
American Anthropological Association
http://www.aaanet.org/resinet.htm
Anthropology Resources on the Internet
http://myweb.worldnet.net/~clist/Anthro
WWW Virtual Library - Anthropology Links
http://vlib.anthrotech.com
