Even though the School's eight major programs cover very different subject areas, each program is committed to using basic theory in the study of social issues. Modern social science relies heavily on recent advances in the fields of statistics and computing. Students in UCI's School of Social Sciences learn to use these and other new methods of research to examine problems and issues that face our community, nation, and world. Anthropology is about the comparative study of family systems, about the relationship of people with their natural surroundings, and about the various economic, political and social systems of the world. Anthropologists probe into the artifacts of ancient and historic civilizations, study the traditions of the many peoples who inhabit the earth today, and explore the culture and practices of contemporary urban and industrialized societies like our own.
Contemporary anthropology has many excellent uses in our society.
Archaeologists are often called upon to evaluate Native American artifacts and sites dug up during the process of new construction. Medical anthropologists studying the uses of traditional cures among many societies of the world have been of great aid to the pharmaceutical industry in the development of new cures for diseases. Cultural anthropologists serve an important role in smoothing cross-cultural contacts in business and diplomacy. Economics Economists work in business, at all levels of government, and for nonprofit organizations. Economics majors at UCI are given the tools to analyze markets and how they work.