For these and many other reasons, anthropology is central to the liberal arts. The anthropology program is intended to cultivate a lively curiosity about the human experience, a deeper understanding of cultures and diverse ways of life including our own. It works toward developing an informed sense of the human experience, past and present, and of the many ways of knowing, understanding and communicating. These studies encourage critical reasoning abilities and skills that promote a life of continuous learning, which are of immeasurable value in pursuing a range of careers and goals in a world in which global diversity has become, more than ever, an inescapable aspect of life. The major program at St. Lawrence not only involves intensive study in anthropology, but also enriches the studies of students in other disciplines who wish to include anthropology courses in their courses of study.
Anthropology links the social sciences, natural sciences, arts and humanities.
It has always utilized insights from biology, geology, geography, history, philosophy, political science, economics, psychology and many other disciplines. Our faculty are prepared to assist students in pursuing a range of directions in their studies within the broad field of the discipline. Our newly remodeled archaeology laboratory allows better housing of our collections of artifacts and materials for hands-on study. Our faculty, with personal field experience in Africa, Europe, Australia, the Pacific Islands and Native American communities of the Southwest, have published numerous books on cultures and human issues in different parts of the world, often addressing the interrelationships among local cultural systems and global forces. Some of our courses are cross-listed for credit toward African studies, Canadian studies, Native American studies, environmental studies and gender studies.