Like many of the social sciences, anthropology is often defined as the study of human behavior. It differs from its sister disciplines in its emphasis on a holistic view of human behavior based upon the central unifying concept of culture. Particularly important also is the comparative perspective of anthropology. Such study may involve comparative kinship systems, the study of linguistic usage in another culture, or perhaps most extremely, the study of primate behavior for the insight it may yield into human origins. Not all anthropologists study foreign cultures, however.
Anthropologists often specialize in particular culture areas as well.
At Davidson, geographical areas of study include the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, North America, Africa, and the Middle East . The department currently has between five and ten majors annually. The relatively small size of the department allows students to work closely and intensively with professors, and permits considerable freedom for those students who wish to pursue independent studies. Members of the department are also active scholars with a number ongoing research projects. The course work in anthropology is a combination of classroom and active field experience.