Political anthropologists are studying important contemporary issues such as ethnic violence and state disintegration in Ireland and the former Soviet Union, and the way that global phenomena such as Christianity, nationalism, and democracy vary in meaning and function across cultures and historical periods. Sociologists study the organization of people into groups, from smaller ones like the family to larger ones like the corporation. Cultural anthropologists also study social organization, but place greater emphasis on extensive fieldwork and the method of participant-observation. Anthropologists almost always work directly with the people they study, speaking their native language, and often living in their homes. Fieldwork is frequently, but not always, done in a culture different from that of the anthropologist.
Linguists study the structure of language.
By cracking the code through which linguistic information is transmitted, they hope to learn more about the structure of the human mind. Linguistic anthropologists study the ways in which people use language in different cultures to communicate. These skills have practical applications in the fields of educational consulting, business communication, document design, and political communication. Students interested in religion will find anthropology especially rewarding. Archaeologists and paleoanthropologists work hand in hand with geologists to identify the environments in which people lived and to determine the times of occupa tion.