University of Alaska Anchorage
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Cultures of Past & Present
Anthropology is a discipline that employs multiple perspectives to understand the diversity of the human experience across space and time. Anthropologists seek not only to define how people organize their lives and fashion meaning from the world, but also to understand how and why cultures change.
Anthropology is about us – all the people of the world. Where we came from, where we’ve been, and in some cases, where we are going. We are interested in the first primates to walk on their hind legs, to the emperors of China, the people that built the pyramids, the first families to make America their home, and people that work in factories today. We search for information about modern diseases we’ve inherited from our ancestors, how governments are run, and why families are more diverse than we see on television, and the causes of domestic violence or addiction. Anthropologists explore how languages affect the way we think and identify ourselves to others, and even the beginnings of language, symbolic thought, and music. Who we are is what Anthropologists study.
ACADEMIC ADVISOR
If you have questions about the Anthropology Program, contact Brea Darnell, 907-786-1356, an Academic Advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences. Office walk-ins
are welcome (NSB 233), but appointments are strongly encouraged.
