Degree Options
The Anthropology Program is an academic unit within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas-Pan American. The primary focus of both the major and minor is on anthropology as a broad-based discipline, with special emphasis on cultural anthropology, physical anthropology archeology and folklore. Special topics courses are also available in advanced folklore, anthropological theory and methods and New World archaeology.
The Anthropology Program recognizes that its faculty has a commitment to those research and creative activities indicative of scholarly excellence. The Program attempts to meet the goal of providing effective instructional opportunities for all students at the university in several areas of study that ground the liberal arts tradition. To this end, the program provides instruction for all students to further develop the following characteristics indicative of a university-educated person.
- Learning about anthropology fosters an inquiring attitude that acknowledges the many-sided nature of most important questions, recognizes the need to examine inherited judgments, and reveals a desire for continued learning and creative expression.
- A holistic approach to anthropology hones a person’s ability to use words accurately and effectively and to communicate clearly in oral and written formats.
- Anthropological thinking nurtures the ability to analyze complex problems to synthesize facts and ideas.
- Exposure to the field of anthropology encourages an appreciation for the responsibilities of the individual to family and society; skill in serving as a constructive member in groups and organizations; and sensitivity to the need for informed, independent, moral and ethical decisions.
- Learning about anthropology increases knowledge about political and social systems in the United States and other nations, and their interrelationships; such multicultural perspectives can foster greater understanding, tolerance and respect for different lifestyles and viewpoints.
- Anthropology encourages an understanding of self, along with empathy for the strengths, weaknesses, rights, and needs of others, as well as the ability to relate to others with humane understanding.
The Anthropology Program is committed to sponsoring service activities that meet the intellectual and cultural interests of the university and the community that the university serves.