Anthropology - Faculty of Arts

Offered by the School of Political and Social Inquiry

Anthropology is the study of cultural diversity and the diversity of human expression through space and time

Anthropologists are concerned with their own society, but only as one among many. When anthropology seeks to understand economics, politics, religion, violence, child-rearing or art, it aims eventually at a broad comparative knowledge which does not assume that the contemporary Western expressions are the most important, or even the most revealing, in the quest for an understanding of human cultures and societies. In fact, anthropologists have been led to examine in detail societies which are very different from their own, where ideas about beauty, morality, authority and dignity vary markedly from those with which they are familiar.

Anthropology's comparative approach to understanding humanity is becoming increasingly important. In recent years, there has been a growth of major social and political movements throughout the world in which people are stressing a sense of community, shared identity and assertions of difference on the basis of factors such as ethnicity, sexuality, gender and status as indigenous peoples, which cut across national boundaries. At the same time, many people are expressing concerns for social justice issues, environmental degradation and so on. Anthropology is a vital discipline because of its emphasis on the importance of cultural difference in these diverse expressions of humanity.

Those who qualify as anthropologists, after undergraduate and graduate studies, may be in a position to engage in first-hand research, become advisers or consultants to industry, government and non-government organisations on a diverse range of matters, and teach. But our principal aim is to impart to all our students, regardless of the occupations they hope to pursue, an informed and culturally-sensitive awareness of their involvement in their own and other societies and cultures.

For information on the units required for a major or minor in anthropology, refer to the `Areas of study' section on the Arts website at http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/coursework/study-areas/.

Relevant courses

• Bachelor of Arts (and associated double degrees)
• Bachelor of Arts (Global)
• Bachelor of Letters
• Diploma in Arts (Anthropology)

Contact details

Email psi@arts.monash.edu.au or visit http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/schools/psi/; inquiries (Clayton): room W1017, West Wing, Menzies building; +61 3 9905 2443; inquiries (Caulfield): room H5.31, building H; Telephone +61 3 9903 2378.