Anthropology BS

Anthropology is a distinctive discipline at the intersection of the social sciences and humanities. Lycoming prides itself on providing students with invaluable hands-on learning opportunities, and anthropology students exemplify that with research opportunities around the world studying cultures, excavating ancient artifacts, and considering the holistic human experience while conducting research alongside faculty with active research agendas. Between ethnographic experiences locally and abroad, community-based projects, and ongoing archaeological data collection and analysis in multiple regions, students have the tangible world of anthropology at their fingertips. The valuable knowledge students gain from this approach allows them to excel in local and national internships with museums or as professionals managing cultural resources, while the skillsets they acquire to understand human behavior have proven time and again to be valued by employers across a range of professions including human resources and marketing roles. Intimate class sizes allow students to personalize their research experience during their time at Lycoming. With the help and encouragement of Lycoming’s dedicated faculty, students who study anthropology at Lycoming are prepared to succeed and thrive in today’s global cultural context.

Student Opportunities

• Conduct your own independent research project, from research framing, through data collection, to analysis, presentation, and write-up.
• Present at regional and national anthropology conferences, such as the Society for Applied Anthropology and the Northeastern Anthropology Association.
• Pursue internship opportunities in local and nationally-recognized museums, such as the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Pennsylvania State Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, or the Taber Museum.
• Engage in community-based research analyzing the racial and social class divisions in Williamsport and actively supporting solutions to the problems identified.
• Participate in research assistantships with faculty research.
• Gain valuable teaching experience as a writing tutor or subject tutor for anthropology courses.
• Work with famous museum collections, including a special collection from the University of Pennsylvania Museum, from the comfort of the classroom.
• Participate in an internship offered exclusively to Lycoming students with the Smithsonian Institution.
• Participate in a local internship through Lycoming's Williamsport Internship Summer Experience (WISE) program.
• Win the Durkheim Prize for academic excellence as an anthropology major.

Why Lycoming?

1. Field experiences provide anthropology students with practical and hands-on training in field and laboratory methods.
2. As early as the first year, students have the opportunity to participate in ethnographic research experiences in the community and in association with study abroad experiences in Germany, Spain, Cyprus, Mexico, Ecuador, and other countries.
3. Classes are taught by faculty with the highest degrees in their fields.
4. Intimate class sizes allow for students to tailor their research to their personal interests.
5. Students are able to apply their ethnographic skills in support of community-based research projects in Williamsport.
6. Students have access to state-of-the-art archaeology lab instrumentation for hands-on learning opportunities.
7. Anthropology students have access to a large collection of archaeological materials from the Maya area, the ancient Near East, and the Mediterranean.