Anthropology takes humans and their cultures, throughout the world and through the entirety of human history, as its central object of study. This field gives students a framework for understanding their place in the natural world. It examines humanity's evolutionary background and development, the organization of social and cultural life, the nature of culture as a system of meaning to organize and interpret experience, the evolution of societies, and the interrelationships between culture and shared ways of thinking and feeling.

Major points of orientation within anthropology include the search for patterning of cultural behavior amidst the immense variation found within and among cultures, the study of principles of cultural dynamics, the analysis of processes of change and stability within social and cultural structures, cross–cultural comparisons of different societies, the study of patterns of development of societies from simple to complex, and the functioning of cultural institutions as parts of overall sociocultural systems.

Anthropology views the world of humanity's many cultures as a natural laboratory in which a multitude of varied historical adaptations have developed and are continuing to evolve, the study of which can help in the understanding of human behavior and the course of history. Providing an excellent foundation for a diverse, liberal education, the study of anthropology also contributes to the preparation of students for careers in education, medicine, business and industry, government service, and other walks of life in which a broad knowledge of cultural dynamics, ethnic diversity and human relations is important.