The major is structured to provide an introduction to anthropology?s core concepts, methodologies, and theoretical issues, while permitting each student sufficient latitude to pursue his or her own special interests.

This diversity of topics is linked by the common thread of ?culture,? that uniquely human concept which is at the heart of anthropological studies. As a discipline, anthropology begins with a simple yet powerful idea: any detail of our behavior can be understood better when it is seen against the backdrop of the full range of human behavior.?

Anthropology considers why and how people from distant parts of the world and dissimilar cultures are different and the same, how the human species has evolved over millions of years, and the ways people make sense of and order their lives. By focusing on human diversity, the anthropologist learns to avoid ?ethnocentrism,? the tendency to interpret seemingly strange practices on the basis of preconceptions derived from one?s own cultural background. Moreover, this same process helps us see our own society through fresh eyes. By thus making ?the strange familiar and the familiar strange,? anthropology pushes forward understandings of ourselves and others, as well as of the nature of humanity as a whole.