As an intrinsically cross-cultural form of inquiry, Anthropology offers its own, inherent benefits that students can acquire as they encounter ways of thinking and behaving that may be unfamiliar to them. Opportunities for cross-cultural ministry, for careers in business and as consultants, and for Christian citizenship in the world of the 21st century can be enhanced greatly for students completing an Anthropology major.
Anthropological study provides training particularly well suited to the 21st century. The economy will be increasingly globalized; workforces and markets, increasingly diverse; participatory management and decision making, increasingly important; and communication skills, increasingly in demand. Anthropology is the only contemporary discipline that approaches human questions from historical, biological, linguistic, and cultural perspectives. Anthropology provides a theoretical and methodological "toolkit" for understanding human interactions in every setting.
A B.A. in anthropology provides an excellent liberal arts preparation for positions throughout the business, social service, and government worlds and offers valuable preparation for careers in journalism, politics, public relations, business, or public administration. Businesses have become increasingly aware of the benefits of employees with the ability to interpret and react to human behavior in systematic and constructive ways. Anthropology majors who enter the business world work in sales, marketing, customer relations, consulting, investment banking or human resources. Those who enter human services work with youths at risk, the elderly, or people experiencing problems related to poverty, immigrants dealing with cultural adjustment, and structural inequality related to cultural patterns.
A B.A. in anthropology is also excellent preparation for future graduate work in anthropology (or any number of related fields) in order to become a college professor, researcher, or applied anthropologist. Those going into ministry often recognize the value of cross-cultural understandings and the ability to work with culturally divergent populations as they find themselves dealing with multicultural populations.