Anthropology Prairie State College

Anthropology students examine the cultural and social systems of both simple and complex societies. Through the study of anthropology, students gain important insights into the world around them and develop skills relevant in fields including the social sciences, the humanities, and education.

Topics in the field can vary from the study of human origins and the culture and social organization of preliterate peoples to the investigation of contemporary civilizations. Anthropology students also focus on issues like technology, aesthetics, race, language, religion, family and kinship ties, and associational life that help us to understand the emergence of different cultures over time. Basic theories and research methods relevant to those topics are introduced in introductory anthropology courses at Prairie State College, including the major areas of physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, ethnology, and archaeology.