3 answers
Ariana
Student
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
1
Question
Asked
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What advice would you offer and opportunities would you highlight to someone pursuing their undergraduate degree in Anthropology, with an accompanying interest in Osteology and Ethics?
I am a 12th grader and uncommitted to a college at the moment. I am very passionate about Anthropology and am finding it difficult to find mentors in the field who can give me some words of advice towards the best opportunities and activities to pursue during the summer before undergrad and while in undergraduate school.
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3 answers
Jerry Tingstad
Professor/middle school teacher/48 years
138
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jerry’s Answer
Anthropology is an extremely broad field, and from your question, it appears to me that you are interested in cultural anthropology, which is still a rather broad field.
And I would have to ask myself what cultures of the world are you interested in.
Or do you prefer to teach the subject, but I would think that prior to teaching, one would be extensively involved in field work.
Of course there is extensive reading material available, both regarding the general subject of cultural anthropology and biographies of those who have practiced it or are currently practicing.
Therefore, in my opinion, I would do the background work initially and then explore the college/university to do the educational work, which will be extensive. The biographies will obviously note where individual cultural anthropologists were educated.
And I would have to ask myself what cultures of the world are you interested in.
Or do you prefer to teach the subject, but I would think that prior to teaching, one would be extensively involved in field work.
Of course there is extensive reading material available, both regarding the general subject of cultural anthropology and biographies of those who have practiced it or are currently practicing.
Therefore, in my opinion, I would do the background work initially and then explore the college/university to do the educational work, which will be extensive. The biographies will obviously note where individual cultural anthropologists were educated.
Hi Jerry! Just wanted to note that what Ariana describes is actually biological anthropology dealing with the actual human body within and outside of cultural context. Cultural anthropology doesn’t deal with actual physical human remains. Your advice is still great and applicable just swapping the subject area to better address Ariana’s interest area (osteology).
Rachel B
Tony Roig
Volunteer
77
Answers
New Hope, Pennsylvania
Updated
Tony’s Answer
Hi Adriana,
One way you could go about it is to utilize chatgpt or other AI tool to find out what careers and occupations individuals with a degree in anthropology are well-suited and/or pursue. You could then find out the job duties of the various careers and occupations and the respective skills and abilities required. You could then determine what kind of activities and opportunities to pursue that will develop these skills and abilities and then. Lots of resources on the web including the federal dictionary of occupational titles, and state occupational outlook guides. Also check out Coach, CareerVillage's app that allows you to interact with and ask questions about careers and their requirements as well as what activities to undertake that will prepare you for such careers. Talk to your schools guidance counselor, they will help you get started and direct you and likely will have this information.
All the best,
Tony
One way you could go about it is to utilize chatgpt or other AI tool to find out what careers and occupations individuals with a degree in anthropology are well-suited and/or pursue. You could then find out the job duties of the various careers and occupations and the respective skills and abilities required. You could then determine what kind of activities and opportunities to pursue that will develop these skills and abilities and then. Lots of resources on the web including the federal dictionary of occupational titles, and state occupational outlook guides. Also check out Coach, CareerVillage's app that allows you to interact with and ask questions about careers and their requirements as well as what activities to undertake that will prepare you for such careers. Talk to your schools guidance counselor, they will help you get started and direct you and likely will have this information.
All the best,
Tony
Rachel B
Forensic Osteology
2
Answers
Buffalo, New York
Updated
Rachel’s Answer
Hi Ariana!
I’m excited about this question because this is exactly what I do. I am a biological anthropologist (sometimes called a physical or forensic anthropologist, lots of names) and I work heavily with human rights legislation specifically NAGPRA. Ethics are a huge part of the job. I would be happy to provide some advice. Being based in Pennsylvania is great! You are in the northeast where there are tons of great universities. So I think that what you are thinking about is how to get involved. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard as just a high school graduate. What you can look for are volunteer opportunities with field schools or CRM firms (cultural resource management) or museums. Actual internships will be very hard to find because you don’t have any experience or training at this point. Interaction with actual human remains is usually heavily restricted at any proper agency, you will have access in college if you are in a related program. What I would do is think heavily on what you actually want to do. Do you want to work at a medical examiners office? Are you interested in NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) related work? Etc. Where you see yourself ending up is critical to what skills you want to build going forward. I would Google to find forensic training workshops for high school students. You will have to travel (and yes you will be considered a high school student until you start college). A lot of universities offer week-long opportunities in the summer though they can be costly. If that isn’t a possibility I would say refine your skills. Read up and study human skeletal anatomy. You will need an intense familiarity with fragmentary bone, human and faunal, to be successful. I would also suggest starting to study GIS. (As in geographic information systems, ESRI has online free tutorials on their software which is the most widely used in my experience). It will give you a huge leg up on everyone else. If you aren’t starting college until spring consider a course or two at a community college. You can get some pre-requisites like math and English out of the way (be sure they transfer to your intended college/university) and some larger community colleges even offer a basic forensics course so you can sample the field (this type of course likely won’t transfer but would be interesting). I hope this helps you get started. Also read everything! Read up on the history of the field and its contributions to the eugenics movement. It’s important information to understand.
Check for summer field opportunities for high school students
Possibly do a few courses at a community college
Study up on vertebrate anatomy and the history of the eugenics movement
I’m excited about this question because this is exactly what I do. I am a biological anthropologist (sometimes called a physical or forensic anthropologist, lots of names) and I work heavily with human rights legislation specifically NAGPRA. Ethics are a huge part of the job. I would be happy to provide some advice. Being based in Pennsylvania is great! You are in the northeast where there are tons of great universities. So I think that what you are thinking about is how to get involved. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard as just a high school graduate. What you can look for are volunteer opportunities with field schools or CRM firms (cultural resource management) or museums. Actual internships will be very hard to find because you don’t have any experience or training at this point. Interaction with actual human remains is usually heavily restricted at any proper agency, you will have access in college if you are in a related program. What I would do is think heavily on what you actually want to do. Do you want to work at a medical examiners office? Are you interested in NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) related work? Etc. Where you see yourself ending up is critical to what skills you want to build going forward. I would Google to find forensic training workshops for high school students. You will have to travel (and yes you will be considered a high school student until you start college). A lot of universities offer week-long opportunities in the summer though they can be costly. If that isn’t a possibility I would say refine your skills. Read up and study human skeletal anatomy. You will need an intense familiarity with fragmentary bone, human and faunal, to be successful. I would also suggest starting to study GIS. (As in geographic information systems, ESRI has online free tutorials on their software which is the most widely used in my experience). It will give you a huge leg up on everyone else. If you aren’t starting college until spring consider a course or two at a community college. You can get some pre-requisites like math and English out of the way (be sure they transfer to your intended college/university) and some larger community colleges even offer a basic forensics course so you can sample the field (this type of course likely won’t transfer but would be interesting). I hope this helps you get started. Also read everything! Read up on the history of the field and its contributions to the eugenics movement. It’s important information to understand.
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