Slipping into Darkness: Recruiting and Student

Understanding of Anthropology as a Field and Major

Adam Johnson

www.anthropology365.com

UNC-Charlotte

Dept. of Anthropology

The State of Anthropology

Sources: NCES IPEDS & UNCC OIR

Diversity in Anthropology

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Social Sciences Anthropology Sociology Political Science Psychology Economics

National Degrees Awarded by Race

White Black Hispanic Asian Multi-racial Islander Unknown Source: NCES IPEDS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Anthropology Sociology Political Science Psychology Economics

UNCC Degrees Awarded by Race

White Black Hispanic Asian Multi-racial Islander Unknown Source: UNCC OIR

How do we attract more diverse majors?

• Visibility

• Relevance

• Diverse Faculty

Visibility: What is Anthropology?• The study of what makes us human (AAA).

• Anthropology is the study of human beings, their biology, their prehistory and histories, and their changing languages, cultures, and social institutions (Welsch, Vivanco, & Fuentes 2016).

• The study of who we are and where we come from (Marks 2015).

I Don't Know

Archaeology

History

Human Evolution

Bones

CulturePrimates

Study of Humans

Holistic

Misc.

Not Coded

Student Perception of Anthropology

Visibility

• Students do not know what anthropology is.

• This reflects both on our public visibility and visibility on campus.

Relevance• Students’ initial perception is that anthropology

is unproductive and irrelevant to solving real human problems.

• Demonstrating that beyond the non-reductive anthropological methodologies and knowledge, anthropology delivers necessary skills for being successful.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics via www.datausa.io

Diversity

• Anthropology as a “White Public Space” (Brodkin et al. 2011).

• By diversifying faculty and ideas of anthropology departments, programs can attract diverse students. • Department curricula should include courses geared towards empowering

marginalized students (i.e. anthropology of gender, anthropology of race).

Conclusion

• As anthropologists, we know the benefit that anthropological perspectives can have at solving human problems.

• Instead of posturing in favor of diversity, we need to live it.

• If we are unable to do so, we will become irrelevant and slip into darkness.

I’d like to thank

• Gregg Starrett

• Sarah Pollock

• Sara Juengst and Skeletal Biology in the Carolinas