posted May 02, 2005 10:24 PM         

The college that I'm going to doesn't offer Anthropology/archeology, but it does offer History and Sociology. I'm seriously considering to be a History major, but I was wondering if that is enough to pursue Graduate studies in lets say Anthropology, but most likely Archeology. Can you tell me more please?

-StarLover

posted May 03, 2005 07:31 PM         

Wait, after you get your first BA, can't you just get your second BA in under a year? 4-5 courses each semester? I think I can do that. What about studies in Anthropology? What is Anthropology really? What about the foriegn language requirement for Grad School?

posted May 03, 2005 09:36 PM         

Anthropology is composed of four fields:

Cultural or Social Anthropology is what it sounds like…the study of cultures and societies, both past and present.

Physical Anthropology is forensics plus the study of ancient man such as Neandertals, Austrolopithecines, evolution, etc. Primatology is part of Physical Anthropology, and is the study of primates, including all apes, monkeys, prosimians, etc.

Linguistics is the study of languages, both spoken and written, and comes in very useful for deciphering ancient writings and symbols.

Archaeology is the study of all of the above, but focused on the past. Archaeologists still do studies of living civilizations, but the reason for doing so is to help extrapolate information regarding past civilizations. As for the Physical Anthropology part…I don’t know how one could be a good Archaeologist without it. I had required courses in Forensics, Osteology, Palaeoanthropology, and Human Origins, among others. I also took some Primatology. I knew I would never be one of those people who sat in the bush writing down everything a primate did all day, but I had the opportunity to study under the famous Birute Galdikas. She is one of Leakey’s Ladies and has spent decades living with the Orangutans in Borneo. The other two of Leakey’s Ladies are Jane Goodall, who works with chimps, and the late Diane Fossey, who worked with gorillas. Archaeology also teaches you about geology; about Physics; about Egypt and Greece and Rome and all other ancient civilizations; about Carbon Dating and other dating techniques; about how to make and recognize stone tools and their uses; digging techniques; how to tell if people have been in a certain place, even thousands of years ago; about ancient religions; about Palaeobotany and PalaeoEthnobotany; about ancient weather conditions and their effects on civilizations; about…well…about just about everything that has anything to do with how humans got to be where they are today and the amazing path we have followed from amoeba to man. It is NOT about dinosaurs.

I don’t want to go on too much, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I love Archaeology and I can’t imagine not knowing the things I have learned through it. Although I have a rather broad base of knowledge, I do have a few specialties. My main one, since I have a mitt full of degrees in History and Archaeology both, is the History and Prehistory of Religion and Esoteric Thought. I wanted to discover all I could about the ancient mysteries, from both scientific and esoteric views. Such cool stuff. But, I must say, there is nothing I find as fun and satisfying as actual excavation. It is simply wonderful to dig up an artifact that has not been seen or touched by humans since long before the pyramids were even thought about. What a rush.

posted May 04, 2005 03:08 PM         

My second language is Portugese.

posted May 05, 2005 01:50 PM         

StarLover...I do know some things, but I don't know everything. I will say, however, that I think your life's Labour of Love is waiting out there for you to discover like a magical Faberge easter egg. As much fun as having the egg is, you wouldn't want to miss the joy of hunting for it, then suddenly discovering it. For now, you are on the right track. Just take whatever classes interest you. The ones you like will begin to stand our soon enough. Try a broad range of things. If you like Philosophy, take a couple of classes plus some history classes and some sociology and some psychology. You'll never regret learning what you learn, even if you end up taking a different path. As to being a Prof...you might decide to do that, but please don't decide yet. When you have been in school for most of your life, it is natural to see your future as being in a power position in your primary environment outside your home. As life goes on, you may find that there are non-schoolastic situations that attract you. One last thing...don't be afraid to change your mind a hundred times. I started out as a certified history teacher, then went on to a teacher for blind and mulithandicapped kids, and a counselor among other things. I went into pschology for a while and worked at a mental institution. When I found out I hated it, I just moved on to something I liked better. I went to medical school because I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I got through all the classwork up until I actually had to work in the emergency room of a hospital. After six months, I ditched it all. I became a staff writer for a newspaper which developed into writing for 7 newspapers. I liked that a lot, which is why my primary method of earning a living these days is writing. I still do at least one dig a year, however, because I love archaeology so much. I got my archaeology degrees after all that other stuff and did that exclusively for a while, but my family got tired of being dragged around the world and I did not want to leave them all the time. Once I got into Archaeology and writing, I knew I had found my Labour of Love. It was so easy, I'm amazed I didn't know it from the first. I always wrote for my own pleasure and I always read everything I could find about ancient civilizations. I simply learned to do what I really loved. Actually it was Linda Goodman who told me to stop getting careers and follow my heart. It was right after that I went into Archaeology. But just look at what all I would have missed if I had started into Archaeology in the beginning. I mean, I have had and still have all the Archaeology work I want, but because I found it later, I also have history and phychology and mental institutions and medical school and blind kids and writing and so much more.

posted May 05, 2005 03:59 PM         

I'll ask you more questions about school as time goes on.