Anthropology is the study of humanity in the widest sense, from our beginnings as a species to the present, and a bachelor's degree in anthropology provides a broad understanding of human thought and action, cultural diversity, social power, and cultural dynamics through time. Traditionally, the discipline is divided into four sub-fields, each of which looks at humans from different but related perspectives. These fields include cultural anthropology, which focuses on social groups and processes in the present and recent past, archaeology, which examines societies through their material remains, particularly in the past, biological anthropology, which studies the biological aspects of humans, and linguistic anthropology, the study of language and its relationship to culture.
Many undergraduates integrate their work in anthropology with the study of subjects such as medicine, politics, law, economics, psychology, sociology, or area programs such as Latin American studies, East Asian studies, and international studies, all of which provide opportunities for learning abroad. The program encourages field research experiences and emphasizes flexibility.