Leveraging the sciences of human behavior

Stonehill’s exceptional programs in criminology, sociology and anthropology provide tools to thrive in a broad array of professions.

Program Overview 

The Anthropology program, which centers on cultural and linguistic anthropology, gives students a competitive advantage in future pursuits by affording unique insight on the many factors that determine who we are and influence how we live. 

Stonehill College’s focus on cultural anthropology helps students gain the skills to understand and appreciate human culture, and to study how people understand, organize, preserve and transform their social worlds. The theoretical lens and methodologies of anthropology center around dialogues with populations of concern, taking their culture into account and respecting their human and cultural rights. 

The program aims to enhance students’ ability to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world by offering them an important critical framework for assessing the needs and appreciating the values and interests of diverse communities. 

Interdisciplinary in nature, anthropology complements several programs at the College, including foreign languages, international business, healthcare administration, political science, arts administration, environmental studies and history. 

Outcomes

Stonehill students have gone on to study anthropology at the graduate level, complete postgraduate service, including in the Peace Corps and Stonehill Service Corps, and begin careers in areas that include education, social work, travel consultation and business.

Fields that fit well with an anthropology degree include:

  • Museum work
  • International NGOs and development work
  • Diplomatic corps
  • Healthcare
  • Non-profits
  • Education
  • Business

The skills I learned in the Anthropology program at Stonehill have helped me to understand humans in a more complex way, which will help me to accommodate and understand the diverse people I will encounter in any profession.

Sample Courses

Foundations of Archeology

ANT 200
Archaeology is the study of the human past through the remains of their material culture. Archaeologists study artifacts, sites, settlements, and landscapes to gain an understanding of how humans lived in the distant and recent past. Students will gain an understanding of the principles, methods, and theories of archaeological research, while exploring the history of the field and case studies.

Museum Studies

ANT 304
A survey of museology, this course introduces students to the history of museums and debates about their role in society. Students will visit and read case studies of ethnographic, history, and art museums among others to explore the relationships between exhibits, museum missions, those they represent, and the communities in which they reside.

Illness and Society

ANT 328
An introduction to Medical Anthropology, this course involves an exploration of the social factors that influence the distribution and treatment of illness in society. The class will also include a critical examination of the U.S. health care system and the evolution of the doctor-patient relationship in our society. Students will be presented with cross-cultural views on a variety of health problems through scholarly articles and ethnographies.

Anthropology of Violence

ANT 329
War, political and economic oppression, sectarian strife, poverty and disease are pervasive in the world today, ravaging the lives of ever-growing numbers of people. Using a cross-cultural approach, we will explore the impact of violence on society, its cultural legacies, and examples of building peace.

Study Abroad Opportunities

The anthropology faculty encourages students who have the desire, the academic skills and the opportunity to avail themselves of the College’s established international programs.

Places where past anthropology students have studied abroad include:

  • Beijing Center, Beijing, China
  • Université Stendhal, Grenoble, France
  • City Year, Athens, Greece
  • National University, Maynooth, Ireland
  • Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain

The anthropology faculty has available information on a wide variety of anthropology programs and internship possibilities located abroad. Students are encouraged to meet with the program chair for more information.

Research Opportunities

Anthropology students primarily use ethnographic research as cultural anthropology is qualitative, and its literature grounded in fieldwork.

Students’ coursework is informed by anthropological theory, ethnographic and archaeological research.

Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

The Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is an opportunity for students who have completed their first year at Stonehill to perform full-time, high-quality research over the summer months under the guidance of an expert faculty researcher. A student in the SURE program spends eight-10 weeks of the summer collaborating with a professor ­– and sometimes other students – on an original research project that fits into the faculty member’s overall research program. 

The experience includes postgraduate career seminars, program-wide outings, weekly lunches and a student poster session in the fall. SURE students generally live on campus and receive a stipend for their summer work.

Recent SURE Anthropology Projects

Kamilia A. Drogosz ’12 worked with Erica Tucker, assistant professor of Anthropology, Sociology and Criminology, on a project titled “Exploring the Construction of Polish-American Identities.” They used ethnographic research methods to explore how Polish-Americans identify themselves with regard to their Polish heritage and how patterns of identification vary from one generation to the next.

Hannah Rosen ’12 worked with Professor Tucker on a project titled “La Famille Étrangère: Cultural Constructions of Frenchness and the Home Stay Experience.” The project was an anthropological study of the home-stay experience conducted with host families and students studying abroad in Grenoble, France.

Kelli Brodbreck ’14, a North Attleboro native and Sociology major at Stonehill, worked with Professor Tucker on “To Teach or Not Teach? A Cross-Cultural Examination of Museum Representations of Violence Designed to Educate Young Children.” Brodbreck and Tucker conducted an anthropological study of how Polish and American museums convey the facts and meaning of difficult historical incidents such as oppression, slavery and violence to young visitors.

Recent Accolades

Organizations involved in assessing U.S. colleges and universities continually cite Stonehill as being among the best in the nation when it comes to value, outcomes and a commitment to making the world a better place. See full list of accolades.

Outside Partnerships & Special Programs

Stonehill College has developed academic affiliations with colleges and universities that enable our students to augment the degree they earn at Stonehill with graduate and undergraduate degrees that further enhance their opportunities.

Earn Two Degrees in 5 Years

The Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree allows Stonehill students to earn a bachelor's degree and master's degree from Stonehill College in five years. Eligible students receive early and expedited admission to their graduate program of interest and can begin working toward a master's degree in education, data analytics or marketing during their senior year.

Contact Information

Erica Tucker

Erica Tucker

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Anthropology Program Director
Sociology