USF has made construction additions like the newly minted Kalmanovitz Hall, but has also created an equally impressive new minor. USF is now offering a cultural anthropology minor. The minor is designed for students who want to gain more firsthand cultural experience. Anthropology gives students the ability to look at the big picture of the globalizing world and capture the cultural aspects that make each country unique.
The anthropology minor incorporates living, working, and experiencing other countries and their cultures. The world is vastly becoming globalized and this interrelated connectivity allows students to not only learn about other cultures but also to gain a new sense of their own cultures.
In January 2010, students will be offered the opportunity to travel to Tasmania, Australia for an Environmental Anthropology study. This will give students the ability to travel, explore and do field research. The classroom becomes the outdoors and is vivid with exploration, beautiful scenery, and new people.
The minor is an addition to USF academics that expands its cultural diversity and ethnic appreciation. Professor and cultural anthropologist Sharon Gmelch said, “Anthropology gives students a holistic approach to the study of social issues and increases their ‘cultural literacy’ — their awareness and understanding of the problems and possibilities we all face as human beings. It also teaches important observation and interviewing skills which are valued in many careers.” It is a known fact that employers are looking for people with anthropological research skills. These skills will not only expand personal skills but will help build career opportunities for future employment.
For more information about this new minor please visit the Sociology Department of the College of Arts and Sciences or contact professors George Gmelch, Sharon Gmelch or Amy F. Joseph.
