Study Anthropology Abroad

Are you sick of sitting in a stuffy lecture hall hearing about Marcel Mauss, Franz Boas, or Claude Levi-Strauss and all there exciting adventures? When is it gonna be your turn! Are you itching to get out in the field like they once did?

There’s only so much you can learn about culture from a book; complete immersion in a new culture allows for Anthropology students to learn more about their field of study while applying the techniques they’ve learned in the classroom; and, of course, while having tons of fun.

The Ethnohistorical Field School, Mexico: This school is an intensive travel study program that allows students to learn indigenous cultures through exploration of archaeological sites, museum collections and immersion into indigenous communities, as well as classroom courses and on-site lectures being held in English.

The Ecuador Field School Programs: This school focuses on understanding the coastal Ecuadorian culture and allows for students to learn this through field methods, interaction with local populations and collecting and analyzing data, as well as courses being taught in English.

One of the wonderful parts about anthropology is that you really can study it anywhere.

If you're an archaeology student, places like Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and Peru are great destinations to consider. You'll also want to look into a program that incorporates field study with your usual academics.

For cultural anthropology students, the world is your oyster -- literally. From New Zealand to Senegal, Malta to Laos, Papua New Guinea to Bolivia, studying abroad as an anthropology student is a chance to finally immerse yourself in the cultures you've been reading about in ethnographies.

Personally, I struggled to find a good destination to study anthropology abroad. Out of the 20+ foreign universities that my home university had partnerships with (and therefore easy and affordable direct enrollment study abroad options), only two had anthropology departments -- one of which being the University of Malta.

However, if you open yourself up to third party program providers, there are a few highly specialized operators out there. ISDSI, which runs a People, Ecology, and Development study abroad program in Thailand, is a great example of a program that incorporates intensive anthropological and ecological studies. Plus, you'll get to learn Thai -- essential for any future ethnographic research in Thailand!

The cost of your program will vary widely, and your overall budget will be determined by the country you end up studying abroad in. However, all students should consider applying for study abroad scholarships. Here are a few noteworthy ones for anthropology students:

• The American Anthropology Association offers various fellowships for budding anthropologists.
• Calling all the ladies! Check out the Association for Feminist Anthropology for potential scholarships.
• More Study Abroad Grants and Scholarships

Contributed by Samantha Coughran