Thoughts on an anthropology curriculum

Following up on my post last week (the usefulness of Anthropology), I could not help but continue to think about the issue of structuring an anthropological curriculum in such a way as to actively develop skills in students and encourage them to actively engage in the career development process. A couple of caveats on this first, however. I teach at a Liberal Arts institution and embrace the mission of the Liberal Arts. The development of knowledge and critical thinking skills is a good thing and in a world in which transitions are more common rather than less (in labor markets, in infrastructure, in place of residence, etc.), a broadly based education is advantageous over a targeted skills-based education because of the flexibility it provides. But, that does not mean there is not a responsibility to impart certain skills and perspectives on to students or to make them aware of their responsibility in the process. Second, Anthropology is an impossibly varied discipline to put into a single curricular box. I have kept my outline below to very broad outlines for just this reason. I do not think there is a “correct” Anthropology curriculum, as the best way at any given place is going to depend on the resources available and the students involved. My third caveat is that what I have below is really just a quick draft of some thoughts made while watching youth sports over the weekend, something closer to a beginning than an end. But here is what I came up with:

I have divided the figure into three parts, defined roughly as “in the classroom,” “goals/skills” and “out of the classroom.” I have also broken it down into a four-part progression roughly matching a four-year college career. Obviously this is a generalized schematic, as many of the students I end up working with as majors do not even begin their anthropological interest until sometime during their second year. My general view is meant to reflect the idea that part of the responsibility falls us on me as a teacher to convey certain ideas and skills in the classroom itself. The class is not simply a place for me to talk 140 minutes a week, but a place where the students leave with knowledge and abilities they did not have at the beginning. The other part of my task is to help guide the students in the decisions they make as they take on their own responsibility and sense of ownership over their direction. This is another area where there is no “correct” path, but rather a whole array of possibilities given the interests of the individual student.

In the end, the breadth of Anthropology and the diversity of the students I work with makes me question whether or not a rough schematic like I have posted above is worth much of anything. But even if it is not, the process of putting it together only to tear it apart does seem valuable.