Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is anthropology?

Anthropology is the study of human population and its ancestors across time and space. It studies to understand the origin and evolution of the human species, as well as its biological and cultural diversity. General Anthropology encompasses the field of anthropology as a whole, consisting of the four major sub-disciplines which are: Archaeological, Biological, Cultural, and Linguistic. Archaeological Anthropology studies human behavior and cultural patterns as well as processes through the culture’s material remains. Biological Anthropology studies human biological variation. Cultural Anthropology studies human society and culture. Linguistic Anthropology studies origin, history, and socio-cultural aspects of language.

2. What is difference between sociology and anthropology?

Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior. Sociologists study the processes and patterns of individual and group interaction, the forms of organization of social groups, the relationships among them, and group influences on individual behavior. Focus is given to the understanding of group or other collective factors in human behavior.

Anthropology is the study of humankind. To incorporate all aspects of the human experience, anthropology has four major subdisciplines: Physical Anthropology, the study of the biological evolution of humans; Archaeology, the study of the evolution of culture; Linguistic Anthropology, the study of human languages; and Cultural Anthropology, the study of the variations and similarities of human behavior cross-culturally. The department offers introductory courses in all four subdisciplines but the major focus is in cultural anthropology.