Study Abroad in Anthropology

What are the benefits of study abroad for someone in Anthropology?
Anthropologists study the diversity of the human experience through explorations of the biological, social, and cultural aspects of our species in the past, present, and future. At Ohio University, the Anthropology program aims to prepare students to be global citizens in a rapidly changing and multi-cultural world. Students who study anthropology gain a global perspective that enables them to become fluid translators of language and culture while they transition out of their cultural comfort zones.
For Anthropology students, studying abroad facilitates their development of cross-cultural communication, cultural sensitivity, tolerance, and critical analyses of cross-cultural differences. These international education experiences give the students opportunities to put into practice the empirical skills that they have developed through their OHIO coursework -- thereby honing their holistic approach to the study of human life. Likewise, education abroad may increase professional opportunities available to individuals with international experiences.

When is the best time for Anthropology students to go abroad?
Anthropology students are encouraged to study abroad during spring semester of their sophomore year or fall semester of their junior year. However, there is flexibility in the study abroad timeline. Students are also encouraged to consider various opportunities that serve as alternatives to semester and year-long programs including winter break and spring break programs, summer internships, and field schools. Any student interested in pursuing education abroad experiences should proceed only after close consultation with their academic advisor.

What types of academic requirements can students fulfill abroad?

• University-wide requirements: Tier II courses can often be fulfilled easily abroad. Tier III courses are offered on some OHIO study abroad programs, but credit for Tier III cannot generally be transferred back from a non-OHIO or exchange program.
• Arts and Science requirements: Courses to fulfill college-level Arts and Sciences requirements, including the foreign language requirement, can be taken abroad.
• Major requirements: Students can look for programs abroad that will satisfy their anthropology electives in biological anthropology, cultural anthropology and archaeology. Required courses in the anthropology degree may not be taken abroad. These are:
  • ANTH 1010 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  • ANTH 2010 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology
  • ANTH 2020 - Introduction to World Archaeology

What are other academic considerations for someone in Anthropology?
Internships and field school experiences are encouraged and may be done as a part of or in addition to an education abroad program.

• Internships: Anthropology internships may focus on any of the three fields represented by departmental faculty: archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Credits obtained during an internship as ANTH 4900 will count towards the overall anthropology course hours required for graduation, with the approval of the internship coordinator.
• Field schools: Many international organizations field school opportunities in a range of fields relevant to anthropology. Students who are interested in gaining field work experience should review a variety of organizations that specialize in their respective areas of interest. Some options include:

  Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
  Summer program. The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú offers international students the opportunity to join its field research programs developed by prestigious researchers. The Field Schools are a 240 hour practical work focusing in research programs in the fields of Archaeology and Bioarchaeology, Political Sciences, Ethnomusicology, Ethnobotany, Architecture or Spanish and Inca Culture. Students need do not need to speak Spanish fluently (except for the Intermediate and Advanced levels in Spanish).

  The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project
  The BVAR offers investigations at the ancient Maya sites of Cahal Pech, Baking Pot and Lower Dover. These sites are among the largest prehistoric Maya sites in the upper Belize River Valley and served as the capitals to small kingdoms in the Classic period (c. AD 250-900). Students are involved in all aspects of these archaeological investigations, from the setting of excavation units to the production of site maps.
  The project also incorporates daily laboratory work where students participate in the processing and documentation of the artifacts recovered from the site. Weekly lectures will present an overview of Maya civilization and will provide introduction to other specific topics such as ceramic analysis, archaeological survey methods, human osteology, ancient Maya ritual, ideology, and hieroglyphic writing.

What do I do next?
Visit our Planning Your Experience page to discover the steps you'll need to take.

Sample STUDY ABROAD programs for Anthropology through Ohio University

OHIO - Exchange to Singapore
Semester/Academic Year program. At Nanyang Technological University, students can choose from a variety of credits in business, communication, arts and humanities, social science, and physical sciences. There is no language requirement (classes are taught in English). NTU also offers courses in Mandarin Chinese and other languages.

OHIO - Teach in Ghana
Semester program. Teach in Ghana participants have the opportunity to gain real teaching experience while exploring the culture of this West African nation. Through full immersion in the placement schools, at home and on weekend excursions, participants will learn from and about Ghanaian people, culture and traditions. Students will register for a full semester of undergraduate or graduate coursework. Some options include: Intro to Africa, Africa's Children, and Elementary Twi.

OHIO - HIV/AIDS Education in Africa (South Africa)
Summer program. This program is designed to provide participants with first-hand experience of the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa, as well as an experience of the prevention and awareness efforts currently underway by various stakeholders. The program has an experiential focus and a significant portion of the learning will occur through cultural immersion and active participation. Participants can expect to become familiar with the skills necessary for successful HIV/AIDS program planning and implementation.

OHIO - Israel: Cultural and Political Intersections (Tel Aviv)
Summer program. This program offers students the opportunity to experience the culture and politics of Israel in through the study of novels and short stories written by Israeli authors during the contemporary period, through the study of the current and historical political climates in the region, and through academically-based excursions around the country.

Sample STUDY ABROAD programs for Anthropology through Affiliate Providers

API - London, England
Semester/Academic Year program. The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) offers courses including African and Asian Cultures in the Diaspora, Anthropology and Film, The Anthropology of Gender, Psychoanalysis and Anthropology and more. Students can also take courses in a variety of other disciplines as well.

CEA - Galway, Ireland
Semester program. This program gives students the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Irish higher education system and choose courses from National University of Ireland's full course catalog. Students may choose courses in subject areas for which NUIG is the best known such as Marine Science, Irish Literature, Women's Studies, Archaeology, Classical Civilizations, and Information Technology.

CEA - Prague, Czech Republic
Semester/Academic Year program. Anglo-American University offers access to a full curriculum of courses. Students can take courses such as Social Anthropology, Anthropological Knowledge & Modern Civilization and Territorial Studies: The Story of Language, as well as courses in multiple other disciplines.

CIEE - Beijing, China
Semester program. CIEE in partnership with Minzu University of China offers an Ethnic Identity and Cultural Studies program. The program offers courses such as Ethnographic Methods, Ethnic Diversity in China, Religion and Ecology in Contemporary China and more. Students will also enroll in a language course after taking a placement test. Students may choose from Mandarin Chinese, Tibetan, or Uyghur languages.

CIEE - Hyderabad, India
Semester program. The University of Hyderabad offers courses such as Applied Anthropology and Tribal Welfare, Archaeological Anthropology, Economic Anthropology, Kinship and Marriage, Theories of Culture, Theories of Social Structure and Migration and Diaspora and Transnationalism (Center for the Indian Diaspora).

CIEE - Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Semester/Academic Year program. The Universidade Federal da Bahia offers courses such as Afro-Brazilian Anthropology, Urban Anthropology, Anthropology of Indigenous Societies and more. Students also enroll in a Portuguese language course after taking a placement test.

CIEE - Tokyo, Japan
Semester/Academic Year program. CIEE in partnership with Sophia University offers courses such as Anthropology and Modern Society, Anthropology of Social Movement, Visual Methods in Anthropology, Culture Change, Individual Culture and Society and more.

CIS - South Island, New Zealand
Semester program. Victoria University of Wellington offers courses such as Foundations of Society and Culture, Social and Cultural Diversity, Kin, Class and Caste, Modern Anthropological Thought, Culture and Experience, Ritual in the Modern World, Visual Anthropology, Migration, Culture and Identity and more.

CIS - Sydney, Australia
Semester program. Macquarie University offers courses such as Drugs Across Cultures, Culture, Myth and Symbolism, Food Across Cultures, Anthropology of the City, Doing Ethnography, Culture and Human Rights, Asian Cultures and more.

ISA - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Semester program. Queen's University Belfast offers courses such as The Anthropology of Music, Key Debates in Anthropology, Religion and Ritual, An Ethnography of Political Violence in Ireland, Power, Ritual and Symbol: the View from Anthropology and more.

ISEP - University of Botswana
Semester/Academic Year program. The University of Botswana offers courses in African Languages and Literature, African Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Natural Resource Management, Physics, Environmental Science, Economics, Geography, International Relations, Political Science, Population Studies, Sociology, Statistics, and Women's Studies.

USAC - Santiago, Chile
Summer program. Universidad Andrés Bello offers a Spanish and Andean Anthropological Studies program. Students can choose from a variety of courses in anthropology and take Spanish language courses as well.

Foreign Language Programs
OHIO-Spanish Language and Culture in Merida, Mexico
OHIO-Chinese Language and Culture in Beijing, China
OHIO-Italian in Florence, Italy

API-Spanish Language Program in Madrid
CIEE-Arabic Language and Culture in Rabat, Morocco
USAC-French Language Studies in Pau, France
USAC-Japanese Language Studies in Hiroshima, Japan
USAC-Arabic, Russian, or Swahili Language in Accra, Ghana

Additional opportunities available! Click here to view more program options & come to walk-in advising, Mon-Fri, 1-4 PM.

ATHENA - Tuscania, Italy
Semester/Academic Year program. The Tuscania campus of the Lorenzo de' Medici School (LDM) is a private institution located in the old town center of this medieval city. Students have access to diverse course offerings (from Archaeology of Italy, Italian language and culture, theater, and history). One of the primary missions of the Lorenzo de' Medici School is to promote global education through authentic cultural immersion programs and a diverse international student population.

Transfer credit may be earned on approved Non-OHIO & exchange programs. Students participating in these programs should complete a Foreign Study Checklist (available at the Office of Education Abroad) to seek approval prior to departure. Students wishing to utilize financial aid and scholarships, click here. OHIO scholarships may not apply to all programs listed on this page. Students should research the country where they plan to study at www.travel.state.gov. Students traveling to a country with a state department warning will be required to sign a waiver (available in Walter International Education Center) before departure.

Work, Volunteer, Intern suggestions for Anthropology

IEP (Full-time on-campus advisor available at the Office of Education Abroad)
Internship opportunities are available in New Zealand, Australia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ireland, Spain, and Italy. IEP internships are tailored to each individual student's needs and interests and can last anywhere from one month to a full semester.

For an extensive list of opportunities to work, volunteer, or intern abroad please click here.

Students should consult their academic department regarding earning credit for internships. Students will not receive transfer credit for internship programs UNLESS the internship is required of a student’s major and the student receives approval for the internship. Students should register with the Office of Education Abroad before traveling overseas.

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