Anthropology As A Career

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Chase Janet L. Reeds 10/07/2010 141050 Career Essay Assignment When researching anthropology, it is immediately apparent there are a vast amount of opportunities available. There are many different careers ranging from sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, medical anthropology, forensic anthropology, business anthropology, visual anthropology, environmental anthropology, museum anthropology and the list goes on. In briefly studying these different types of anthropology, although it was a lot to absorb, I focused on one in particular and that was sociocultural anthropology. In this field of work, the hunger to understand more about the inner logics of cultures, different from one’s own values and beliefs, was what really intrigued me. The use of ethnography, a tactic where the anthropologist conducts research where the society resides instead of doing research from home, seems very interesting to me. I feel as though the possibility of new knowledge being learned is unavoidable. Living with this society, feeling out of one’s own comfort zone, is not only exciting but it helps shape one’s views on cultural relativism. Ethnocentrism is a problem wherever it exists and I believe it is most prevalent in the United States. To be granted the abilities to help teach others the idea of acceptance for different cultures and travel around the world while doing so, all through sociocultural anthropology, would be ideal for me. The first thing that comes to mind as I ponder my future career is ethnography. As I defined it earlier, it is the idea of traveling to the “hometown” of the society you wish to study in order to see them in their natural environment. You can grasp their values and ethics as they practice them in their everyday settings. The idea of traveling abroad is a dream come true to anyone with

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