Programs of Study
Anthropology and Geography
Anthropology and Geography Major (B.A.)
The Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Geography offers an interdisciplinary perspective bridging cultural and physical landscapes to current topics such as resource management, sustainability, globalization, and community resilience. Students in the program use empirical and theoretical methodologies to understand the way in which humans interact with the world and how environmental factors influence human society. This approach provides a path to careers in physical geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental science, cultural anthropology, and archaeology. As a unification of two complementary disciplines, this degree prepares graduates for a global market where an understanding of the interactions between cultures and the physical environment can provide a significant competitive and functional advantage.
With a Geography concentration in the Anthropology and Geography major, you will join the anthropologists and geographers who work together to study the intersections between our cultural and physical world. Geography is the study of humans’ physical, cultural, and political surroundings, and our faculty hold expertise in physical geography, human-environment geography, and GIS. We work as Geographic Information Systems specialists (GIS), physical and human geographers, and environmental scientists to investigate current topics such as sustainability, climate change, population growth, and the preservation of our cultural heritage. Our research takes us into the field, here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and around the world, where we focus on the lives, lifeways, and environments of people in the past and present.
Anthropology Minor
Anthropology offers a framework for the study of human culture, human origins, and adaptation over time. We use empirical and theoretical approaches to understand culture change and human diversity, past and present. This program capitalizes on our unique Lowcountry setting with its rich history that includes Native American cultures, European colonial settlements, Revolutionary War sites, plantation systems, Gullah Geechee cultures, agriculture, Civil Rights movements, international migrations, and modern tourism. An anthropology minor adds a holistic component to human biological sciences, social sciences, and humanities majors, and is an asset to those entering an ever expanding global market, where an understanding of human diversity, past and present, provides a competitive and functional edge. In addition to introductory required courses, students take advantage of upper-level anthropology electives and may participate in field studies, laboratory analysis, seminars, advanced methods courses or internships.
Contact: Dr. Susan Bergeron, Chair
Department of Anthropology and Geography
843-234-3496, sbergero@coastal.edu
Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S) Minor
A minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is designed to give students a broad understanding of the geographic concepts that underpin GIS and related geospatial technologies, as well as develop practical skills in utilizing these technologies to address applications in a wide range of disciplines and domain areas. The structure of this minor goes beyond ‘software knowledge’ and introduces students to fundamental theories related to spatial thinking and geographic information, and provides training in the tools and techniques required to utilize GIS and geospatial technologies in professional settings. In addition, students will explore the social and cultural impacts of the increasing use of these technologies in both the public and private sectors.
Contact: Dr. Susan Bergeron, Chair
Department of Anthropology and Geography
843-234-3496, sbergero@coastal.edu
Human-Environment Geography Minor
The Minor in Human-Environment Geography gives students a focused area of study in the prominent sub-discipline of geography centered on sustainability, human-environment relationships, and the human dimensions of global environmental change. Students will learn to synthesize the physical and human aspects of geography through a holistic theoretical approach, and become familiar with the use of mixed methods research that human-environment geographers employ. The Minor in Human-Environment Geography provides students in complementary disciplines, such as biology, marine biology, sociology, history, political science, and interdisciplinary studies, with important theoretical, topical, and practical knowledge in preparation for graduate study or employment in job sectors related to sustainability, natural resource management, community planning, and international development.
Contact: Dr. Susan Bergeron, Chair
Department of Anthropology and Geography
843-234-3496, sbergero@coastal.edu
Geospatial Technologies Certificate
The certificate in Geospatial Technologies develops a broad understanding of concepts foundational to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related geospatial technologies, as well as practical skills in utilizing these technologies to serve a wide range of disciplines. The program emphasizes the application of geographic information tools and spatial thinking skills to government, scientific, business and even humanistic fields such as history.
Contact: Dr. Susan Bergeron, Chair
Department of Anthropology and Geography
843-234-3496, sbergero@coastal.edu
Applied Archaeology Certificate
The Certificate in Applied Archaeology is designed to profide students with hands-on training in archarological merthods. This training prepares students for employment as archaelogical field and laboratory technicians in the cultural resource management industry, which provides public and private agencies with compliance for regulations foverning the treatment of archaeological sites and historis resources. As a supplement to a range of majors and minors the Applied Archaeology Certificate requires 13 credit hours of training and provides the minimum employment qualifications for jobs in the discipline.
Contact: Dr. Susan Bergeron, Chair
Department of Anthropology and Geography
843-234-3496, sbergero@coastal.edu