The Department of Cultural Anthropology was established to respond to challenges prompted by new technological developments and globalization by engaging in in-depth research of emergent cultural phenomena through the practical approach of applied anthropology. In its sequence of courses, The department first emphasizes teaching cultural relativism, the central perspective of cultural anthropology. Then it stresses the education of research methodology so that students can develop their own ability to conduct fieldwork in various fields. Lastly, the department promotes practical skills for students to engage in current sociocultural issues, including health, poverty, development, urban regeneration, migration, refugees, environments, science, and technology. We nurture students' creativity by providing various fieldwork opportunities so that they can get training to become professionals in culture-related areas. Through its courses, the Department of Cultural Anthropology produces experts in multiple fields of culture: culture as a means of representing and practicing identities; culture as a project of creating alternative lifestyles; culture as an image conveyed via movies and the mass media; and culture as a way of life in transnational social spaces. The department also has a strong profile in gender studies and offers various courses in this area.
Detailed Major and Focus Areas
Graduate students who conduct research in gender and/or sexuality-related topics can choose gender studies as their concentration area.
Many graduates from the Department of Cultural Anthropology develop their careers in companies, the media, and academia, while some of them design and produce cultural content as movie directors and writers. Many others enter international organizations and NGOs to engage in sociocultural issues such as poverty, human rights, development and gender. In the face of today's age of culture, our graduates apply their training in cultural sensitivity and various fieldwork methods as skilled area specialists, cultural designers, and cultural producers in a wide range of fields that require "cultural perspectives". The demand for our graduates is on the constant rise as culture has become an important source of high-value products today.
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