Expert: John Shea - 8/2/2006

Question
Well, I'm a sophomore at the univ or arizona, majoring in anthropology.....but i get so confused because it's such a large field.....what are your degrees in, and how can i be certain that just a degree in anthropology will get me to be specialized like you, your work sounds very very interesting.....thanks!

Answer
Dear Jason
My degrees were BA double-major in Anthropology and Archaeology at Boston Univ., MA and Ph.D. in Anthropology at Harvard.
It can be difficult to figure out what you want to do within Anthro at first because the field is so varied. Your best bet is to take introductory courses in archaeology, physical anthro, and cultural anthro.  You will find yourself drawn to one or another subfield.  You should not specialize too early, though.  One of the hallmarks of the best anthropologists is that they know what is going on in subfields other than their own.
Univ. of Arizona is one of the top Anthropology departments in the USA.  Seriously, the faculty are a "Who's Who" of prominent American anthropologists.  Rather than me going on at length, I urge you to go to one of your professors at their office hours.  If what I do in particular (paleolithic archaeology) interests you, Profs. Steve Kuhn and Mary Stiner are among the  top scholars in this topic.
Good Luck,
John Shea