Anthropology

Anthropology is a social science that studies humans from the perspective of their culture. This is different from disciplines such as psychology, which uses the perspective of personality and cognition; or biology, which focuses on the body.

Anthropology is usually divided into four separate disciplines, which overlap each other to varying degrees.

Cultural anthropology studies living societies. Methods of research take a whide variety of forms, ranging from living among a foreign people to digging through American trash cans. Cultural anthropologists are currently in great demand by international corporations and the Armed Forces.

Archaeology studies extinct cultures. While it is popularly believed that most they focus on things such as neandertals, most archaelogists are employed by local goverments and construction companies to identify American Indian remains.

Linguistic anthropology studies languages and their development. This is a relatively new field.

Physical anthropology studies non-human primates--chimpanzees, monkeys, etc. In many ways it is more akin to biology than to traditional anthropology. Much of its focus is on the musculature, skeletal structure, and neurology of primates.