To teach college level Anthropology, must you have firsthand experience in other countries of their culture?

Question

I want to teach Anthropology in college one day, can I just major in Anthropology or must I have firsthand experience in going to other countries and learning their cultures firsthand?

Answer 1

No plenty have taught and even become full professors without doing cultural field work in other countries.  It isn't as if there are "primitive" tribes anymore, at this point a lot of it is just plain tourism.

Oh and you can teach with a masters, just not get tenure.

Answer 2

You'd be doing your students a dis-service if you can't speak from your own experiences. My favorite professors are the ones who get all excited about a dig they went on or some of their friends they made while living and studying among different groups of people. Also you can demand more money with a Ph.D then a masters. If you only have your Masters then some colleges will only let you teach intro courses. You would not be able to pick your specialty to teach.

Answer 3

No, but you would have a great deal more credibility among your students if you did.  Also, I am not sure that you would be granted a Ph.D. in the field if you had not actually done some field research.  The University of Chicago would be a great place from which to get answers.  They are accessible at:  www.universityofchicago.org.

Answer 4

Those who don't get experience in the field are labeled "Armchair Anthropologists."  It would be better to immerse yourself in a culture to teach Cultural Anthropology.  You could even do it in your own country.

Answer 5

You must have a PhD in Anthropology to teach it at college level. To get your PhD you must submit a paper on an anthropological topic that sheds new light on some topic. That usually involves some sort of field work but not always travel to another country. I knew one girl that did a study of Deadheads during the late eighties and followed the Grateful Dead with the Heads for six months doing her research. She passed her peer reviews and orals with it and got her PhD. Be creative and just do something that adds to the knowledge base of what it means to be human.

Answer 6

lots of people who teach the freshman course in anthropology are Matster's or Ph. D. Students.

but that is only done while those4 students are in the program.

Answer 7

many who teach anthro dont hv 1st hand knowledge nor hv even visited these countries.   usu in some uni, anthro is part of soc sci - so u hv to do other courses b4 specializing in anthr.   for masters/phd some will require tt u go to the country.  it varies with diff uni.  check out the uni

Answer 8

In order to teach Anthropology at the college level (getting one of these is highly competitive) you MUST have a PhD. in anthropology. This will require completing a dissertation which may or may not (usually does) involve foreign travel to collect data. This will depend on the type of anthropology you study. Doing work in the field also looks good on your CV.