Understanding these changes requires an attention to cultures and their movements, places and the people who inhabit them. How do you study the relationship of Pueblo women to water in New Mexico? How do you investigate what it is like to live in the Western Sahara, or the concrete of the Paris suburbs? At COA, you can study the places and cultures that matter to you.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if … 

You had been born somewhere else? Lived in another culture or climate? Maybe you’ve had the experience of living and learning in another culture and can’t get the feel of it out of your mind and body. Maybe you haven’t had that experience and know you need to. Either way, COA’s curriculum will help you set down roots and send out tendrils. 

The presumption of cultural anthropology is that culture (even one’s own) is not immediately legible. Deep observation and participation are necessary.

Anthropology and more

Anthropology classes such as Blood: Substance and Symbol prepare you to study and encounter other cultures, and literature and history classes also take you to different worlds. COA offers multiple opportunities to study abroad, or travel and study within the US. Many COA courses support study of place and culture, helping you to explore their effect on how you think and see. 

Courses

  • <div class="lw_blurbs_body"><p><strong>Reminder</strong>: Areas of Study at COA aren’t majors or formal concentrations. All COA students design their own <a href="/academics/human-ecology-degree/">major in human ecology</a> and are free to chart their own path. Your major is defined by you, not us.</p></div>
  • <div class="lw_blurbs_body"><p><strong>Reminder</strong>: ‘Areas of Study’ aren’t the only way to think about courses.  Browse and explore <a href="https://www.coa.edu/academics/courses/">here</a>.</p></div>

Faculty