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Anthropology Department Frequently Asked Questions

Anthropology is a colourful, creative discipline that produces systematic knowledge about human beings and the living and non-living things they live with. Departments of Anthropology usually have a rich academic composition that reflects the nature of the discipline.

Anthropology education at undergraduate level is four years.

Studying in the Department of Anthropology means becoming well-equipped in a basic branch of social sciences. In addition to all other advantages, it is a privilege to study in this unique field of human thought. Graduates of Anthropology can be employed in many different fields with the skills they gain from this education process. Anthropology graduates can find the opportunity to work in social sciences departments of universities, research companies, museums, media organizations, governmental organizations such as SIS, foundations, international organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, ILO, WHO in connection with their expertise. In addition, as is the case for all other social sciences, anthropology education helps to gain the necessary background to work in different sectors. In recent years, anthropology graduates have been increasingly preferred in areas such as market research and advertising in the private sector.

Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), Natural History Museum, Natural History Museums, Ministry of Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and its organizations, Ministry of Culture and its organizations, Ministry of Tourism and its organizations, National Folklore Institute, TRT and various documentary channels are among the working areas of anthropology graduates.

Our graduates can also find the opportunity to work in state institutions by taking the KPSS exam.

Anthropology departments have different course compositions depending on whether the curriculum focuses on social/cultural anthropology or biological anthropology. Social and cultural anthropology programs include courses on the development of anthropology, theories of anthropology, current composition of anthropology and anthropological research methods. You can access the courses in the Yeditepe University Anthropology undergraduate program curriculum developed on the basis of social / cultural anthropology from the link below:

https://fenedebiyat.yeditepe.edu.tr/en/anthropology-department/courses

As is true for all major fields of social science, anthropological education requires familiarity with the basic concepts and ways of thinking of the field. Although this process is not very challenging, focus and a strong sense of belonging are the basic conditions for the successful completion of anthropological education. For those who have a strong sense of understanding human beings and other beings with whom they are in a relationship, anthropological education will be an extremely enjoyable and exciting process.

Anthropology graduates can work in many public organisations where information about human societies is produced, such as the SIS. Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), Natural History Museums, Ministry of Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and its organisations, Ministry of Culture and its organisations, Ministry of Tourism and its organisations, National Folklore Institute, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and various documentary channels are among the working areas of anthropology graduates.

Forensic Anthropology is a subfield of Anthropology. People who are trained in this field may have the opportunity to work in the field of forensic medicine. Forensic Anthropology is emerging as a more effective discipline day by day, especially in the investigation of criminal cases.

Although not every year, anthropologists may be appointed in various public institutions and organizations from time to time. Especially in all public institutions and organizations where anthropological research techniques are functional in some way, anthropologists specialized in the effective use of these research techniques can be employed.

Anthropology education gives individuals creativity and the ability to recognise and understand people within their own cultural universe. The flexibility and skill of anthropologists in the application of various research methods, especially ethnography, will provide them with many advantages both in their working life and in their daily relationships.

Those who wish to work in the Anthropological Investigation Branch Directorate of the Criminal Investigation Department must have graduated from a Department of Anthropology that includes forensic anthropology courses in its curriculum. Afterward, they can start working by completing their vocational training at the Police Academy affiliated with the General Directorate of Security. Since the legislation on the subject is constantly updated, it would be appropriate for prospective students to make an inquiry on the websites of the relevant institutions.

Forensic anthropologists take an active role in various investigation processes by using research techniques developed within the discipline of biological anthropology. Today, forensic anthropology has started to play a greater role in the elucidation of criminal acts. The anthropological examination has an important position in the work of the Criminal Department within the General Directorate of Security.

In 1879, the American anthropologist Franz Boas established the first Department of Anthropology in the USA at Columbia University. Boas adopted an approach that integrated Anthropology with other sciences, and this approach played an important role in the development of the discipline of Anthropology. Boas's students enriched the discipline of Anthropology by studying cultures from all over the world. Following Columbia University, Departments of Anthropology were established at other universities such as Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. In the early 20th century, the discipline of Anthropology grew rapidly and Departments of Anthropology were opened at universities around the world.

If there is a need for teachers in schools within the Ministry of National Education, graduates of the Department of Anthropology can work as teachers. Since the legislation on the subject is regularly updated, it would be appropriate for prospective students to do more detailed research by making use of the website of the relevant institutions.

The Department of Anthropology accepts students with equal-weight score types.

Anthropology departments from different universities in Turkey accept students with different minimum and maximum scores. You can use the link below to find out the minimum scores for Yeditepe University Department of Anthropology.

https://fenedebiyat.yeditepe.edu.tr/en/anthropology-department

 

Anthropology is a creative discipline that produces systematic knowledge about human beings and the living and non-living beings they live with. The individual, interaction between individuals, communities, relationships between communities, culture and cultural diversity in the broadest sense, historical and contemporary dimensions are of interest to anthropology. Anthropology, which is related to intellectual disciplines such as Sociology, Geography, History and Linguistics, makes use of various methods developed by these disciplines. On the other hand, since its beginning, the tradition of Anthropology has mainly used ethnographic methods that make it possible to obtain in-depth information about human societies and has contributed to the development of these methods. From this point of view, the ability to creatively use ethnographic methods, which are functional for the investigation of not only the material foundations of daily life but also the semantic world of individuals and communities, can be considered among the distinctive features of anthropologists.

Psychological Anthropology is a subfield of Anthropology that studies human behaviour in its cultural context. Psychological Anthropologists investigate the cultural origins of human thought, emotions and behaviour and how they are shaped. Psychological Anthropology is closely related to other subfields of Anthropology and social sciences such as Psychology and Sociology. Psychological anthropologists use the knowledge at both the cultural and individual levels to understand human behaviour.

According to the dominant classification in the American anthropological tradition, Anthropology is divided into four subfields: Social/cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology (paleoanthropology, primatology), Archaeological Anthropology and Linguistic Anthropology. Each branch can be seen as independent disciplines with different foci and research methods. In bringing these disciplines under one umbrella, the American tradition emphasises the potential of Anthropology for an integrative understanding of the human being.

The issue of classifying Anthropology as a science is related to what one understands science to be. From the point of view of those who define science on the basis of the positivist philosophy of science, Anthropology is too speculative a discipline to be a science. The positivist philosophy of science defines science as the detection of regularities among observable phenomena. However, Anthropology does not only stay within the boundaries of observable phenomena. Emotions, perceptions and different patterns of human thought can be the subject of Anthropology. On the other hand, for a thinker who adopts critical realist or realist scientific philosophies, Anthropology can be seen as a discipline that fulfills many of the basic conditions of scientific knowledge production. In these approaches, the scientific approach is not limited to the methodology of natural sciences but is defined broadly to include various disciplines of human thought. According to some approaches, Anthropology is a discipline positioned between science and art, a discipline with its own rules, and a unique variant of human thought.

There are Anthropology programmes in many state and public universities. Yeditepe University Anthropology Department is the only Anthropology programme among foundation universities that offers education in English. You can access detailed information about the programme from here: https://fenedebiyat.yeditepe.edu.tr/en/anthropology-department