Undergraduate Students in UH Anthropology

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Information and Helpful Links

The Department of Anthropology at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa welcomes students interested in majoring or minoring in anthropology. This page provides helpful information for such students as well as those who have already declared majors or minors in the undergraduate program in anthropology at UH.

Applying. To apply for undergraduate study at UH, contact the UH Admissions and Records Office.

Declaring. To declare a major or minor in Anthropology, consult these online forms available from Student Academic Services, or go to Hawaii Hall 108 to pick up forms in person.

Degree Requirements. Degree requirements for Majors and Minors in anthropology are available on the Department website.

Advising. Students interested in Anthropology or in need of academic advising can contact the Department's Undergraduate Chair, Professor Andrew Arno, or the Department Chair, Professor Geoffrey White. Students should choose an advisor from the department faculty who shares similar interests and who can help them to achieve their academic goals. Contact information for all faculty is available online. Students should also consider the College of Arts & Sciences advising services for assistance planning their personal academic trajectory.

Funding. Information on sources of funding for undergraduate students in anthropology can be found here. The Department offers the Carol Eastman Scholarship for undergrads once a year. Other sources of funding can be found outside the Department and students are encouraged to contact the UH Financial Aid Office.

Courses. All of our Department faculty members teach undergraduate courses. Courses in the Anthropology Department are offered in each of the four subfields of anthropology: Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology. The Department offers several summer session archaeology field schools for students interested in studying archaeology. Students should also consult the UH course catalog.

Independent Study and Internships. Anthropology is a field that encourages participatory forms of study and research—in other words, it encourages you to get involved with the people and places that you are interested to learn about. Hence the program encourages community work of all kinds, including independent study, internships, and volunteer work.

Independent Study. Anthropology majors are encouraged to consult with faculty about opportunities for involvement with research that they direct. Look over the list of department projects and faculty and discuss your ideas with any of the faculty who share your interests. It is possible to obtain academic credit for a supervised project. See how one of the department’s undergrads arranged her own project working at the Mission Houses Museum.

Volunteer. Those wishing to gain experience through work with organizations in the community may pursue a variety of opportunities, including involvement with local museums, such as the Bishop Museum or the National Park Service and the various historic sites and parks that they manage in Hawai‘i.

Internships. The University maintains a database of paid internship opportunities. To sign up for notification of openings, register with the student internship website. Again, department faculty can advise you about organizations that may have opportunities for paid work that allows you to learn and apply your skills as an anthropologist.

Opportunities for part-time employment available with the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor. With an expanded National Park Service mission to tell the story of the War in the Pacific, the NPS will be opening a new visitor center at Pearl Harbor in February 2010. The Park Service is offering employment opportunities to students through the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) to meet the expanded mission and enhance the visitor experience at Pearl Harbor. Applications will be accepted from all qualified U.S. Citizens. For application information click here.
Questions or requests for additional information may be directed to: Mr. Frank Middleton, Frank_Middleton@nps.gov.

Information on preparing for advanced study and careers in anthropology is also available on our undergraduate majors page.

Prof. Andrew Arno
Undergraduate Advisor
Saunders 307
956-5277
anthadv@hawaii.edu

page last updated November 19, 2009