Why should I enroll in free online courses in anthropology? As the principle has been, the higher the demand, the higher the price; this applies to careers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7.4 percent growth in the demand for anthropologists. Also, anthropologists rank #6 in Best Science Jobs, and the jobs are rated based on their ability to offer an elusive mix of factors.
So, if you enjoy studying both the present and history of human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, a career in anthropology might be a good fit for you.
If you want to study anthropology and are skeptical if it’ll be a lucrative and promising career, you need to read this piece. In this article, we cover what anthropology is, why a job in anthropology is good, how you can become an anthropologist, and the free online courses in anthropology.
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What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, that is concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics in both the past and present, including plants and animal species. Anthropologists study human language, culture, societies, biological and material remains, primate biology and behavior, and even our purchasing habits. It is a broad discipline that incorporates new technologies and ideas regularly.
Furthermore, anthropologists can work for a wide range of companies. These include museums, police departments, marketing firms, cultural resource management firms, government agencies, and research institutes. As a result, they may spend most of their time working outdoors on an archaeological dig or in an office analyzing anthropological data.
Anthropology is divided into four disciplines, and each of the subfields teaches different skills. However, there are many similarities between the subfields.
The Four Subfields in Anthropology
1. Archaeology
Archaeology is the scientific study of earlier cultures and past human lifeways through the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of material remnants of past societies.
2. Biological Anthropology
Biological anthropologists study how humans adapt to different environments, causes of disease and death, and how humans evolve.
3. Cultural Anthropology
Cultural anthropologists investigate how people in different places live and perceive the world around them using a variety of theoretical approaches and research methods—the research of people’s cultures worldwide, including their social, political, economic, and ideological aspects.
4. Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistic anthropologists look into the various ways people communicate around the world. They’re curious about the connection between language and how we perceive the world and interact with one another.
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Why should You Have a Career in Anthropology?
If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in anthropology but aren’t sure if it’s the right choice for you, the following points should help you understand why you should.
1. Rising Demand and Financial Gains
Just as we said in the introduction of this post, the demand for anthropologists will continue to surge higher. Additionally, according to a report by ZipRecruiter, anthropologists earn a median salary of $66,130 in 2020, however, wages might differ based on experience and industry. Consequently, anthropologists will be needed to ensure interactions at international levels, such as in international trade, logistics, policy negotiations, program development, and many other scenarios go well.
2. Opportunity to Travel and Tour the World
Anthropology is the study of humans in a global context. After graduation, you may choose to live and work among various groups of people worldwide, researching and examining their traditions or lifestyles, studying primates in their natural environment, or conducting other archaeological research. So, if you pursue a career in anthropology, you will have the opportunity to travel and tour the world.
3. Various Career Options
Anthropologists work in various settings, including government, business, and academia. With perception skills, needs assessment, cross-cultural understanding, sampling, surveying, and group participation, anthropology welcomes other professionals from various backgrounds and offers a variety of career paths. Hence, you can decide to major in Archaeology, ethnology, primatology, and paleontology.
4. Opportunity to Satisfy Your Curiosity About the Human Race
Anthropologists have a unique opportunity to investigate all factors that shape who we are. As a result, their insights assist us in better understanding our evolutionary history and forecasting our future. During your studies or work, you may make remarkable discoveries such as these:
The earliest known human burial dates from around 78,000 years ago.
The oldest Homo sapiens fossils date back 300,000 years and so on.
5. Opportunity to Develop Transferable Skills
An anthropology career will assist you in developing a wide range of skills that are necessary in today’s world and applicable to a variety of job roles and industries. Some of these skills that will improve your job prospects are communication, research, problem-solving, writing, teamwork, and collaborative skills.
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Why Enroll in Online Courses in Anthropology?
There are a lot of perks you get to enjoy when you enroll in anthropology courses online, it’s both flexible, and there are also free online courses in anthropology that you can register and learn at your own pace. The following are reasons why you should enroll in online certificate courses in anthropology:
1. Cheap and Flexible
Assuming you’re studying in an institution that requires your presence. If you’re a worker, it won’t be easy to meet up with schooling deadlines; however, with free online anthropology classes, you can enroll from anywhere in the world and learn from world-class universities, all that’ll be required is your data connection and commitment.
2. Connect You to the Global Community
The internet has enabled people worldwide to communicate with one another. As a result, online anthropology courses will allow you to connect with people from all over the world.
How to Become an Anthropologist?
First and foremost, you must complete your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. Then attend university and pursue a higher degree in science, arts, social science, or international studies with a major in anthropology.
University prerequisites vary, and some have flexible entry requirements or offer external study. After that, you can enroll in postgraduate courses, which typically require a relevant bachelor’s degree with honors. Ensure you do your diligence by contacting institutions of interest for more information.
Top Ten Free Online Courses in Anthropology With Certificates in 2022
The following are our top picks of free online courses in anthropology:
1. Extinctions: Past, Present, & Future
The first on our list of free online courses in anthropology is extinctions. This free course offered by Emory University introduces you to the five mass extinctions of the pre-human past, their causes and significance to the history of life on earth, and the current mass extinction happening during our time.
You’ll also learn about the history of paleontology and geological study and the key figures who influenced science today. In addition, you’ll receive portable handouts, lively demonstrations, and quizzes to bridge and enhance your knowledge, regardless of your level of familiarity with the subject.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Extinctions
Duration: 17 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
2. Research Design: Inquiry and Discovery
The second on our list of free online courses in anthropology is research design, and the primary purpose of this course is to focus on good questions and how to answer them. These questions are critical for making informed decisions as a leader in any organization or in your life.
Learners will cover topics such as the basis of human curiosity, the development of questions, the connections between questions and approaches to information gathering design, variable measurement, sampling, the differences between experimental and non-experimental techniques, data analysis, reporting, and the ethics of inquiry projects in this course offered by the University of North Texas.
Furthermore, we will focus on approaches used in the social sciences, such as anthropology, and discuss how others might approach the inquiry process.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Research Design
Duration: 9 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
3. Osteoarcheology: The Truth in Our Bones
This course stands out among the free online courses in anthropology because, during the course, you will decipher the clues left behind in the skeletons of past peoples with the methods and techniques presented. Also, you may discover some clues hidden in your structure and what they reveal about the life you are living.
In archaeology and anthropology, human skeletal remains can provide unique insights into the past and the present that cannot be achieved otherwise. In this course, you will investigate all aspects of the human skeleton that can provide us with information about these different facets of life.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Osteoarchaeology
Duration: 27 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
4. Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics
Everyone uses language every day, everywhere. No matter how small or remote, no human society does not have a rich and diverse vocabulary. The Miracles of Human Language introduces the multifaceted study of languages, which has fascinated humans since the dawn of time.
You will understand and analyze how your native tongue is similar and different from many other languages in collaboration with speakers of many other languages worldwide and renowned linguists such as Noam Chomsky and Adele Goldberg. Additionally, you’ll learn the fundamentals of linguistics, some of the critical characteristics of significant and minor languages, and what linguists do.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Miracles of Human Language
Duration: 23 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
5. Our Earth’s Future
Our Earth’s Future also ranks on our list of free online courses in anthropology. The course is about the science of climate change and how to talk about it. You will learn from scientists in climatology, oceanography, Earth science, and anthropology who study how climate change affects people, populations, and ways of life.
In addition; you’ll also look at the various lines of evidence for the current human-caused climate change and what it means for our planet’s future. By the end of this course, you will be able to recognize and address common misconceptions about climate change and confidently contribute to discussions about the subject.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Our Earth’s Future
Duration: 8 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
6. Recovering the Humankind’s Past and Saving the Universal Heritage
This is another highly rated course among the free online courses in anthropology because archaeology is the human science with the most significant potential for rediscovering, preserving, and protecting cultural heritage as humanity’s universal patrimony. On the other hand, the study and protection of the past we share daily prevents any possible destruction, misuse, abuse, and thus cancellation of human memory.
In this free anthropology course, you’ll learn about how we think about and engage with the study of the human past, from finding ancient traces in the field to studying and interpreting them. The course will focus on practical, cutting-edge tools for preserving, monitoring, and valuing cultural heritage through a multidisciplinary approach based on deep archaeological and historical knowledge and ICT technologies.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Recovering the Humankind’s Past and Saving the Universal Heritage
Duration: 13 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
7. Off the Clock: The Many Faces of Time
“Off the Clock: The Many Faces of Time” offers a multidisciplinary, international look at time. This free anthropology certificate course aims to broaden learners’ understanding of time, from our human experience of the present to plants, animals, bacteria, and even art’s relationship to time.
This free anthropology course will provide you with multidisciplinary tools for thinking about time in human and non-human systems. Furthermore, the approach accomplishes this by posing and answering three key questions. First, students will learn how to join philosophers and physicists in asking, “What is time, and what are its characteristics?”
The participants will then discuss how humans and non-humans perceive time, bringing together psychologists, chronobiologists, and time philosophers. Finally, learners will gain the ability to discuss how humans perceive and value time with linguists, anthropologists, and psychologists.
The course was created by 13 young researchers from various fields and countries who were part of UBIAS’s 1st Intercontinental Academia (ICA 1), a global network of university-based institutes for advanced study.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Off the Clock
Duration: 5 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
8. Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization
Ancient Egyptian culture has fascinated people for millennia with its massive pyramids, imposing temples, golden treasures, enigmatic hieroglyphs, powerful pharaohs, strange gods, and mysterious mummies. Nearby cultures in the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean wrote about its god-like kings and seemingly limitless gold supply. The Greeks and Romans describe aspects of Egyptian culture and history.
As the nineteenth century began, the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt highlighted the wonders of this ancient land, and public interest soared. Soon after, Champollion deciphered Egypt’s hieroglyphs, paving the way for other scholars to discover that Egyptian texts dealt with medicine, dentistry, veterinary practices, mathematics, literature, accounting, and various other topics.
Then, in the early twentieth century, Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb and its excellent contents. Exhibitions of this treasure a few decades later resulted in the world’s first blockbuster, and its revival in the twenty-first century has kept interest alive. This free anthropology course from the University of Pennsylvania will introduce you to ancient Egypt and its civilization.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization
Duration: 8 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
9. Moralities of Everyday Life
How do we reconcile kindness and cruelty? Where do we get our sense of right and wrong? Why do people frequently disagree on moral issues? This course investigates the psychological underpinnings of our moral lives.
What exactly is morality? What are the primary debates in moral psychology? Where does concern for others originate? How does it relate to empathy, and is more empathy always a good thing? What can we learn from studying people who appear to lack normal moral feelings, such as violent psychopaths? This course will address all of these concerns.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Moralities of Everyday Life
Duration: 24 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
10. Magic in the Middle Ages
This is the final course on our list of free online courses in anthropology. Right from time, magical thought has always attracted human imagination. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection on certain stereotypes associated with this period. This course will introduce the Middle Ages through a broad conception of magic. You’ll have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs, and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science.
Additionally, it will cover both famous and learned magic (alchemy, geomancy, and necromancy). Furthermore, you’ll look at how eastern practices and texts influenced Western culture. By the end of the course, you will be able to analyze historical documentation from the Middle Ages and recognize the most common patterns of legal documents concerning witchcraft.
Provider: Coursera
Subject: Magic in the Middle Ages
Duration: 9 Hours
Start Date: Self-Paced
Conclusion
As previously stated, anthropology is a lucrative and promising career with numerous benefits. As an anthropologist, you can work in a variety of fields. Hence, if you enjoy studying both the present and history of human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, then a career in anthropology may be a good fit for you.
If you want to pursue a career in anthropology but don’t have the time to study at an institution that’ll require you to be physically present, or if you want courses that’ll give you a taste of what anthropology looks like, you can enroll in any of the free online courses in anthropology that we’ve shared. We hope you found this article informative.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Free Online Courses in Anthropology
A career in anthropology offers a lot of perks ranging from traveling and touring various places, a variety of career paths, financial benefits, the ability to learn transferable skills, and satisfy your curiosity about the human race. Therefore, anthropology is a good career choice.
An anthropology degree can prepare you for careers in archaeology, college teaching, environmental anthropology, medical anthropology, and museum curatorship. It can also assist you in obtaining positions in advertising, diversity, and human resources.
According to a report by ZipRecruiter, anthropologists will earn a median salary of $66,131 in 2020; however, wages may differ based on experience and industry.
Yes, many institutions offer online degrees in the various fields of anthropology; you can even check out the free online courses in anthropology that we listed in the article above.
The following are the best place to study anthropology:
Harvard University
University of California
The Australian National University
University of Chicago
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) London, United Kingdom.
Reference
- americananthro.org – What is Anthropology?
- practicinganthropology.org – Why should I study Anthropology?
- gooduniversitiesguide.com – How do you become an Anthropologist?
- coursera.org – Free online courses in Anthropology
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