I stumbled across Anthropology the way an untrained archaeologist
would stumble across an artifact of unknown significance. When I first started
college in the fall of 1995 I attended Kutztown University. Like most incoming
freshmen I really had no idea of what I wanted my major to be, but I found
out that I could possibly receive more financial aid if I had a focus, so
I chose Secondary Education with a focus on History. I quickly lost interest
in the Education field and was realizing that it was not History as a whole
that I enjoyed but more so the people and cultural aspects that make History.
I had always been curious as to what makes culture and more importantly who
makes up a culture. It is my opinion that without culture and people there
would be no notion of history anyway, so I was determined to find out as much
as I could, not only about people but the cultures in which they operate.
It was at this point that I dove into Kutztownís Cultural Anthropology
curriculum head first, only to land on my head. After taking a few classes
in North and South American Indigenous cultures and Archaeology I found myself
swimming with my head up and immersed in the department at Kutztown. From
there I took classes ranging from the History and Theory of Cultural Anthropology
to Peoples and Cultures of the South Pacific and Peoples and Cultures of South
East Asia. Some of my readings in these courses included: Extraordinary Groups
by Kephart and Zellner, Sociocultural Theory in Anthropology by Garbarino,
Issues in Cultural Anthropology by McCurdy and Spradley, Humanity by Peoples
and Bailey, and Cultural Anthropology by Kottak, just to name a few. I maintained
a C+ average, and knew I could do better. My readings and social life were
engulfed in the world of cultures and how they form societies or even vice
versa. During my senior semester and in particular my senior seminar at Kutztown
I left due to low self esteem and fears of failing as a legitimate member
of the field. Some of the teachers that I had for classes were Dr. David Webb,
Dr. Allen Fanger, Dr. Peter Miller, and Dr. Bill Donner. These were all extraordinary
teachers but the curriculum of the school at the time was generally based
in Physical Anthropology. This had a lot to do with my decision to leave.
While enrolled in Kutztown were primarily spent traveling through out the
country and keeping records and journals of my encounters. In the period of
time while I was no longer in school my days were spent working a meaningless
job, and my nights were spent trying to rekindle my desire to go back to school,
complete my degree by keeping up with world events and reading more about
different cultures.
My first semester back to school was in the spring 2002, but not at Kutztown,
I was now a full-time student at Temple University, in Philadelphia. It was
during this semester that I was enrolled in only one Anthropology course,
that being Pictorial Lives taught by Dr. Richard Chalfen. Some of our readings
included, Turning Leaves and Snapshot Versions of Life both by Chalfen as
well as Lives by Langness and Frank. This class was the first one I had ever
had within Visual Anthropology, a field I knew nothing about until I arrived
at Temple. I earned a B in the class and it helped me to see how important
it is in ìseeingî and ìperceivingî culture. It was
during this semester that I earned a 3.75 QPA and for the first time ever
I was on the Deanís List. I was now aware of not only the student I
was capable of being, but more importantly, the person I had always truly
been. My perception of my self had completed its 360 degree turn for the best
and I was now on my way to proving my self worth to all those that I would
come into contact with.
During the fall of 2002 semester I was enrolled in three Anthropology courses,
each touching on three different aspects of the field: Biological, Cultural,
and Linguistics. For my Cultural Anthropology course I had Professor Molly
Doane. It was in this course that I wrote the essay comparing and contrasting
the works of Clifford Geertz and Dwight Conquergood, which is included in
the essay section of this site. Some of the readings included, Life is Hard
by Lancaster, No Shame in My Game by Newman, and Sweetness and Power by Mintz.
In this class I received a B. For my Linguistic Anthropology class I had Dr.
Paul Garrett. We had several articles to read for this class by respected
people within the field and also we were required to read Sociolinguistics
an Introduction by Wardaugh. In this class as well I received a B+. For my
Biological Anthropology course I had Dr. Jonathan Friedlander. For this class
we used a standard textbook, but I only earned a C+ for a grade. This semester
I earned roughly somewhere between a 3.0-3.25 average within the major. These
courses reinforced in me the notion of peopleís role within culture,
and that I would never really be fond of the physically scientific aspects
of Anthropology.
Currently I am in my final semester at Temple University. I am enrolled in
two Anthropology courses, Anthropology of Globalization taught by Professor
Molly Doane and Research Methods within Visual Anthropology taught by Dr.
Richard Chalfen. These two classes serve as an end to my formal schooling
at this time but also as the entrance of my life into the field outside of
the classroom.
Within the next few years I will be happily married, and continuing my pursuit
of cultural knowledge and hopefully applying this knowledge within my occupation.
I may be joining the Peace Corps within the next two years, but I will have
to wait and see. I intend to apply for jobs at Museums and/or galleries specifically
to setup exhibits and displays. Graduate School at the present time is not
an option but my ultimate career goal and what I would consider to be the
apex of my educational pursuits would be to become a Professor in the field
that has made me realize what it means to be human, both culturally and mentally.
