Forensic Anthropology Vs Criminology

Anthropology derives from the Latin and Greek root terms for human, anthrop, and study, ology, but anthropology is far more than just studying humans. Anthropology is a holistic view of what humans are, how we came to be, and how we interact in the modern and ancient world. Anthropology takes the history of humans and our relatives into account and uses that to help explain the way in which humans react and communicate now. It can be either applied, going into the field and learning for oneself, or theoretical, studying cultures via secondary sources and making inferences from those. The culmination of all that humans are can be understood in the individual cultures that arise, studying these cultures and how they interact within and between

The specific profession associated with criminology would be forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology is the application of anthropology and its separate subfields to assist in the legal setting of a criminal case. It is known for “drawing primarily from physical anthropology and archeology” as its two subfields (Nawrocki). A reliable comparison for this would be an archaeologist that aides police in the solving of crimes. People in this profession are often seen accompanying police to the scene of a crime and collecting data to analyze. By using their background in anthropology, they can compile the many components of a crime scene to construct an accurate recreation of the events that unfolded and give an unbiased retelling of the events in the courtroom. Their knowledge in the biological subfield is also vital in completing this recreation, as the site will often contain human by-products that will assist in their understanding of the events. This profession has a heavy focus on the archaeology and biological subfields, whereas journalism focuses heavily on the other two

Although one may think it is hard for an anthropologist to find work outside of a university, the variety of professions that are there for them would surprise even the hardiest job hunter. The superior quality that an anthropology background provides its practitioner is the broad scope of their knowledge surrounding humans. The three examples presented are barely scratching the surface of countless jobs that are open to anthropologist; thus it is vital to research even more in-depth. No longer can it be said that getting an anthropology degree entails having to either sit in a university office and read dusty old books. Now is the time for anthropologist to go out into the world and begin the honest study of humans and their connection. It is vital for people like this to be around as they will be the ones that can help nations see common ground rather than their differences and usher in peace where it before did not