Designing an Anthropology Career

Sherylyn H. Briller is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and a Faculty Associate in the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. She is an applied cultural/medical anthropologist specializing in aging, disability and life course issues. Dr. Briller is highly interested in the career development of anthropologists, which led to this book. Her individual and collaborative scholarship resulted in a four volume book series on dementia care settings, an interdisciplinary book about end-of-life issues, one design monograph, two guest-edited special issues, 10 book chapters, 24 peer-reviewed articles, and a community-engaged medical anthropology museum exhibit. At the broadest level, her anthropological scholarship and practice aim to create a better, more inclusive world that supports people in achieving and maintaining social personhood across the life course and a range of disability and illness experiences. Dr. Briller is the President and a Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology. She is a former President of the Association for Anthropology & Gerontology Education (AAGE). Dr. Briller holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Carleton College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University.Amy Goldmacher is a trained social scientist and research professional who finds opportunities for innovation and has run her own research and consulting business since 2013. By carefully observing and questioning how people engage with the world, she provides insights and recommendations that connect customers to products. With almost 20 years of applied research experience, Dr. Goldmacher has provided research for product, service, and experience design across industries, including academia, automotive, consumer products, digital places and websites, healthcare, industrial products, and apps. Dr. Goldmacher has previously published on topics of anthropological work and careers, including articles in the journals Anthropology News and Practicing Anthropology, co-edited a special edition of the journal Practicing Anthropology, and co-authored a chapter in an anthropology textbook. Dr. Goldmacher holds a B.A. in Anthropology with Honors from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

• Table of Contents: Part I - Desigining An Anthropology CareerChapter 1 IntroductionUpdated discussion of 21st century world of work, roles for liberal arts graduates and the power of an anthropology degreeNew section about practitioners/employment in anthropological practiceUpdated personal story boxes of the authors based on career changes since the first editionUpdated content based on what students have been asking for (e.g., how to become an anthropological practitioner, how to ensure that students can set up to work on social issues about which they care most)Chapter 2 Positioning Yourself in the DisciplineTone adjusted to accommodate undergraduates and graduate level students and for professionals who may be looking to pivot careersUpdated discussion of the state of anthropology education; applied/practice, academic spectrum; changes to tenure and promotion standards in academia to reflect growing influence of applied scholarship, pedagogy and engagement Updated discussion of how applied/practicing anthropology has grown and evolved - and the doors that have been opened over timeUpdated discussion of the life course approach to career planningChapter 3 How to Use this Book EffectivelyUpdated discussion of technologies and storage practices and feedback mechanismsPart II - Professional Development ExercisesAll exercises will be enhanced and updated to include more specific direction with the prompts, tips for completion, applicability to real-life situations, new examples and action plans.Two exercises (Representing Your Body of Work: Portfolio Exercise and Representing Yourself in Other Fields: Second Domain Exercise) have been renamed “Term Projects” because they require more effort over a longer time period and are well-suited for midterm and/or final projects in a course. As such, they will be substantially reworked and reformatted to reflect how students should approach and work on these larger activities. Emphasis will be placed on other kinds of deliverables - e.g., a portfolio you can share with potential employers or use for representing yourself on the Internet. For the Second Domain exercise, we have found that one of the best outcomes is that this project causes students to reach out in a series of informational interviews to individuals they would like to add to their professional network. This step has resulted in numerous positive developments including growing these networks and sometimes even leading to job opportunities. We want to maximize the value of these larger exercises in some of these key ways.Exercise 1 – Understanding Yourself as an Anthropologist: Identity ExerciseExercise 2 – Understanding Your Educational Background: Transcript ExerciseExercise 3 – Understanding Your Work Background: Job Titles ExerciseExercise 4 – Understanding Your Values: Code of Ethics ExerciseExercise 5 – Understanding Your Impact: Making Social Change ExerciseExercise 6 – Understanding Yourself in Collaboration: Team Work ExerciseExercise 7 – Understanding Your Personal and Professional Balance: Lifestyle ExerciseExercise 8 – Understanding Your Advising Relationships: Mentorship ExerciseExercise 9 – Understanding Your Professional Connections: Networking ExerciseExercise 10 – Understanding Your Ideal Job: Anthropological Job Search ExerciseExercise 11 – Representing Yourself Professionally as an Anthropologist: Personal Introduction ExerciseExercise 12 – Representing Yourself in a Summary Document: Resume ExerciseExercise 13 – Representing Your Whole Anthropological Career: Retirement ExerciseTerm Project 1 – Representing Your Body of Work: Portfolio ExerciseTerm Project 2 – Representing Yourself in Other Fields: Second Domain ExerciseReferences About the Authors