The John Jay College Department of Anthropology offers two major degrees of study along with a minor.
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology:
A focus in Cultural Anthropology: the "knowledge of regions, peoples, cultures, international/global issues; skills to research, analyze, communicate, work and use information in global, cross-cultural settings; and values of respect and concern for other cultures and peoples...and applying that knowledge to social problems that affect their own communities."
Students will "develop skills in ethnographic research methods and make use of anthropological knowledge in contemporary settings in the New York City region by engaging in urban fieldwork."
Deviance, Crime and Culture, Bachelor of Arts (an interdisciplinary study, formerly Bachelor of Arts in Deviant Behavior and Social Control):
An "interdisciplinary and ethnographic approach to...research, analyze and understand deviance and crime in the context of culture."
A focus on ethnographic fieldwork and "first-hand study of social problems, theoretical training in cross-cultural analysis, in social, political and structural inequality and in historical and contemporary interventions aimed at achieving social justice."
Students have the "opportunity to develop their own areas of expertise such as interpersonal violence, crime and transgression and individual and group conflict...[and the professional skills to prepare them] for either careers or advanced study in the fields of criminal and social justice, law enforcement, community justice and intervention, civic activism and social science research."
Minor in Anthropology at John Jay College
Provides students with "exposure to the range of human variation across time and space and a comprehensive background in cross-cultural studies."
Collections of search-able groups of Specialized Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology (CEA) isa growing open-access teaching and learning resource.
Gale Virtual Reference Library (CUNY USE ONLY) Hundreds of specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographical directories and other reference books in the subject fields of criminal justice, economics, history, literature, psychology, religion, science, world cultures, and more
Oxford Reference Online Premium (CUNY USE ONLY) Hundreds of reference books from Oxford University Press, including language dictionaries, and reference works in art, science, classics, business, history, law, literature, medicine, geography, performing arts, philosophy, and social science.
Sage e-Reference Collection (JOHN JAY USE ONLY) A searchable collection of subject encyclopedias, including major titles in criminal justice, research methods, psychology, and social issues from Sage publishers
Please consult some of our related library guides for additional information:
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Ethnic Studies: Multicultural America
Immigration: Resources, Problems and Policies
Latin American & Latina/o Studies
Social Activism, Civil Disobedience and Anti-Racism Movements
An ethnography is a detailed empirical description of a culture living in a specific geographic location during a specific period of time.
Consult these readings for more in-depth discussions of ethnography:
Laurier, E., Miller, R., & Muñoz Zech, D.I. (2017). Ethnography. In Oxford bibliographies online. https://doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780199874002-0171
Robben, A.C.G.M., & Sluka, J.A. (2015). Ethnography. In J.D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (2nd ed., pp. 178-183). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.12065-3
Robinson-Caskie, E. E. (2006). Ethnography. In H. J. Birx (Ed.), Encyclopedia of anthropology (Vol. 2, pp. 853-854). SAGE Reference.
Ybema, S., Yanow, D., Wels, H., & Kamsteeg, F. (2010). Ethnography. In A. J. Mills, G. Durepos, & E. Wiebe (Eds.), Encyclopedia of case study research (Vol. 1, pp. 347-351). SAGE Reference.
Warren, C. A. B. (2001). Ethnography. In Encyclopedia of sociology (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 852-856). Macmillan Reference USA.