Minerals Institute of Western Australia

Anthropologist

Anthropologists study the origin, development and functioning of human societies and cultures, as they exist now, or have existed throughout history.

Anthropologists are concerned with the total complexities of social and cultural life, including religion and rituals, family and kinship systems, languages, art and music, symbolism and economic and political systems. Anthropologists' main research method is fieldwork, living with the people being studied and learning by participation in activities.

Applied anthropologists may work in areas such as social policy and planning, social impact assessments, conservation, advocacy, community development, women and development, cultural resource management, land claims and social justice.

In collecting information about a society, Anthropologists may have to learn a language and spend some time undertaking field work in remote areas and often under difficult conditions.

Anthropologists in the minerals industry may perform the following tasks:

• work in different Aboriginal communities to gather and analyse information on social and cultural behaviour, artefacts, language and biology of the groups and societies which they are studying;
• collect, identify, date, protect and preserve Aboriginal artefacts, material possessions and other objects of anthropological interest; 
• examine and interpret fossil remains, and study sites once inhabited by older civilisations, to try to trace the history of former inhabitants.

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REQUIRING A DEGREE

Archaeologist
Sociologist

Education and Training:

ACT
Degree Courses
Australian National University (ACT)

NSW
Degree Courses
Australian National University
Charles Sturt University - Albury/Wodonga and Broken Hill campuses
Macquarie University
University of Newcastle
University of Sydney

NT
Degree Courses
Northern Territory University - Casuarina Campus

Postgraduate Degree Courses
Northern Territory University - Casuarina Campus

QLD
Degree Courses
Griffith University - Nathan Campus
James Cook University of North Queensland - Cairns and Townsville campuses
University of Queensland - St Lucia Campus

SA
Degree Courses
Flinders University of SA
University of Adelaide

Postgraduate Degree Courses
Flinders University of SA

TAS 
Degree Courses
La Trobe University (Vic)
Monash University (Vic)
University of Sydney (NSW)

VIC 
Degree Courses
Deakin University - Geelong Campus
La Trobe University - Albury Wodonga and Bundoora campuses
Monash University - Clayton
University of Melbourne

Postgraduate Degree Courses
Deakin University - Geelong Campus
University of Melbourne

WA
Degree Courses
Curtin University - Bentley Campus
University of Western Australia