Yan 1

Ning Yan

ESL 33B

Project 2

05 April 2017

My Major and Future Career

Section I

It is necessary to figure out what I am going to do in my age, especially in the college

time. Having a clear goal which does not only help me to find my own direction, but also the aim

impels me to stay motivated. Fortunately, I figure out that what I am striving for my future. I

choose Anthropology as my major. From now on, I will start to make preparation for the future

working in this field. I choose this major because it is a science of humanity which is a study of

the human. Everything in the world is an interaction between human and whole environment.

My personal curiosity, study experience, and family education help me to solidify my decision.

Anthropology provides me a great chance to satisfy my curiosity and passion for having another

view of the world.

Personally, I like to observe and watch the phenomena in our society and humans

behavior. No matter for the crime, charity, and events, I am curious why people do this? How

could it happen? What could be improved based on the situation? There is a various reaction

from people even for myself, and those phenomena have aroused my interest. When I feel sad,

happy and angry, besides my emotions, I also want to dig out the reason why I have those strong

sensations in deep. For example, when I came here, I have gotten the mental illness which is

binge eating disorder. Unlike the typical patients, I cannot stop myself to think about why I

behaved this way and how to solve it. Seeing my feeling in an objective way and watching own
 Yan 2

behavior carefully. Although I read the Psychology books to familiar the theories about Eating

Disorder, it is not enough because I realized that irrational binging also is a kind of ego defense

mechanism. The animal brain of the human in self-mechanism plays an important role in

affecting my behavior. In this case, I found that as a human being, I do not enough familiar with

myself and I cannot receive the signal from my brain. After that, I set my goal to understand the

human being.

If the curiosity elicits my passion to the human being, my strong empathy with people

also a solid reason to decide major which is Anthropology. My father is a Chinse teacher. He

taught me a lot of classical Chinese poems in my young age. Traditional poets are likely to use

their works to express their feelings that are easy to understand. I used to dislike myself could

not be more rational. Emotions are disadvantages. However, with the time goes by, the strong

empathy and compassion really help me to live the world better. I will not indulge in a mood for

too long, and I have the ability to see beyond things. For instance, my friends and my family

members who understands me, they would like to talk to me when they got troubles. Including

my parents, they would like to take my words to deal with their social problems. Therefore,

because of them, I experienced the happiness of helping people if I can use my ability. It is worth

to live if I can have my own devotion for the world.

If I want to understand more about everything that I can see, I need to improve my

academic background. I took some social science classes in here, which were helpful to solidify

my decision again. Anthropology as a discipline, it definite offers me the chance to achieve my

dreams. The anthropologist is a role in analyzing, and as a bridge to connect different people,

cultures, and areas, which is really fit my idea why I live. Personally, I believe as a live, I need to

have my own value to existing. Living for helping. If I can become such bridge, which could
 Yan 3

contribute any development no matter for the individual or whole society. It is the huge fortune

to me.

There are a lot of anthropologists become analysists in business, college, governments.

They are devoting their life to make communication, to seek the uncover principles of human

behavior that can apply to human communities. Being a good anthropologist, only the interests

definitely not enough, and it requires me to familiar more information in this field.

Section II

I have an personal interview with the professor Mari to know more information about

Anthropology.

Anthropology is a subject to deal with anything relates to the human. There is the

advanced knowledge what humans are, how people became in different ways, and where people

are going to be in the future. According to the professor Mari in PCC, who currently teaches

Physical Anthropology class. She mentioned that the diversity of Anthropologys career. Most

Anthropologists works in four fields such as Medical, Governments, business and schools. For

example, in the future marketplaces, Anthropologist required by the growing need for the

analysts to comprehend the large volume data of human behavior, the extent of flexibility in the

real environment to use the independent thoughts, and the holistic knowledge and

anthropological perspective to interpret the reality. Moreover, they know the importance to

listening to the various voices and liking the work coming from people who come from different

backgrounds. Their wisdom helps them can embrace people of all kinds.

When it comes to the English language skills in the professional, summarizing and

analyzing the reading are indispensable, include applying theories, employing methods and

evaluating evidence. Communicating in the different situation with courage also cannot be
 Yan 4

ignored. The oral speaking and written reports are considered parts of the qualified

anthropologist. Making sure the reflection is understandable for any kind of people, because of

the evidence or record from the source with different cultural background, some information

perhaps hard for the readers to interpret. The clear and comprehensible explanation is the basic

step on the Anthropology field.

Always be prepared to have enough courage and thick face in diverse places to get along

with people would be a powerful weapon to succeed. For example, in some Africa tribes, such as

face painting and scarification. There are some weird traditions, and it would be hard to accept.

The strange customs which makes the feeling of uncomfortable. However, the Anthropologist

knows how to seek the internal logic of another society, how to avoid ethnocentrism and

deprive of ones own cultural background. With such senses to discover the world, it would be

less limitation and impacts of the profession in the real environment.

Each academic field has their own discourse community that enables to share the

common topics. An anthropological discourse community is complicated, which is similar any

academic field. In order to get involve in, the anthropological workers have to know the basic

cultural principle. In this case, they can develop or find something new. To fully participate in,

the anthropology discourse community, they need to stay in touched, discusses and exchange

ideas often. For example, despite the difference of academic information, they are both the social

science field. Sociology and Anthropology may use the same techniques within their discourse

communities. In the article Developing the Field Site Concept for the Study of Cultural

Evolution, it asserts that Cultural anthropology and sociology, the two most field oriented

disciplines in the human behavioral sciences, have been among the most avoidant of
 Yan 5

evolutionary theory. Both of field are talks about the how the cultural features to affect humans

behavior in current situation.

Once the both field of workers gets the understanding, sociologist and Anthropologist

will be able to use this information or principles with great understanding and create something

new. Both of them study about the culture principles. The same skill is required to research and

study the phenomena in the specific circumstance. They both study the human and the culture.

Anthropology is more focus on the human beings influence in one culture, but sociology pays

more attention to how people create the rules or theories to apply to the society.

Section III

Everything I have experienced gives the chance to find this major, Anthropology. I had

never thought about that if I can find the things that I really like. When I was young, I believe I

was the most strange person and kid. Many people include my parents, when they heard about

my thoughts about whole society, they always criticized and judge me have too many curiosities.

Sometimes I will doubt myself if I am an abnormal person because I do not like focus on one

thing. I still remember that day, I went to see the professor Mari, and she asked me that if I really

could not fit in your culture or group, right? I was so excited and felt that I have the chance that

someone really got my mind. I had no idea since when, I know the world that has no certain

rule, has no certain right or wrong and has no should or should not. And I am a human, there is

nothing indifferent with me. Anthropology gives me enough chance to satisfy even my curiosity.

There is no certain answer in this field. The thing that examines how careful and sensitive my

own in my environment. To distinguish the traits and potential in human beings.

 Yan 6

To sum up, from my personal involvement in my life, I gradually know that what my goal is. I

really appreciate that the anthropology discipline provides me the opportunity to develop my

own future.
 Yan 7

Work Cited

Pritchard-Parker, Mari. (2017, March 22). Personal interview.

Wilson, David Sloan and Harvey Whitehouse. "Developing the Field Site Concept for the
Study of Cultural Evolution." Cliodynamics: The Journal of Theoretical & Mathematical
History, vol. 7, no. 2, July 2016, pp. 228-287. EBSCOhost, doi:10.21237/C7clio7233542.