Anthropology at Beloit College is almost as old as the study of anthropology in the United States. The College's Logan Museum of Anthropology began in 1894, just two years after the first degree in anthropology was awarded in this country. Since that time, Beloit's anthropology department has developed into one of the best and most highly regarded undergraduate programs in the world. Anthropology at Beloit combines classroom instruction in three of the four sub-fields—archaeology, biological, and cultural anthropology—with field research and the unique learning environment of the Logan Museum.

Anthropology is the study of human cultural diversity as it has developed over time and across space, as well as in relation to biology and the environment. Anthropologists integrate perspectives from the other social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. What unites our discipline is a reliance on theory regarding social behavior and biological evolution. Within this framework, Beloit College students acquire both breadth and depth in anthropology.
Excellence and Distinctiveness

More anthropology Ph.D.s earned their undergraduate degrees at Beloit than at any other four-year liberal arts college not connnected to a university. These alumni and many others in a wide variety of fields attribute much of their success to their Beloit anthropology experience. Many factors contribute to Beloit's strength in anthropology:

• No other college of our type has an anthropology museum similar in scope, depth, or quality to the Logan Museum. Rarely are undergraduates able to work directly with, and conduct research in, collections of this quality.
• Beloit maintains a tradition of anthropological study dating to the early 20th century, long before most other institutions included it in their curricula.
• Students engage in field schools, museum programs, faculty projects, and independent studies, and this hands-on involvement was customary at Beloit long before undergraduate research became fashionable in higher education.
• The nature of anthropology as a discipline coheres with the overall strengths of Beloit College. Anthropology and the College both emphasize learning that is interdisciplinary, experiential, and global.