<p>I’m applying as an anthropology major but having some concerns with Brown… I know Brown is supposed to have a very strong anthropology department and has it’s own museum (as a number of top schools do) but I’m worried it doesnt have access to major museums. Most of the schools I applied to were in major cities because of their links to museums such as the Smithsonian or the Museum of Natural History (NYC) but Brown doesn’t have that sort of immidiate access. Does anyone have information about what resources Brown does use? I haven’t been able to go see the museum for myself (medical reasons) and didn’t really find too much on the website…
If anyone has some insight on this I would really appreciate it.
thanks! =]</p>
<p>I know almost nothing about the Anthro department except that Bill Simmons, the department head, is one of my favorite people in the universe. UC170 is the first class I recommend when someone asks.</p>
<p>As for resources at major museums, honestly, from what I do know about anthro I don't really think that's nearly as important as you may think. It's not as though physical space/equipment is necessary for many kinds of anthropology (and certainly the kinds which are housed specifically and entirely in an anthro department), and funding for professor's work can come from anywhere and certainly would not be something that a local museum would just hand out any different than any other grant.</p>
<p>But I have VERY limited knowledge...</p>
<p>Check this page out: Anthropology</a> Department at Brown University: Facilities</p>
<p>I would like to add that Boston is close by. I'm in archaeology, not anthro, but they're related, and I've taken a number of trips to museums in Boston. Also, NYC is only a train ride away, so internship opportunities and things like that are most definitely available to brown students. </p>
<p>And as said above, it really depends on the type of anthro you study. Look into the various course areas and see what appeals to you.</p>
<p>Very valid point that Brown is in close proximity to Boston and reasonable proximity to NYC, both cities with major museums. There is also the RISD museum in the vicinity of Brown campus, the anthro museum on campus gallery (Manning Hall) and several other on campus exhibit spaces (i.e. Anne Marie Brown Memorial). The main anthroplogy museum (off-campus) is currently not open to the public, but houses extesive teaching collections (125,000 objects) covering a vast span of time periods and places, both ethnographic and archaeological. The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient world also maintains a close relationship with the anthroplogy department. Of course, this whole museum business only matters if you have a specific interest in museum studies. There are many opportunities for fieldowork, archaeological and ethnographic, at Brown. I suggest that you look at the course listings to see if Brown offers the types things you are interested in. There are several coures in museum studies and material curture at Brown that deal with collections in a very hands-on way if thats what interests you. Good luck</p>