Anthropology Department

Internships In Anthropology

1. The Anthropology Department strongly encourages participation in internships that broaden students' exposure to contemporary anthropological practice outside the classroom.

2. Please note that this document refers to internships proposed by students that involve working directly with an Anthropology faculty advisor. This framework ensures a close connection (especially for the "credit internship" track) with the varied practices of our discipline. Internships through the Career Center are administered separately.

3. Students may participate in internships of two types: with credit and without.

4. Internships for credit are offered under the Internship (Anth 498) course. As noted in the course catalog, this course allows students to gain practical experience under the supervision of a faculty advisor. The course requires readings and a written report. To seek credit for an internship, students should propose an activity that engages with some substantive aspect(s) of anthropological theories and/or methods, broadly defined and that is to be carried out under appropriate supervision.

5. Students wishing to participate in a for-credit internship must follow the College of Arts and Sciences internship procedures listed on-line at http://www.wm.edu/career/Undergrad/Internships/AcademicCredit.html

A) Secure the internship with the site supervisor's agreement,
B) Obtain approval from a faculty member,
C) Obtain the internship credit application form (see 'Forms' link to the left),
D) Complete the form and turn it into the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

6. A copy of the internship credit application form, signed by the W&M Anthropology faculty advisor and by the external supervisor (if any), must also be submitted for approval to the chair of the Undergraduate Committee at least one week before the start of classes in the semester for which credit is sought; earlier submission is strongly encouraged.

7. Internships are variable-credit classes: the student-faculty team together must decide if the proposed activity should carry 1, 2, or 3 credits, and should specify this information in the proposal.

8. Internships for credit will result in a written report summarizing the student's participation in an activity that meets the criteria laid out in #4. The written report may, for example, document participation in the field or laboratory research process or summarize work related to museum-exhibit creation or curation.

9. We see great value in offering students an opportunity to learn a skill or work alongside a working anthropologist (or indeed, a professional of another discipline) in a way that may be less tightly linked to "substantive anthropological theories and/or methods." In this case, a short statement of the student's goals, signed by the faculty advisor and the external supervisor if any, should be filed with the Undergraduate Committee., with the understanding that no credit will be sought. We wish to convey to students that this is not a "lesser" opportunity compared to for-credit internships; in fact we see this avenue as a door to new possibilities for exploration, and a way for students to release themselves from more credit obligations at an already credit-heavy institution!

Possible examples of for-credit internships:

  • Acting as research assistant / intern for a primatologist conducting research in the field on a population of monkeys or apes.
  • Acting as a research assistant/intern for a biological anthropologist or bioarchaeologist, working with osteological collections in the lab.
  • Acting as a research assistant / intern for a PhD candidate, faculty member, or institute (e.g., Colonial Williamsburg, William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research, National Park Service, or Jamestown Rediscovery) by contributing to the collection, analysis, or reporting of archaeological evidence. Students might also contribute substantially in developing and implementing new programs.
  • Acting as research assistant/intern for professional archaeologists using a text-based computer program to conduct research on the colonial landscape. For credit, the intern would contribute substantially to developing methods and conducting research.
  • Working closely with an anthropologist to collect and catalogue oral histories.
  • Working closely with an anthropologist to compile a set of focused materials for archives, the web, and/or the library.


Possible examples of not-for-credit internships:

  • Carrying out enrichment activities with apes rescued from the entertainment industry (Hollywood, circuses, etc.) at the Center for Great Apes in Florida;
  • Assisting a PhD candidate, faculty member, or institute with the processing of archaeological materials.