“Ethics Seems Like an Afterthought”: An Argument for Prioritizing Ethics Education in Anthropology Curricula

OBJECTIVES: According to the American Association of Biological Anthropologists Code of Ethics, "departments offering anthropology degrees should include and require ethical training in their curriculums." Ethics training is essential, but are Anthropology undergraduate and graduate programs incorporating ethics education as part of their core curriculum? Do Anthropology undergraduate and graduate students feel like they are receiving adequate education and training in ethics as part of their program curriculum? MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study attempts to answer these questions by analyzing undergraduate degree requirements for Anthropology majors in the U.S. and by surveying U.S.-based Anthropology teaching faculty and undergraduate and graduate students. These surveys include questions about Anthropology curricula, program and course learning objectives, and student preparedness in facing ethical dilemmas post-graduation. In total, 142 individuals participated in the survey (94 students, 48 faculty members). RESULTS: The results of this survey indicate that some Anthropology undergraduate and graduate programs are incorporating ethics education as part of their core curriculum, but this is not true for all programs. Unfortunately, the most frequent response was that ethics education was not incorporated into the core curriculum, and students, especially graduate students, do not feel that they are receiving adequate ethics education. DISCUSSION: Results of this study reveal a gap between the ideal practice proposed in professional academic organizations' codes of ethics and the reality of this application, as well as a disconnect between faculty and student perceptions of the sufficiency of the ethics education being provided. Specific recommendations for filling these gaps are provided.