Anthropology Club members gather for movie night

The Anthropology Club is turning movie night into a way for students to explore the study of humanity outside the classroom.

The club recently gathered for one of its anthropology movie nights, an event designed to bring members together while introducing students to topics connected to the study of humans, cultures and societies.

About 25 students are members of the club, and movie options are chosen by its officers before members vote on what they want to watch. The movies range from films that can spark anthropological discussions to ones that may have inspired students to pursue the field.

“We like to do anthropology movie nights where we’ll come together as a group; we have about 25 members, and we will vote on a list of like four movies that our officers have chosen,” said Marlee Brand, president of the Anthropology Club and a senior anthropology major from Blakely, Georgia.

“Usually, there are movies ranging just from things that we think could form a good anthropological discussion to something that we think maybe inspired you to come into this field,” Brand said.

This time, the club chose a YouTube video titled “1,000 Players Simulate Civilization: Rich and Poor.” The video uses Minecraft to create a virtual civilization in which players form communities and experience different social and economic circumstances.

As the simulated civilization develops, the players encounter issues including immigration, poverty and the pressure of living in a stressful environment. 

While the setting is inside a virtual world, the subjects give students an opportunity to consider how similar issues affect real communities.

The familiar format also gives students who may not know much about anthropology an easy way into the conversation.

“Education is scary. There’s always this impostor syndrome that we all face,” Brand said. “Minecraft is something that brings together at least, I’d say, our generation. 

“I never knew anyone growing up that didn’t play Minecraft half the day, so it's a way that we can get students to interact and engage with this educational topic that can be a little scary or maybe seem like it wouldn’t be for you. It gets you to engage in an educational way.”

For the club, accessibility is an important part of creating events that appeal beyond its regular membership. 

Anthropology covers a wide range of subjects, and a casual event can give students an opportunity to learn about the field without the formality of a classroom.

“It’s hard to get a good, casual introduction to anthropology, and I think this is something that reaches across the board and something that more people outside of the club can get into,” said Jacob Brewer, vice president of the Anthropology Club and a junior anthropology major from Athens, Alabama.

Brewer also sees Minecraft as more than just a popular game. Its ability to let players create their own environments offers a way to examine how people build communities and respond to the circumstances around them.

“Speaking for myself, I’ve put a lot of hours into Minecraft, and I know my friends have too. It’s the biggest selling game of all time, and I think it’s a pretty good medium, since it’s such a creative-based game, to explore these anthropology concepts in a virtual world,” Brewer said.

The movie night reflects the club’s larger goal of making anthropology approachable while encouraging students to think about the subject beyond its traditional academic setting.

“Not only is it a Minecraft video, which will bring in a lot of people just for the humor factor, but it talks about some important anthropological topics,” Brand said. “It talks about immigration, poverty and fear of growing in a stressful landscape. It talks about all of these stressors that we actually deal with in real life.”

For students already studying anthropology, events like the movie night provide an opportunity to share their interest with people who may not have considered the major before.

“It makes me very excited, very happy to see a lot of people who don’t really know much about anthropology to then come in and learn about how really interesting this major can be and how it can be fun,” said Veronica Ohlhaut, a junior anthropology major from Millbrook, Alabama. “You can do fun silly little things like watching Minecraft video about civilization.” 

Ohlhaut said a broad perspective is part of what makes anthropology relevant outside the classroom. The field examines both the history of human societies and the ways people and cultures interact today.

“Anthropology, it’s the study of humans, so it is very important because it’s a very broad study where part of it is very history-oriented, where we’re learning about history, which is very important,” Ohlhaut said. “Then a lot of it is current, where we’re learning about other cultures and the way that people across the world interact and do things differently than all of us, and that’s very important to just daily life, to just living among other people.”

By combining social activities with topics connected to anthropology, the club’s movie nights give students a chance to learn, discuss and connect with one another in a setting that feels less like a traditional lecture and more like a night spent with friends.