Outstanding B.A. Student Carola Merward (magna cum laude)

Commencement Speech

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Anthropologists and their students have made significant contributions to our understanding of the human condition and its complexities. We have begun to apply this understanding to improving the quality of life of all people.  I want to express my gratitude and pride for our participation in such a virtuous endeavor. 

In particular, I appreciate the professors I have worked with in our department whose effort, knowledge and dedication have created an exceptional learning environment for their students.  Being familiar with several anthropology departments, I can honestly say that we are very fortunate to have been guided by the individuals and the interests of this department.  Many of our faculty practice great effort to develop and model excellence in scholarship and teaching.

A shared element of the desire to discover excellence is conscious action to cultivate authentic and positive results- not only for ourselves but also for the larger context in which we are embedded. We can call this desire for excellence and its practice The Good Life.  It would serve us well to continue our practice towards The Good Life.  I appeal to each of you to continue the tradition of social and economic justice that has guided our anthropological education, because the unique character of our education has the potential to promote our greatest good – human flourishing.

As we move through our own rite of passage I would like to share with you what I have learned during my education.

Most importantly, anthropology has taught me holism, that all things are interconnected and interdependent.  As our societies become increasingly refined, defined and diverse, the mosaic of understanding that we construct out of our experiences is much richer than the narrow and ethnocentric views that many of us had when we began our education.

This is because there is more than one explanation, more than one interpretation and our many voices are interdependent, each perspective contributing to our greater understanding.

It is this greater understanding, an understanding constructed out of layers of thick descriptions and deep explanations, which guides us toward a more humane world culture.

In fact - I have learned that anthropology, as both ecological and human science, gives us a means toward improving our collective quality of life.

This unique anthropological perspective can be utilized to support human flourishing. 

As I conclude my deliberation on what I have learned here I am seeking not an ends but a means to an ends.  Given this opportunity to speak to my peers and faculty I have chosen to emphasize eudaimonia, or human flourishing – The Good Life. 

I believe that education and the cultivation of our ethics is the key to The Good Life. 

An education in anthropology provides unique perspectives.

These perspectives have utility which support human flourishing.

As students of anthropology we have a unique responsibility to promote human flourishing.

As Aristotle said:

“If living well is one of those things that comes about by luck or by nature, it would be un-hoped for by many – for its attainment would not be secured by effort and would not be up to the people and their own activity.  But if it consists in being of a certain sort oneself, the good would be both more common and more divine – more common because more people could share it, more divine because Eudaimonia would then be available for those who work in order that they and their actions should be of a certain sort.”

The desire we share for a more coherent understanding of the human experience and all its variations affected each of our decisions to be educated in anthropology. 

We ought to be proud of and keep in mind the responsibility of these ideas and desires as we continue to strive for excellence.      

Thank you and Congratulations Class of 2005!