Some in the public sphere question the value of an anthropology degree. This assessment is unfortunate, as an education in anthropology prepares students for a wide variety of careers. To communicate the relevancy of anthropology, the discipline needs to have a renewed focus on applied methods. No longer can research be primarily for PhD students. Undergraduates also need opportunities for developing tangible skills that will be attractive and useful to employers. This paper provides an example of the Collaborative Anthropological Research Laboratory (CARL) that addresses this need. Based at Utah State University, CARL engages undergraduates in experiential learning through research. In their cognitive anthropological study of campus gender roles, these students gain valuable experience in a suite of methodological approaches that are valued in the applied sector. We contend that CARL serves as an example of how to construct a research group that focuses on the educational needs of undergraduates. [undergraduate, cognitive anthropology, methods]

Cultural consonance and religious participation are both associated with salutogenic mental health outcomes. Yet studies of religious and other cultural models must take into account multiple and conflicting cultural norms. In this article, we explore the consequences of trying to adhere to the oppositional cultural models of religious (Latter‐day Saint or Mormon) and secular American gender roles as perceived by college‐aged women at a Utah university. Using cultural consensus and cultural consonance analysis, we demonstrate that while conforming with one model may provide social and mental health benefits, striving for consonance with both results in increased perceived stress levels for Latter‐day Saints and nonmembers alike. Such cultural dissonance may be a contributing factor to the current mental health crisis among Utah youth. This work expands the theory of cultural consonance by examining it in the context of two incongruent lifestyles.