Why Anthropology
While studying anthropology you’ll learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills
that take an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to the study of what it means
to be human. No matter what career path you choose to follow, you’ll find these skills
invaluable.
Our department is interdisciplinary in nature and you can expect to take courses and
conduct research across the fields of prehistoric and historical archaeology, biological/biocultural
anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.
Expand all Archaeology
Emphasis: Paleoethnobotany, Prehistoric and Historic, African Diaspora, Ethnoarchaeology, Slavery,
Kinship, Political Ecology, Ethnogenesis, Racialization, Trade, Landscapes, Food Practices
Geographical Areas Africa, North America, Caribbean
Biological/Biocultural Anthropology
Emphasis: Skeletal Health Inequality, Paleopathological and Historical Analysis, Paleoepidemiology,
Paleodemography
Geographical Areas: North America, The U.K.
Cultural Anthropology
Emphasis: Environment and Sustainability, Health and Medicine, Mobility/Diaspora/Migration,
Human Rights, Intersectionality and Social Formations, Political Economy, Popular
and Expressive Culture, Race and Inequality, Science and Society
Geographic Areas: Africa, Central and East Asia, Caribbean, Central America, North America
Linguistic Anthropology
Emphasis: Language and Migration, Language Socialization, Language and Race, Semiotics/Semiotic
Ideologies, Narrative, Performance
Geographic Areas: Caribbean, Central America, North America
Diverse points of view are important in the study of anthropology. Our faculty strives
to be one of the most diverse departments on campus with women and underrepresented
minorities holding positions at all ranks. You'll find our faculty is also committed
to your education--and they've been recognized for it, too. A full 30 percent of our
faculty have been honored with a Mungo Teaching Award .
Photo Credit 1: Mural painted on a peace wall off of the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland featuring
Frederick Douglass, MLK, Co-Madres, and historic figures striving for social justice.
Image by Jennifer Reynolds
Photo Credit 2: Person making Mumiyo (aka, Shilajit), which is a tar-like substance that's turned
to powder and ingested. Mumiyo is found in rock outcroppings, inside cracks, and used
to treat anemia, cancer, stomach upset, colds, and more. It's been used for at least
a thousand years in Nepal, India, Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia, among other countries.
Image by Magdalena Stawkowski
