Anthropology - Archaeology

Anthropology - Archaeology

The Department of Anthropology offers undergraduate students course work in the five anthropological subdisciplines: Ethnology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Applied Anthropology and Anthropological Linguistics. In addition, courses focus on contemporary disciplinary research, area studies and societal applications of anthropological knowledge.

By majoring or minoring in Anthropology, a student gains a better understanding of people’s behavior within cultural settings. Anthropology studies the varied nature of human experience in American society and in the cultures of the world. Through this study of people, their lifestyles and how they adapt to cultural change, both present and past, a student is better prepared to comprehend human behavior. What distinguishes anthropology from other disciplines concerned with people is its holistic perspective or encompassing view, and its central concern with the concept of culture.

The major concentration in Archaeology is designed to provide the undergraduate student with a strong background in general anthropology, archaeology and cultural preservation. It stresses anthropological theory, archaeological methodology, field research, data collection, area studies and applications of the field to cultural resource management. In the face of rapid population expansion and increased development, public concern has grown to protect the quickly diminishing cultural resources related to our ancestral and traditional heritage. In addition to the concentration, the department offers a certificate in Cultural Resource Management to those students who complete the program and demonstrate competence in applied aspects of the field.