Welcome to the Department of Anthropology
Retirees Marvin Kay, George Sabo, Ken Kvamme, and Ted Swedenburg
Nested within the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, we offer undergraduate Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, an undergraduate minor, and graduate Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs. Using a wide array of scientific and humanistic approaches, we conduct ethically-minded research and scholarship that provides a critical perspective on culture, society, and human biological variation and evolution.
Areas of Study
Archaeology
Archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory through material remains. Our archaeology faculty focuses on human-environmental dynamics, social complexity, and public archaeology in the US and around the world. We approach these topics by leveraging geospatial analysis, material culture analysis, archaeometry, biomolecular archaeology, zooarchaeology, and bioarchaeology. We have active research projects that span Africa, Central Asia, South America, and North America, especially in the U.S. Southeast.
Biological Anthropology
Biological anthropology is broadly defined as encompassing the present and past nature and evolution of humankind and other primates. Our biological anthropology faculty research foci include the evolution of diet and social behavior, paleoanthropology, paleoecology and conservation paleobiology, biomechanics and functional morphology, comparative anatomy and morphometrics, and bioarchaeology and dental anthropology. We have active research projects across Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and especially in eastern and southern Afria.
Cultural Anthropology
Cultural anthropology is concerned with the study of human societies and cultures, and studies issues such as ethnicity, gender, class, religion, and public culture as shaped by history and migration. Our cultural anthropology program focuses on issues such as gender and sexuality, class, religion, politics, and migration as shaped by history and the mobility of people and ideas. Faculty area specialties include North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa but the program is particularly interested in the transnational histories and global forces that connect and divide these regions.
