Department of Anthropology

Telephone: (302) 831-2802
http://www.udel.edu/anthro
Faculty Listing: https://www.anthropology.udel.edu/people/faculty

The Department of Anthropology offers undergraduate major programs in Anthropology and Anthropology Education, including Honors Degree options in both. In addition, an Anthropology minor is available, and interdepartmental majors with other departments are possible.

Anthropology is the study of humans and their cultures. The field includes both the comparative study of worldwide variations in beliefs and behaviors and the evolution of humankind from prehistoric to contemporary times. Anthropology at the University of Delaware encompasses three distinct but interconnected fields of study: social and cultural anthropology, biological or physical anthropology, and archaeology. Social and cultural anthropologists undertake holistic and comparative research on communities throughout the world, investigating their economic and political institutions, social organizations, religions, and art forms. “Biological anthropology addresses the evolutionary differentiation of primates; the emergence of hominid populations; primate behavior; human biology; processes of adaptation in modern populations; and the intersection of biology, culture, and health, as studied by medical anthropologists.”. Archaeologists recover the physical remains of prehistoric and historic communities and reconstruct their associated cultures through time.

The undergraduate program at the University provides a broad perspective on the fields of social and cultural anthropology, archaeology and biological anthropology. Because the department is devoted primarily to undergraduate instruction, students can take advantage of many opportunities to work closely with faculty and to participate in small seminar classes. Courses are enriched by work with departmental collections, visits to museums and special exhibits in neighboring cultural centers, films, and local fieldwork opportunities.

Programs

Major

Honors Degree

Minor

Anthropology Minor