Anthropology explores the entire range of human experiences in the past and present. Our department offers undergraduate courses covering the breadth of the discipline, including physical anthropology (the study of human evolution and biological variation), archaeology (the study of prehistoric and historic cultures through material remains), linguistics (the study of language - its structure, historic developments, and social aspects), cultural anthropology (the study of contemporary societies), and applied anthropology (the use of anthropological methods and theory to solve real-world problems). Ongoing research by our faculty and graduate students covers a broad array of topics, from slave settlements in Jamaica to women and development in India, from religious movements in Brazil to sustainable agriculture in Nepal, from forestry in Kenya to the Underground Railroad in Syracuse. Current research sites span the globe, including South and East Asia, South and North America, West and East Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Undergraduate training in anthropology is useful in many fields, including education, international business, law, journalism, cultural resources management and public service. For students interested in future graduate studies in anthropology, our program offers a solid ground in theory, methods, ethics and practical application.