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Anthropology

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Professor Carla Guerron-Montero’s class ANTH326 “The African Diaspora and the World” participates in a workshop on the cultural politics of dance

Welcome to the Department of Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Delaware offers broad training in the subfields of anthropology, including cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeology, and applied anthropology. Our courses explore human diversity and apply critical knowledge to understand the problems of a complex world. They focus on world areas or themes, such as biological, medical, and public health issues; disasters and humanitarianism; the impacts of globalization; art and material culture; and archeology.

Look through our undergraduate programs

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Anthropology (B.A.)

Examine the human condition in its full breadth — across time and place. Explore the subfields of applied anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. Integrate the sciences and humanities to explore cultural, historical, environmental, and biological perspectives on human diversity. Because of its global focus, the anthropology major is eligible for UD's World Scholars program. 

Learn more about Anthropology
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Anthropology Education (B.A.)

Aspiring secondary education teachers can earn a major in anthropology education through the Social Studies Education Program at the University of Delaware. The major prepares students to teach social studies at the secondary education level and leads to national and state certification for teaching social studies in grades 6 to 12.

Learn more about Anthropology Education

Concentrations

Anthropology — Culture, Medicine, Health Concentration (B.A.)

Evaluate the social, historical, environmental, and biological variables of human health. Interpret data and case studies. Compare ideas about health and medical and healing approaches around the world. Discover anthropological ideas and research related to health professions.

Anthropology — Human Rights and Global Instabilities Concentration (B.A.)

Explore research on precarity, insecurity, conflict, and violence across local and global contexts. Evaluate variables and forces contributing to global and local insecurities. Evaluate responses to acute and chronic insecurity. Analyze approaches to human rights and precarity. Discover diverse ideas about rights, justice, and power.

Anthropology — Material Culture, Technology and Design Concentration (B.A.)

Discover material culture (tools, technologies, art objects, media forms, the built environment). Describe the human relationship to material culture through time and across societies. Analyze and interpret anthropological research on material culture. Evaluate how material culture is linked to structures of power, processes of oppression and forms of resistance across societies.

See UD catalog for requirements

Our Minors

Anthropology Minor

Complement your major — and explore your interests — with a minor in anthropology. The anthropology minor allows undergraduate students to select from a range of courses spanning the subfields of archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Student can also examine social challenges and opportunities related to medicine and health, human rights and global instabilities, and material culture.

Culture, Medicine and Health Minor

University of Delaware undergraduates interested in the culture, medicine, and health minor take courses in advanced cultural anthropology and advanced biological anthropology. Cultural anthropology courses cover topics such as the environment, food and culture, global health, and disasters. Biological anthropology courses cover topics such as human evolution, sex roles and repoduction, nutritional anthropology, and race.

Human Rights and Global Instabilities Minor

University of Delaware undergaduates interested in the human rights and global instabilities minor take courses in archeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. External electives in history and political science and international relations are also available. Topics include ancient civilizations, agriculture, colonialism, race, global health, human rights, and climate change.

Material Culture, Technology and Design Minor

University of Delaware undergraduates interested in the material culture, technology, and design minor take courses in archaeology and cultural anthropology. Topics include ancient civilizations, research, field methods, food and art, the global economy, and indigenous arts. External electives are available in art conservation, fashion, history, material cultures and museum studies. 

Fostering a learning community

The Department of Anthropology is known for providing its undergraduates with a true learning community, where excellent facilities are combined with close personal contact between students and faculty that creates a true learning comm​unity for students.

  • Our programs emphasize skill development with a focus on writing, critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation. 
  • Students take advantage of many opportunities to work closely with faculty and to participate in small seminar classes. Some students serve as undergraduate teaching assistants for faculty.
  • Courses are enriched by work with departmental collections, visits to museums and special exhibits in nearby sites and cities, and local fieldwork and community engagement opportunities.
  • Students have opportunities to conduct original laboratory, ethnographic​ and archaeological research, which can lead to conference presentations and professional publications.
  • Our students participate in research alongside faculty and have traveled to research sites in Latin America, Southeast Asia among many other locations. Travel funds are awarded to support student research. 
  • Students in the Anthropology Club deepen their engagement with peers and faculty who share common interests. The club sponsors activities and talks and allows students to travel with fellow anthropologists to conferences and research sites.​

The strong sense of community between students and faculty is a hallmark of our department and enhances the humanism and scientific approaches that define the field of anthropology. 

Peter Benson Headshot
Peter Benson
302-831-1851
pbenson@udel.edu
Professor, Chair and Undergraduate Student Advisor

Additional resources and opportunities

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Anthropology Club

The Anthropology Club is a registered student organization at UD that offers educational programs for students and the community.

Learn more about the Anthropology Club
Undergraduate Programs | Department of Anthropology | College of Arts & Sciences | University of Delaware
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Student Success Center

​The Student Success Center team helps students navigate their academic journeys throughout their time at UD.

Learn more about the Student Success Center
Undergraduate Programs | Department of Anthropology | College of Arts & Sciences | University of Delaware
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The Writing Center

Students may meet with a writing tutor or oral communication consultant in person or online.

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