Welcome

Anthropology is the study of human difference and diversity and it connects to the sciences, history, language, the arts, and global issues. At GW, anthropology is a four-field endeavor, meaning that our department unites faculty across

• archaeology
• biological anthropology
• linguistic anthropology
• sociocultural anthropology.

The Department has three undergraduate major programs: Anthropology, Archaeology, and Biological Anthropology. In all,these majors place us in the top five at GW in number of majors.

Our master's program leads to either an M.A. in general anthropology or one in one of our program concentrations: International Development, Museum Training, or Folklife.

In sociocultural and linguistic anthropology, the faculty has recognized excellence in various regions of the world and topics including diasporas, governance, health, development, gender, performance, and cultural heritage. The B.A. program in Anthropology is a four-field program that offers students many electives.

Archaeology at GW focuses on both Old and New Worlds and concerns issues of state formation, power, and human origins. The B.A. program in Archaeology provides one of the few degrees in this discipline offered in the United States.

The department offers extensive coursework in biological anthropology at undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate B.S. degree in Biological Anthropology emphasizes coursework on human evolution, human anatomy, and primatology and provides an excellent basis for future training in medicine and related areas. Our affiliated doctoral program in Hominid Paleobiology is one of the finest biological anthropology research and teaching groups in the world.

We encourage students at all levels to undertake independent research and to obtain internships..

The faculty's innovative research and pedagogy take advantage of our location in Washington DC, notably our connection, dating to the 1880's, with the Smithsonian Institution. (See Partnerships).