Students participating in Archeology Field School Archeology Field School

Anthropology is the study of humankind...

of ancient and modern people and their ways of living. It seeks to understand the whole panorama--in geographic space and evolutionary time--of human existence.

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Department of Anthropology

Study the rich cultural diversity of humanity with a degree in anthropology. No other field offers such a comprehensive approach to what it means to be human – through contemporary, historical, archaeological and evolutionary investigation.

Anthropology is distinguished by its foundations for understanding human behavior, cultural change, evolution, and adaptation.

Field and lab research, conducted alongside department faculty, will prepare you for a wide range of academic and professional pursuits. Anthropology faculty conduct cutting-edge research in all four sub-fields of anthropology: biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics.

Research

Anthropology students will have the opportunity to study past and present cultures in areas including Mesoamerica and North America through research programs with anthropology faculty and student fieldwork in summer archaeological field schools in the Northeast. You can also study the interactions between local societies and the global economy, the evolution of past societies, and the relationship of human health to the environment. 

Archeology Lab
Recent News
Interior of San Jose de los Jemez Mission Church, northern New Mexico.  Image by Theodore Greer.
Anthropology Lecture: "Stalked by the Refuse Wind: Colonialism, Disease, and Structural Violence in New Mexico, 1540-1700 CE" by Dr. Matthew Liebman
Anthropology Department will host this lecture on Friday Nov. 15 at 3:00 PM, Lecture Center 12. Light refreshments to follow in the Department. Debates regarding the magnitude, tempo, and ecological effects of Native American population decline after 1492 constitute some of the most contentious issues in early American history. Was depopulation rapid and catastrophic, with effects extensive enough to change even the earth’s atmosphere? Or was this decline more moderate, with numbers of Native Americans waning slowly after European colonization? The results of recent collaborative research among archaeologists, dendrochronologists, and tribal members from the Pueblo of Jemez in northern New Mexico present unanticipated results, with consequences that extend beyond the borders of the American Southwest to anthropological studies of colonialism more generally.
Candles, painted skulls, skeletons, garlands of orange paper marigolds and photos of deceased loved ones decorate a table in the Arts and Sciences building.
What to Know About Day of the Dead: A Q&A with Verónica Pérez Rodríguez
The Day of the Dead, a holiday traditionally celebrated in Mexico and Guatemala, has become increasingly popular in the U.S. as people look to partake in colorful, joyful celebrations honoring loved ones who have died. Verónica Pérez Rodríguez, director of the Institute for Mesoamerican Studies at UAlbany, explains the meaning behind the holiday.
A man with short black hair, beard and black glasses sits in front of a microscope in a laboratory and examines something between two blue-gloved fingers.
Noteworthy: Research grants, awards and publications
The latest developments on University at Albany faculty and staff who are receiving research grants, awards and other noteworthy attention.
Students walk to class on the UAlbany academic podium.
UAlbany Diversity Transformation Award Supports New Class of Self-Reliant Scholars
Thanks to a Diversity Transformation Award grant presented by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, efforts to support the self-reliant scholars initiative are back on track.
A man in a red checkered shirt stands at the top of UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center Whiteface Mountain Summit Weather Station. He is holding a piece of equipment and squinting at the sun. Cloud-topped mountains can be seen in the distance.
Noteworthy: Research grants, awards and publications
The latest developments on University at Albany faculty and staff who are receiving research grants, awards and other noteworthy attention.
Support the Anthropology Department
Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
Arts and Sciences 237

1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
United States

Email
[email protected]
Phone
518-442-4700
Fax
518-442-5710
Office Hours

On Site: By Appointment
By Phone: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 

Land Acknowledgement

The UAlbany community recognizes that we live and work on the homelands of sovereign Indigenous nations with rich histories and cultures that continue today – both within New York and beyond. 

UAlbany Campus Land Acknowledgement