With 14 full-time faculty members and 150 majors, we are the largest undergraduate-only anthropology department in the United States. The Department of Anthropology is committed to a comparative and holistic approach to the study of the human experience. The anthropological perspective provides a broad understanding of the origins as well as the meaning of physical and cultural diversity in the world - past, present, and future. As such, the program in anthropology offers the opportunity for understanding world affairs and problems within the total context of the human experience and for constructing solutions to world problems which are firmly grounded in that context. Cultural anthropologists study people and their cultural practices and beliefs both within and outside of the United States as well as the topics of identity, power, inequality, and social praxis. Archaeologists study the material culture of past peoples in order to reconstruct their cultures, traditions, and practices in order to understand both what came before and how this may help us understand the present. Biological anthropologists study primate evolution and behavioral ecology, human biological variation, biocultural adaptations, bioarchaeology, and human paleontology. Together, we strive to understand both past and present variation in human societies. [ Why study anthropology? ]
News

Appalachian State's Archaeological research team ventures into Linville Gorge Wilderness
Dr. Alice Wright and Dr. Cameron Gokee lead an Archaeological research team into Linville Gorge Wilderness to discover archaeological sites. ...

Talk: Inscribing the Criminal Skin: Underworld Aesthetics and the Flesh of Post-Liberal Futures in Honduras
Dr. Jon Carter to give guest lecture at Princeton University: Jon Carter | Inscribing the Criminal Skin: Underworld Aesthetics and the Flesh of ...

Conference Talk: Ethnographic Evidence in the Americas
Dr. Jon Carter and Dr. Christina Sornito are presenting in the Annual Conference at the University of Florida, Center for Latin American Studies. ...

Conference Talk: Ethnographic Evidence in the Americas
Dr. Jon Carter and Dr. Christina Sornito are presenting in the Annual Conference at the University of Florida, Center for Latin American Studies. ...

Talk: It climbs up inside of you, from the soles of the feet
Dr. Jon Carter to give guest lecture at University of Tennesee, Chattanooga and by zoom (registration link below)IT CLIMBS UP INSIDE OF YOU, FROM THE ...

Dr. Susan Keefe receives award from North Carolina Genealogical Society for Excellence
Dr. Susan Keefe has received an award from the North Carolina Genealogical Society for Excellence for her book Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Bla...
Upcoming Events
Featured Stories
-
Dr. Christina Verano Sornito named Fulbright Scholar for 2020
Dr. Christina Verano Sornito, assistant professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Anthropology, has been awarded a 2019–20 research grant through the Fulbright Scholar Program for her project “Against Decaying Futures: Heritage Conservation and Disaster Management on a Visayan Island.” [Read full story here]
Alumni spotlights
Faculty spotlights
-
Dr. Timothy J. Smith receives UNC Board of Governors Campus Excellence in Teaching Award
Dr. Timothy J. Smith has received one of the 2019-2020 UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Awards. This is the second of these awards for the Department (Dr. Thomas R. Whyte was named a winner in 2018-2019).
Student spotlights
-
Anthropology major, Callie Gunzenhauser, writes from Bulgaria
Anthropology major, Callie Gunzenhauser, recently reported back on her experience studying abroad at American University in Bulgaria. Working with the skills that she is learning in anthropology, she is one of many students who are fortunate enough to study abroad as a way of augmenting their college learning and experience. For more information on studying abroad or to learn more about the Department's two study abroad summer field schools in Ecuador and Mexico, please visit the main office at Anne Belk Hall, Room 348 or speak with your advisor.