Department of Anthropology

We have one of the fastest growing departments with nearly 175 majors and the largest undergraduate-only anthropology program in North Carolina and the third largest program overall (behind UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University). We offer both B.S. and B.A. degrees in several fields of anthropology. The Department has 12 full time tenure-track faculty (4 tenured full professors, 1 tenured associate professor, 7 untenured assistant professors) and 2 full time lecturers. 

We maintain rigorous standards in the classroom and many of our students continue on to graduate school, postgraduate internships, and land jobs upon graduation using ideas that were sparked at Appalachian State. Our teachers aspire to provide the highest quality of education that extends beyond the classroom into the field (both domestically and internationally) through our numerous research possibilities for students. Over the years, four of our faculty have been inducted into the College of Arts & Sciences Academy of Outstanding Teachers. In addition to excellence in teaching, we maintain one of the highest standards of research productivity in the College. Our faculty members have been awarded 5 of the scholar of the year awards (junior and senior levels) given by the College of Arts & Sciences in the past 19 years. FAST FACTS ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

DEPARTMENT MISSION
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? ]