Students participating in Archeology Field School Students participating in 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

Anthropology fosters the study of our human species in all of its diversity through space and time: from our prehuman ancestors to contemporary global culture. No other field offers such a comprehensive approach to what it means to be human.

We have faculty conducting cutting-edge research in all four sub-fields of anthropology: biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics.

Although anthropology numbers among the social sciences, students can gain an even broader training that spans the liberal arts, from natural science to religion and folklore. Anthropology's holistic orientation prepares students for a wide range of academic and career pursuits.

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
Department anthropologist John Rowan: Humans have led to 'waves of animal extinctions'
With the help of University at Albany anthropologist John Rowan, there is more known about the cascading effects that humans have had on mammal declines and their food chains over the last 130,000 years.
Fulbright Scholar Studies Ceramics for Clues to Sociopolitical Dynamics of Oaxaca's Earliest Cities
A University at Albany anthropologist will spend her academic year in the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico investigating the origins of pottery unearthed from two pre-Hispanic sites to see if they can provide clues to the social and political dynamics guiding some of the world’s earliest cities.
Study Reveals How Prehistoric Humans Simplified the World’s Food Webs
Research conducted with the help of a University at Albany anthropologist has revealed the cascading effects that humans have had on mammal declines and their food webs over the last 130,000 years, a new study in the journal Science shows.
Study: Collapse of Ancient Mayan Capital Linked to Drought
An anthropology professor’s research on conflict and the political collapse of Mayapan, the ancient capital city of the Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula, sheds light on link between climate and societal stability.
New Fieldwork Semester in Kenya Offers Unique Immersion into Research and Culture
Starting this fall, UAlbany anthropology students will have access to a transformative study of human origins and evolution in Kenya: The Origins Field School.
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, 8:30am-5pm