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About Anthropology and the Department
Anthropology is the study of humankind. It incorporates both scientific and humanistic approaches to explain and understand human behavior and cultural diversity. By making the strange familiar and the familiar strange, anthropologists aim to promote intercultural understanding and respect between people.
The Department of Anthropology at Western Oregon University offers a comprehensive training in anthropology, equipping students with a set of skills that allows them to critically examine and understand human behavior and cultural diversity in their own and other societies, skills that are increasingly important in today's globalizing world. In addition to introductory courses in all four sub-fields of anthropology - archaeology, linguistic, physical, and sociocultural anthropology - the department offers an exceptionally varied program due to the diverse teaching interests of the faculty, which range from Northwest Indian Cultures to Environmental Anthropology to the Anthropology of Africa. Majors in our program conduct independent research for their Senior Project. Working closely with faculty, students design research, conduct fieldwork, and write it up in a senior thesis. We encourage our students to do research abroad. In previous years students have gone to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The anthropological training students receive and the skills they develop - critical and clear analytical thinking, independent research, inter-cultural communication - prepare students for a wide range of professional careers in research, policy, and consultancy, as well as graduate studies.
Department of Anthropology 503-838-8357 | or e-mail: smithr@wou.edu
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