College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Anthropology

ABOUT US What Makes our Program Unique Our program emphasizes real-world applications of anthropology, with faculty expertise in community engagement, sustainability, globalization, cultural heritage and the arts, museology, archaeology, forensic anthropology and primatology. All anthropology majors are mentored by an anthropology faculty member who will guide them through the program and toward their future goals. Many of our students conduct independent research or travel internationally. Our students have received funding for their projects, published their research, and won regional and national awards for their academic work. Students can get involved with Anthropology Club, and, if eligible, they can join Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society. Distinctive features of the program include opportunities for supervised research and fieldwork, internships, training in museum work in conjunction with our ethnology museum laboratory, and involvement in community projects. The anthropology lab houses resources for analysis of artifacts and skeletal remains. The SIUE anthropology department offers field schools in archaeology, biological anthropology and cultural anthropology. Whatever your interests in anthropology, our goal is to help you explore those interests, and to find ways to translate them into a career when your education with us is complete. MISSION Anthropology is fundamental to a comprehensive and globalized education, offering the power to transform everyday life. The mission of the SIUE Department of Anthropology is to educate students toward an understanding of and appreciation for human diversity rooted in holistic biologically and culturally based approaches to local and world issues. The Department of Anthropology does this through an integration of theoretical and applied frameworks based in experiential learning, promoted by active faculty engagement in research and community involvement. VISION To provide excellence in education in anthropology, and to lead our community, at the university and beyond, to recognize the value of anthropology in all spheres of life. The Anthropology Department's Goals for Majors Baccalaureate students in anthropology will: 1. Demonstrate conceptual, ethical, and applied knowledge of the four fields of anthropology; 2. Understand the relevance of anthropology to real-world issues, locally and globally; 3. Ethically incorporate anthropological perspectives and/or approaches in an experiential or applied context; 4. Effectively communicate disciplinary knowledge orally and in writing; 5. Demonstrate awareness of the importance and value of sociocultural and biological diversity.