Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans, and at the University of Oregon we accomplish this through the integration of three distinct yet complementary subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology is dedicated to better understanding human cultural and biological origins and diversity through education and research. The faculty is committed to excellence in teaching and to the advancement of knowledge through local, national, and international programs of research. As anthropologists, we are engaged in understanding recent and historical developments in the world at large, and we also seek to bring anthropological perspectives to bear on the problems of a modern global society. The department embraces a broad intellectual pluralism where different theoretical and methodological approaches are recognized and valued.

The department embraces a broad intellectual pluralism where different theoretical and methodological approaches are recognized and valued.

What you can do with a degree in Anthropology

Our students leave our program well equipped to step into multiple careers, including:

  • Academia
  • Government and nonprofit sectors
  • Public and social policy
  • Human rights work
  • Land and resource management
  • Cultural heritage management
  • Primatology
  • Conservation biology
  • Forensic science
  • Public health and medical professions
  • Laboratory or field technician
  • Independent consulting and contracting
14
FACULTY labs
11th
national ranking in doctoral programs
3
subfields within the department
Anthropology faculty, Katelyn McDonough

Faculty Spotlight

Katelyn McDonough

Katelyn McDonough is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Native American and Indigenous Studies, and Curator of Great Basin Archaeology at the UO’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History. An environmental archaeologist interested in long-term relationships between people, foodways, and landscapes, Katelyn focuses on people’s interactions with plants and changing environments during and since the late Pleistocene in North America and uses archaeobotany, ethnobotany, palynology, and parasitology to investigate these dynamics. As Director of the Northern Great Basin Archaeology Field School, Katelyn is currently leading education and research programs at the Connley Caves, a series of rockshelters in central Oregon where Indigenous communities intermittently resided for more than 12,500 years. She also is involved with field- and collections-based projects throughout the Far West, including environmental and dietary studies in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.

Anthropology faculty, Gabe Sanchez

Faculty Spotlight

Gabriel Sanchez

Gabriel Sanchez is an Indigenous Anthropologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Native American and Indigenous Studies. He also is the Curator of Zooarchaeology at the UO’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the director of the Coastal Archaeology and Ancient Proteomics Laboratory. Gabriel currently participates in a collaborative and community-based participatory research project with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, and California State Parks, to investigate the native range of California’s endangered salmon species, which are vulnerable to extinction or extirpation. Another focus of Gabriel’s investigation is Indigenous persistence in California during the Spanish mission era to understand how Esselen ancestors evaded the Spanish mission system and continued practicing traditional lifeways.

Our Degree Programs

The Department of Anthropology is dedicated to better understanding human cultural and biological origins and diversity through education and research. We embrace a broad intellectual pluralism where different theoretical and methodological approaches are recognized and valued. 

Concentrations
Archaeology
Cultural Anthropology
Biological Anthropology
Concentrations
Archaeology
Cultural Anthropology
Biological Anthropology
Two researchers look at a mesh sieve

Learn from Experts in the Field

Our faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and to the advancement of knowledge through local, national, and international programs of research. As anthropologists, we are engaged in understanding recent and historical developments in the world at large, and we also seek to bring anthropological perspectives on the problems of a modern global society.

Connley Caves

Get Real-world Experience

Students have multiple opportunities to extend their education through opportunities like studying abroad during a term or a full academic year, or attending research conferences and archaeological site digs while at the UO. 

Early Condon Hall, University of Oregon

Continue Our Legacy of Groundbreaking Research

The Department of Anthropology has roots stretching back as far as 1929, when Dr. Luther S. Cressman joined the UO faculty to develop advanced research in sociology and teach social anthropology. His landmark contribution to the archaeology of the West remains his discovery in the early 1930s that human occupation of the Northwest was as early as that known anywhere in North America.

Scholarships & Funding

The Department of Anthropology offers several small awards to support undergraduate research and conference attendance. Multiple scholarships funded by the UO are also available for students that can be used to fund tuition, study abroad, research and other academic expenses. 

Undergraduate Scholarships

Graduate Funding

Academic Support

Advising in the Department of Anthropology starts with our Undergrad Advising Coordinator, who welcomes students to the major and helps them understand our degree requirements. She introduces students to departmental resources, connects them with departmental advising, answers students' general questions about the program, courses and other opportunities, and helps students check their degree requirements for timely graduation.

Undergraduate Advising
Support for Graduate Students

The Department of Anthropology welcomes gifts from donors to enhance its dynamic academic programs for undergraduate and graduate students. The donated funds go directly to support student and faculty research, colloquia, departmental events, etc.

 

Anthropology News and Events

March 8, 2023
ANTHROPOLOGY - Elizabeth Kallenbach is using cutting-edge tools to trace humanity’s use of native Oregon plants through 12 millennia of archaeological basketry and cordage.
February 24, 2023
THEATRE ARTS, ANTHROPOLOGY, CINEMA STUDIES - March into spring with an array of events sure to inspire and speak to your inner artist. Learn about the history, symbolism and process of creating pysanka, one of the most recognizable folk art forms for celebrating Easter in Ukraine. Or take in one of the many programs in the music and dance departments at the School of Music and Dance.
February 24, 2023
ANTHROPOLOGY - Humans may have arrived in North America earlier than once thought and encountered previously unrecognized challenges, according to new climate research from an interdisciplinary team that includes scientists from the University of Oregon.

All news »

Linguistics Spring Colloquium
May30
Linguistics Spring Colloquium May 30 Straub Hall
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM
May31
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM May 31 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Noon Talk: "Kitsch, Ornament, Allegory: Hello Kitty as Commonist Art"
Jun1
Noon Talk: "Kitsch, Ornament, Allegory: Hello Kitty as Commonist Art" Jun 1 Hendricks Hall
Screening of REPO MAN, Hosted by Cinema Studies and UO Presents
Jun1
Screening of REPO MAN, Hosted by Cinema Studies and UO Presents Jun 1 Art House Theater
World Class Industries Career Tours-Exploring Biosciences in Eugene
Jun2
World Class Industries Career Tours-Exploring Biosciences in Eugene Jun 2 Matthew Knight Arena
Rethinking Territory: Global Shifts, Local Dynamics
Jun3
Rethinking Territory: Global Shifts, Local Dynamics Jun 3 Gerlinger Hall
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM
Jun7
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM Jun 7 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Human Physiology Seminar Series with Dr. Amanda LeBlanc
Jun9
Human Physiology Seminar Series with Dr. Amanda LeBlanc Jun 9 Lawrence Hall
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM
Jun14
Let's Talk - Wednesday 2-4PM Jun 14 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
CAS Commencement Ceremony - Natural Sciences
Jun20
CAS Commencement Ceremony - Natural Sciences Jun 20 Autzen Stadium

All events »