American University Catalog 2025-2026
Anthropology
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Website: https://www.american.edu/cas/anthropology/
Administration
Chair Thurka Sangaramoorthy
Full-Time Faculty
Professor T. Sangaramoorthy
Associate Professor O. Burton, C.A. Claus, D. Sayers
Assistant Professor Z. Glück, M. Maharawal, A. Warner-Smith
Professorial Lecturer Z. Cossin, M. Rizvi, C. Sturtevant
Emeriti Faculty
Professor Emeritus/a G.L. Burkhart, R.J. Dent, D.B. Koenig, W.L. Leap, B. Williams
Department Overview
Anthropology sits at the dynamic intersection of science, history, and social justice. The discipline uniquely employs a variety of approaches from the humanities, social sciences, biological sciences, and evolutionary sciences to study all aspects of human existence, past and present.
The AU Department of Anthropology is distinguished by our commitment to civic engagement, social justice, and public scholarship in all aspects of our teaching and research. We equip students to address complex human issues in diverse contexts through the practical application of anthropological knowledge alongside rigorous theoretical study.
Different kinds of anthropologists explore difference and power from specialized perspectives. Cultural and social anthropologists search for the connections between cultural meanings and lived human experience. Archaeologists probe the remains of past civilizations for significant transformations in the ways communities organized their homes and labor. Biological anthropologists document the dynamics of human evolution and study nutrition, health, and illness in their cultural contexts. Linguists examine the varied texts that speakers create for clues that language holds to hierarchy and personal expression.
Anthropology students examine past and present societies to bring anthropological and archaeological theory and practice to ongoing struggles against racism, sexism, homophobia, inequality, poverty, environmental degradation, and ethnic/cultural genocide. Our faculty work at the intersection of law, policy, and ethics, addressing issues such as human effects on the environment, sustainability, development, and community-focused strategies for combating health inequities.
The undergraduate anthropology program at American University introduces students to all four subfields of anthropology, and many students specialize in one. Graduate programs include Public Anthropology (MA) , Public Anthropology (Graduate Certificate) , Global Health and Culture (Graduate Certificate) , and Anthropology (PhD) with concentrations in cultural/social anthropology and archaeology. All programs stress active, cooperative learning, for anthropology opens up many exciting questions for discussion and debate.
Students are encouraged to learn outside the classroom through internships and job placements, field trips and experiential classes, and study abroad. Washington, DC offers many opportunities for students to broaden their learning through museums and research facilities and the rich community life of the city. Many anthropology majors choose to spend a semester or summer abroad, including our Ecuador Field School. With prior approval, the department accepts courses taken through AU Abroad as credit for the major.
Honors in Anthropology
The Honors in Anthropology program provides an opportunity for students wanting to engage with Anthropology more deeply than in the regular major. Students must apply by May 1 of their sophomore year, maintain a minimum 3.67 GPA, take 2 500-level courses, take ANTH-452 Anthropological Research Methods (3) in fall of their junior year, and submit their capstone research proposal by May 1 of Junior year.
Special Opportunities
Research Labs
Students have access to several specialized facilities including the Archaeology Labs, Biological Anthropology Lab, and Public Ethnography Lab. These spaces house extensive collections of realistic skeletal models for studying human osteology and human origins, as well as artifact collections for hands-on learning and research.
Public Anthropology Conference
The department hosts an annual Public Anthropology Conference that brings together students, faculty, and practitioners to address contemporary social issues through anthropological perspectives. This event provides students with valuable networking opportunities and exposure to cutting-edge work in the field.
Field Schools
Students can participate in the Ecuador Field School and other field opportunities being developed. These immersive experiences allow students to apply anthropological methods in real-world settings while gaining invaluable cross-cultural experience.
Faculty Research Collaboration
Faculty regularly accept undergraduate research assistants to work on projects including artifact and human remains repatriation, artifact analysis, migrant worker health, security and violence in East Africa, archival analysis, and urban ethnography. Students interested in research opportunities should contact the department or individual faculty members directly.
Internships
The department’s location in Washington, DC provides exceptional internship opportunities at prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, National Park Service, Urban Institute, and numerous NGOs and government agencies. These internships help students build professional networks and apply their anthropological training in professional settings.
ProgramsMajor Program (UG)Minor (UG)Certificate (UG)Master’s Program (GR)Certificate (GR)Doctoral Program (GR)
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