The mission of the UNC Greensboro Department of Anthropology is to strive for excellence in research, teaching, and service. We are firmly committed to the pursuit of anthropological knowledge, and we challenge students to explore the diversity of human experience critically and holistically, both in the past and present. The faculty is committed to advancing foundational anthropological ethics such as the value of human diversity, cultural tolerance, and respect for the practice of different lifeways across the globe. We provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish their personal goals whether they pursue advanced graduate study or the practical application of anthropological knowledge in the workplace. Anthropology coursework is designed to foster the critical thinking skills necessary to devise realistic solutions, public policy, and effective interventions to address both local and international economic, environmental, health, political, and social problems. This is achieved by incorporating students in active research programs that provide real-world, hands-on experiences and nurture creative problem-solving skills and examples that promote responsible community engagement, heritage conservation, and service.
Situated within the College of Arts and Sciences, the Anthropology Department at UNCG offers both an undergraduate major and minor. With a permanent, full-time faculty of eleven and a number of part-time instructors, we provide our students with a thorough background in archaeology, biological and cultural anthropology, the freedom to concentrate in one of these sub-areas, and many opportunities to practice anthropology in the field.
Our faculty are active international researchers and scholars who include students in both fieldwork and lab research and serve as advisors and mentors to both our majors and minors. We strongly encourage our students to gain international experiences through study abroad, to learn to do anthropology by attending a summer field school, and to present the results of their research at professional conferences.