Academic
Catalog August 2007 - August 2008 Undergraduate
and Graduate
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Department of Anthropology
Building 98D, room 1-2
NAU, PO Box 15200, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5200
928-523-3180
Department Chair
George Gumerman, IV
Anthropology is the study of humans and human behavior in the past, present, and future. The Department of Anthropology is involved in the creation and use of anthropological theory, methods, and research findings and with their application to the study of behavior, institutions, and the biological makeup of humankind. Our department serves the college, university, and state by providing the basis for holistic cross-cultural evaluation and interpretation of human social, cultural, and biological systems through our programs of research, teaching, and service.
Our anthropology curriculum provides a foundation for improving understanding of the human condition and for pursuing potential careers in research, teaching, and applied settings. We also offer special graduate training in applied, cultural, and linguistic anthropology and archaeology, focusing on the cultural richness of the Colorado Plateau.
In addition, our anthropology labs provide support to students in anthropological and related disciplines in the form of graduate assistantships and part-time hourly employment in a variety of anthropological projects each year, ranging from small archaeological surveys to large, multidisciplinary studies conducted over several years. These projects are primarily oriented toward legally mandated archaeological and ethnographic research within a cultural resource management framework, but we also pursue grant-funded service and basic research projects.
Please note that we encourage qualified students, in collaboration with your advisor, to plan your academic coursework in a manner that permits studying abroad for one term or one year. See Study Abroad and Exchange Programs section for more information about the opportunities that NAU provides.
You may pursue the following academic plans in NAU’s Department of Anthropology:
B.A. in anthropology: international cultural immersion (extended major)
B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies: anthropology (extended major)
B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies: anthropology (extended major)
In addition, NAU offers a B.S. in arts management with an anthropology emphasis.
Click here for information about Anthropology undergraduate courses and faculty.
You may pursue the following graduate academic plans through the Department of Anthropology:
Our three applied plans are practitioner-oriented internship plans devoted to helping you enter the expanding nonacademic job market in applied anthropology. Philosophically, these “action anthropology” plans involve research, intervention, management, and advocacy in service to groups and organizations.
The three other academic plans require completing a thesis, which allows you to pursue independently designed research goals.
Our graduate plans involve direct field experiences on the Colorado Plateau, in other regions of the United States, and internationally, depending on your areas of interest. Your field opportunities are increased by our close cooperation with local, state, and federal organizations and agencies, including the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Navajo Nation Archaeology Department, the Hopi Tribe, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, Wupatki National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Grand Canyon National Park.
Click here for information about Anthropology graduate courses and faculty.