What is Anthropology?

Faculty and graduate students have research interests focused on four broad themes:

Anthropology is an academic discipline that operates at the crossroads of the physical sciences, social sciences and humanities to examine the diversity of human experience across culture and time.

Anthropologists in the department study everything from human evolution to pre-history to life in a globalizing world. Because of this breadth of focus, anthropology is highly relevant to understanding and living in a rapidly changing world.

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno is home to an active community of scholars including specialists in archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics and biological anthropology. We offer a wide range of courses in each of these sub-disciplines and many research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. The department offers bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees. Students have opportunities for training in a variety of laboratories and research programs.

The department takes a four-field approach to understand humans and emphasizes collaborative research that cross-cuts sub-fields.

Sub-fields

Archaeology Archaeologists study the human past through the physical remains of past human activities. Everything from portable artifacts to plant remains illuminates human history.

Archaeology

Biological Biological anthropologists, also known as physical anthropologists, study human evolution and variation. Specific emphasis is on mechanisms of biological evolution, genetic inheritance, human, adaptability, worldwide genetic and physical variation, primate anatomy and behavior and paleoanthropology.

Biological anthropology

Anthropology student looking through a microscope connect to a camera

Cultural Cultural anthropologists study the diversity of human cultures and societies and the process by which people construct local, regional and global forms of social relationships. Several of our faculty study the process by which people construct particular social identities, worldviews and form of community in a changing, globalizing world.

Cultural Anthropology

Elders prepare an offering to be burn for the sun

Linguistics Linguistic anthropology is the study of language use in social life. Linguistic anthropologists study the diversity of the world's languages and the diversity of language use and other forms of communication in societies around the world. Also included in this is the study of cultural understanding of languages and language varieties.

Linguistic anthropology

Department Contact Information

Location: Ansari Business

Room Number: 512

Mailstop: 0096

Mailing Address: 1664 N. Virginia St.

Email: anthropology@unr.edu

Phone: (775) 784-6704

Fax: (775) 327-2226

Hours: Monday - Friday 8-5 p.m.

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology examines the diversity of human experience

Sub-fields