Welcome to the website of the Department of Anthropology at American University! Our department has trained undergraduate and graduate students in the real-world applications of anthropological method and theory for almost 50 years. We were the second anthropology department in the USA to offer an MA in Applied Anthropology. Our new BA- and MA- related initiatives in Public Anthropology, our support for critical studies in archaeology, and our Anthropology/Sociology joint PhD track in Race, Gender and Social Justice prepares students to address issues of public policy, community struggle and other locally defined concerns in their academic projects, and for employment in activist domains outside of academia. Our faculty and students come from different race, ethnic and class backgrounds, nationalities and sexualities, and we are committed to maintaining an academic environment where diversity, broadly defined, can be expressed, supported and respected.   

Material on this website describes the degree programs, research interests and opportunities for practical training which the Department of Anthropology makes available to you. Please contact me or any member of the faculty, or any of our students if you have questions about the department or want to discuss a course of study in Anthropology that addresses your interests and needs.

With best wishes,
William L. Leap
Professor and Department Chair