Anthropology Program

The anthropology program at Mary Washington concentrates on cultural anthropology: ethnography, theory, and practice. Studying anthropology at UMW means not just being exposed to a wide range of cultural forms and practices, but also learning about concepts and research strategies that can be applied in any cultural setting, including the ones that students encounter every day in the U.S.

Students have the opportunity to do first-hand research under faculty supervision in the community of Fredericksburg and, for those interested, elsewhere in the world as well. Recent graduates and current students have done research in Haiti, Chile, Peru, Australia, Samoa, and Madagascar. We also offer a field school summer course every other summer in Guyana. Further information about study abroad and field school opportunities is available here.

We also work closely with colleagues in the Department of Historic Preservation to train students interested in archaeology.

Majors earn a B.A. in anthropology. The total number of required hours in the major is small (32) to allow students to double major if they wish.

The Program Requirements pages give details about the current program and about the independent major.

You’ll find a list of our regularly-offered anthropology courses on the Course Descriptions page. Those offered in the current and the coming semesters are listed on the Schedule of Courses.