About Us

The East Carolina University (ECU) Department of Anthropology offers a holistic approach to human evolution, adaptation and culture to promote a better understanding of human diversity. This approach fosters an true understanding and respect for the biological as well as the ethnic and cultural diversity present among today’s human socieites.

Anthropology students  at ECU receive individualized advising and the opportunity to work closely with faculty members on various projects. Each student takes a research methods course in his or her area of concentration and can choose upper level electives of interest. In addition to classroom instruction, the department offers field schools for archaeology, bioarchaeology, cultural anthropology and primatology. The Department of Anthropology at ECU also works closely with the surrounding communities offering our students the opportunity to conduct original research or volunteer as an intern with any of the numerous institutions affiliated with the department.

With roughly 100 majors and about 15 faculty we can provide our students with individual attention. Our department’s professors expertise focusses on the prehistory, history, and lifeways of eastern North Carolinian. In addition, we have faculty actively conducting  archaeological research in the Middle East. The Department of Anthropology also offers courses that examine the evolution, ecology, and behavior of primates and the placement of humans within the Order Primates.

There is an active Anthropology Student Organization and chapter of Lambda Alpha Honor Society  allowing students to develop their leadership skills and enjoy social activities. Our faculty are also active in ECU’s global classroom program whereby students can take a course in cross-cultural understanding that involves interacting in real-time with other undergraduate students living in at least three different cultures. After graduation, our students pursue a variety of careers in education, business, the humanities, forensics, or pursue a graduate degree in anthropology or an allied discipline.