About the Anthropological Sciences Department

The faculty of Anthropological Sciences place a high priority on providing students with direct, hands-on experience in the field and lab, including involvement in ongoing faculty research projects.  These include archaeological investigations in historic and prehistoric Virginia.  Internationally, the faculty also have active archaeological, bioarchaeological, and forensic investigations in Bolivia and the Solomon Islands.  Students may also work with a faculty member to develop a research topic that they are interested in pursuing. 

A famous anthropologist once wrote that “Anthropology is the most humanistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the humanities”, this is because anthropology is the scientific study of people. We look at every aspect of people from their bones to their behavior in all points in time and in all places. 

Why does anthropology matter? We live in an increasingly global and intercultural world, with connections to people of different cultures.  Anthropology gives understanding of the differences in human experiences and norms while acknowledging the fundamental things that make us all human. 

This is an excellent program for those who are interested in working overseas or traveling, but it has become increasingly helpful in the local job market as well.  Now anthropologists are considered high level consumer researchers in the field of marketing and hold diversity posts in a variety of institutions.  These are options in addition to academic research, forensic anthropology, archeology, museum work, and as cultural attachés.  

The program at Radford includes:

• studying the origins of our species and ancient primate fossil records
• learning the skills of archaeology and the study of the ancient world
• how people around the world are united by their cultures
• the forensic analysis of human skeletons and how they reveal human behavior.