About the Department
In the Anthropology Department at UC Santa Cruz we don’t study vanishing cultures—we study emerging worlds. We believe that, by learning from past and present cultures and ways of life, anthropologists can help expand our collective ability to imagine alternative futures.
Our primary areas of strength range from environmental anthropology to food studies, archaeological sciences, feminist anthropology, and the development of entirely new research methods. We look to primate anatomy for clues to the course of human evolution; we investigate the cultural borderlands performed in Mexican folkloric dance; we study the bones of long-dead sea creatures to learn how European colonialism transformed Monterey Bay and the lives of its Indigenous inhabitants. We share a concern with real-life issues, from the plight of ethnic minorities to the spread of genetically modified organisms.
Unlike at many other institutions, our specialists in each of our three subfields work together to develop multi-faceted anthropological theory, research, and curriculum that integrates a broad range of perspectives on the politics and experience of being human.
Anthropological Archaeology
We use the material traces of human activities to understand past human lives and cultures, both at the local level and within their wider social and ecological contexts. Our department provides broad training in archaeological method, theory, and regional cultures, offering a particular focus on the global archaeology of cultural contact, colonialism, and its enduring legacies today. Our faculty have regional specializations in West and East Africa, California, the Caribbean, the Near East, the Pacific Northwest, and South America.
Biological anthropology
We trace the human journey from its beginnings in Africa over five million years ago. Biological anthropologists look at fossil evidence, evolutionary theory, human variation, and the behavior of primate relatives in order to analyze biological, social, and cultural changes over time.
Cultural anthropology
We explore the everyday lives, beliefs, activities, and movements of people, objects, and ideas in diverse societies. Cultural anthropology courses examine topics such as race and ethnicity, medicine, health, science, gender, sexuality, environment, religion, law, popular culture, politics, economics, and institutions.
Support Anthropology
Anthropology offers invaluable insights into the complexities of human societies. People around the world see global problems differently, influenced by their location, background, psychology, socioeconomic status, and a myriad of other factors. By supporting the Anthropology Department, you are contributing to nuanced, high-impact research and a well-rounded educational experience, both of which foster the critical thinking and cultural understanding needed to address global challenges.
Alumni success stories
Cristina Valencia: Lab Director at Astrea Forensics for Claret Bioscience
Cristina Valencia (’20, M.A. and Ph.D.) is the lab director for Astrea Forensics, a forensic genome sequencing service lab that uses state-of-the-art and patented technology to reconstruct human genetic profiles from highly degraded remains. The company’s work helps law enforcement and genetic genealogy investigators to solve cold cases.
Sarah Peelo: Co-owner and president of Albion
Sarah Peelo (Ph.D. Anthropology ’09) was named UC Santa Cruz’s Social Sciences Division Distinguished Graduate Alumna in 2022. She serves as co-owner and president of Albion—a women-owned cultural resource management and consulting firm in California. Her work helps clients understand and protect cultural and natural resources on their properties.
Kamari Maxine Clarke: Distinguished professor at the University of Toronto
Kamari Maxine Clarke applies perspective from her Ph.D. studying the anthropology of culture and power to her career as a scholar of legal institutions, international domains, and the politics of globalization. She says her time in UCSC’s Anthropology Department provided her with crucial support, networks, and intellectual space that positioned her to thrive in the field.
More alumni stories
More student stories
Are you one of our alumni? If so, we’d love to stay in touch. Be sure to update your contact and employment information with the campus, so that we can celebrate your successes and keep you in the loop on opportunities. You can also follow the Anthropology Department on social media at the links on the bottom of this page.
Anthropology Department by the numbers
3.91
years average time to degree for undergraduate students entering as first-years
31
research funding awards earned in the past five years
1 in 3
undergraduates take courses with a diversity focus
42%
of newly enrolled undergraduates are first-generation college students
1 in 3
of undergraduates participate in a for-credit internship, field study, or work experience
78%
of graduate students rate faculty mentorship as good to excellent