Department Overview

The department has one of the largest and most diverse anthropology faculties within the California State University system. Many of our faculty are widely published and of national repute in their areas of specialization. In conjunction with formal educational programs, the department supports several activities on a regular basis: a series of Faculty Colloquia and the Sacramento Anthropological Society, which publishes a monograph series and hosts an annual symposium.

The department houses extensive ethnographic and archaeological collections in conjunction with the Museum of Anthropology. Students have an opportunity to learn all phases of museum work from collections management to the designing and mounting of anthropological exhibits. The department also maintains a computer lab, as well as several computer stations, in the Archaeology lab.

In addition to course related fieldwork, students are provided the opportunity for paid fieldwork through the Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Studies. The Institute coordinates ongoing foreign and domestic field projects, income-generating contract work and the archaeology curriculum. Students may participate in fieldwork at California and Great Basin sites.  Research opportunities are also provided through internship placements with museums and governmental agencies.