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| San Diego State University Department of Anthropology | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Diego State University Department of Anthropology |
| Established | 1921 |
| Type | Public |
| City | San Diego |
| State | California |
| Country | United States |
San Diego State University Department of Anthropology San Diego State University Department of Anthropology is an academic unit offering instruction and research in cultural, archaeological, and biological anthropology. Located in San Diego, the department links regional studies of Southern California and Baja California with broader work on Mesoamerica, Pacific Islanders, and North America. It maintains programs that intersect with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, and the American Anthropological Association.
Founded in 1921, the department developed alongside regional growth tied to Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park, and expansion of San Diego State College. Early faculty engaged with fieldwork in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, La Jolla, and Catalina Island, collaborating with scholars from University of California, San Diego, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Arizona. During the mid-20th century, faculty connections included projects with the Works Progress Administration era archaeologists and later grant partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. Influential visits and lectures featured figures associated with Franz Boas-influenced lineages, links to Bronislaw Malinowski traditions, and dialogue with scholars from Harvard University, University of Chicago, and Yale University.
The department offers undergraduate majors and minors alongside graduate programs culminating in MA and PhD degrees, with coursework tied to the Society for American Archaeology standards and accreditation practices recognized by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Students pursue concentrations in archaeology-linked field methods connected to sites like Pauma Valley, theoretical modules drawing on literature from Claude Lévi-Strauss, and biological anthropology seminars engaging with comparative collections at the California Academy of Sciences. Interdisciplinary partnerships include joint offerings with the School of Public Health (San Diego State University), the College of Arts and Letters (San Diego State University), and the Department of Geography (San Diego State University), while students engage in exchange programs with University of British Columbia, University of Oxford, and National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Research centers affiliated with the department collaborate with agencies such as the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Major projects have included excavation in La Rumorosa, surveys in Imperial County, and ethnohistorical research involving archives at the Bancroft Library and the National Anthropological Archives. Faculty-led labs engage with theories advanced by scholars linked to Lewis Binford, Ian Hodder, and Marcel Mauss, and publish in journals like American Antiquity, Current Anthropology, and Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. Grant-funded initiatives include collaborative work with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the San Diego Museum of Man, and the Tijuana Cultural Center.
Faculty include specialists in bioarchaeology with training connected to The Pennsylvania State University, experts in cultural anthropology influenced by researchers from Columbia University and University of Michigan, and archaeologists with field histories in Peru, Guatemala, and Chile. Staff roles coordinate outreach linked to the National Park Service (United States), collections managed in partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum, and digital projects that align with standards from the Digital Antiquity initiative and the Open Context repository. Visiting scholars have come from institutions such as University College London, Australian National University, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Student organizations include chapters of the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Archaeological Institute of America student group, and campus clubs that collaborate with local groups like the Sierra Club and the San Diego Archaeological Center. Field schools run annually at sites comparable to those used by teams from Stanford University, University of New Mexico, and University of Arizona, offering students practicum experiences recognized by Register of Professional Archaeologists. Graduate student committees organize symposia featuring speakers from National Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Field Museum of Natural History.
Facilities include teaching laboratories, an osteology lab comparable to those at University of California, Davis, and a collections repository working with regional repositories like San Diego State University Library Special Collections and the San Diego Archaeological Center. The department curates artifacts and skeletal collections documented according to protocols influenced by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and consults with tribal governments such as the Kumeyaay and organizations represented by the National Congress of American Indians. Equipment for remote sensing and GIS parallels resources used by research teams from U.S. Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The department partners with regional tribes including the Kumeyaay and Luiseno, municipal entities like the City of San Diego, and cultural institutions such as the San Diego Museum of Man and the Tijuana Cultural Center. Public programming has included lectures tied to exhibitions from the British Museum, workshops co-developed with California State Parks, and K–12 curriculum collaborations with San Diego Unified School District. These initiatives have received support from funders such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts to promote access to collections and participatory archaeology projects with community partners.
Category:San Diego State University Category:Anthropology departments in the United States