Anthropology

Why study anthropology?

Anthropology students immerse themselves in skills and methods that employ a holistic approach to understanding human cultures of the past and today. 

  • Anthropology builds a framework for careers in fields such as forensics, archaeology, medical anthropology, refugee resettlement, human relations and so many more. 
  • Study-abroad opportunities at Augustana take your anthropological experiences afield to places, such as India, Costa Rica, Spain and locations closer to home, like the American Southwest. 
  • Field school and internship opportunities provide hands-on experience to get you in the job market sooner.
Archaeology Laboratory Anthropology Department
AU Anthropology Class

Academics at AU

Beyond AU

Tori Brandt ‘24, who double majored in anthropology and history, is a field school supervisor at the University of Exeter in England, where she is pursuing a Master of Science in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. During her time at Augustana, Brandt also served as a field school supervisor at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell, South Dakota, and attended field school in Lynch, Nebraska.

Tori Brandt

Course Descriptions

Major Map

Faculty

Contacts

Social

 

Latest News

Amelia Jibben
Beyond the Books: Internship Allows Criminal Justice and Anthropology Major to Better Understand Prison System

Amelia Jibben ‘25, of Sioux Falls, is a criminal justice and anthropology double major with a concentration in forensics. Jibben interned with the South Dakota State Penitentiary over the summer where she was able to get hands-on experience in the prison system. There, her job duties included listening to inmates' complaints and doing her best to assist them.

Sammie Kross
Beyond the Books: Environmental Studies and Anthropology Major Recognizes Importance of Volunteering With Outdoor Campus Internship

Sammie Kross ‘25, is an environmental studies and anthropology double major from Rapid City, South Dakota. This summer, Kross is interning at The Outdoor Campus with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks (GFP) in Sioux Falls, where she wears many hats. She handles a variety of duties, including managing volunteers, photographing events, designing social media content and assisting with outdoor classes. 

Fawcett Kill Site
South Dakotans Working to Get Bison Kill Site on National Register, Provides AU Students With Golden Hands-On Learning Opportunity

South Dakotans are trying to get the Fawcett (bison) Kill Site in Ree Heights nominated to the National Register of Historic Places on behalf of the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office. Augustana students recently accompanied volunteers from the South Dakota Historical Society and staff from Augustana’s Archaeology Lab in Western Hand County to conduct a field investigation of the prehistoric bison kill site that was first discovered in 2015, and revisited in 2017 by several universities in South Dakota and historical Society.

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Highlights

Forensics

Forensics at AU

Careers

Anthropologists have pursued careers as archaeologists, cultural resource managers, museum curators, researchers and in the fields of business and communications.

Hands-On Learning 

Internship opportunities include:

  • Augustana Archaeology Laboratory
  • Center for Western Studies (CWS)
  • Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
  • Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village
  • Pettigrew House and Museum in Sioux Falls

Through independent projects, students can research historic farmsteads, early inhabitants of North America, the study of modern cultures and ancient lifeways — in the library, laboratory, museums and field. 

Student and faculty research has been published in major journals, including:

  • American Antiquity
  • Plains Anthropologist 
  • South Dakota Archeology, which is published at the Augustana Archaeology Laboratory

Anthropology students study away at:

  • Field school at the Lynch site — a Plains village in Nebraska with AU faculty
  • South Dakota’s Archeodome — a state-of-the-art research and teaching facility at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village
  • University of Exeter in England
  • United States Southwest Region

Courses & Organizations

The major integrates four subfields that divide anthropology: archaeology, cultural anthropology, physical anthropology and linguistics. Students study theory and practice from art, language, history, sociology, biology and chemistry.

Students can choose to study these tracks:

  • Archaeology
  • Cultural
  • Forensic 
  • Physical 

Anthropology students often participate in:

  • Anthropology Club
  • Classics Society
  • Augie Green