Anthropology

Students in Brady G'sell's class sitting in a circle for a class discussion

The comparative study of peoples and cultures, past and present.

Why Iowa?

If you like history, people, and hands-on learning, studying anthropology at the University of Iowa is the place for you.

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Students in a cultural anthropology class discussing an item one of the students is holding

Build a foundation

The Department of Anthropology offers both BA and BS degrees in anthropology, as well as an anthropology minor. The department offers two specialized tracks within the major—archaeology and medical anthropology—for students wishing a greater focus within the major.

Build a foundation

Student in gold sweatshirt examining a skull she is holding

Expand your horizons

The Department of Anthropology grants both MA and PhD degrees in anthropology, and also offers a specialized MA in Cultural Resource Management, working closely with faculty and staff from the Office of the State Archaeologist.

Expand your horizons

Cynthia Chou and a student reviewing a file of booklets in her cultural anthropology class

Learn from experts

Faculty in our department pursue research in all four subfields of anthropology, and conduct research at locations around the globe, including East, South, and Southeast Asia; Europe; southern Africa; North America; South America; and the Pacific.

Learn from experts

See yourself here

As a discipline centered on human life, anthropology offers unique tools to analyze, understand, and address pressing issues facing people and the planet.

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News and announcements

One Day For Iowa: March 26, 2025

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Anthropology faculty member recognized with UI’s highest teaching honor

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Iowa Now

Meena Khandelwal, associate professor of anthropology, received the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad award from the U.S. Department of Education and the International Engagement Teaching Award from CLAS and UI International Programs.

Meena Khandelwal’s book Cookstove Chronicles: Social Life of a Women’s Technology in India (2024)was published in the Critical Green Engagements series with University of Arizona Press.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Upcoming events

Locating Reproductive Justice: Global & Regional Perspectives — 2024–25 Obermann Arts & Humanities Symposium

Thursday, March 27 to Friday, March 28, 2025 (all day)

As calls for transnational solidarity among reproductive justice movements emerge, communities are asking how reproductive liberation is tethered to various social movements. Directed by Lina-Maria Murillo (Gender, Women's, & Sexuality Studies and History) and Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz (Communication Studies and Gender, Women's, & Sexuality Studies), this symposium brings together scholars and artists with local, regional, and global perspectives to bear on the pursuit of reproductive justice as we...

The Swine Republic: A reading by Chris Jones at Prairie Lights Bookstore

Thursday, April 3, 2025 7:00pm

Prairie Lights Books

Come to Prairie Lights Books for a special Darwin Day reading by Chris Jones, author of "The Swine Republic." Published in 2023 by local publisher Ice Cube Press and named a 2024 "Great Reads from Great Places" book by the Library of Congress, The Swine Republic provides extensive research and reportage on the truth behind Iowa's infamously poor water quality.

Fostering Climate Resilience Together

Friday, April 4, 2025 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Iowa City Public Library

Researchers, sovereign tribal communities, and women farmland-owners will discuss how they are collaborating to foster climate resilience through the newly established Central Midwest Climate Opportunities and Learning Team (CM CO-Learn), funded by the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships program, that supports Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. This panel brings together a tribal community member, a woman farmland owner, and several project researchers to share what they are learning from each other, what tangible climate-wise action is underway, and how these strategies participate in global efforts to adapt to a changing climate.

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Our teaching, research and public engagement are animated by anthropology’s appreciation for and study of all aspects of human difference.

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