Anthropology and UVM have roots going back to the early days of the discipline. One of the first, if not the first, undergraduate course in anthropology in the United States was taught here in 1886 by a geologist, and subsequent Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, George Henry Perkins. Anthropology at UVM became a separate department in 1971 and moved to its present location on the top floor of Williams Hall with its striking views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Although the faculty of the department is deeply committed to research and other scholarly activities, we see our primary mission as providing a first-rate undergraduate education. Many of our majors have gone on to graduate work in anthropology and have told us they appreciate the firm grounding in all four areas of the discipline they have received. We strive to prepare students in the areas of archaeology, physical anthropology, ethnology and linguistic anthropology. In addition to the major, we also have three minors: social anthropology, prehistoric archaeology and linguistic anthropology. We also feel a strong obligation to provide students who are not concentrating in anthropology with a sense of the discipline and especially some idea of the diversity of human kind and an understanding of how and why people act as they do. We are especially committed to providing students with a comprehension of the variations in human populations and a sensitivity to cultural differences. In order to implement these concerns, we offer a variety of courses, many with low student to professor ratios which allow us to give motivated students a high level of individualized attention.

The department offers a broad range of courses reflecting the breadth of the discipline as well as the diversity of our faculty's experiences and interests. Our program begins with four basic courses designed to introduce anthropology's four major subfields - Human Cultures, Prehistoric Archaeology, Physical Anthropology and Linguistic Anthropology. To aid students in developing familiarity with specific geographical regions and representative human groups, we offer a wide variety of "people" courses such as North American Indians, Indians of the Northeast, Native Peoples of Canada, Cultures of South America, Cultures of Africa, and South Pacific Cultures.

We also offer a number of topical courses that focus on special themes such as Women, Society and Culture; Crisis Cults and Movements; Urban Anthropology; Third World Development; Race and Ethnicity; Sociolinguistics; Aging in Cross-Cultural Perspective; Historical Archaeology; Anthropological Theory; Archaeological Theory; Social Organization; Museum Anthropology; and Culture Change. Students can gain practical field experience in courses such as Field Work in Archaeology, Methods of Ethnographic Field Work, Microethnography and the student-initiated Senior Seminar. The UVM catalogue contains more specific information on all these offerings. Internships or field work practicums such as the one in the Diabetes Prevention Program in the Kahnawake Tribal Territory outside of Montreal, Quebec, are also available on a course or semester basis.

We also have lab facilities where students interested in archaeology, human osteology, and forensic anthropology can find training and experience. Students may pursue their own interests by enrolling in Readings and Research in which they may work with an appropriate faculty member on their own individually-designed research. Highly motivated students may elect to do College Honors in which they prepare a major research project under the supervision of a faculty member.

Getting in touch...

The Anthropology Department is located in 509 Williams Hall.

Please direct mail to University of Vermont, Anthropology Department, 509 Williams Hall, 72 University Place, Burlington, Vermont 05405. You may reach us by telephone at 802-656-3884 or by FAX at (802) 656-4406.

The department chair is James Petersen. The department administrative assistant is Cindy Longwell.

Questions? Contact Cindy Longwell at 656-3884.