Understanding Human Behavior
Anthropology is the study of humans, both past and present. UNC anthropology students develop thinking and research skills that dovetail with all academic and professional fields, and learn to understand human behavior and how and why it changes over time. With UNC’s focus on community and civic engagement, students also gain hands-on experience locally and globally.
Discover more about Anthropology at UNC in this program overview video!
News and Events
Alumni Spotlight:
Kehaulani Lagunero
Kehaulani Lagunero graduated UNC in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a focus for Cultural Anthropology. During her time at UNC she was nominated for an internship to work with Cultural continuation and story-telling with Navajo, Apache, and Hawaiian Indigenous communities. Along with other internships and instances, this contributed toward her interest in Cultural Anthropology and Applied Anthropology.
Currently, Kehaulani is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology at Denver
University, with a special focus on Indigenous sovereignty, burial practices, and
post-colonial gender identities.
She believes that Anthropology contributed towards her passion for community engagement
applied work through cross-cultural understanding, but also formed her passion of
wanting to see her own cultural heritages being accurately documented within a historical
record. Anthropology also continues to inspire her curiosity to learn about the past
and how it impacts the living, and helped form her skills related to humanitarian-aid
and cultural-sensitivity!
Congratulations to our Spring 2023 Graduates! 
Congratulations to students graduating in Spring 2023!
Anthropology Department
Awarded Grant
The University of Northern Colorado’s Anthropology Department and, in India, the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre have been awarded a World Learning/US Dept. of State Communities Connecting Heritage grant for their project “Reclaiming Heritage II: Building Social Bonds & Bridges with Cultural Heritage Video Snapshots”.
Through a collaboration between undergraduate students in Michael Kimball’s applied anthropology class, UNC Library’s Digital UNC archive, an Immigrant & Refugee Center of Northern Colorado (IRCNOCO) English language class, and members of the Rathwa tribe in Gujarat, India, immigrant/refugee and Rathwa participants will create, archive, and share with their respective communities “video snapshots” documenting key aspects of their cultural heritage. The project is scheduled to run January 1 to May 14, 2021.
Congratulations to the Department of Anthropology!
ANthropology Faculty Book releaseD
Associate Professor Whitney Duncan's book Transforming Therapy: Mental Health Practice and Cultural Change in Mexico was recently released.
URMAMA brings together students, faculty, and community
A new initiative in the Anthropology Department will give online space for student work to be published and aims to provide the public with accessible information on anthropology. "Undergraduate Researchers Making Anthropology More Accessible (URMAMA)" was founded by recent Anthropology graduate Gabrielle Scott, who will continue to assist with editing and consulting, and Assistant Professor Ather Zia.
Dr. Zia discusses Kasmir in Podcast
In these episodes of UNC's Bear in Mind podcast, Dr. Ather Zia discusses the complex and violent history between Kashmir, India, and Pakistan (part one), and the growing Kashmiri scholarship and art, as well as her recently published book, Resisting Occupation in Kashmir (part two).
DR. Kimball DISCUSSES Mindfulness IN PODCAST
Associate Professor Michael Kimball discussed mindfulness for UNC's Bear in Mind Podcast. Part One discusses mindfulness and stress management techniques designed for emerging adults, while in Part Two Dr. Kimball guides you through a Koru Mindfulness practice. Sit down, relax, and take a breather.
Major Anita Patane selected for smithsonian internship
Senior Anthropology major Anita Patane was recently selected for a prestigious internship with the Smithsonian Institution for summer 2023. Read more about Anita below.
Anthropology Exhibit
Cultural items from the Anthropology Department collections are exhibited on the first floor of Michener Library. Past exhibits include Ancestral and Historic Pueblo Pottery and grinding implements.
Real-World Learning, Deep Understanding
Wondering where a UNC anthropology degree can take you? With small class sizes, engaged and expert faculty, and global opportunities, you'll have a wide-range of career options. In this video, UNC students and faculty talk about the cross-disciplinary approach to studying and applying anthropology, as well as UNC's unique opportunities for experiential learning.
