Anthropology is the comparative and global study of humanity in all its dimensions – past, present, and future. At USF, the principal sub-fields of anthropology - cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic – are integrated through a commitment to practical applications that will understand the past and benefit contemporary and future societies.

We are committed to understanding global diversity through community-based, applied research that is holistic and interdisciplinary. As applied anthropologists, we study, design, and evaluate policies, programs, and outcomes that have real consequences. Our faculty and students engage in world-class innovative research throughout the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Our work addresses globalization, economic development, resource and health disparities, environmental remediation, diet and nutrition, community advocacy, heritage resource management, education, media, and communication.

With our special emphasis on Applied Anthropology, we teach students the skills needed to conduct effective analyses of human social phenomena at both the local and global levels, and we offer opportunities to develop and apply those skills through research, internships, and service learning in Tampa Bay and beyond. While providing rigorous training for undergraduate majors and both masters and doctoral students, we are also committed to bringing the unique insights of anthropology to large numbers of students in general education classes.

The USF Department of Anthropology is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni that: honors differences, provides equal opportunity, fosters mutual respect, challenges stereotyped preconceptions, and condemns all forms of discrimination and prejudice. We respect and appreciate the diversity of human experience differentiated by culture and circumstance, including those distinguished by race, ethnicity, ancestry, nationality, citizenship, language, age, gender, sexuality, disability, family status, socioeconomic background, political beliefs, and religion. These core principles compel us to make every effort to recruit and retain members of historically excluded groups that are underrepresented in our discipline, in our university, and in our community; and to make every effort to integrate meaningfully the experiences, histories, and perspectives of these groups into our curricular and co-curricular programs and learning environments. We therefore commit to developing and implementing strategic actions, as permitted by law and the regulations and policies of the University of South Florida, for achieving these goals and assessing annually our progress.