About Us
The Anthropology Department at UNC Charlotte is dedicated to a comprehensive approach for understanding human biological and cultural commonalities and differences across time and space. Our department is committed to using anthropology to understand our human species and help solve contemporary problems to make life better for humans in many different locales. We emphasize the applicability of anthropological theories and methods for non-academic settings like non-profit organizations, businesses, and government, and our students have the option to focus on applied anthropology for their BA or MA degrees in anthropology. There are several faculty who work on research projects in both archaeology and sociocultural anthropology in the Charlotte area. Students within the department are encouraged to work with faculty on community-based projects, service-learning experiences, and field schools. Applied Anthropology majors participate in internships with local organizations such as the local area food bank.
Faculty Research Areas
| Bolivia | Ecuador | Marshall Islands | Peru | United States |
| Brazil | Egypt | Malawi | South Africa | The Earth |
| Cyprus | Jordan | Mexico | Thailand |
Selected Faculty Achievements
- Dr. Elise Berman
- Hunt Postdoctoral Fellow, Wenner-Gren Foundation
- Distinguished Guest Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, University of Notre Dame
- Fellow, Wenner-Gren
- Grantee, National Science Foundation
- Scholar, Fulbright-Hayes Foundation
- Dr. Steven Falconer
- Grantee, National Science Foundation
- Grantee, Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications, Harvard University
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Grantee, National Geographic Society
- Director’s Award for Innovation in Instruction, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University
- Dr. Andrea Freidus
- Scholar, Fulbright-Hayes Foundation
- Fellow, Foreign Language and Area Studies (Chichewa)
- Dr. Catherine Fuentes
- Outstanding Lecturer, UNC Charlotte College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Dr. Sara Juengst
- Young Explorers Grantee, National Geographic
- Grant In-Aid of Research Awardee, Sigma Xi
- Timothy P. Mooney Scholar, Research Labs of Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill
- Dr. Lydia Light
- U.S. Student Researcher, Fulbright Foundation
- Grantee, National Science Foundation
- American Fellow, American Association for University Women
- Dr. Jon Marks
- Templeton Fellow, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study
- Visiting Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
- Award for Outstanding Teaching, American Anthropological Association
- J. I. Staley Prize, School for Advanced Research
- First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte
- Elected Fellow, American Associateion for the Advancement of Science
- Dr. Dennis Ogburn
- Summer Research Fellowship for College Teachers, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
- Faculty Research Grantee, UNC Charlotte
- Dr. Nicole Peterson
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Grantee, National Science Foundation
- Dr. Gregory Starrett
- Finalist, Bank of America Award for Outstanding Teaching
- President, Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association 2009-2010
- National Endowment for the Humanities Visiting Scholar, Dartmouth College
- Dr. Coral Wayland
- Finalist, Bank of America Award for Outstanding Teaching
Visit a Facebook page run by Charlotte Anthropologists.
The Future of Anthropology
As anthropology sits at the confluence of science, social science, and humanities, anthropology students gain valuable skills that can help them gain employment in health care, business, public policy, social services, academia, and any jobs that value critical thinking and global understanding. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that “Employment of anthropologists and archaeologists is expected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations” (US Department of Labor 2015).