Department of Anthropology

STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

R. Scott Wilson, PhD

Contact:  scott.wilson@csulb.edu

Office Hours:  Mondays 2:00 – 3:00; Thursdays 10:00 – 11:30

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The Department of Anthropology at CSULB is a vibrant, four-field department offering courses and research opportunities in Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, Biological Anthropology and Archaeology.  Students who choose Anthropology as their major will engage in one of the most exciting, engaging and impactful disciplines in all of academia.  As a holistic discipline focused on human evolution, culture, language and (pre)history, Anthropology gives students the tools they need to understand and interact with an increasingly globalized and complex world.

Our current historical moment is a uniquely challenging one in which a global pandemic and its associated economic disruptions poses a myriad of difficulties for people around the world.  At the same time, the US’ awakening to the continuing impact of socio-economic and racial inequalities asks the question of what individuals and communities can do to resolve the centuries-old structures that America was built upon. Various courses in our department address these issues head-on, featuring community-based ethnographic studies that are grounded in cutting-edge, inclusive theoretical perspectives.

Anthropology may not have all of the answers to the challenges we face in our most interesting of times, but it can provide the tools that students need to understand them.  These tools are a first important step in establishing long-lasting, substantial solutions in a rapidly changing world.  Please feel free to contact us for further information. We look forward to meeting you and talking to you about anthropology.

 

Statement on Inclusion and Respect for Diversity

In solidarity with vulnerable members of our campus and local communities, members of the Department of Anthropology support the Society for Applied Anthropology’s statement on Diversity and Respect: “We as members of the Board of the Society for Applied Anthropology affirm our ongoing commitment to value human diversity in all its myriad forms and to encourage all of our members to provide safety and basic human rights for everyone. Anthropological perspective and practice are grounded in respect for all persons, civility, and thoughtful examination of ideas and policies.  It is especially critical at times of uncertainty and change. We recognize a common responsibility to support community members who may feel threatened and to counter hostility toward immigrants and other marginalized groups.  We pledge to continue to exercise and guard academic freedoms to examine and address such issues as perpetuation of inequalities and policies that oppress or degrade.  We urge involvement of everyone in learning and working together to create positive social change, promote humane understandings, and encourage a variety of shared actions to further these goals.” http://sfaa.net/~sfaanet/news/index.php/2016/nov-2016/sfaa/sfaa-statement-diversity-and-respect/

We further endorse both the American Anthropological Association (http://www.americananthro.org/ParticipateAndAdvocate/AdvocacyDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=21061) and the American Ethnological Society (http://americanethnologist.org/features/news/american-ethnological-society-statement-on-president-trumps-immigration-executive-order) statements calling for an immediate reversal of the Immigration Executive Order.