About the Department

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The major strength of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania is its high quality across all four fields: Archaeology, Cultural, Linguistic, and Physical. Members of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and holders of major offices in the leading professional societies have come from each of the department's quadrants. Likewise, and especially in the past 15 years, the department's involvement in interdisciplinary activities across the University has been significant.

The Anthropology Department is housed within the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, an extraordinary resource with a library and substantial archaeological and ethnographic collections. U. Penn also has a premier Ethnohistory program, a Semiotics Laboratory, and a Public Interest Anthropology program. Special programs offer an abundance of opportunity for field work and for interdisciplinary work with other departments. The department is also deeply involved in community service work through the Penn-West Philadelphia Partnership.