Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Rhode Island College is to maintain a team of engaged professionals who are qualified to produce and disseminate information to members of an increasingly complex and diverse global community by:

1. Striving to see that courses informed by anthropological perspectives on human beings who inhabit diverse and changing environments and who manifest both similarity and diversity across space and time are integral components of the education of all students at Rhode Island College;
2. Providing coherent, up-to-date programs of education and professional development in Anthropology and related disciplines;
3. engaging in research, publication, and other professional activities to advance the disciplines and disseminate information to both professional and lay audiences; and
4. Addressing the informational and advisory needs of the College and Faculty of Arts and Sciences as well as communities, agencies, and other audiences within the state, the nation, and the world.

The Department of Anthropology at Rhode Island College seeks to promote the interests of the discipline in order to address the connections among human beings and their social and natural environments. The faculty engages in teaching, research, and service that foster these interests. The Department embraces a view of Anthropology as a field that addresses the world through its archaeological, linguistic, socio-cultural and biological sub-disciplines and is committed to a view of human beings and their environment that is global, diverse, and increasingly complex.