Anthropology is the study of humankind in all its aspects. From its start, anthropology has been a global field that asks questions about the nature of being human, explores the vast diversity of human cultures and reveals the secrets of complex social relationships. Anthropology offers a big picture of the world and responds to the major challenges confronting humankind across place and time.
The study of anthropology is for students who are curious about who they are, where they came from and why people do the things they do. With anthropology, students get to explore the cultures and lifeways of people all over the world.
Our professors are highly accomplished anthropologists who enjoy national and international reputations as top scholars, amazing teachers and friendly colleagues. Anthropologists at John Jay conduct research and write about important issues in the world, such as ethnic violence, inequality, genocide and war; urban poverty, homelessness, illicit drug dealing, tobacco and e-cigarettes, and teenage prostitution; urbanization, mass transit systems, and neighborhood revitalization; political prisoners and the Military-Enforcement Normal; international development and resource extraction projects; and oil production, timber, mining, environmental politics and microfinance.
Our professors are engaged in research projects that take them from Palestine to Poland, from the streets of New York and courtrooms in the U.S. to the transit systems of Taiwan, and from post-communist Eurasia (Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Georgia, and the Czech Republic) to the Indian Ocean republics of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.
The Department of Anthropology is dedicated to nurturing responsible, skilled, multicultural citizens of today’s urbanized, globalized, transcultural world. We prepare students for the social complexity and cultural changes associated with globalization, exploding social media use, and urbanization.
ZTC/OER (Zero Textbook Cost) classes offered in Anthropology:
