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Anthropology
ANTHROPOLOGY
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Anthropology
Anthropology bridges sciences and the humanities while developing critical thinking, communication, group processes and the ability to work independently.
Graduate Anthropology
Our M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are designed to fill an important and growing niche: the need for anthropologists with advanced training in applied research.
Anthropology Field Schools
Learn modern archaeological excavation methods as we continue our study of the Devils Kitchen site, located on Oregon’s southern coast near the town of Bandon.
Food in Culture and Social Justice
Oregon State University’s Food in Culture and Social Justice Program (FCSJ) aims to give students a holistic background in the study of food and culture and tools to help construct socially just food systems.
Anthropology Stories
July 29, 2025
Student Spotlight
Sam Stone: Bridging the past and climate science through archaeology
Research by Stone, a master’s student in the School of Language, Culture, and Society, focuses on paleoclimate reconstruction in Baja California
Stone’s current research is helping to unlock the climate mysteries of the past. She’s working with marine shell fossils found on Cedros Island to reconstruct sea surface temperatures from the Pleistocene to Holocene (approximately 11,700 years ago—a task that involves stable isotope analysis.
Student Spotlight
Danlu Yang's mission to connect communities through anthropology
As a Ph.D. student and polyglot, Yang researches and advocates for linguistic justice in Oregon’s healthcare system
For Yang, language is more than words—it is a gateway to understanding different cultures and bridging divides. Yang is committed to her mission of improving healthcare accessibility. Whether through linguistic justice, policy advocacy, or cultural competency training, she hopes to make a lasting impact on how medical care is delivered to Oregon’s diverse communities.
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Student Spotlight
Dr. Traben Pleasant’s journey of inquiry and his lasting impact
As an anthropologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Dr. Pleasant studies aging, dementia, PTSD, and cannabis use among U.S. military veterans, and the ways in which the VA can enhance veterans’ healthcare and overall well being.
Dr. Pleasant’s successful journey—from a Los Angeles born kid and rambunctious high school youth in Long Beach, California, to a decorated Marine Corps Iraq War Veteran, to an anthropologist studying digital access in Panama, and now to a researcher at the VA—has been defined by relentless curiosity and adaptability, often when the odds were not in his favor.
Anthropology News
News Items