The faculty members of the Department of Anthropology are experts in analyzing human differences in the context of the material (political and economic) conditions of life. They are concerned with the interaction of gender, race, ethnicity, class and other variables in human affairs, and with the consequences of these relationships for social change and development. Drawing on the resources of the Museum of Anthropology, they are concerned with how the material world expresses and sustains human relationships and ways of thinking.

The department has an archaeology lab, ethnology lab and a museum housing collections of archaeological and ethnographic materials. The department also has computer-catalogued collections, working relationships with Denver-area museums and archaeological field opportunities. Students interested in careers in archaeology, cultural anthropology or museum anthropology can find courses designed to meet their needs.

The department provides the Thomas A. Bogard Scholarship for a senior majoring in anthropology.