Pursuing a degree in anthropology at Catholic University provides a unique opportunity to take advantage of all that the city of Washington, D.C., has to offer. It is a rich resource for academic research, and internships in areas relevant to the study of anthropology, including policy studies, health care and environmental research, preservation, community development, and international development.

Students in our department take full advantage of the boundless resources of the Smithsonian Institution museums, including the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and many others within a 10-minute Metro ride from the Catholic University campus.

Catholic University students also can study additional topics with anthropologists in the Washington Consortium of Universities, which include specialists on Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, local communities in the DC area, linguistics, human paleontology, and regional archaeology.

A professional Anthropological Society of Washington sponsors a lecture series on a different research topic each year, and the American Anthropological Association meets every third year in Washington, providing a special opportunity for students.

The Library of Congress is an incomparable resource for students. The halls of Congress and numerous public and private agencies offer abundant internship opportunities. And the city abounds with diverse cultural, sports, entertainment, and dining opportunities that enrich students' lives a many ways.

Among our goals is to open doors to these opportunities that reward students with initiative and a sense for that something extra that anthropology has to offer.

 

Washington 101 Class

Washington 101: Getting to Know D.C.

In this unique course, students learn about their “college town” as a symbolic city (the design and meaning of its buildings, monuments, and museums), a political city (the behavior of national and local policymakers), and a living city (the city’s economy, neighborhoods, culture, and population).

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Students riding scooters on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol building

Discover D.C. with CatholicU

Washington, D.C., is a city of politics, parades, festivals, museums (did we mention most of them are free?), professional sports, theatres, concerts, shopping, parks, restaurants, monuments, waterways, and trendy neighborhoods.

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