Department of Anthropology

About the Department

The Department of Anthropology has emerged as one of the best departments in India. The department has received recognition for both teaching and research, which focuses on Social and Cultural Anthropology.  The Department of Anthropology at HCU receives more applications than almost any other in the country and is preferred place of study by both M.A. and Ph.D. scholars.  In addition, the M.A programme includes core courses in Physical Anthropology and Archaeological Anthropology with a component of field-based ethnographic research. This includes both shorter fieldwork trips in and around Hyderabad as well as a month-long fieldwork study for second year M.A. students. Students are mentored by faculty on conducting fieldwork and writing articles and dissertations. A number of students from the department have passed the UGC-NET examination and gone on to receive prestigious fellowships and grants. The department offers courses (Six) to the College of Integrated Studies. This exposes a learner at the Undergraduate level to the world of anthropology.

The faculty have diverse backgrounds and interests which allow them to provide specialized elective courses, such as Medical Anthropology, Development Anthropology, Ecological Anthropology Business Anthropology, Urban anthropology, Anthropology of Public Policy, Natural Resource Management and Family and Kinship Studies.  There are also a wide variety of internships that the Department facilitates in both public and private sector in order to give students opportunities to practice their skills.

The department is particularly proud of the placement and the achievements of its alumni. The alumni are the biggest asset the department has created over the years for sustaining the quality of its teaching and research.

The department imparts training in both theoretical and applied research in Anthropology, which equips students to meet the academic challenges in urban/rural/tribal field studies. Apart from studying cultural diversity, the department is oriented towards the application of anthropological knowledge to the understanding of social problems and development issues.  The vision and mission of the Department are stated as:

 Vision:

• To emerge as a world-class department in learning, research, and extension by the holistic exploration of human society.

Mission:

• To facilitate quality education, research, and training of global standards at masters and doctoral levels in Anthropology.
• To provide comprehensive knowledge and transferable skills in Anthropology and allied disciplines for employment in governmental, non-governmental, and international organizations.
• To establish national and international collaborations with research institutions and other organizations to advance disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge.
• To offer training in capacity building to the members of Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations.