Department of Anthropology

Congratulations CSUN Anthropology MA Alum Mikael Fauvelle!

We are excited to announce that CSUN Anthropology MA Alum Mikael Fauvelle was featured in an article for his part in discovering the fingerprint of an ancient seaborne raider found on Scandinavia's oldest plank boat!

To read the full article, please use this link.

Department Graduate Program Application Deadlines:

• March 1, 2026 - department application deadline

For more information about the department’s graduate program, please visit our CSUN Graduate Programs in Anthropology and Archaeology page.

Anthropology Career Readiness Network 

• October 6th, 2025
• October 8th, 2025

Find out more information on the Announcement & Events page!

Congratulations Dr. Rougier!

We are excited to announce that Dr. Hélène Rougier is a senior author on an article that was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. The article presents the discovery of a workshop for making shell beads along with pigments dated to more than 42,000 years ago. The research is based in her excavations at Saint-Césaire in SW France. The discovery highlights the cultural diversity that existed in Europe around the time of the disappearance of Neandertals and arrival of the first Homo sapiens.

To read the full article, please use this link.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Rougier on her latest publication. 

Remembering Dr. Carol J. Mackey

It is with deep sadness that we share news that our dear friend and mentor Dr. Carol J. Mackey passed away peacefully at home on June 25, 2025.

Carol Mackey was a Professor Emerita at California State University Northridge and a leading expert on the Chimú Empire of northern Peru. She earned a PhD in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley with a study on khipus, based on her work with those still using them in the highlands of Perú. From 1969 to 1975 she was codirector, with Michael Moseley, of the Chan Chan–Moche Valley Project in Peru. She went on to study Chimú and Inca provincial administrative centers, excavating at Manchan in Casma and at El Algarrobal de Moro and Farfán in Jequetepeque. She has written many articles on the art and archaeology of the north coast of Peru, along with Twenty-Four Architectural Plans of Chan Chan, Peru (with Michael Edward Moseley; 1974), Ancient Burial Patterns of the Moche Valley, Peru (with Christopher B. Donnan; 1978), and Life, Death and Burial Practices during the Inca Occupation of Farfán on Peru’s North Coast (with Andrew J. Nelson, 2020). Her archive of thousands of photos of Lambayeque, Chimú, and Inca ceramic vessels and other objects is available to all at The Carol J. Mackey Archive at the Media Center for Art History at Columbia.

Carol conducted sustained field archaeological research at a time when not many women did and created a safe environment for everyone. She fostered a horizontal relationship in her projects, always taking time to explain to students her decisions and interpretations. She encouraged exchange of ideas and shared experiences between young Peruvian and American scholars, creating room for friendship to grow over ceviche and beers. Her formidable legacy lives on in the lives, projects, and friendships of all of us lucky enough to have been her students and colleagues.

Media Release: CSUN Prof’s Research Offers Glimpse of Life for Early Europeans More Than 40,000 Years Ago

Congratulations to Dr. Hélène Rougier and team on their new feature in CSUN’s Newsroom!

For more of the media release, visit the CSUN Newsroom article.

B.A. Anthropology

Apply to B.A. in Anthropology

Minor in Anthropology

To add the Minor, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor.

Minor in Applied Anthropology

To add the Minor, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor.

M.A. Anthropology

Apply to M.A. in Anthropology

M.A Public Archaeology

Apply to M.A. in Public Archaeology

Foundations of Anthropological and Archaeological Knowledge Certificates

Apply to the Certificate Programs