The Duke University Dept. of Anthropology was formed in the 1972/1973 academic year, after the joint Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, which had existed from 1941 to 1972, split into two separate departments. In July 1988, the disciplines in the Dept. of Anthropology divided into the Dept. of Cultural Anthropology and the Dept. of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy. The Dept. of Cultural Anthropology focuses on the study of cultures around the world. Records include two brief subject files including clippings and a newsletter, as well as a few documents relating to the Anthropology Majors Union, from the 1970s. In addition, the records include a syllabus and selected course papers from Cultural Anthropology 105.S01: Campus Politics, taught by Orin Starn in 1992. English.

Department of Cultural Anthropology records include two brief subject files dating from the 1970s, when the Anthropology Department included all cultural and biological subdisciplines in one academic department. The files include clippings and a newsletter, as well as a few documents relating to the Anthropology Majors Union. In addition, the records include a syllabus and selected course papers from Cultural Anthropology 105.S01: Campus Politics, taught by Orin Starn in 1992. Most of the course papers focus on cultural phenomena at Duke University; some papers are restricted, see below for details.