Education
He began his studies at Stanford in civil engineering but soon quit to rethink his major. When he returned to Stanford it was as a liberal arts major with an emphasis on philosophy. He graduated in 1927.
He later attended the University of California, Berkeley for his Doctor of Philosophy, granted in 1938.
His specialization was culture change and applied anthropology.
As a student, Barnett did field work among the American Indians of Oregon, Washington, and northwestern California, particularly the Yurok, Hupa, Yakima, and several small groups of the Oregon coast. Some research concerned diverse ethnological matters but focused primarily on the Indian Shaker religion and the potlatch.
The latter was the subject of his doctoral dissertation.