The Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University engages in the discipline as a humanistic science of cultural and biological diversity across time and space. Our strength is in our diversity of approaches to this fundamental inquiry. Our faculty specializes in socio-cultural anthropology, archaeology, medical anthropology, physical anthropology, and anthropological linguistics. We work towards an understanding of the human condition, past and present, in countries across the world and in our own backyards. Our undergraduate and graduate students are trained to be critical thinkers. We offer undergraduates research opportunities inside and outside the classroom, and our graduates find that their degrees have prepared them for a wide variety of experiences within and outside the discipline. I encourage you to explore this new website and see for yourself the many approaches to anthropological research practiced by our faculty and graduate students, and visit us often here or on Facebook to keep up on the achievements of our faculty, students, and alums.
News & Updates
- Associate Professor Dr. Joe Hefner and Ph.D. Candidate Micayla Spiros co-publish in the University of Florida Press’ Forensic Anthropology JournalDepartment of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Joe Hefner and Ph.D. Candidate Micayla Spiros and co-authors Sherry Nakhaeizadeh, Tim J.U. Thompson, Ruth M. Morgan, Viktor Olsson, Alexandra Berivoe, and Martin Arvidsson published their work in the University of Florida Press’ Forensic Anthropology Journal. The article is titled “Using Eye-Tracking Technology to Quantify the Effect of Experience
- Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita co-authors article in Evolution, Medicine, and Public HealthDepartment of Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. Masako Fujita and co-authors Katherine Wander, Siobhan Mattison, Blandina Mmbaga and others publish in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. The article is titled “Tradeoffs in milk immunity affect infant infectious disease risk.” The article discusses research on milk immune activity, a new area of research, among almost 100 breastfeeding mother–infant dyads in Kilimanjaro,
- Featured Faculty, Dr. Mindy Morgan
Dr. Mindy Morgan is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and affiliated faculty member of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies program, as well as the Graduate Program Director for the Department of Anthropology. Dr. Morgan specializes in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology. Over the course of the past few years, Dr. Morgan has been exploring the - Assistant Professor Dr. Lucero Radonic, Ph.D. Candidate Cara Jacob, alumna Dr. Rowen Kalman, and community partner Yvonne Lewis co-publish in Case Studies in the EnvironmentDepartment of Anthropology Assistant Professor Dr. Lucero Radonic, Ph.D. Candidate Cara Jacob, alumna Dr. Rowen Kalman, and community partner Yvonne Lewis co-publish in Case Studies in the Environment. The article is titled “Questionable Quality: Using Photovoice to Document Women’s Experiences of Water Insecurity in Flint, USA.” The article discusses a Flint, Michigan based community-based participatory
- Memorial for MSU Anthropology Alumnus Herb Whittier (1941-2021)MSU Department of Anthropology alumnus Herbert (Herb) Whittier, Ph.D. died June 6, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. Whittier studied Anthropology at University of South Florida (B.A. 1963), and Florida State University (B.S. 1965) where he also met his wife and research collaborator Patricia (Pat) Ruth Jenks, and later received a Ph.D. in Anthropology at MSU
- MSU Anthropology Undergraduate Spotlight: Senior Jackson Schooley“I’ve made life-long friends that I have met in my Anthropology classes,” said senior Jackson Schooley, who will be graduating this May with a degree in Anthropology. A lifelong learner of language and people, Jackson found the human-centric discipline in the MSU Department of Anthropology to be a perfect marriage of his interests. “Anthropology gives
