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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

  • Bone Needles Uncover New Insights Into Clovis Culture and Ice Age Life
    Tiny bone needles discovered at an archaeological dig site in Wyoming are helping tell the story of Indigenous communities during the Ice Age in North America. Dr. Madeline Mackie, faculty for the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University, co-authored a new bone needle study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. “These needles offer a Read More
  • Meet New Faculty Member: Dr. Madeline Mackie
    For some, the Ice Age is best understood through the 2002 animated film with a woolly mammoth, ground sloth, and smilodon. For Dr. Madeline Mackie, new assistant professor of anthropology, it’s a bit different. Mackie, originally from Southern California, knew from a young age that she wanted to be an anthropologist.  During her undergraduate years Read More
  • High school students explore forensic anthropology at MSU
    High school students from the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) recently got a behind-the-scenes look at Michigan State University’s Forensic Anthropology Lab (MSUFAL). In November, these students spent the day on campus meeting MSU students and faculty while exploring labs. Dr. Carolyn Isaac, assistant professor of anthropology and director of MSUFAL, shared how impactful it Read More
  • MSU Professor Emeritus Co-Authors Study on Indigenous Maize Use in Michigan
    Professor Emeritus Dr. William Lovis of the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University found something he didn’t expect when studying maize in Michigan. “The most unexpected outcome was the observation that there was a clear separation of living spaces used for residential, food preparation and consumption activities, and areas used for subterranean food storage Read More
  • MSU completes first-ever repatriation to The Bahamas
    Dr. Jessica Yann believes everyone should have a right to their own history.  Yann, Program Manager for Michigan State University’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) program and a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology, completed the first-ever human Ancestral remains repatriation to The Bahamas.  “To see how important this return was Read More
  • Access Spotlight: Dr. Kehli Henry
    Kehli Henry, Ph.D., is Michigan State University’s Access Spotlight honoree. During the month of November the college celebrates the diverse history, culture and accomplishments of our Native American and Indigenous community members. There are over 500 federally recognized tribes across the country including a dozen in the state of Michigan, each with its own unique Read More