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
- Ph.D. Student Emily Nisch Awarded Indigenous America 250 InternshipDepartment of Anthropology Ph.D. student Emily Nisch has been awarded an NCPE Internship through the National Park Service and the Indigenous America 250 initiative. Indigenous America 250 is a community-engaged, community-driven scholarly research project led by Indigenous scholars that is reexamining the Revolutionary War period and its aftermath from the perspectives of Indigenous communities and
- The Department of Anthropology Welcomes new MSU Museum Archaeology Collections Manager, Samantha EllensThe Department of Anthropology is happy to welcome the new MSU Museum Archaeology Collections Manager, Samantha Ellens. The position of Collections Manager is jointly supported by the MSU Museum and the Department of Anthropology. Samantha will be responsible for the care, preservation, and documentation of the archaeological collections that are managed and curated collaboratively by
- Professor Gabriel Wrobel awarded research grant by the Alphawood FoundationDepartment of Anthropology Professor Gabriel Wrobel has been awarded a research grant by the Alphawood Foundation. This funding is in support of a project based in Northern Belize titled “The Marco Gonzalez Archaeological Project: Exploring Ancient Maya Coastal Adaptations in Northern Belize,” and the research will run in conjunction with an MSU Education Abroad program. The
- Associate Professor Chantal Tetreault awarded MSU HARP AwardDepartment of Anthropology Associate Professor Chantal Tetreault was awarded a Humanities and Arts Research Development (HARP) Award for 2023 by Michigan State University’s Office of Research and Innovation. Professor Tetreault’s project is titled “What is Arabic Good For? Arabic Language Educational Reform in France” for which she is currently researching. HARP funding is designed to
- Associate Professor Mara Leichtman Awarded Institute of Advanced Study Fellowship at Durham UniversityAssociate Professor Mara Leichtman has been awarded an Institute of Advanced Study fellowship at Durham University, UK, where she is in residence at St. Aidan’s College from January through March 2024. During this time, she will be working on her next book titled “Humanitarian Islam: Transnational Religion and Kuwaiti Development Projects in Africa,” which unpacks
- MSU Biomarker Laboratory for Anthropological Research is seeking mid-Michigan breastfeeding mothers for upcoming studyDepartment of Anthropology Associate Professor Masako Fujita, Director of the MSU Biomarker Laboratory for Anthropological Research, is looking for mid-Michigan breastfeeding mothers to volunteer for an upcoming study, “Exploring Human Milk Immune Specificity.” Qualifying volunteers will be asked to:• Come to Michigan State University East Lansing campus, if possible, with baby – about 2 hours•