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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. Explore our website and see for yourself the many approaches to anthropological research practiced by our faculty and graduate students. 

News & Updates

  • Anthropology alumnus wins Award of Merit from Society for Historical Archaeology
    By Karessa Weir Donald Weir, a 1974 Anthropology master’s graduate, has been presented with the national Society of Historical Archaeology’s Award of Merit for his lifetime of work in archaeology at this year’s national conference. The SHA Awards of Merit were established in 1988 to recognize the specific achievements of individuals and organizations who have Read More
  • Prior To European Contact Maize In The Central Andes Was Bred To Be Sweeter And Resist Harsh Highland Environment
    By Dr. Gabriel Wrobel and Dr. William Lovis Genetic analysis of ancient maize placed as an offering alongside the mummified remains of a young 15th-century Andean girl in what is now Bolivia is shedding new light on how regional interactions in the central Andes contributed to the development of maize as a staple crop prior Read More
  • New book unpacks the immigrant story behind America’s Mother of the Year 
    In 1952, Toy Len Goon, a Chinese immigrant widow raising eight children, was selected as U.S. Mother of the Year by the American Mothers Committee of the Golden Rule Foundation. Her story, celebrated during the Cold War as proof of American democracy, is featured in a new book by Dr. Andrea Louie, Goon’s granddaughter, and professor and chair of Michigan State University’s Department of Anthropology.    Louie’s book, Chinese American Mothering: Toy Read More
  • New Research Associate Joins MSU’s MOSAIC Project
    What began as a childhood interest in studying the past and human remains has led Dr. Andrea Zurek-Ost to a career in forensic anthropology. She joins the Department of Anthropology as a research associate working on MOSIAC, or Methods of Sex, Stature, Affinity and Age for Identification through Computational Standardization, a project funded by a Read More
  • A look inside ANP 364: Fake Archaeology
    This semester, Dr. Madeline Mackie challenged students to examine the pseudoarchaeological claims made about the past in ANP 364: Fake Archaeology. Students explored topics from ancient aliens and Atlantis to mysterious megalithics and pyramids. While dissecting archaeological myths, frauds, and hoaxes, Mackie has guided students in learning how to identify false claims and understand why Read More
  • MSU Museum Welcomes Dr. Stacey Camp as Curator of Archaeology
    The Michigan State University (MSU) Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Stacey Camp as Curator of Archaeology. An accomplished historical archaeologist and professor in MSU’s Department of Anthropology, Dr. Camp brings a wealth of experience in research, teaching, and public engagement focused on immigration, identity, and labor in the United States.  “The Read More