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
- New faculty member Dr. Madeline Mackie’s work at the La Prele Mammoth site is featured in this quarter’s American Archaeology magazineNew faculty member Dr. Madeline Mackie’s work at the La Prele Mammoth site is featured in this quarter’s American Archaeology magazine. The approximately 12,900-year-old site contains the remains of a butchered Columbian mammoth and at least four camp areas thought to be associated with the animal’s butchery. The presence of an associated camp is particularly notable as
- Campus Archaeology Fieldschool’s Excavation of MSU’s First Observatory Featured in Local MediaIn summer of 2023, workers from Michigan State University Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, were installing hammock posts close to student residence halls near West Circle Drive when they encountered a hard, impenetrable surface under the ground. The discovery turned out to be the archaeological remains of MSU’s first observatory. Located just behind what is now Wills
- Dr. Stacey Camp Featured on WKAR TVs Curious About CareersDr. Stacey Camp was recently featured in WKAR TVs Curious About Careers program – learning how STEM is used in archaeology and exploring how innovative remote sensing techniques like ground penetrating radar can help archaeologists see the unseen and preserve our collective archaeological heritage.
- Associate Professor Joe Hefner published in Forensic AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology Associate Professor has published an article in the journal Forensic Anthropology, along with coauthors Dr. Stephen Ousley of the University of Tennessee (posthumously) and Dr. Ron Richardson of Mercyhurst University. The article is titled “MaMD Analytical 1.0: A Computer Program for Macromorphoscopic Trait Analysis” and covers the use of MaMD Analytical software,
- Ph.D. Candidate Kelsey Merreck Wagner’s Artwork Featured in Bangkok Art ExhibitDepartment of Anthropology Ph.D. candidate Kelsey Merreck Wagner’s artwork is currently featured in Warin Lab Contemporary, an arthouse in Bangkok, Thailand. The exhibit is titled “Threads of Change” and will be on display from April 6th until May 25th, 2024. Kelsey’s work utilizes plastics and other recycled material through the medium of weaving to bring
- Anthropology Undergraduate Sasha Franklin awarded Andrew Undergraduate Fellowship and Dean’s Assistantship from College of Social ScienceAnthropology undergraduate student Sasha Franklin has been awarded the Andrew Undergraduate Fellowship and a Dean’s Assistantship from the MSU College of Social Science. Sasha’s proposal was titled “Online Learning and Digital Cultural Heritage in Belize”, and the project will begin in the fall 2024 semester. It is an applied research project involving the creation of