College of Social Science
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
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
Congratulations to Gungun Islam, anthropology graduate student, on receiving the Dr. Delia Koo Global Student Scholarship. This award supports her ethnographic fieldwork in West Bengal, India, where she is examining the complex inequities found within infertility. “In India, infertility is never just a biomedical issue,”
A new collection of original essays, “Ancient Indigenous Cuisines: Archaeological Explorations of the Midcontinent,” is the first to examine trends in ancient Indigenous foodways across the region. This volume, a collaborative effort by Dr. Jodie O’Gorman, former chair and associate professor in Michigan State University’s
A new arts-based research project reveals how young people in Ambon, Indonesia are transforming language into a tool for unity and healing. Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Elizabeth Drexler, co-authored a new study titled Language and Conflict De-escalation: Preserving peace in Ambon through literature and
Nicolas Gisholt is a Senior Specialist Academic Advisor for the College of Social Science at the Center for Integrative Studies and the Department of Anthropology, former Specialist representative for the Chicanx Latinx Association, and advises the Chicano Latino Studies minor. Gisholt is passionate about advocacy
With cultural resource management (CRM) accounting for up to 90% of archaeology jobs in the United States, Michigan State University (MSU) has taken a major step forward by hiring Dr. Phyllis Johnson, a new assistant professor of anthropology, to launch the university’s first CRM lab
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit a medical anthropology class taught by Dr. Heather Howard. During this visit, students explored how Indigenous peoples’ health is defined, understood, and researched from multiple perspectives. We spoke with Dr. Howard about her favorite part of teaching the
With more than 1,100 students participating in the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), only three grand prize winners were named. Among them was 19-year-old recent anthropology graduate Sasha Franklin whose nontraditional project has already gained attention. Franklin’s research project, Archaeology Education in the
Kelly Sullivan graduated in 2024 with a degree in biology from Lyman Briggs College and in anthropology from the College of Social Science. This summer, Sullivan is working as an archaeologist at Michigan’s Colonial Michilimackinac, an 18th-century fort and fur trading village located in Mackinaw City.