About the Department

Anthropology is the study of human cultural and biological diversity over time and space.

The Department of Anthropology at UIC offers programs in Anthropology and Geography, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The expertise of our faculty gives students the opportunity to pursue interests in most geographical areas of the world.

Why Study Anthropology?

As the economy and workforce in the 21st century is becoming increasingly international, anthropology provides especially important training. Anthropology is the only discipline that approaches human questions from historical, biological, linguistic and cultural perspectives. The diversity and relevance of the information presented in anthropology assures that students are engaged and challenged. Moreover, it complements other scientific and liberal arts courses by helping students understand the interconnectivity of knowledge about people and their cultures. Anthropology students enter the fields of the social sciences, medicine, law business and many others.

Our Department and Training Opportunities.

Our department and the Field Museum have a joint PhD program through which students can use the collections and facilities of the museum for research projects under the direction of a curator. There are also training opportunities and affiliated faculty at the UIC Medical Center, School of Public Heath, as well as in many other departments of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

News and Events.

Second Year Speaker Series: Dr. Steven Wernke from Vanderbilt University will be giving an open lecture "Moving, Seeing, Dwelling: Toward an Archaeology of Spatial Practice in the Colonial Andes" on Friday, February 24th at 3:30 pm in BSB 3160.

Award: Dr. Golitko has been awarded an NSF senior archaeology research grant entitled "Archaeological and Environmental Investigations along the mid-Holocene shoreline near Aitape, northern Papua New Guinea."

Job: Dr. Andrew Wyatt is now an Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Middle Tennessee
State University.

PhD Defense: Deirdre Guthrie will defend her dissertation "The Politics
of Friction and Flow in a Dominican Tourist Town" on Thursday, January
19th at 1 pm in room 3160 BSB.

Award: Erin Antalis has recieved a Xi Grant for her project “Healthcare Access and Unauthorized Status: Urban Refugees in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania”

Article: Ruth Gomberg-Munoz and Laura Nussbaum-Barberena. "Is Immigration Policy Labor Policy?" In Human Organization..

Award: Anna Roosevelt has received funds from OSSR for her research "The Archives on Crimes Against Humanity in Central Africa"

Award: Crystal L. Patil has received funds from OSSR for her research "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among those with Sickle Cell Disease in Chicagoland: A Basic Behavioral Science Foundation for Future Research."

Award: Molly Doane has received research grants from OSSR (UIC) and the Research Grant Support Program (UIC) for her project: “Making Local Culture: Organic Agriculture and the Creation of Community in Western Wisconsin."

Award: Matthew Piscitelli has received a Chancellor's Graduate Research Fellowship for his project "Use Modern Tools to Reconstruct Ancient Ritual in Peru."

Award: Rebecca Seifried has received a Chancellor's Graduate Research Fellowship for her project "Understanding State-Border Interaction Using Medieval and Modern Agricultural Terraces in Greece."

Award: Luisa Rollins has received a Chancellor's Graduate Research Fellowship for her project "Development through conservation: The politics of the environment."

Award: Rory Dennison has received a Chancellor's Graduate Research Fellowship for his project "Chemical Sourcing of Chinese Porcelain."

Award: Damian Peoples has received a Provost Award for his project, "Masculinity amid Marginality: Gender Identity in the French Banlieues."

Award: Laura Nussbaum-Barberena has received a Provost Award for her project "Women Migrants and Rights: Transnational Organizing Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua Behavioral and Social Sciences Anthropology."

Award: The association of Latina and Latino Anthropologists (ALLA) is recognizing Ruth Gomberg-Munoz's book (Based on her UIC dissertation) with an Honorable Mention at this year's AAAs.

Award: Stephen P. Davis has been awarded a 2011 Dissertation Improvement Award for Social Entrepreneurship and Engaged Urban Scholarship.

Award: Molly McGown has been awarded a 2011 Bonnie C. Minsky Memorial Scholarship from the School of Public Health (UIC) for her research on maternal/child health and nutrition.

PhD Defenses:

Ken Batai defended his dissertation "Effects of female gene flow and effective population size on Old and New World mitochondrial DNA patterns" on Sept 14, Wed, 10:00am in BSB 3160.

Lisa Niziolek defended her dissertation "Ceramic Production and Craft Specialization in the Prehispanic Philippines, A.D. 500 to 1600" on Thursday, August 25th, 3:30 pm in room 2105 BSB.

Personal tools

the study of human cultural and biological diversity over time and space

About the Department

Why Study Anthropology?

Our Department and Training Opportunities.

PhD Defenses:

Anthropology Club