The Department of Anthropology is one of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’ 10 interdisciplinary departments and programs, all
DEPARTMENT OF
Anthropology
committed to investigating and improving the human condition. www.bsos.umd.edu AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES BE EMPOWERED ANTHROPOLOGY BE CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE BE JUST ECONOMICS BE EFFICIENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES BE GLOBAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BE CIVIL HEARING & SPEECH SCIENCES BE HEARD JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGY BE COUNTED
Anthropology at Maryland
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Examining the values and cultures of communities—past and present—helps us envision a better future for our society
PSYCHOLOGY BE UNDERSTOOD SOCIOLOGY BE SOCIAL
and our planet. At the University of Maryland’s Department of Anthropology, we discover new knowledge by incorporating archaeology and cultural anthropology to explore the human experience. The communities we study range from families in Ireland to agricultural workers in Brazil. We inspire Maryland pride by working with watermen to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay and with immigrants in our region
BE C ULT UR AL
to better understand and improve their experiences. Through excavations, interviews, observations and lab experiments, we preserve and enhance understanding of cultures and communities—and we transform the student experience. Our partnerships—including those with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency—fund our work locally and around the world. We’re located just miles (and a few Metro stops) away from Washington, D.C., Annapolis and Baltimore. This proximity gives our students opportunities to research and intern at federal, state and local agencies, as well as NGOs; these opportunities often lead to employment. By following our instincts and our interests, inside and outside the classroom, we turn imagination into innovation.
1111 WOODS HALL 4302 CHAPEL LANE COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 WWW.ANTH.UMD.EDU P 301.405.1423 / F 301.314.8305 anthinquiry@umd.edu
Research in Action
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Our faculty, students, partners and alumni focus their work in three main areas: »» Health »» Heritage »» Environment
go.umd.edu/ANTHResearch WE APPLY OUR THEORIES, TEACHING AND RESEARCH FINDINGS TO DEVELOP A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD’S CULTURAL DIVERSITY—AND TO
address the world’s great challenges.
“The department funded me for a bioinformatics workshop on campus and for travel to Germany for an evolutionary biology workshop. I gained skills that are crucial for me to continue in the field. The department is very supportive of interdisciplinary pursuits.”
Centers and Research Projects
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»» Archaeology of the Irish Diaspora and Modern Ireland
(Dual Degree) Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology
time. To do this, Dr. Brighton directs an annual archaeological field school in County Cork,
and collective identity, and of how changes to that collective material culture reflect shifting world views and cultural norms. SEAN DOWNEY explores the social and ecological dynamics of farming and foraging seeks to advance our understanding of the dynamics and emergence of “Coupled Human and Natural Systems” through a multi-year study of the swidden agriculture of Q’eqchi’
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Maya farmers in southern Belize. His work is guided by the belief that anthropology’s traditional focus on primary data collection
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Master of Applied Anthropology/Master of Historic Preservation
Famine), on cultural norms and behaviors over
societies, past and present. His current project
»» Center for Heritage Resource Studies »» Deal Island Peninsula Project
Master of Applied Anthropology
century Great Hunger (also known as the Potato
can be used as a tangible metaphor to express the human condition
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
GRADUATE OFFERINGS
matic societal events, such as Ireland’s mid-19th
research will lead to a better understanding of how material culture
»» Center for Research and Collaboration in the Indigenous Americas
Bachelor of Science in Culture and Environment
material culture reflects the impact of trau-
period in Irish cultural history in the 18th through 20th centuries. This
UNDERGRADUATE OFFERINGS
Bachelor of Science in Anthropology
STEPHEN A. BRIGHTON examines how
understand material change, and thus culture change, over a dynamic
in a wide range of publicly and privately funded research projects. >>
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Ireland. He and his students rely on recovered material objects to
SABRINA SHIRAZI, ANTH ’16 Ph.D. candidate, University of California, Santa Cruz
Department of Anthropology faculty and students are actively engaged
Academic Offerings
Faculty Research Highlights
ANTH Points of Pride
and attention to variability in human culture can provide important >>
insights into pressing questions about sustainability. CHRISTINA GETRICH studies the health
OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS, ARE FREQUENTLY INVITED TO PUBLISH AND LECTURE, AND ARE OFTEN FEATURED BY THE MEDIA.
and well-being of Latino immigrant families and their incorporation into U.S. society. She is particularly interested in understanding
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how exclusionary immigration policies shape everyday life for immigrant families, including
CERTIFICATES
their access to health care and overall well-
Certificate in Museum Scholarship and Material Culture
being. Through interviews and by participating in their daily lives,
Certificate in Historic Preservation
OUR ACADEMIC OFFERINGS INCLUDE A NEW PH.D. PROGRAM.
she also illuminates how immigrants, their children, and advocates fight for social inclusion in an increasingly anti-immigrant U.S. society. This research will lead to a better understanding of the
“ My favorite anthropology course was Ethnology of the Immigrant Life, for which I observed refugee members of a community garden in Riverdale, Md. as part of my service-learning research project. ” SARAH EPPLEY, ANTH ’16, SPANISH AND TEACHING ESOL MINOR Member, Anthropology Student Association
OUR PROXIMITY TO D.C. ALLOWS FOR UNIQUE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.
STUDENTS WORK WITH FACULTY ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH PROJECTS.
THE DEPARTMENT’S SMALLERTHAN-AVERAGE CLASS SIZES LEAD TO STRONG RELATIONSHIPS.
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS OFFER LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES.
on-the-ground effects of immigration policies. go.umd.edu/ANTHPeople