Anthropology is the study of past and present human societies.
Anthropologists are concerned with the origin, history, and future of our own species, so the field is as diverse as people are. It is one of the most wide-ranging of the academic disciplines.
If you have questions about any of our Anthropology courses (enrollment, waitlist, instructor, course syllabus from courses you've taken or other questions), please contact Mrs. Le-Thu Erazmus Campbell at lerazmus@ku.edu, ANTH Office Manager | Scheduling & Undergraduate Officer.
If you have questions about deadlines or application materials for our graduate program, please contact Corinne Butler at cebutler@ku.edu (CLAS Graduate Program Coordinator) or call 785-864-9419.
ANTH Presentations/Events:
Here's the recording of the Milo Rossi April 17, 2025 event:
https://mediahub.ku.edu/media/t/1_4qzd2uuj
ANTH STUDENTS IN THE NEWS:
Twenty doctoral students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas’ prestigious Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year. This incoming group of fellows is the largest cohort in the history of the Self Graduate Fellowship, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to over 220 students throughout the program’s history. In fall 2025, the fellowship reaches 57 total current fellows, making it the largest fellowship size ever.
Makayla Williams, of Muskogee, Oklahoma: bachelor’s degree in anthropology, minor in sociology, Augustana University; first-year doctoral student in anthropology.
Emily Winnicki, of Medina, Ohio: bachelor’s degree in anthropology and biology, minor in history, The College of Wooster; incoming doctoral student in anthropology. KU media link.
Congratulations to Spencer Fausel (PhD student), who found out yesterday that he has been awarded a 2025 Summer Research Scholarship for $6000! The title of his project is “Moroccan [Marrakchi] Experiences in Lakaab: The Urban Cave.”
This spring, 49 University of Kansas students received an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA) from the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects.
Catie Wickersham, senior, St. Louis; anthropology and architecture; “Potential Implications of the Spatial Distribution of Artifacts at the Bender Site,” mentored by Lauren Norman, anthropology.
Saborni Chakraborty, senior, Overland Park; human biology and anthropology; “Evolution of Olfactory and Lonotropic Receptors in Drosophila Across Altitudinal Gradients,” mentored by Allie Graham, molecular biosciences.
FACULTY PRESENTATIONS:
Majid Hannoum, Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellow in Residence at The Africa Institute, participated in Colorism 2.0: Insights from Psychology, Economics, and the Media, held at New York University Abu Dhabi on April 17–18, 2025. The international conference convened leading scholars and practitioners to examine how skin color continues to shape lived experience, social status, and structural inequality across cultural and regional contexts.
Senior Fellow Majid Hannoum Discusses Race and Migration in Morocco at NYU Abu Dhabi Colorism Conference April 19, 2025. Media link.
SPRING 2025 PUBLICATIONS:
Brent Metz, professor of anthropology, leads a community discussion in 2012 about a water project in Matazano, Guatemala. Credit: Ben Rufenacht
Good intentions are not enough to make community-based international development work. It needs a facilitator who can literally translate but also figuratively bridge the gap in power dynamics between the two sides of the equation. Read the full KU article here.
Rolfe Mandel (Anthropology | Geology)
* (2025). "Early Holocene interaction of aeolian, alluvial, and lacustrine processes in a dune-dammed valley in the central Nebraska Sand Hills." Quaternary Research. Published online 2025:1-18, Media link
* (2025). ’Ain Ghazal, Jordan. Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology, 1-3. Media link
FALL 2025 ARCH ROADSHOW to the ROCKY MOUNTAINS
We're announcing the next ANTH 311Archaeology Roadshow to the Rocky Mountains course. This is a fun, hands-on, experiential course that looks at the archaeology and natural environment (geology, plants, and animals) of the Rocky Mountains. If you like archaeology, camping, hiking, and being outdoors this is a course you have to take!
Key information is on the flyer, but in a nutshell:
Trip Dates: July 31-August 14, 2025 with an on-campus orientation, July 30, 2025.
3-credits for Fall 2025 semester: KU tuition and fees for 3 credit hours, plus a $749 (pays for transportation and camping and rafting fees).
How to get signed up! We have 7 spots remaining. As soon as you have decided to register, let Dr. Kelly Graf (graf@ku.edu) know to get your name on the registration list.
SUMMER 2025 FIELD SCHOOL
Archaeological Field School - Bender Homestead
ANTH 419 - Training in Archaeological Field Work. 3 credit hours
NO COST!! TUITION REIMBURSED!
For more information, click here.
Summer 2025 Field School #2
ANTH 497/889 Field Experience | KU Archaeological Field School
Hell Gap National Historic Landmark Paleoindian Site Complex
Students are able to attend both Drs. Lauren Norman's and Carlton Shield Chief Gover's fieldschools. There is a bit of overlap in dates but arrangements are can be made for students that want to participate in both opportunities.
6-credit hours | NO Course Fee!
Contact Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover for more details and application materials.
Priority Deadline: February 1st
Rolling Deadline: Until filled.
For more information, click here.