They encompass studies of student success in inner-city schools, health care choices of elder citizens, economic development, body culture, culture diversity principles, educational anthropology, evolution of consciousness, and more. With a large core of cultural anthropology faculty, opportunities abound for students to pursue diverse research experiences on a vast range of topics on human actions, beliefs and organization. Through its partnership with the School of Education, selected students are able to work with a team of anthropology and education faculty and students in the design and teaching of human origin and cultural diversity lessons for K-12th grade school children and their teachers. Faculty are involved in regional research in both prehistoric and historic archaeology. The Department of Anthropology has a summer field school where students learn excavation and artifact analysis techniques.
Opportunities exist for field study in archaeology in virtually any area of the world.
The department has an archaeology lab with the largest extant collection of prehistoric and historic artifacts from eastern Missouri. Interests include how communities express their beliefs about who they are, and the ways that peoples use space and time markers to create and express identity. Interested students can pursue a wide range of independent research and study options in urban folklore. Students have conducted original research at the St. Louis Zoo and have designed experiential lessons on human origin, fossil classification, and the foundations of human diversity for school children. Research results written by students have been presented at professional meetings, published, and presented to government and community agencies for use in planning and development.