Anthropology promotes understanding and appreciation of social complexity and diversity, actively improving the human condition.
Anthropology is the study of humans. Anthropologists study the entire spectrum of human existence from 6.5 million years ago when the first hominid set foot on the African continent, the process of human evolution, domestication of plants and animals, development of civilization, migration to the ends of the earth, and the present day diversity of cultures, religions, economies, and kinship systems seen around the world. Anthropology provides a well-rounded, generalist education that enhances wide career choices and provides students with the ability to critically evaluate theories, options, and actions that affect humankind.
Anthropology faculty have been awarded the Top Four University Awards:
Distinguished Maine Professor
James M. Acheson, 2009
Richard G. Emerick, 1966
Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award
Paul "Jim" Roscoe, 2010
James M. Acheson, 2005
Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award
Paul "Jim" Roscoe, 1996
Presidential Outstanding Public Service Award
Edward "Sandy" Ives, 1993
A Fulbright Experience in Croatia
Associate Professor Greg Zaro has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and conduct research at the University of Zadar, Croatia, during the Spring 2013 semester. Greg, his wife Sasha, and son Austin will spend a total of seven months in Croatia, five of which will be in the city of Zadar, situated along the Adriatic coast in Northern Dalmatia. Follow Greg's blog as he shares his experiences abroad.
Anthropology News 2012
The Anthropology Department has just published its fifth annual newsletter, online here so you can stay connected to what is going on in the department and at UMaine. We would like you to continue to receive Anthropology News, so please let us know your email address. You can also let us know about what has been going on in your life or update your personal information by emailing us at Anthropology.Info@umit.maine.edu
We look forward to hearing from you!
Mapping the Empire
Historical research traces Britain's ambitious efforts to survey its North American holdings.
Rolled up and tucked away in a corner of the British Library in London sits a hand-drawn map of the Maine coast, created in the years just before the American Revolution.
"It's breathtaking to see," says Stephen Hornsby, a professor of geography and Canadian studies at the University of Maine and the director of UMaine's Canadian-American Center. "Absolutely magnificent. It's part of the heritage of the state, but it's in London. It's unknown in Maine."
PhD in Anthropology and Environmental Policy
This new PhD Program centers on understanding human society and culture in cross-cultural perspective and their pivotal role in implementing successful environmental policy. The program engages students in a multi-disciplinary framework bridging environmental sciences and policy while focusing on the sociocultural impacts of, and responses to, local and global environmental change.
