http://www.artsci.uc.edu/departments/anthropology.html
Undergraduate programs: Archaeology and Anthropology BA programs
Graduate programs: The MA program at the University of Cincinnati has three possible tracks for completion: Research (Thesis), Applied (Internship), and Interdisciplinary (Certificate). All three tracks have comprehensive cross-disciplinary, core sub-disciplinary theory and method, and professionalization course requirements, and are expected to be completed in approximately two years
Certificate Programs at the University of Cincinnati: Historic Preservation (U/G), Critical Visions Certificate (U/G), Heritage Studies (U/G), Museum Studies (U/G), GIS (U/G), Public Health (U/G), Mediterranean Archaeology (U), Social Justice (U), and more.
Student interns often work with local community partners and non-profits. Non-local opportunities may also be considered when relevant for a student's course of study, with approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies / Director of Graduate Studies.
Internships are required only for students pursuing the Applied-Practicing Track (one of two non-thesis M.A. tracks); students in the Thesis and Interdisciplinary (non-thesis) M.A. Tracks may also elect to participate in an internship to further their professional training.
1. Albert C. Yates Fellowships (no fixed number): Yates Fellowships provide stipend and tuition support, regular Yates Fellows meetings and events, and a mentoring plan for students who identify as members of underrepresented groups. Yates Fellows do not hold service assignments (e.g. teaching or research assistance). Students must be nominated by the Department after application. This program is unique to the University of Cincinnati.
2. Graduate Assistantships (4): Graduate Assistantships provide tuition, fees, and a stipend, and require service (teaching or research assistance).
3. NAGPRA Graduate Assistantships (2): NAGPRA Graduate Assistantships provide tuition, fees, and a stipend, and require service assisting with NAGPRA consultation and documentation activities, with priority given to Native American students.
3. Taft Enhancement Awards (1): Taft Enhancement Awards provide tuition, fees, and a stipend and do not require service. Taft Awards are typically awarded to second-year students who have completed all coursework.
4. Court Fellowship (1): Students pursuing M.A. degrees in archaeology are eligible for the Court Fellowship, which provides tuition / fees and stipend and does not require service.
5. Research Assistantships (number varies): Students may also be employed as research assistants or in other paid research support positions when funding is available
Students interested in funding opportunities must apply by the January 15 deadline.
The department’s laboratory-based teaching and research facilities include nine on-campus laboratories and one off-campus facility. These facilities allow graduate students to collaborate with university faculty within and outside of the department as well as with each other on cutting-edge research that involves the application of traditional as well as emerging methods and technologies. Graduate student research for thesis or capstone projects that takes place in these spaces often results in student-advisor co-authored publications. The labs/research spaces are listed below.
Bioanthropologyand Zooarchaeology Lab (Dr. Brooke Crowley, Dr. Katie Grogan, Dr. Heather Norton, Dr. Cheryl Johnston) This shared teaching and laboratory space is used a classroom for laboratory activities associated with courses that include Introduction to Biological Anthropology, for which graduate students act as Teaching Assistants, as well as graduate-level courses such as Zooarchaeology, Advanced Forensic Anthropology, and Human Osteology. The lab houses teaching collections that include casts of fossil hominid, modernhuman, and non-human primate skeletons, as well as a zooarchaeology comparative collection focused on North American fauna. This space includes a secure roomwith limited accessthat houses ancestral remains subject to NAGPRA as well as forensic remains, for which the department has instituted a policy prohibiting their use in teaching and research. A broader departmental policy concerning the ethical handling, housing, and treatment of these materials is in development.
Court Archaeological Research Facility (CARF) (Jacob Weakley, NAGPRA Collections Manager): The CARF is located off-campus in Harrison, OH, and includes a secure artifact repository that houses the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)collections held by the department. CARF also includes a teaching and lab space that provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student training and research, NAGPRA consultation and curation activities, and public outreach. The classroom is equipped with a fume hood, sink, lab benches, a digital microscope, stereomicroscopes, a computer workstation, and digital projection and presentation equipment. The CARF operates within the scope of the UC Center for Field Studies.
Ethnography Lab (Dr. Jeff Jacobson, Dr. Jeremy Koster, Dr. Dan Murphy, Dr. Leila Rodriguez, Dr. Stephanie Sadre-Orafai). The Ethnography Lab is the university’s center for ethnographically-based research and outreach. The department and its faculty have the capabilities to provide training and resources in several ethnographic methods and methodologies, including demographic, observational, cognitive, social network, and qualitative research approaches. Graduate and undergraduate students have access to a range of ethnographic data collection, processing, and analysis tools through coursework, participation on sponsored research studies, and individual research. Available equipment includes: 2 digital cameras/video recorders; 7 handheld digital audio recorders (5 digital, 2 cassette). Software used in faculty research, covered in coursework, and or available to students includes: Gravic Remark Survey Response; Noldus Observer; QSR NVIVO Family Tree Maker software; SPSS, statistical analysis software; ANTHROPAC; UCINET; and The Linguist, linguistic analysis software.
Environmental Change and Anthropological Genetics Lab (Dr. Kathleen Grogan).The Grogan lab is equipped to study genomic and epigenomic variation in human and non-human primate individuals. The physical lab space is located in the Department of Biological Sciences atthe University of Cincinnati and comprises multiple benches on the 7thfloor of the Rieveschl Building. This space includes specific areas for DNA extraction, PCR setup, post PCR analysis, and freezer storage space. The laboratory space is completely equipped with standard laboratory equipment for genetics, genomics, and epigenomics research including PCR machines, centrifuges, a thermomixer, electrophoresis equipment, etc. This equipment allows for preparing samples to be sent to the UC Genomics Core or other facilities for NGS services such as RNA-seq, miRNA-seq, RRBS-Seq, ChIP-seq, methyl-seq, and Infinium BeadChip assay including HumanMethylationEPIC for DNA methylation studies. The space also includes designated cubicles for graduate students and undergraduate researchers working in the Grogan lab.
Mediterranean Ecosystem Dynamics and Archaeology Lab (Dr. Susan Allen)The MEDArch Laboratory provides space and resources for research in landscape archaeology, ethnoecology, andpalaeoethnobotany. The lab houses a dedicated computer workstation, stereomicroscopes, a Keyence VHX-7000 digital microscope, a PhenomPro desktop SEM, botanical comparative collections, and reference books and databases. Although the lab’s research emphasis is on the Balkans, Mediterranean and Near East, the comparative collection includes North American plant materials from the Eastern Woodlands and American Southwest, and students also work on research projects in these areas. The space also includes designated desk space for students working in the lab.
Mesoamerican Archaeology Laboratory (Dr. Sarah Jackson) The Mesoamerican Archaeology Laboratory provides workspace for students working on related topics. The lab has one dedicated computer workstation. The lab typically does not house artifacts due to restrictions on their export from host countries, often supported by import restrictions in the U.S. This space is also used for the preparation and visual analysis of photographs and illustrations related to Mesoamerican iconography and hieroglyphic texts.
Molecular Anthropology Lab (Dr. Heather Norton). Dr. Norton’s Molecular Anthropology lab is used for research related to human genetic and human skin microbiome variation. It is equipped with a biosafety cabinet, chemical fume hood, freezers for sample storage, centrifuges, PCR machines, and equipment for gel electrophoresis. Graduate and undergraduate students pursuing research related to human genetic variation utilize resources in this lab to purify and amplify DNA. Studies focused on characterizing a small number of specific mutations can be carried out using equipment in this lab. Samples that are to be genotyped using microarray technologies, Sanger sequencing, or next-generation sequencing are shipped to UC Genomics Core facilities or other outside facilities. Computers are also available for in-house data analyses.
Ohio Valley Archaeological Geology Laboratory (Dr. Kenneth Barnett Tankersley) Research in the Ohio Valley Archaeological Geology Laboratory examines human adaptation and cultural survival during periods of regional and global catastrophic change. To this end, Dr. Tankersley uses archaeological geology analytical techniques to examine artifacts, ecofacts, and sediments recovered from archaeological sites in the Ohio River valley and beyond for cross-cultural and cross-regional comparisons. Currently, the laboratory is using a fluoride ion selective electrode to provide relative dates on bone, petrographic thin section analysis of flaked-stone and ceramic artifacts, particle size analysis of sediments, microfiltration and the removal of radiocarbon sample contaminants, and geophysical analysis of sediments using magnetic susceptibility.These interdisciplinary laboratory techniques support undergraduate and graduate research projects. Specialized equipment includes magnetic susceptibility meter and probes, proton magnetometer, dual flux gradiometer, Trimble GPS, petrographic microscopes, binocular microscopes, comparative petrographic thin section collection, fluoride ion selective electrode, magnetic stirrers, glassware, sieves, digital balances, and a computer.
Skin Phenotype & Aging Lab (Dr. Heather Norton) The Skin Phenotype & Aging Lab is used to collect phenotypic and survey data from study participants. This space has large tables and chairs, a computer, and three tablet devices for use in participant survey data collection. Equipment in this space includes a narrow-band skin reflectometer (used to assess skin melanin content), two specialized8cameras that collect high-resolution images of the iris (for eye pigmentation analyses), VECTRA 3D camera system (with associated laptop) to collect 3D facial images, and an Overhead Lighting Environment (OLÉ) Imaging System (Canfield Scientific). The OLÉ system provides overhead lighting that illuminates the subject’s face with vertical and oblique raked light that mimics natural lighting and enhances topical skin attributes, including fine lines and wrinkles. The OLÉ system is contained in a small room (444A) accessible only through 444 Braunstein and has its own dedicated computer.
Quaternary Paleoecology Lab (Dr. Brooke Crowley): In the Quaternary Paleoecology Lab, located in the Geology-Physics building, Dr. Crowley and her students conduct a wide array of projects broadly related to foraging ecology of terrestrial vertebrates, extinction, and environmental change. This lab is fully equipped forprocessing biological remains from plants and animals for isotopic analysis and radiocarbon dating. Equipment includes an analytical balance, flammable material refrigerator, -80º C freezer, free-standing dental drill, boom-mounted trinocular microscope attached to a computer workstation, drying oven, centrifuge, microcentrifuge, sonicator, a freeze drier equipped with a standard drying chamber as well as a centrivap concentrator that can dry liquid samples, and a microbalance can weigh with 0.001 g precision.
Regularly offered online: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; other courses are occasionally offered online
