Master of Arts in Anthropology
UAB’s Department of Anthropology and Social Work offers an M.A. in Anthropology in cooperation with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Students apply for admission to the program through the the Graduate School in Tuscaloosa, indicating on the application the intent to participate in the joint UA/UAB M.A. program. Once admitted, students are free to take courses and work with faculty in either department. Together, the UA and UAB departments have twenty-four regular faculty members, sixteen at UA and eight at UAB. The discipline’s four traditional subfields (cultural anthropology, archaeology, physical
anthropology, and anthropological linguistics) are all represented among the faculty of both departments, as are many areas of geographic, methodological, and topical expertise.
For information about research opportunities supported by faculty in the Department of Anthropology at Tuscaloosa, see http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/. The sections below briefly summarize the research activities supported by faculty in the UAB Department. If you have additional questions about research opportunities at UAB, freely contact any of the faculty members noted below. Questions about application procedures or program requirements should be directed to Dr. Chris Kyle, Anthropology Program Director, at kyle@uab.edu or by calling 975-6181.
Areas of Specialization
Physical anthropology: Physical anthropology seeks to understand the biological nature of humans. Historically, there are several foci of interest within physical anthropology, including primate (including human) evolution, human biological variation, and comparative primatology. At UAB, Dr. Bruce Wheatley is a comparative primatologist and forensic anthropologist. His current research centers on human osteology and forensic applications of physical anthropology.
Cultural anthropology: Cultural anthropology seeks to understand the underlying causes of similarities and differences in human patterns of thinking and acting. Topical areas of expertise represented among UAB faculty include human ecological adaptations (Drs. Cormier and Kyle), medical beliefs and practices (Drs. Cormier and Taylor), political behaviors (Drs. Kyle and Taylor), and human religious and symbolic systems (Dr. Taylor). Faculty have geographic specializations in Latin America (Dr. Kyle), Central and West Africa (Dr. Taylor), lowland South America (Dr. Cormier), and the native cultures of the southeastern United States (Dr. Cormier).
Archaeology: Archaeology shares the broad aims of cultural anthropology but differs in methods of analysis. Where cultural anthropologists conduct direct observational studies of living human groups (a practice known as ethnography) and archival research with written records, archaeologists specialize in interpreting the material debris and other physical traces produced by human activity. This specialization enables archaeologists to consider extinct as well as historical and contemporary societies. The UAB department has specialists in analyzing faunal remains to reconstruct past diets (Dr. Jones), in understanding prehistoric political and economic systems (Drs. Mumford and Jones), and using satellite and other imagery to detect past and present human activity (Dr. Parcak). Geographic areas of specialization include ancient Egypt and the Near East (Drs. Mumford and Parcak) and island cultures of the Caribbean and Pacific (Dr. Jones).
Special Research Opportunities
Department faculty are equipped to train students in three types of laboratory analysis: the analysis of faunal remains from archaeological contexts; the forensic study of skeletal remains; and, remote sensing analysis of a variety of historical, social, and environmental matters. Faculty have ongoing ethnographic and archaeological research projects in several foreign settings, including Egypt, Mexico, and Fiji. Students have various opportunities to work in these locations, either independently, as members of small teams of researchers, or as participants in occasional study abroad programs directed by department faculty.
In addition to the anthropology department’s various research projects and programs, students enrolled in the anthropology graduate program have opportunities to collaborate with faculty and students in a number of interdisciplinary programs that involve other academic units at UAB. Dr. Parcak’s Laboratory for Global Health Observation is one example, offering graduate students interested in remote sensing with opportunities to collaborate with students and faculty of the School of Public Health. Another example is the program in Ethnographic Filmmaking of the UAB Center for Urban Affairs. Finally, graduate students with interests in forensic anthropology have a variety of opportunities to do coursework and to collaborate with students and faculty in the UAB Forensic Sciences program.
