Anthropologists study the diverse origins, evolutionary pathways, and contemporary lives of humans across the globe, including their impacts on one another and the planet. As careful observers of humans in their everyday surroundings, anthropologists often conduct intensive fieldwork to understand the complex interplays between individuals and the world around them. At UC, anthropologists are decidedly interdisciplinary, investigating various aspects of the human condition by using genetic information, artifacts, isotopes, interviews, and personal narratives.
Anthropologists have an unbounded view of human history and evolution. They investigate how societies, cultures, and our species have changed over time and use this knowledge to advocate for a more equitable and just future. A degree in Anthropology from UC provides you with a unique combination of analytical skills and firsthand engagement with the complexities of global human diversity.
Anthropology students at UC actively participate in faculty research in labs and field sites locally, nationally, and internationally. They also have the opportunity to pursue their own independent research and receive funding, credit, or both to do so. As a department that spans the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, students in our program can seek funding from a range of sources, from departmental STEM Awards to Taft Research Fellowships.
UC Anthropology is managing the University of Cincinnati's responsibilities under NAGPRA, resulting from numerous excavations by faculty in the 1960's - 1980's and, to a lesser extent, the department's Cultural Resource Management group in the 1980's. UC's National NAGPRA Inventory can be viewed here https://grantsdev.cr.nps.gov/NagpraPublic/Home/Inventory, but please note that updated inventories will be filed in the near future. We are particularly interested in resolving the disposition / affiliation of ancestors initially designated as culturally unaffiliated (CUI) and reassociating them with funerary objects for repatriation.
UC NAGPRA Pledge: We are committed to and invested in returning all ancestors, funerary objects, and items of cultural patrimony to affiliated federally recognized tribe.
UC NAGPRA Policy: As of 2021, we have imposed a moratorium on NAGPRA collections research. Student and faculty research on collections is prohibited, except when requested by tribal partners as part of the documentation process. Access to NAGPRA collections is strictly limited to the NAGPRA Director (Dr. Susan Allen), NAGPRA Coordinator and Tribal Liaison (Dr. Cheryl Johnston), and NAGPRA Collections Manager (Mr. Jacob Weakley). Student assistance with NAGPRA documentation is restricted to those students who meet criteria developed in collaboration with our current federally recognized tribal partners. Any new UC excavations of Native American archaeological sites will require monitoring by at least one representative or appointee of potential descendant federally recognized tribes.
UC NAGPRA Support: UC's NAGPRA work since 2021 has been supported by UC's College of Arts and Sciences, Provost's Office, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Department of Anthropology, and Department of Classics, as well as a FY22 NAGPRA Consultation and Documentation Grant from the Department of the Interior / National Park Service. Replace with your text
2022: UC Inclusive Anthropological Research through Community Engagement Colloquium
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Department of Anthropology
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210380
481 Braunstein Hall
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0380
PH: (513) 556-2772
FAX: (513) 556-2778
August 13, 2024
Associate professor of anthropology Stephanie Sadre-Orafai has been appointed the new director of the Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. Sadre-Orafai, who also holds affiliations with the department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and The Cincinnati Project, begins her five-year term in fall semester of 2024.
Event: August 3, 2024 10:00 AM
UC will host an open house at its Center for Field Studies with children’s activities, tours and talks as part of its Discovery Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 3. Children can take a creek walk and learn about spiders, insects, birds, fossils and fish.
December 20, 2023
The College of Arts and Sciences announced Ryan J. White and Rina Williams as the newest divisional deans of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. White and Kennedy’s inclusion will bring new focuses and structure around student success and the college of Arts and Sciences’ advancement. Both will officially begin their new terms on Jan. 1, 2024.
