Anthropology of Environment focuses on the anthropological assessment of environmental issues, the management of natural resources and the study of biological, cultural and behavioral factors as they impinge upon our understanding of the environment and our ability to respond to environmentally based opportunities, problems, and crises.
Ecological and Environmental Anthropology
Ecological and environmental anthropology focuses on the anthropological assessment of environmental issues, the management of natural resources and the study of biological, cultural and behavioral factors as they impinge upon our understanding of the environment and our ability to respond to environmentally based opportunities, problems, and crises.
The program in Ecological and Environmental Anthropology is designed to appeal to students who are interested in gaining a strong theoretical foundation and instruction in empirical analysis of a range of ecological and environmental issues.
Our interdisciplinary focus on the environment seeks to raise the analytic rigor offered to students, challenging them to develop robust theoretical and empirical skills to act on contemporary environmental challenges.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
The Department of Anthropology offers both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. The BS degree is more specialized and requires more math and science courses. Both degrees offer a strong foundation on which to build a professional career.
The Master of Applied Anthropology (MAA) is designed for students interested in careers outside of academia and for those who plan on continuing to a Ph.D. The program requires coursework in core classes ' an internship, and specialized courses in medical anthropology & global health.
The focus of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is theoretical and methodological advancement and to direct original research, with the aim of improving anthropological practices and to contribute to the value and usefulness of the discipline. Doctoral students are prepared for research and development careers as well as for academic careers.
COURSE LIST
Foundational Knowledge
- ANTH222: Introduction to Ecological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- ANTH322: Method & Theory in Ecological Anthropology
- ANTH722: Ecological Anthropology
Electives
- ANTH266: Changing Climate, Changing Cultures
- ANTH341/641: Introduction to Zooarchaeology
- ANTH450/650: Environmental Anthropology
- ANTH451/651: Environmental Archaeology
- ANTH452/652: Anthropology of Climate Change
- ANTH453/653: Archaeology of Modern Cities
- ANTH456/656: Conservation and Indigenous People in South America
- ANTH462/662: Amazon Through Film
- ANTH467/667: Researching Environment and Culture
- ANTH469P: Culture, Cognition & Environment
Academic Opportunities
Beyond required coursework, students have many opportunities to expand their learning: field schools, research with faculty, teaching assistantships, internships, independent studies, and study abroad programs.
Internships and Career Development
The program faculty is committed to assisting students in identifying internship and career development opportunities that integrate an ecological/environmental anthropology focus with their own environmental interests. In the past, students have completed internships with various governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations in the nation’s capital and beyond.
PROGRAM FACULTY
- Madeline Brown
- Expertise: Ethnoecology, common-pool resources, research design and methods, social network analysis
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Expertise: zooarchaeology, dynamics between humans and natural systems
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Expertise: climate change, energy resources, international development, cultural heritage
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Expertise: Native Americans and European colonization, zooarchaeology
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Expertise: human-environmental interactions, historical ecology, indigenous knowledge, rural livelihoods, conservation, climate change adaptation and resilience, Southern and Eastern Africa.
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CONTACT US:
Erik Hanson
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies Program
301-405-1436
ehanson [at] umd [dot] edu
Nadine Dangerfield
Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
301-405-4 737
nadine [at] umd [dot] edu
