Recent Graduates
May 2008: Master of Arts
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BA 1995 University of Manitoba. |
Jason studied early village development and social dynamics in the northern southwest prior to AD 900. Before enrolling at CU, he worked for 11 years in CRM as a professional archaeologist. Thesis title: Exploring Village Organization in the Northern San Juan Region of the American Southwest, A.D. 750-840. His advisor was Catherine Cameron. |
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BA Anthropology, 2005 University of Arkansas. |
Sarah's previous research has focused on orangutan dental morphology and the use of dental topography to infer hominid diet. She was most recently interested in the use of both stable isotope and dental microwear analyses to recontruct pre-Conquest Mesoamerican diet. Her advisor was Matt Sponheimer. |
December 2007: Doctor of Philosophy
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MA Anthropology, 1999 University of Texas at San Antonio. |
Craig studied the contemporary discourses surrounding the dynamics and complexities involved with religious and folk-religious ideology and practice in Mexico and Latin America. His research investigates the continued practice of select folk-religious belief systems in Central Mexico with regard to the myriad dynamics of global interconnectedness and the cultural implications of this over time. Dissertation title: Folk-Religious Belief and Practice in Central Mexico: Re-Construction of Tradition and the Dynamics of Folk-Religious Plasticity. His advisor was Deward Walker. |
Jeffrey Ferguson, PhD MAIS Anthropology, 1999 Oregon State University; BS Anthropology, 1997 University of California Davis. |
Jeff conducted dissertation research on using quantitative optimal foraging models to understand human subsistence decisions in light of storage. His other research interests included experimental archaeology, skill acquisition and children in craft production, lithic studies, obsidian chemical characterization and hydration studies. Most of his work has been in the Western United States. Dissertation title: A Seasonal Foraging Model for Food Resource Utilization in Central California and the Eastern Woodlands. His advisor was Doug Bamforth. |
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MA Anthropology, 2001 University of Wyoming; BS Sociology/Anthropology, 1996 Montana State University. |
Craig's dissertation research explored the adaptive flexibilityof microblade technology in the early period (pre-7,000 BP) maritime environment of the northern Northwest Coast. Dissertation title: Origin and Function of Early Holocene Microblade Technology in Southeast Alaska, USA. Craig is now a research affiliate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research studying the prehistoric use of perennial snow and ice in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. His advisor was E. James Dixon. |
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MA Anthropology, 2002 University of Colorado; BA Anthropology, 1996 University of Michigan. |
Levine's dissertation research focuses on the Late Postclassic Mixtec capital of Tututepec, located on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. He recently directed archaeological excavations at Tututepec residences to examine household activities and how these articulate with aspects of the ancient center's political economy and lifeways. Dissertation title: Linking Household and Polity at Late Postclassic Yucu Dzaa (Tututepec), A Mixtec Capital on the Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. His advisor was Arthur Joyce. |
| Devin White, PhD | Dissertation title: Transportation, Integration, Facilitation: Prehistoric Trails of the Western Papaguería. His advisor was Cathy Cameron. |
May 2007: Master of Arts
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BS Environmental Studies & Anthropology, 2005 University of Notre Dame. |
Meegan's interests involve nonhuman primate behavior and biology. Her previous research focused on interspecific interactions between humans and macaques in Gibraltar. She has also studied cranial variation in South East Asian colobines and how those differences pertain to dietary niches. Thesis title: Cranial Variation of the Cercopithecid Primates of Vietnam. Her advisor was Bert Covert. |
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BS Zoology, 2004 Iowa State University. |
Niki's research interests include climate and diet reconstruction using stable light isotopes. Niki has analyzed the climatic changes that occurred during the Eocene of North America as is recorded in herbivore tooth enamel. This period is of particular interest as early primates did not survive in North America after the Eocene/Oligocene transition. Thesis title: Isotope Analyses of Two Perissodactyls from the Bridgerian-Uintan Transition in the Bridger Formation, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming. Her advisor was Bert Covert. |
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MA Bicultural/Bilingual Studies, University of Texas at San Antonio. |
Garza’s area of study is the Latina/o experience in the United States, specifically in the Southwest. Her research interests are race, gender, ethnicity and identity in northern New Mexico as represented through visual cultural productions, community festivals, and public dramas. She is also invested in research on second language acquisition, multicultural education and critical pedagogy. Thesis title: The Fabric of Devotion: Votive Vestments, Hidden Ministries, and the Making of Hispano Religious Traditions in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her advisor was Dennis McGilvray. Aimee has been accepted into the Anthropology PhD program at the University of California - Santa Cruz. |
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BA Sociology, 2003 California State University at Hayward. |
Kunga was born and brought up in the Tibetan refugee community in Nepal. He is interested in critical social theory, questions of identity in the Tibetan diaspora, and development in Tibet, especially the collection and marketing of yartsa gunbu (caterpillar fungus) in the Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai, China. Thesis title: Crowded Mountains, Empty Towns: Commodification and Contestation in Cordyceps Harvesting in Eastern Tibet. His advisor was Carole McGranahan. |
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BA Anthropology, 2000 Arizona State University. |
Gail focuses on prehistoric archaeology within the southwestern region of North America. Gail has worked on completing a comparative study of southwestern New Mexico ceramics. Thesis title: Exploring Migration: A Look at Magdalena Black-on-white at Gallinas Springs Ruin and Pinnacle Ruin. Her advisor was Catherine Cameron. |
May 2007: Doctor of Philosophy
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MA Anthropology, 1999 UCB; Secondary Teaching Credential, 1993 Humboldt State University; BA/BS Zoology, 1989 Miami University |
Carol studies democracy and development in a legal coca-growing region of the Bolivian Andes. Specifically, she investigates the relationship between municipal and community democratic practices, rural development, adventure tourism, and the US "war on drugs." Dissertation title: Coca Leaf and Sindicato Democracy in the Bolivian Yungas: The Andeanization of Western Political Models in the Coroico Municipality. Her advisor was Terry McCabe. |
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MA Anthropology, 1995 UCB. |
Angela takes an ethnographic approach in her work with African-American middle school-aged girls in urban Denver, focusing especially on how "fun" activities girls choose in their leisure time contribute to their growing up in a challenging environment. Dissertation title: Making Fun: How Urban Black Girls Craft Identity. Her advisor was Donna Goldstein. |
December 2006: Master of Arts
Shannon Gray, MA BA Anthropology, 2000 Eckerd College. |
Gray pursued an MBA as well as a master’s degree in anthropology and was the first to enroll in CU’s new dual degree MBA/MA program. She plans to utilize her degrees in the growing field of organizational anthropology, or business- related ethnographic research. She specializes in two areas: ethnographic market research for product/service improvement and new product development, and organizational development for cultural understanding and change management. Shannon was also the Anthropology department’s Lead Graduate Teacher for the 2005-2006 school year. Her advisor was Paul Shankman. Shannon is an analyst with Context Research Group in Baltimore. Context specializes in ethnography of subcultures in business and society. |
August 2006: Doctor of Philosophy
Joanna Mishtal, PhD MA Cultural Anthropology, University of Colorado. |
Mishtal's research interests are in the area of cultural anthropology and include: gender and sexuality, democratization, political economy, power and class. Her dissertation research examines reproductive policies and practices within the postsocialist state and religious regimes. Her analysis is situated in the context of local gender politics in contemporary Poland as well as international policies of the European Union. Her advisor was Donna Goldstein. Joanna is on a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Columbia University School of Public Health in New York. Dissertation title: Contradictions of Democratization: The Politics of Reproductive Rights and Policies in Postsocialist Poland |
May 2006: Master of Arts
| Xiaomei Chen,
MA
MA Journalism, 2004 Jinan University. | Chen studied the impact of tourism on gender in Tibet and China. Her advisor was Dennis McGilvray. She has been admitted on scholarship to Ohio University in the Visual Communication MA program for Fall 2007 and plans to develop a career in ethnographic photojournalism. |
| Kimber Goedert, MA
BS Kinesiology, 2001 UCB; | Thesis title: Environmental, Social, and Economic Changes affecting the Nutrition and Health of the Kimberle Region Australian Aboriginals .Her advisor was Darna Dufour. She is currently working in the medical field. |
| Courtney Lee,
MA
BA Anthropology, 2001 Skidmore College. | Lee’s research interests are in the area of medical anthropology and include health policy, global health equity, political and economic anthropology and tourism in Costa Rica, particularly for underprivileged populations. Her advisor was Paul Shankman. She will begin her PhD work at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in the fall. |
| Isa Rodriguez-Soto,
MA
BS Biology, 2003 | Rodriguez-Soto’s studies are focused on nutritional anthropology. Specifically her thesis is focused on micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant and lactating women in Cali, Colombia. Her advisor was Darna Dufour. She plans to pursue her PhD in Costa Rica. Thesis title: Mictronutrient Intake by Poor Urban Pregnant Women and Lactating Women in Cali, Columbia |
| Stacey Van Vleet,
MA
AB Public Policy Studies, 2000 Duke University. | Van Vleet researches contemporary Tibetan identity discourses in historical and regional context, centering in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. She is focusing on two modern Tibetan music bands, asking for instance: “What makes their music ‘Tibetan’ music? What influences are a part of the music? And, who is their music's audience?” She has also just completed the first year of a two-year residential Tibetan language program at Tibet University in Lhasa. Her advisor was Carole McGranahan. She will pursue a PhD at Columbia University. Thesis title: The "Righteous Power" of Modern Tibetan Music within the PRC. |
| Gene Wheaton,
MA
BA Anthropology, 2004 UCB. | Wheaton has been involved in the architectural documentation/backfilling project at the West Ruin at Aztec Ruins National Monument. Specifically, he investigates Ancestral Pueblon architectural design and construction. His advisor was Cathy Cameron. Wheaton has been hired to do contract archaeology for WCRM in New Mexico. Thesis title: The Astronomy of Chaco Style Great Kivas |
May 2006: Doctor of Philosophy
| Inga Calvin, PhD
BA Distributed Studies, 1984 University of Colorado, Denver; MA Anthropology, 1994 UCB. | Calvin is currently an Instructor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Denver. Her advisor was Payson Sheets. Dissertation title: Between Text and Image: An Analysis of Pseudo-Glyphs on Late Classic Maya Pottery from Guatemala |
| Paulette Foss,
PhD
BA German, 1973 UCB; MA Anthropology, 1996 UCB; MA History, 1974.San Jose State University; MA Librarianship, 1992 University of Idaho, Moscow. | Foss is the first student at the University of Colorado at Boulder with severely impaired vision to receive a PhD. Her advisor was Paul Shankman Thesis title: Annette Akroyd Beveridge, A Nonconformist in Mid-Victorian India. Dissertation title: Exploring Blind Culture and Life Quality with Seniors Experiencing Late-Life Sight Loss |
| David Hoffman, PhD
BA Environmental Studies/ Anthropology 1997 St. Lawrence University; MA Cultural Anthropology, 2000 UCB. | Hoffman studies community-based managed marine protected areas and fishing communities in Quintana Roo, Mexico. He is particularly interested in the new conservation roles that are played by the state, ENGO's and communities when decision-making is devolved from the state to ENGO/community partnerships. His advisor was J. Terrence McCabe. Beginning Fall 2006, he will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment, Peace and Security: Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Programme at the University for Peace in Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica.Dissertation title: The Subversion of Comanagement of a Marine Protected Area: The Case of Xcalak Reefs National Park, Mexico. Publication: Dispatches from the Field: neophyte ethnographers in a changing world. Garder A. & Hoffman DM, Eds. Waveland Press, Inc. 2006. |
| Karin Larkin,
PhD
BA Art History/Lit., 1993 Merrill College; MA Museum Studies, 1998 UCB. | Larkin focuses on prehistoric archaeology of the Greater Southwest. Her dissertation research examines social change in the Chihuahua culture area of northern Mexico. Karin's advisor was Dr. Linda Cordell. Dissertation title: Community Reorganization in the Southern Zone of the Casas Grandes Culture Area of Chihuahua, Mexico |
December 2005: Master of Arts
| Michelle Butler, MA
BA Anthropology, 2001 UCB. |
Butler studies the pre-Colombian archaeology of Lower Central America and Mesoamerica. Her theoretical interests include landscape, social memory, space and place. Methods used to detect movement and activity within the landscape includes various remote sensing platforms, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Her advisor was Dr. Payson Sheets. Place, Memory, and the Ancient Costa Rican Landscape: An Exploration of Footpaths, Cemeteries, and Habitation Sites |
December 2005: Doctor of Philosophy
| Stacy Barber, PhD | Sarah "Stacy" specializes in the archaeology of Mesoamerica, with special emphasis on Oaxaca. Stacy's research focuses on the negotiation of status and authority in early centralized polities. Her advisors were Payson Sheets and Art Joyce. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida and is continuing her research in Oaxaca in collaboration with Art Joyce. Heterogeneity, Identity, and Complexity: Negotiating Status and Authority in Terminal Formative Coastal Oaxaca |
| Barbara Piperata, PhD
BS Biology, 1991 |
Barbara's research takes a biocultural approach to understanding human energetics, nutrition and health. Her dissertation is focused on understanding how tropical horticultural women living in the lower Brazilian Amazon cope with the increased energy demands of lactation. In addition to her research in Brazil, Barbara has also conducted research in Nicaragua and among the Makushi of Guyana. Her advisor was Darna Dufour. Dr. Piperata is an assistant professor in Biological Anthropology at Ohio State University. Dissertation title: The Energetics of Lactation among Tropical Horticulturists in the Brazilian Amazon |