Student Research

Employers look for expert thinkers and problem solvers, and these are skills UVM anthropology students acquire through applying theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges.

Independent research is a big part of the experience. Anthropology students co-present papers with faculty mentors, attend professional conferences and develop their own research proposals.

Faculty in the anthropology department regularly involve undergraduate students in their research and open doors to fresh research opportunities in the field. UVM also devotes an entire office to helping you to get involved in stimulating research projects before you graduate. Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research (FOUR) offers an array of resources promoting mentored research, creative works, and scholarship. 

Igniting a Passion for Global Health

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A student writes in a notebook.

A summer in Peru conducting field research with professor Deb Blom cemented Katherine Golde's interest in anthropology. She’s pursuing a master’s degree in medical anthropology in Edinburgh, Scotland, a program she chose for its focus on global health.

Mapping Resources for Refugees

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Smiling student.

Sonia Zaccheo '18 was awarded a UVM College of Arts and Sciences APLE Summer Stipend to support her honors thesis research focused on mapping and analyzing the food and nutrition resources, programs, and initiatives on offer for resettled refugees in Chittenden County. Part of her project will involve creating a map of these services with ArcGIS, a cloud based mapping program to provide an online resource for providers and members of the refugee community. 

A Focus on International Public Health

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Student giving a presentation.

As part of her College Honors thesis in her individually designed major in global health, Camille Clancy ’15 developed a study based on research of diabetic treatment in Uttarakhand, North India.

 

Cataloguing finds from a dig.

The Consulting Archaeology Program (CAP)

Assisting state and federal agencies, as well as private developers in their environmental review process, CAP conducts year round archaeological research and provides opportunities for students to gain experience in hands-on archaeology and employment.

CAP Program

Honors

Honors

High achieving, highly motivated students have the opportunity to write an honors senior thesis, a six-credit project that runs over two semesters. You may elect to do a thesis for a number of reasons including graduation from the Patrick Leahy Honors College, gaining an advantage getting into a graduate studies program, or simply helping you develop your research and writing skills at a higher level. 

Anthropology Honors Thesis Guide (PDF)

Examples of Recent Senior Theses

  • Hayley O'Hara Malloy: "Experimental Archaeology and Formation Processes: New Experiments with Spatial Monitoring"
  • Molly Elizabeth Duff: "Would I Eat This? Negoiotaiting the Boundaries of Risk and Service in the Kitchen."
  • Cara Anne Zhuang: "Home as an Aging Place: An Ethnography of Community-Dwelling Elders in Shanghai."
  • Siera Rain Carusone: "Qualitative Assessment of Campus Views on Factors Affecting Student Mental Health and Help-Seeking at UVM."
  • Caitlin Miarie Owen: "Plans in the Making: The (Re)Negotiation of Agency in Planned Home and Cesarian Births"
  • Sonia Karin Zaccheo: "Vermont Service Providers' Perceptions of Resettled Refugees' Nutritional Needs and Related Resources"