Crew Anthro

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: The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) offers an array of resources promoting mentored research, creative works, and scholarship. 

Igniting a Passion for Global Health

Student lab work

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

Sonia Zaccheo

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

Camilleclancy anthro

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.

Anthropology Honors Thesis Guide

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 UVM 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. Click the button above for more information. Below, see some examples of recent senior thesis topics. 

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"

CAP Hinesburg

The Consulting Archaeology Program (CAP)

The Consulting Archaeology Program (CAP) conducts year round archaeological research and provides opportunities for students to gain experience in hands-on archaeology and employment. CAP assists state and federal agencies, as well as private developers in their environmental review process, a requirement for any federally-funded and licensed projects. The role of CAP is to identify, evaluate and develop management plans for prehistoric and historic sites that may be affected by various types of construction such as highways, hydroelectric facilities and housing developments. In doing so, they are a major source of research on ancient and historical life in Vermont.