Graduate Overview
The anthropology M.A. program is designed for students who are interested in the traditional subdisciplines of anthropology, as well as such fields as cultural resource management, medical anthropology, social impact assessment, and museology. The program is directed toward students who intend to take a terminal M.A. degree and students who intend, after finishing at NMSU, to enter a Ph.D. program. An undergraduate anthropology degree is not required for entry into the program. Students who lack the equivalent of ANTH 301, 315, 320, and 355 may be required to take these courses, or approved readings courses. ANTH 350 or the equivalent is recommended.
Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Biological Anthropology.
Research in biological anthropology at NMSU is oriented in two main directions: 1) medical anthropology, especially human reproductive biology and evolutionary medicine, and 2) evolutionary primatology with an emphasis on study of the fossil record of primate and human evolution. Three anthropology faculty members contribute to this specialization: Dr. Wenda Trevathan, a biological anthropologist whose research concerns aspects of human reproduction including childbirth, maternal behavior, sexuality, menopause and evolutionary medicine; Dr. Brenda Benefit and Dr. Monte McCrossin who focus on the evolution of Old World monkeys and apes from the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene. Opportunities exist for students to become involved with research projects related to these topics. Courses in Biological Anthropology include: Human Osteology and Forensic Anthropology, Anthropology of Reproduction, Advanced Studies in Physical Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Seminar, Nutritional Anthropology, Human Evolution, and Applied Medical Anthropology.
Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Historical Archaeology
The Department also offers an MA with an emphasis on historical archaeology and a geographical focus of the Greater Southwest, including northern Mexico. Students can focus on the Spanish, Mexi-can or Euroamerican periods, while concentrating on the ranching and mining industries, ethnic relations, urban development, border interactions or frontier dynamics. These studies are under the direction of Dr. Edward Staski, who has recently completed large-scale archaeological investigations in downtown El Paso and at Fort Fillmore and Cummings, frontier military outposts. Results of these projects include the recovery of numerous artifacts and data available to students. Related campus resources include: the New Mexico Heritage Center, a multi-disciplinary foundation for the study and preservation of regional cultural traditions (co-founded by Dr. Staski); the NMSU Museum, which curates extensive archaeological collections; the Rio Grande Collection of Archives pertaining to the southwest; the Border Research Institute. Course offerings in Historical Archaeology include: Advanced Historical Archaeology, Historical Archaeology Field Session, and Laboratory Methods in Historical Archaeology.
Museum Studies
Students also can become involved in museology. The NMSU Museum is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Courses in museum studies and practical experience as interns, volunteers, and researchers are also available.
Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Cultural Anthropology
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in cultural anthropology. Students can choose to work with indigenous and/or Latino populations in the US Southwest or Mesoamerica, engaging in fieldwork that enhances the development of broad cross-cultural awareness. Students specializing in cultural anthropology are encouraged to address the specific components of cultural systems, examining the religious, linguistic, socio-economic, health, and/or development aspects of minority cultures. In particular, the cultural anthropology program's strength lies in the opportunity for M.A. students to engage in cross-cultural (including international) ethnographic fieldwork in communities, thus developing critical anthropological skills, sensitivity and awareness. These studies are under the direction of Dr. Scott Rushforth (Apache cultures in the US Southwest); Dr. Christine Eber (Mayan peoples in Chiapas, Mexico); and Dr. Lois Stanford (mestizo and Purhépecha communities in Michoacán, and Latino rural communities in New Mexico). Instruction includes seminars in cultural anthropological theory, ethnographic field methods, ethics, ethnographic courses in Mesoamerica and the Southwest, gender, and health issues. Students are encouraged to explore inter-disciplinary training in related programs in Latin American studies, linguistics, religious studies, women's studies, and food systems.
Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Mesoamerican Anthropology & Archaeology
Students can focus on the pre-Columbian period, the Colonial period, or modern Mesoamerican peoples. Four anthropology faculty contribute to this specialization. Dr. Rani Alexander and Dr. Lisa Lucero are archaeologists who work in the prehistoric and colonial periods respectively. Dr. Christine Eber and Dr. Lois Stanford specialize in ethnography, gender issues, religion, economic, and applied anthropology in the Mesoamerican region. These faculty involve students in projects in Yucatan, Chiapas, and Michoacan, Mexico, and in Belize, Central America. Related campus resources include the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for International Programs, as well as the NMSU Museum. Course offerings in Mesoamerican Anthropology include: Mesoamerican Anthropology, Advanced Studies in Archaeology, Advanced Studies in Mesoamerican Archaeology, Conquest of the New World, Advanced Issues in Gender and Culture, Peoples of Mexico and Guatemala, and Fieldwork in Latin America.
Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Southwestern Anthropology & Archaeology
The Department offers the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in prehistoric archaeology and anthropology of the Greater Southwest. Anthropology faculty that contribute to this specialization include Dr. Bill Walker, an archaeologist, and Dr. Scott Rushforth, a cultural anthropologist. Students are encouraged to explore the full range of issues related to human history in a desert environment. Particular strengths of the program include the archaeology of religion, native language retention, as well as prehistoric and contemporary economic and sociopolitical systems. Archaeological research through one of NMSU's field schools focus on the relationship between southern New Mexico and Paquime regional system in Chihuahua, Mexico. Students may also focus on modern Native American studies. Teaching in the classroom and in the field distinguish the NMSU program from others in the Southwest. Spring and summer archaeological field schools are a regular part of the graduate program and students experience a "hands-on" approach. Instruction also includes teaching in theory, methods, and techniques of analysis. Other facilities that can be used by MA anthropology students include the Center for Latin American Studies, the Rio Grande Archives, and the New Mexico Heritage Center.
Food Studies
The graduate minor in food studies enables graduate students in anthropology or other programs to develop a specialization in food studies within their graduate program. The food studies specialization comprises an interdisciplinary field that cuts across the arts, humanities, and sciences. Because food production, distribution, and consumption lie at the core of human existence, anthropologists have focused on the complex, dynamic, and integral relationship between food and culture. Food sustains us biologically; as well it gives meaning, order, and values to our lives. Food also plays important roles in our identity construction, religious practices and socialization. At the same time, agricultural changes, development, migration, globalization, technological changes, and advertising, among a number of other factors, now transform the way that we produce, distribute, prepare, and consume the food that we eat. Within this minor, students will have the opportunity to explore and develop specialized knowledge about food and culture through graduate training. Students will be expected to use the ideas, insights, and knowledge gained through graduate seminars in their fieldwork for the M.A. thesis or internship in a food studies topic approved by their M.A. committee. In order to complete the minor requirements, students are required to complete 9 credit hours (3 classes) of graduate level courses. The core courses for the minor are ANTH 520, ANTH 531, ANTH 536, ANTH 538, and ANTH 539. Alternative classes are identified below the core offerings; these may be substituted with the approval of the student’s M.A. thesis chair.