Anthropology Online Academic Forums
The study of Anthropology promotes an understanding of self and of all humanity by exploring human nature from its beginnings to the present. There is perhaps no single field of study that can better prepare students to cope with the challenges of the 21st century than anthropology. Confronted with increasing global population, rapid technological change, rising tides of nationalism, and economic globalization, many look to the future with uncertainty. Anthropology provides understanding and answers based on a century of exploring the development of human nature, society, and culture. It is the only social science that seeks to understand both human biological and cultural variation in the past and in the present.
Anthropology Forums
Historic Preservation of Apollo 11’s Tranquility BaseLisa WestwoodFaculty, Anthropology Department, California State Univerisity, Chico
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The subtitle of this presentation is “An Archaeological Site Representing the First Human Lunar Landing.” Ms. Westwood has been working with historic preservation officials, NASA, members of the U.S. Congress, and the international community to designate Tranquility Base – where, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon—a World Heritage Site. She brings the point of view of a professional archaeologist to this effort to preserve a historically-significant site. Along with Dr. Beth O’Leary of New Mexico State University, Ms. Westwood co-founded the Apollo 11 Preservation Task Force. She describes the site and presents an artifact inventory. |
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The 2007 Electoral Crisis in Kenya: Ethnography of an International ResponseAriane Belanger-Vincent,Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada
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Ms. Belanger-Vincent’s paper draws largely from ethnographic research on the notion of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) that is slowly becoming the new intervention doctrine in international circles. The main objective is to show why and how the 2007 and 2008 Kenyan crisis is important vis-a-vis R2P and its implementation as a norm of action within the practice of international politics. Presentation time: 50 minutes |
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Taphonomic Signatures of Animal ScavengingLisa Bright,Anthropology Department Graduate Student
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Graduate student Lisa Bright, whose specialty is forensic anthropology, presents her research regarding wildlife scavenging. The research is in the area of taphonomy, which is what happens to a body from the point of death until discovery. She arranged to have several dead pigs placed in various areas in the mountains above Chico, with a video camera focused on each. She then recorded the daytime and nocturnal approaches of various animals to the pig carcasses. The result is some fascinating video footage, including visits by bears and other predators. She used the videos along with analysis of the carcass bones to determine scavenging patterns. Presentation time: 49 minutes |
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From Chico to Sharjah: Emerging Cross Cultural Dialogues and OpportunitiesDr. Gayle Hutchinson,Dean, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, CSU, Chico
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Dr. Gayle Hutchinson shares highlights from two recent trips to Sharjah, the third largest Emirate in the United Arab Emerites. Dr. Hutchinson shared stories about her visit with Her Highness Sheikha Jameela Al-Qasimi who is the Director General of the Sharjah City Humanitarian Services - a non-profit organization providing services to children and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities. Ms. Al-Qasimi graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology from CSU, Chico and was honored as the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumnae 2009/2010. Dr. Hutchinson shares pictures of the University of Sharjah and the American University of Sharjah. Presentation time: 50 minutes |
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Zanzibar to the Inland SeaDr. David Eaton, Jr.Anthropology Department Faculty
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Anthropology professor David Eaton narrates images from his recent travels in east Africa as they illuminate historical, social, and political trends in this region. Dr. Eaton first outlines the world of the Swahili coast on the Indian Ocean, setting it in relation to the east African interior over many centuries of trade and cultural exchange. After a stop in Tanzania’s capital of Dar es Salaam, Eaton returns to the island of Zanzibar after 20 years to see the cultural tourism and archaeological rehabilitation that is changing the island. Other stops include Morogoro, Tukuyu, and Karona, a town on the western shores of Lake Nyasa, one of the world’s purest, deepest, and most biodiverse bodies of fresh water. Presentation time: 49 minutes |
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Monastic Archaeology at the Cistercian Abbey of OurscampDr. Kyle Killian,Anthropology Department Faculty
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Dr. Killian shares some results from his recent excavations at the Cistercian Abbey in Ourscamp, France. He briefly describes monastic life and traces its history, starting with St. Anthony in the Third Century A.D. Dr. Killian shows how the artifacts excavated from the site of the ruined abbey can provide insights into monastery life many centuries ago. Presentation time: 50 minutes |
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The Paleo SolutionRobb Wolf,CSU, Chico graduate & author, “The Paleo Solution”
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Robb Wolf graduated from CSU, Chico with a BS degree in Biochemistry. He went on to write a New York Times bestselling book, “The Paleo Solution - Maybe there is something to this ‘Evolution’ thing.” Wolff believes that humans should revert to a paleolithic diet, which he defines as gluten-free, dariy-free and low-carb,with an emphasis on meat and vegetables. He considers this “the original human diet.” Presentation time: 44 minutes |
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The Archaeology of Antigua and BarbudaDr. Reg Murphy
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Dr. Murphy lives and works on the Caribbean island of Antigua, located approximately 300 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. In this presentation he shows artifacts, many of them quite beautiful and detailed, and explains the information they provide about the thriving culture on the island many centuries ago. Dr. Murphy is well know to CSU, Chico anthropology students travel to Antigua each summer with CSU, Chico Professor Georgia Fox to participate in the Betty’s Hope archeological project. Presentation time: 50 minutes |
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Daily Bread: Prehistoric Cooking Features in the Northern Sacamento ValleyKristina Crawford,M.A. Anthropology CSU, Chico graduate
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Ms. Crawford shares some interesting highlights from her master’s thesis, illustrating how the food and cooking methods used by Indians in the Northern Sacramento Valley reflected on land use, population changes, and other events in prehistoric times. She outlines the different ways the indigenous people cooked in an area that includes what are now Butte, Glenn, Shasta, and Tehama counties. Included is information about what was cooked, from acorns to fish to root vegetables. Ms. Crawford studied the cooking methods of six tribes. Presentation time: 46 minutes |
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Clean Water and Sanitation near Mt. Kilimanjaro: A Story of Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Dr. Walt SchaferCSU, Chico Sociology Professor Emeritus
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Dr. Shafer’s presentation describes a program begun in 2008 through which Chico Rotary Club and 15 other Rotary clubs in Northern California have partnered with the Rotary Club of Moshi, Tanzania, and with Rotary International to bring clean water and sanitation to villages in the Mt. Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania. This multi-year, sustainable collaboration has become a model of community development. The presentation highlights needs assessments, opportunities, challenges, successes, individual stories, and future plans. Presentation time: 47 minutes |
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More Potholes, Goats, and Questions than Answers: The 2011 Field Season at Betty’s Hope, AntiguaDr. Georgia FoxCSU, Chico Anthropology Department Faculty |
Every summer since 2008, CSU, Chico students have traveled to the Caribbean island of Antigua to participate in an ongoing archaeological excavation there. Chico State Anthropology Professor Georgia Fox has led these trips, during which students gain valuable field experience. In this presentation, Dr. Fox describes the work of excavating the buried ruins of a colonial sugar plantation. The building foundations and artifacts that have been unearthed by the students reveal much about the history of early European settlers in Antigua. Other groups of students continue to travel to Antigua with Dr. Fox each summer. Presentation time: 47 minutes |
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Before the “Mouse” the Travel Agent was Your Dealer in DreamsDr. Valene L SmithCSU, Chico Anthropology Professor Emeritus
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Dr. Smith is a pioneer in the field of anthropological tourism, as well as a distinguished CSU, Chico Professor Emeritus. The anthropology museum on campus is named for her. Her studies have focused on the economic and social impacts of the tourism industry around the globe. In this presentation, Dr. Smith gives an historical perspective of anthropological tourism, from the late 1950s (when she co-owned a travel agency) to the present. She shows how tourism patterns have changed due to changes in world population distribution and other factors. She also discusses changes in the travel industry due to the rise of the personal computer. Presentation time: 47 minutes |
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Diet and Health in Prehistoric California - Lifeways of the Ancestral OhloneKaren Smith GardnerCSU, Chico Anthropology Graduate Student
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The subtitle of this presentation is “Insights from Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Bone from the Yukisma Mound.” Karen Smith Gardner presents her research from studying an Ohlone native tribal burial site unearthed in Santa Clara County, near Milpitas, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. She discusses dietary patterns of the tribe that were discovered by analysis of the bones at the site, such as what the Ohlone of that area ate and how it compares with other tribes. She also presents an analysis of individual dietary patterns by sex, age, and markers of status/social roles. Presentation time: 44 minutes |
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Community Archaeology and Optimal Foraging Theory: A Journey from Eagle Lake to Paris, FranceKevin DaltonM.A. Anthropology, CSU, Chico
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Kevin Dalton’s talk is actually two presentations. The first is about a report he made at a zooarcheology conference held at Eagle Lake, near Susanville, in Lassen County, California. In the report, he outlines a community Archaeology project in Talus, New Mexico. The second part of the presentation is a report from the 11th conference of the International Council for Archaeozoology, held in Paris, France in 2010. In this report, Mr. Dalton looks at group size and hunting landscapes in the prehistoric western great basin. Zooarchaeology (or Archaeozoology, as it is known in Eurasia and Africa) is the study of animal bones from archaeological sites. Presentation time: 48 minutes |
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