REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Biocultural Anthropology

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This award provides funds for an REU Site in Biocultural Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. The Site will last for six weeks each summer and involve 10 undergraduate students. The program will engage a diverse pool of talented undergraduates in an experiential learning environment that immerses them in anthropological method and theory. Using the large Byzantine St. Stephen's skeletal collection from Jerusalem as the cornerstone for study, historical and archaeological information will be synthesized in a biocultural reconstruction of ancient monastic life. Students will engage in original research to develop a suite of methodological skills in the sciences and enhance their capability for collaborative research. They will share in a field trip program to area research sites, libraries, museums, and a functioning monastery to gain an understanding of the cultural parameters affecting human adaptability. Exploration of ethical issues related to the politics of archaeology, treatment of artifacts, and repatriation will focus attention on scientific ethics, an important foundation for future research endeavors. Finally, a dynamic lecture program delivered by an international team of scholars in the fields of anthropology, biology, history, classics, geography, theology, and Near Eastern studies will crystallize the importance of a holistic approach for studying the past. The biocultural field school will provide an intellectually energizing learning experience, which will equip participants with a suite of talents for viewing their surroundings. The integration of practical research skills, ethical inquiry, and the synthesis of disciplinary paradigms for viewing human interaction will prove useful as students move into graduate or professional careers in the natural and social sciences. This award contributes to the Foundation's continuing efforts to attract talented students into careers in science through active undergraduate research experiences.