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School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Why join us?
One of the most important decisions you make in your career is where you train
for it.
Solving the planet’s most pressing challenges through innovation
We offer an array of degrees, but all of them share a belief in three basic principles that build great careers.
- First, we believe skills are crucial. Our graduates know how to do things, and have the resumes to prove it. We take our students into the field with us, we teach lots of methods, we run a wildly successful research apprenticeship program across our 40 labs, we publish with our students and we model collaboration and mentorship in everything we do. Grad students get the chance to learn to teach in multiple modalities, and undergrads can work with our graduate students and faculty as assistants on their projects and in their classes.
- Second, the scale is a major asset. Being big isn’t a bad thing. By being large and in the largest research university, a vast array of classroom and experiential options are available to everyone when they need them. Scale helps students find a wide array of collaborators, training and experiences that enrich their resumes.
- Third, we collaborate with each other as part of our basic DNA. This extends to faculty working with grad and undergrad students in all aspects of our scholarship, and everyone working across disciplines to get at the most interesting questions. You can read more about some of our major collaborative projects that link faculty, graduate students and undergrads here.
For undergraduates, we offer a huge array of courses, almost all of which are taught directly by our world-leading faculty. Our faculty also teach award-winning online versions of our most popular classes, providing working students with scheduling flexibility as needed.
All our undergraduates have the chance to work directly in labs with – and travel into the field with – our faculty. They also have access to the thousands of classes in other schools, and enough electives in our degrees to be able to take advantage of them.
Our award-winning advisors help students craft their own pathway to the career they want. Our bachelor degree graduates are extremely successful is getting into grad school or medical school, many with full scholarships.
For graduate students, we are committed to supporting and mentoring everyone individually. Each program of study is created with the student to allow unique training programs. Each faculty mentors only a few graduate students so they can do so intensively.
We are one of the largest and most diverse anthropology programs in the country, and we have smaller boutique programs, too, that enrich everyone, as students can take classes with and work with faculty in any part of the school, and beyond, easily.
Historically we have funded almost all our graduate students through research assistantships and teaching assistantships, both great CV builders. We also have graduate student governance of the school, meaning our students play a role in shaping our decisions and how we operate.
We have extremely high retention rates, with most of the students who start with us going on to finish their degrees. Most have published with at least one faculty.
Half of all our PhD graduates go on to traditional academic appointments, while the rest are driven to take their skills into a wider world to make a difference, such as working for government agencies and international corporations.
Hands-On Opportunities
Our students train not only in the classroom but also in a variety of unique field and lab settings, like the ASU Teotihuacan Research Laboratory, located outside the ruins of the ancient Mesoamerican metropolis.
Student Success
Spotlight on Lea Gleason
Gleason is interested in gene-culture co-evolution and large-scale cooperation. She plans to investigate how cooperation “scales up,” especially in high-stakes scenarios like warfare. She is also interested in the evolution of post-traumatic stress disorder. Due to her incredible work ethic and dedication to research, Gleason received the Alumni Award for Undergraduate Academic Achievement in Anthropology and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. After graduation, Gleason plans to remain at Arizona State University for graduate school and work with Mathew, as well as SHESC Professor Robert Boyd. One day, she would like to become a professor.
Collections
Take your research to the next level with the school's extensive ethnographic, archaeological and paleoanthropological holdings.
Get an insider's look at some of the unique Southwestern specimens housed in the Center for Archaeology and Society's Repository, courtesy of ASU Now.
Our Societal Impact
Whether working with midwives in Guatemala to improve maternal and infant health or providing local policymakers with research results on human vulnerability to urban heat, our projects and programs make a difference. We encourage – and equip – our faculty and students to find ways to benefit our community, locally, nationally and globally.
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Comparative Paleoethnobotany of the Maya Lowlands (and Greater Middle America)
In a time of increasing concern for the environment, this research provides insight into how politics, economics and climate change coincide with human land use by examining archaeobotanical data from the Maya Lowlands of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
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Global Ethnohydrology Study
The Global Ethnohydrology Study is a transdisciplinary, multi-year, multi-site program of research that examines the range of variation in local ecological knowledge of water issues, also known as “ethnohydrology.” It will focus on showing how factors, such as increasing urbanization, water scarcity and climate change, are related to changes in cultural ideas and knowledge.
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Preventing Childbirth Emergencies in Resource-Scarce Settings
This project studies how women and their caregivers identify complications during childbirth and decide to seek skilled care. In future phases, the project will examine how such local theories interact with economic and structural barriers to influence care-seeking trajectories.
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Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Context of the Origins of Modern Humans in South Africa
This project proposes to jump-start the development in Africa of a detailed paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental record with a multidisciplinary and international project tightly integrated between researchers focused on the south coast of South Africa. The end result of this project will be an understanding of the relation between global climate change and its regional expression in South Africa.
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Sustainability of Marine Renewable Resources in Subarctic Systems Under Incumbent Environmental Variability & Human Exploitation
The portion of this project conducted at Arizona State University will focus on integrating research activities by developing a conceptual socio-ecological framework to address the implications for sustainability of current and alternative policy practices and scientific knowledge gaps.
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Anthropology of Host-Pathogen Co-Evolution
This project examines the co-evolution of humans and our pathogens using an anthropological perspective that incorporates both evolutionary time depth, and short-term individual and species histories.
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Urbanization and Global Environmental Change International Project Office
Since its establishment at Arizona State University in 2006, the International Project Office (IPO) of the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change (UGEC) project has coordinated and facilitated new knowledge generation and dissemination on urban areas and their connections to global environmental change – at the intersection of social and natural sciences. Continuing and enhancing this relationship will allow the already dynamic IPO to further promote the generation of new UGEC research, synthesize findings and connect science to policy.
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National Diversity and the Scope of Ethnography
This project explores the prevalence and patterns of social diversity and the negotiation of difference in varied historical settings in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand. More specifically, the project examines what interethnic (majority-minority) relations (or the lack thereof) characterize ethnographic reporting, documentary and fiction film, novels, memoirs and newspaper coverage during 1914-2014, against what can be known about patterns of interethnic relations from ethnohistorical investigations.
Our Alumni
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Jason Gillette
As the director of School Health for the Arizona Department of Education, Gillette uses his global health degree to make sure that children's environments promote their good health.
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Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
New Yorker Johnston-Zimmerman puts her anthropology degree to work making urban spaces fit the people who live in them. She serves as the research and communications associate for the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces.
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Christine Lee
Lee has used her anthropology (bioarchaeology) PhD to conduct award-winning research exploring the lives of people in ancient China and Mongolia. Today, she is training the next generation of researchers as an assistant professor at Cal. State, Los Angeles.
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Angela Ortiz
Ortiz earned a doctorate in applied mathematics for the life and social sciences while balancing challenging family responsibilities. Now, she works as the senior manager for fraud risk at American Express.
Learn from and Work with the Best
World-Class Faculty
Our renowned faculty members specialize in a range of fields related to understanding and improving the human condition. They serve as talented professors, researchers and mentors. Our faculty are published in all the top scientific outlets, expanding the reach and impact of our scholarship.
Problem-Driven Research
At the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, we believe that research should lead to improving the human condition. With a wide range of program areas – from anthropology and applied math for the life and social sciences to global health and museum studies – the potential for our graduates to make a difference in the world is unlimited.
Community Engagement
The School of Human Evolution and Social Change has a variety of community engagement opportunities for our students to explore. Whether it’s joining the Tanzania: HIV/AIDS and public health education service-learning internship or conducting comparative studies on community engagement through various research projects, we encourage all students to get involved and find ways to benefit their community, locally and nationally.
"To say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with SHESC would be an understatement. I could not have asked for better preparation, more opportunities, or more fulfilling experiences. My exposure to collaborative and transdisciplinary research has really shaped the way I approach my work."
Will Russell
Archaeology Graduate Student
“ASU was my first choice for graduate school because of the outstanding bioarchaeology faculty and research facilities. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the SHESC community and am grateful for the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the amazing faculty and graduate students in the department.”
Allisen Dahlstedt
Bioarchaeology Graduate Student
"The most rewarding elements of my college career have been the opportunities I experienced and the people I was lucky enough to connect with."
Jose Galvan
Global Health Undergraduate Student
"I’ve been lucky to take so many interesting courses over the years and to be surrounded by so many intelligent and supportive people. The best part for me, though, has been collaborating on projects with my labmates and my advisor, Dr. Chris Stojanowski."
Kathleen Paul
Bioarchaeology Graduate Student
"My time at SHESC was an enlightening experience that has opened many doors in my academic and professional future."
Nathan Shelley
Anthropology Undergraduate Student
"Pursuing a doctorate in SHESC has provided me with an array of interesting questions, and a wide range of resources to help me answer them."
Claudine Gravel Miguel
Archaeology Graduate Student
"Being at SHESC has given me the opportunity to work with and learn from a world-class faculty and outstanding fellow graduate students, learn a wide variety of analytical techniques and collaborate on a range of international interdisciplinary projects."
Sofia Pacheco-Fores
Bioarchaeology Graduate Student
"SHESC has been nothing short of wonderful since the day I enrolled. The guidance I've received opened my eyes to a field school experience in Italy and a chance to present at the upcoming SAA conference. I feel all the opportunities being offered to me are truly setting me up for a successful future."
Derek Miltimore
Anthropology Undergraduate Student
"My time as a graduate student at SHESC has been formative. I have had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with some of the top researchers in my field, which has fostered my growth as a scientist. Being a graduate student at SHESC has also helped me develop a passion for teaching. I hope to continue pursuing both research and teaching in the next stage of my career."
Halszka Glowacka
Evolutionary Anthropology Graduate Student
Student Research
At the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, graduate and undergraduate students have the opportunity to gain valuable research experience under the direction of some of the top names in the social sciences. Whether in the lab or the field, we can help you expand your knowledge and skill base while kindling your academic passions.
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Clubs & Organizations
We firmly believe co-curricular involvement is an essential component to getting the most out of your college experience. We encourage you to get involved outside the classroom in student clubs and organizations that pique your individual interests, provide outlets for your leisure activities or build on your studies.
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