Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alan B. Gelder and Dr. Joel C. Janetski, Anthropology There are some compelling questions about variations in the subsistence patterns of the Anasazi that are still unanswered. It is possible that within the Escalante Valley of south-central Utah, the Anasazi practiced a more mobile lifestyle than is thought to be common—camping at some distance from […]

Shelby H. Saberon and Dr. John E. Clark, Anthropology The outcome of being accepted for this grant, and the ensuing study that resulted, has become the beginning of a massive research project which merits great interest not only to the author, but to the field of MesoAmerican archaeology in general. In addition, my research from […]

Kristyn M. Roser, Dr. John P. Hawkins, Anthropology “Me levanto temprano, punts mi fuego, lavo mixtamal, voy al molino, y regreso para preparar los alimentos para mis hijos y mi esposo.” So begins a typical day for a woman in Ixtahuacan. It is a day focused on caring for family and preparation of food—tasks that […]

Bentley Snow and Dr. Mark Grover, Harold B. Lee Library The vitality of the Welsh culture has suffered significantly due to the pressures of globalization. Marginalized even in their homeland, the Welsh way of life was dying out due to disinterest on the part of the rising generation, something which greatly concerned the shrinking number […]

Charlotte Williams and Dr. Julie Hartley-Moore, Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University In Europe, notions about national identity are being called into question as historical state-sponsored conceptions encounter new forces present in current affairs—including, relative economic prosperity, mass immigration, conflicting ideas about religion, and desired assimilation into a collective European identity. Ireland provides a case […]

Adrien Mooney and Dr. Glenna Nielsen-Grimm, Anthropology Background The Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States have a unique set of beliefs centered on the practice of ceremonies dedicated to kachinas, intermediaries between the Pueblo people and their deities. The word kachina literally means “life-bringer,” and the kachina ceremonies are integral for the growth of […]

Heidi Kartchner and Dr. Julie Hartley, Anthropology The Study During the months of May and June 2008 I conducted a research study at BYU’s Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) in Provo, Utah. My intent was to research the MPC’s supporters, looking specifically at their leisure habits and patterns of cultural consumption and how that […]

Amy Hurt I conducted my field study in the city of New Orleans for two months, 24 April -25 June 2008. During this time I lived in a small house in Mid-City, an apartment in Jefferson Parish, a hotel room on Decatur Street in the French Quarter, and a rent-by-the-day room just outside of the […]

Jennifer Harris and Dr. Cynthia Finlayson, Anthropology Last year I set out on an adventure to research an ancient civilization, to gather photographic and textual research halfway across the globe. I traveled to Greece in order to research the ancient Minoans, a very advanced and interesting people who had a great influence on Greek culture. […]

Jaime Bingham and Dr. Paul R. Stavast, Anthropology This past semester (Winter 2008), the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) researched and curated an exhibition on the Kachina Cult of the Pueblo and Hopi cultures. The Kachina Cult is centered around belief in a set of spiritual beings that bring blessings, gifts, and rain. Kachina […]