Master of Arts in Anthropology Capstone Projects
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.20/45711
The Master of Arts in Anthropology program accepted its first students in 2007. It began offering a non-thesis capstone option in 2013 which allowed for a wider array of culminating projects to be counted toward the requirements for the degree than a thesis did alone. This capstone repository began in 2025. Capstones produced before 2025 are being added after alumni grant permission. For a list of all capstones, please visit https://socant.chass.ncsu.edu/graduate/student-trajectories/.
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Recent Submissions
- Visions of Iranian Environmental Activism Inside and Outside of the Country.(2025-10-24) Niloufar YarahmadiThis paper examines the perspectives of Iranian environmental activists residing both inside the country and in the diaspora to shed light on the current state of environmental activism in Iran under an oppressive regime whose intolerance of independent and organized activities have forced activists to adopt new forms of engagement, particularly through social media. This led to the emergence of non-organized but motivated actors in the environmental activism landscape. The paper argues that the traditional framework of activism fails to capture the relationships between these various groups and introduces the concept of “non-activism” in order to include a diverse group of motivated but unorganized groups that further the cause of activists while lowering the risk of government retribution and enabling resident and diasporic activists who were separated to communicate and collaborate in the same space.
- The Role of Cemeteries in African American Cultural Preservation: Using Historical Records as Biodata(2024-12-02) Shante Willinson
- Directional Asymmetry and Hand Dominance in Colonial Mexico City(2023-04-26) Sarah WellsThis project explores the under-studied phenomenon of directional asymmetry with regard to hand dominance, using radiographs of left and right metacarpals from the burial population at the colonial Hospital Real San Jose de los Naturales, in present day Mexico City. Bilateral asymmetry has recently become a more popular area of research within bioarchaeology, but is still relatively new and includes a small number of studies. There has also been very little bioarchaeological research using populations in the Americas, relative to the amount of research using European populations. Using radiographs of the second metacarpals of 73 individuals from Colonial Mexico, the percent of directional asymmetry was calculated and analyzed in order to determine rates of hand dominance and potential differences between the sexes. The results of this study show distinct right-left asymmetry for several measures across the entire sample, namely total length and head width. The data also show that while most of the sample was likely right-hand dominant, there is a portion of the population with clear left-bias, suggesting that the second metacarpal will be larger on the right or left side depending on hand dominance and biomechanical stress.
- Queer Geographies: Mapping Landscapes of Identity in Raleigh, North Carolina(2024-03-06) Jordan MishaThe impetus for Queer Geographies came from the acknowledgment that queer materiality is often lacking, erased, and made invisible within the historical and archaeological record. This reality was confirmed after contacting the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology to inquire about any materials they held pertaining to queer persons or queer historical events in Raleigh, North Carolina, and being informed that no such collections existed. Of course, a lack of preserved history does not imply that such histories don't exist. Instead, it requires that different, non-traditional methods of visualizing identity and commemorating histories be employed. One way is through a subversive reading of historic geographies and cultural landscapes.
- Cemetery Photogrammetry: Historical Archaeology Data Collection Results from Oberlin Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina(2025-04-29) Greer TaylorPhotogrammetry involves creating three-dimensional models using photographs of an object, which can provide more detailed documentation than the photographs alone. This technique could be used to record and assist in the future preservation of grave markers. This paper presents the results of photogrammetry in Oberlin Cemetery, located in the historic African American community of Oberlin Village in Raleigh, North Carolina. It has recently been mapped with geophysical tools by local professionals and rejuvenated by volunteer clean-up initiatives. The aim of this project is to contribute to the Oberlin community and the ongoing rehabilitation of Oberlin Cemetery through photogrammetry. This project resulted in 3D models and photographs of monuments in Oberlin Cemetery in addition to a How-To Guide for how to perform cemetery photogrammetry.
- Cultivating connection in the Covid era: student experiences in an in-person agroecology internship after experiencing pandemic learning(2023-05-23) Katrina GeistUndergraduate students who experienced an in-person and hands-on, Agroecology Scholars Program in Research and Extension (ASPIRE) internship at North Carolina State University participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences in the summer of 2021 and 2022. This period reflects a transition back to in-person classes and programming, following the abrupt transition to socially distanced and online learning mandated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In ASPIRE, interns are placed with mentors in research labs at a public land-grant university and engage in weekly farm tours and professional development as a group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants with interview questions formulated to reflect student experiences of hands-on and place-based learning, their interests in agriculture and agroecology, as well as questions designed to provide qualitative feedback about the internship itself. In the interviews, students spoke explicitly about how the in-person experience with a diverse group of their peers was especially meaningful given the contrast with socially-distanced models of learning implemented in the wake of a global pandemic. While the physical setting was a key point of this education, students emphasized the role of interpersonal relationships as impactful to their learning, highlighting three kinds of interpersonal relationships: student-mentor relationships, student-stakeholder relationships, and peer-to-peer relationships.
- Comprehensive Review of Anthropogenic Landscape Modifications and Environmental Engineering by the Maya Civilization in The Three River Region of Belize: Synthesis of Archaeological Scholarship(2025-04-13) Charity SullivanExtensive landscape modifications shaped and supported Maya societies across the Three Rivers Region of Belize during the Classic period. Population growth, environmental degradation, and prolonged drought are frequently cited as contributing factors when referring to the Maya “collapse”, which resulted in the abandonment of many major centers. A growing body of research on anthropogenic landscape transformation highlights the adaptability and effort of the Maya responding to a dynamic and often unpredictable environment. Evidence reveals a diverse range of strategies and practices employed in response to overlapping pressures, challenging previous assumptions on the ecological stability of the Maya society.
- Avian Insights into Mamluk Tell Qarqur, Syria: Reconstructing Environmental Conditions through Archaeo-ornithology(2025-05-02) Dillion CartwrightThe Ghab Valley’s environmental conditions throughout much of its history have been the subject of investigations by previous researchers utilizing historical documents, palynology, geoarchaeology, and soil science. These studies indicate the presence of a wetland in the valley during the Mamluk period (1268-1516 CE). This project builds on that knowledge by analyzing avifaunal remains found at Tell Qarqur in northern Syria to determine the type of wetland present during this period. By using avifaunal remains as sensitive proxies for interpreting the landscape, this study identifies the primary wetland type as a Lacustrine-Palustrine system. This research contributes to our understanding of resource availability to Ghab Valley inhabitants and adds to the growing body of knowledge on the environmental conditions in the region during the Mamluk period.
