MERCED, CA— As UC Merced welcomes its fourth
freshman class, the
School of Social Sciences,
Humanities and Artsintroduces its newest major course of study:
A social science dedicated to understanding humankind’s
diversity and what makes humans “human,” anthropology is an ideal
academic program for the new and growing university that seeks to
prepare students for personal and professional success in a
globalizing world.
UC Merced has three professors of anthropology whose areas of
expertise provide a well-rounded view of the field as a whole.
Faculty experts will conduct research and train students in three
segments of anthropology: socio-cultural (contemporary societies),
archaeological (past societies) and biological (linking biology,
culture and society — past and present).
Robin
DeLugan(socio-cultural) has been with UC Merced since 2006. Her
research interests include national identity in post-civil war El
Salvador. DeLugan has taken an active role in serving the Valley
community through her research since moving here. She’s a driving
force behind the Community-University Research & Action for
Justice (CURAJ), an initiative to foster collaborations of
university research and local community expertise to improve the
well-being of disadvantaged residents of the Central Valley.
Kathleen
Hull(archaeological) has been with the university since 2006.
Her study of the effects of disease and colonialism on California’s
native populations has led her to conduct research in Yosemite
Valley. This summer, she presented research findings at a
conference in Europe and also attended an anthropological methods
analysis workshop in North Carolina.
Linda-Anne
Rebhun(socio-cultural) is the newest addition to the
anthropology faculty, joining the team for fall 2008. Rebhun’s
expertise is in medical anthropology and focuses on women’s health
and well-being. Before accepting her position here at UC Merced,
Rebhun taught at Yale University, where she studied romance in
Brazil and sexual health in Mexico.
