University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology

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University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology

A community of scholars & staff exploring all facets of human lives, experiences, and societies.

08/29/2026

ANTH 429 students wrap up their first skeletal recovery scenes of the fall semester! This senior-level class takes place at the world-renowned Body Farm, known to these students as the Anthropology Research Facility (ARF). Throughout the semester, teams will practice scene documentation using the X-Y coordinate methods utilized by crime scene professionals.

In the pictures, Team Red works to draw and record the approximate location of their scene at the ARF, and records the location of evidence using the coordinate method, allowing them to produce an accurate diagram of the scene. Once the evidence is collected, students use hand trowels to search for additional evidence—an approach forensic professionals have borrowed from archaeology. Finally, class is over for this week!

08/28/2026

Join us for the Anthropology Visiting Lecture Series on Wednesday, September 9, 3:30–5:00 PM in AAB 111! Dr. Paulina F. Przystupa from the University of Washington will present “War and the American Children’s Institution,” exploring how war shaped American children’s institutions, their landscapes, and practices of socialization and assimilation. A reception will follow the lecture. We hope to see you there!

08/20/2026

Join us next Thursday, August 27, at 4:15pm in Strong Hall 104 for a guest lecture by Dr. Susan Paige Taylor. Dr. Taylor is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Waseda Univeristy in Tokyo, Japan. Her talk is entitled: Bridging digital humanities and anthropology: digital archive as ethnographic research method in Jimbocho, Tokyo.

08/19/2026

Last Friday, Anthropology participated in College Connect, hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences to welcome incoming freshmen and introduce them to departments across the college!
Ehsan Lor Afshar (cultural anthropology), Hannah Hoover (archaeology), and Joanne Devlin (forensic anthropology) represented three of our major subfields, chatting with hundreds of new students about anthropology, our courses, and the many ways to get involved with the department.
We loved meeting so many new Vols and kicking off the semester with them. Welcome to UT! 🍊

08/16/2026

Hi Anthropology! Join us this Saturday, August 22, from 4–8 PM at Lakeshore Park to kick off the fall semester together! Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff are all welcome.
Bring a dish, a game, or just yourself. See you there! 🍽️🌳

08/13/2026

Continuing our spotlight on the five UTK undergraduate students who will intern with Moxxy Forensic Investigations this fall, today we're highlighting our three other outstanding interns:

Ethan Elder is a senior at the University of Tennessee who will graduate in May 2027 with three majors combining scientific inquiry with a deep understanding of human behavior and society. His interest in uncovering human stories—from the distant past to unresolved modern cases—has been shaped by academic research and hands-on experiences in history, public service, and community engagement. Ethan looks forward to applying his appreciation for evidence, context, and material culture to forensic investigations.

Jordan Duncan is an undergraduate student majoring in Anthropology with a forensic concentration at UTK. This fall, Jordan will work with Moxxy to gain hands-on experience in investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). Jordan is excited to contribute to Moxxy's ethical, victim-centered work in human identification and help provide answers to families.

Hayden Perry is a rising junior from Fairport, New York, majoring in Anthropology with a forensic concentration and minoring in Sociology. Hayden is excited to gain hands-on experience with Moxxy Forensic Investigations this fall and looks forward to exploring the application of forensic methods to real-world cases.

Congratulations to Ethan, Jordan, and Hayden on this exciting opportunity! We look forward to seeing all they accomplish during their internships with Moxxy Forensic Investigations.

08/03/2026

This fall, 5 UTK undergraduate students will begin internships with Moxxy Forensic Investigations, where they will gain hands-on experience in investigative genetic genealogy and forensic casework. Today, we're highlighting two of our outstanding interns:

Dighton Tokoi is a senior majoring in Anthropology with a forensic concentration and Chemistry. Originally from a small town in Kansas, Dighton has been fascinated by genetic genealogy since childhood and is excited to turn that long-standing interest into real-world experience through her internship with Moxxy. Outside the classroom, she is an active member of Revolution, one of UT's a ca****la groups.

Abigail Ahlers is a senior majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Through her undergraduate research and internships, including research at Massachusetts General Hospital, she has developed extensive experience in DNA extraction, PCR, genetic analysis, and molecular biology techniques. Abigail is excited to apply her background in genomics and biochemistry to forensic investigations as she works toward her goal of becoming a forensic geneticist.

Congratulations to Dighton and Abigail on this exciting opportunity! We look forward to seeing all they accomplish during their internships with Moxxy Forensic Investigations.

08/02/2026

Do you know Amelia Earhart? Nearly 90 years after the legendary aviator disappeared, her fate remains one of history's greatest mysteries. Research by Dr. Richard L. Jantz, Professor Emeritus in the University of Tennessee's Department of Anthropology, has helped renew scientific efforts to solve the case. Using modern forensic anthropological methods, Dr. Jantz reanalyzed skeletal measurements from remains discovered on Nikumaroro Island and concluded that they were highly consistent with Amelia Earhart. His findings have provided important scientific support for a recent expedition searching for Earhart's missing aircraft, highlighting how forensic anthropology can contribute to solving even the most enduring historical mysteries.

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/ut-professors-research-helps-pave-the-way-for-amelia-earhart-expedition-in-search-of-her-missing-plane/51-0e740994-3267-47b0-bb9a-1de53bdb45c6

07/28/2026

What Caused Larger Brains and Smaller Faces in Humans?
A new study by Dr. Mark Hubbe, Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, and his colleagues suggests that human evolution may have followed a different path than previously thought, challenging long-held assumptions about the evolution of the human skull.
The study examined whether morphological changes within the genus Homo are best explained by different evolutionary models. The researchers found that the observed differences are more consistent with neutral evolutionary processes and extended periods of evolutionary stasis than with traditional adaptive explanations.

07/14/2026

Forensic anthropologists can play a critical role in solving cold cases, even decades after human remains are discovered. In 1985, the skeletal remains of a young child were found in Campbell County, Tennessee. Known only as “Baby Girl,” she remained unidentified for 37 years until she was identified as Tracy Sue Walker in 2022. Dr. Lee Jantz of the University of Tennessee’s Forensic Anthropology Center worked in collaboration with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and other partners to revisit the case and pursue new scientific approaches, including advances in DNA technology and forensic genetic genealogy, that ultimately helped restore her identity. This case demonstrates how the long-term commitment of forensic anthropologists to preserving evidence, revisiting unresolved cases, and applying new scientific methods can contribute to solving cold cases and returning names to the unidentified.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iYYx8E4kWo

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