Department: Anthropology
Diversity Plan and Initiatives
1. Faculty: Our faculty is diverse in terms of gender and race. Of nine full-time faculty, five are
women, two of whom are African-Americans. We have one Chinese faculty and a Latino in a
term position.
Our faculty engage in on-going research on human diversity, the subject matter of
Anthropology. One faculty members is researching the local American-American economy,
youth and community organizations; another faculty works on African-American folklore and
cultural traditions. Other faculty members have research projects in Latin America, the Middle
East, China, Europe, and Africa.
2. Curriculum: By definition, the subject matter of anthropology is human diversity. Our
curriculum is thus diverse in the broadest possible way. Our course Intro. to Cultural
Anthropology (ANTH 201) addresses in-depth the issues of gender, ethnicity, and race in
human history and society; in addition, the course integrates a range of inequalities across a
time/space framework. We offer a number of 300 level courses that specially address race,
gender, and ethnicity:
ANTH 310 Race, Culture and Identity
ANTH 306 Race and Human Biodiversity
ANTH 318 African- American Cultural Traditions (Cross-listed PAS)
ANTH 309 Sex, Gender, and Culture (cross-listed with WGTS)
ANTH 305 Genes, People and Evolution
ANTH 313 Studies in Ethnomusicology
ANTH 361 Native American Women
ANTH 325 Modern Latin America
ANTH 319 Anthropology of the Middle East
ANTH 323 Cultures of Africa (Cross-listed with PAS)
ANTH 320 Native Americans
ANTH 321 Native American Women
ANTH 317 Anthropology of China
ANTH 331 Comparative Religions Systems
ANTH 343 Folklore of the African Diaspora (Cross-listed with PAS)
ANTH 503 Central Africa and the Politics of Development
ANTH 533 Egyptian Folklore
Our archaeology program is concerned with local historic and public archaeology, particularly
the slave period. The Archaeology Program has conducted field schools at slave- holding
plantations (Farmington and Locust Grove). Our staff archaeologist frequently works on
African-American cemeteries in Louisville, East Jefferson County, and the state. He has taught
summer field schools at Locust Grove seeking to identify slave burial sites. He has been
involved in writing legislation to protect unmarked or poorly marked slave cemeteries and is a
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participant in the African-American Research Group working to recover cemeteries and engage
in local oral history. The addition of a historic archaeologist working on slave plantations
would enhance our diversity, contribute to the body of knowledge on slavery and AfricanAmerican history and encourage students to study that period of local and national history.
In our strategic plan, the hiring of a tenure track historic archaeologists is one of our priorities.
The Department can make efforts to recruit minority students for field school. This can be done
by a more active recruitment strategy that lets minority students, particularly AfricanAmericans, know what we are doing in terms of research, field schools and internships. These
are areas which affect their communities and the construction of their history. We can focus
publicity in publications such as Minority Voices and post and mail flyers to make students
aware of these opportunities.
3. Students: Out of approximately 123 majors, we have 8 minority students (4 AfricanAmericans, 1 Asian, 1 American Indian, 1 Hispanic, and 1 unknown) or 6.5% of our
enrollment. We have encouraged our African-American majors who are interested in graduate
school to seek out particular fellowships such as the Ford Foundation Fellowship for Minority
Students, the AAA Minority Fellowship, and the Smithsonian Summer Fellowships.
4. Internships: The department has a number of on-going internship opportunities, most of
which involve a high component of diversity. In our internship with Kentucky Refugee
Ministries (we place students there every semester, including summer), students work on
resettlement issues with refugees from Africa (Sudan, Congo, Somalia) Cuba, Haiti, Burma,
and the Middle East (Iraq). We have an internship at the Center for Women and Families where
students work with women from a variety of socio-economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds.
The Anthropology Department has an on-going internship in public archaeology at FarnsleyMoreman, a former plantation.
Assessment Strategies/Measures
1. Faculty: In job hires we will continue to seek minority candidates; minority faculty members
will be asked to serve on search committees for any future positions.
2. Curriculum: Anthropology is the study of human diversity. Continuing monitoring of our
course offerings will provide an assessment of course content to ensure gender and racial
inclusivity.
3. Internships: Our internships involve students with cultural and ethnic diversity. We will
continue to review our internship locales to ensure that they incorporate local racial, ethnic and
socio-economic diversity.
4. Students: To attract minority students, the department must offer a warm and welcoming
environment as well as engage their intellectual curiosity and interests. We will continue to try
to recruit minority students and encourage their participation in field schools, study abroad,
internships, and as student researchers on faculty research projects dealing with issues of race,
ethnicity, and gender.
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Given our subject matter as anthropologists, the intellectual climate in our department is
welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds and instills in non-minorities knowledge of,
and an appreciation for, the range of human diversity.
Retention Strategies
1. Welcoming Climate: If our goal is to attract and retain minority students, a welcoming
climate in the department is critical. Such a climate is ensured first by having a diverse faculty
and second by a curriculum in which diversity is a cornerstone.
2. Student Association: The Anthropology Student Association (ASA) is fairly active,
organizing field trips, cultural programs, and social activities. They have created a climate in
the department that is student- friendly. Our Association and computer lab and lounge area,
places where students congregate and experience some sense of a peer group, are assumed to
help retain students. The ASA can be asked to do more activities that appeal to minority
students and to try to reach minority students for inclusion on such activities.
3. Participation: If we assume that all students are less likely to drop out if they are active in
student affairs, minority students should be actively recruited for internships, field schools, and
ASA activities. Participation in faculty research will be encouraged on a wide spectrum of
research issues and particularly for projects on the West End. We are in contact with Dean
Mordean Taylor’s office in an effort to retain minority students at risk of dropping out. We
have an informal early warning system in the department to retain students who appear at risk
of dropping out of school.
Date: January 26, 2010
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