Sarah Lacy really likes a “good brow ridge.” She thinks “it’s hot!” In class, Lacy, a new assistant professor of anthropology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and her anthropology students call that facial characteristic a “supraorbital torus,” which was sported by Neandertals around 40,000 years ago. They have also given the long-extinct human species a “sexy” social media presence with Lacy posing with their skulls in a series she calls “Hot Hominin of the Day.” “I dress a bit unusual, and my students were joking about it. They thought I should create an ‘Outfit of the Day’ blog. It seemed a little frivolous, so I came up with a way to have fun with that idea, ... Read More
Anthropology
Professor Jerry Moore Shares Life in the Field in Latest Book ‘Incidence of Travel’
Jerry Moore, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), has authored the book “Incidence of Travel: Recent Journeys in Ancient South America.” (University Press of Colorado, March 2017). In telling his stories, the award-winning author relives personal experiences and archaeological studies throughout South America to provide an understanding of the ways “traditional peoples” carved dynamic cultural landscapes in the region. Moore’s rich narration vividly acquaints readers with a variety of archaeological sites and remains as he reflects on what these places might have been like in the past. Moore’s other books include ... Read More
Alumnus Robert Goodwin Ecotourism and Cultural Retreat in Bulgaria
In 2006, just after earning his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), alumnus Robert Goodwin took out a map of the world and threw a dart at it, and it sunk in Bulgaria. It was four years later that Goodwin followed the trajectory of that dart and traveled to Bulgaria on a two-week archaeological field excavation. While there, the idea to open an international field school in archaeology in the post-communist country took shape. “I was sitting on a dirty floor in a little church working on frescoes. I then said to my partner, ‘You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to build a global center where people around the world can learn ... Read More
CSUDH’s SLICE Center Displays more than 50 Native American Baskets
It has been a “strange and surreal” journey through Native American culture and history for Cheryl McKnight and her staff in CSU Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic and Community Engagement (SLICE). Since September 2016, Indian baskets from as far back as the mid-19th Century have been arriving at the center. Received on “long-term loan,” nearly half of the more than 50 baskets were provided by a private donor who inherited them from his mother. “We have an Apache basket from the 19th Century that is lined with pitch, which means it was used to carry water,” said McKnight, director of SLICE. “Some baskets were even created to hold babies’ ... Read More
Susan Needham Named finalist for Civically Engaged Faculty Award
Anthropology Professor Susan Needham was a finalist for the Campus Compact’s 2016 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award for her passion in involving her students in research and relationships that greatly benefit the communities that California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) serves. A national coalition of colleges and universities, Campus Compact created the Ehrlich Award to recognize faculty who demonstrate exceptional engaged scholarship, including an ability to lead students in progressive civic learning; who conduct community-based research; promote and create community partnerships; and are committed to service-learning and civic engagement. Needham, who along ... Read More
