Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Spotlight: Rachel Higgins


Rachel Higgins is a junior in the College from North Carolina and, as an Anthropology major, she is concentrating in cultural anthropology. Rachel is also pursuing a minor in Art History. In addition to being Co-chair of events for the AUAB, she is working for Dr. Greg Urban as a research assistant. She is co-chair of Penn Dance (preceded in this position by the AUAB's very own Julia Cuccaro), and is also involved in the Chi Omega Sorority and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Spotlight: Chris Meznaric


Christopher Meznaric is a senior in the College, majoring in anthropology with a cultural/linguistic concentration. He is a first generation American, born to Croatian parents. His anthropological interests include race studies in the modern world and the anthropology of corporations. In addition to the position of Secretary of the Anthropology UAB, his interests and goals include filmmaking, the entertainment business, and music. He also plays a mean game of canasta.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Workshop: Summer Opportunities! 2/29, 1:30 pm, Mus 419


How can you make the most of your summer? How can you put your Anthropology skills to task in a meaningful way? What do Anthropologists do? How can you find research, internships, field school contacts and funding?

The Anthropology Undergraduate Advisory Board is happy to announce its first Spring Workshop:

Summer Opportunities in Anthropology
Friday, Feb 29
1:30 PM
Museum, Room 419

Enjoy refreshments, talk with Faculty, meet a grant and research representative from CURF, speak to students who have attended field schools and have done Anthropology research in past summers, and browse our packet of opportunities for Summer 2008.

We hope that you will join us for this fun and informative event!

Sincerely,

the Anthropology Undergraduate Advisory Board

Colloquia: Joseph Bonaparte's Point Breeze Estate


“HE WILL BE A BOURGEOIS AMERICAN AND SPEND HIS FORTUNE IN MAKING GARDENS”: A Preliminary Examination of Joseph Bonaparte's Point Breeze Estate, Bordertown, New Jersey


Richard Veit, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Monmouth University

Recent archaeological excavations in Bordentown, New Jersey, have begun to unearth the remains of Joseph Bonaparte’s palatial estate, Point Breeze. Joseph, the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte and former King of Spain and Naples, fled to the United States in 1815. He lived in New Jersey from 1816 until 1839. His home was a center for French refugees in America. His library and art collections were the largest in country. At Point Breeze, he entertained many of the leading intellectuals, politicians, artists, and military figures of the day. The excavations have revealed the remains of an exceptionally large structure believed to be the first mansion and a rich artifact assemblage.

Richard Veit is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Anthropology at Monmouth University and Director of the University’s MA program in Liberal Arts. He received his Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology/Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. His research has focused on the historical archaeology of New Jersey, particularly ethnic lives in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Spotlight: Shauna Goldman


Shauna Goldman is a senior in the College, majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in Human Biology. From El Paso, Texas, Shauna is co-publicist of the AUAB and is additionally active in Chi Omega and Big Brothers Big Sisters at Penn. With a particular interest in understanding the health disparities immigrants face in the US, Shauna works with the Urban Nutrition Initiative. She plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Spotlight: Julia Cuccaro


Julia Cuccaro is a Cultural Anthropology major with minors in Italian Studies and English. She is the Vice-Chair of the AUAB and is interested in the use of arts in healing, the stigma of alternative therapies in western cultures, semiotics, performance anthropology, and ritual practices. She is also a member of the Penn Dance Company and enjoys reading, music, and traveling.

AUAB Positions

Anthropology Undergraduate Advisory Board

Positions:

Chair: Must be a declared anthropology major and a rising senior the fall semester following election. The chair will coordinate events, assign tasks and run meetings, reserve rooms and work closely with the undergraduate chair and anthro faculty. Ideally, this should be a highly organized person who is very familiar with the working of the Anthropology Department and the University as a whole.

Vice-Chair of Communications: The Vice-Chair of Communications will be responsible for updating the UAB web-site, maintaining the anthro research and activities blogs, and working with the Anthro Department on the Department website. This person will handle the UAB listserve and send messages to the majors via email. The Vice-Chair of Communications will ideally be familiar with web-design and upkeep and have time to update the website periodically.

Secretary- The Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at meetings and at events to relay to fellow UAB members or to Anthropology undergraduates. The Secretary is crucial for the smooth running of the AUAB.

Publicist- The Publicist is responsible for publicizing AUAB or Anthropology-related events. The Publicist has the duty of making posters that will interest and engage the Anthropology community at Penn.

Co-Chairs of Events: The Events Co-Chairs are the backbone of the UAB. They contact professors and speakers, set-up and breakdown events, organize refreshments and advertise for all the events.

Financial Liason: Obviously, the Treasurer handles the financial empire of the UAB, balancing the books and procuring funds from the Department. The Treasurer makes sure UAB members are not skimming slush fund arbitrage profits from the UAB treasury.

Members at Large: As the AUAB is regaining momentum and building the Board to be successful in future years, Members at Large will be appointed by the Board to assist in the planning and running of AUAB events. This position is especially designed for rising upperclassmen who intend to be future leaders of the AUAB.

Spotlight: Serena Stein


Serena Stein, a senior in the College, majors in Anthropology and Comparative Literature and Theory. She is current chair of the AUAB, and encourages all majors, minors and prospective students to track her down to chat and get involved; she looks forward to meeting you! With interests in medical and cultural anthropology, Serena spent sophomore summer in a Toba indigenous community in northern Argentina and last summer in the highlands of Guatemala on Lake Atitlán. She is also a member of the Philomathean Society and a PennQuest leader.

Spotlight: Joanna Shujman


Joanna Shujman, in the Class of 2009, is the AUAB Secretary/Publicity Chair. Majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Cinema Studies, Joanna has particular interest in Cultural Anthropology and Media Studies. Her other hobbies include drawing, photography, and skiing. On campus, Jo is also involved with the Chi Omega sorority, Wharton MBA Career Management, and 85 Broads.

Spotlight: Rich Slavin


Richard Slavin is a senior in the College, majoring in Cultural Anthropology and International Relations. From Northeast Philadelphia, Rich is Events Co-Chair of the AUAB. His interests include globalization's effect on culture, the cultures of multinational corporations, the use of archaeology in nationalistic pursuits, and repatriation of cultural objects. Rich also enjoys baseball, cinema, and studying world affairs.