Temple University anthropology students get a fantastic education, but there’s more to college than what happens in the classroom. Anthropology students can join one of our three student organizations designed specifically for them. Students are also encouraged to seek grants, publishing deals, media coverage and various other awards available to them.

Undergraduate Anthropology Association

The Undergraduate Anthropology Association is a forum in which anthropology majors and minors can meet one another as well as interact with professors and graduate students. We include all areas of anthropological study: archaeology, anthropology of visual communication, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and sociocultural anthropology. We hold bimonthly meetings where professors discuss their areas of specialization and we organize trips to museums and events, a graduate student panel, fundraisers, ethnic food nights and other fun events. It’s a great organization to become involved in, especially if you plan on continuing your studies in anthropology at the graduate level. For further information, contact the association’s president, Emily Marron, at emily.marron@temple.edu or use the association’s email address, templeuaa@gmail.com.

Anthropology Graduate Student Association

The Anthropology Graduate Student Association meets monthly to discuss ongoing developments in the department; to plan events; and to share questions, concerns and current work. We also get together for social events, to attend talks and exhibits, to discuss our research and other work, and to organize visitors to the department. We are open to suggestions and ideas, so if you are a graduate student in the department, please stop by our next meeting! Meeting information is disseminated through the department’s graduate-student listserv. The association was established “to assist its members in all endeavors related to their success in the graduate division of Temple University’s Anthropology Department; this includes educational, peer and faculty support.” For further information, contact the AGSA president, Julien Ehrenkonig, at Julien.ehrenkonig@temple.edu.

Visual Anthropology Society at Temple

VAST, the Visual Anthropology Society at Temple, is graduate student organization for undergraduate and graduate students interested in visual anthropology, ethnographic film and the ethnography of media. It meets regularly to watch films and organize events, including a semi-annual academic conference and film screening, called Futures of Visual Anthropology (FoVA). The annual FoVA conference was long a fixture of Temple’s Anthropology Department before being revived in 2012, and showcases the ethnographic film and research of Temple students and faculty, as well as the work of national and international scholars. VAST meets and is housed in the department's Media Anthropology Lab, which offers several digital editing workstations as well as cutting-edge filmmaking equipment that Temple students are able to borrow for their own projects. Visit our Facebook page to learn more about us! For more information contact Damien Stankiewicz.

Student Accomplishments and Accolades

Our anthropology undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and faculty have have been awarded several prestegious grants, fellowships and awards over the years. Some of our students have also been featured in various media outlets as well as selected publications.