UMASA Events 2020-2021

UMASA is hosting a number of social and academic events this year for students. If you are an Anthropology student or simply interested in Anthropology we are sure you will enjoy what we have planned for the year. Come join us for our Socials, Monthly Movie Nights, AnthroTalks, and general meetings. 

​Upcoming Events:

UMASA is currently in the process of planning all sorts of fun events for you to participate in and enjoy this upcoming year.
Please stay tuned and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to receive the most current updates on all of our events this year!

Friday, April 30-Saturday, May 1, 2021
Manitoba Anthropology Students' Conference (MASC) 2021: Decolonizing and Radicalizing Anthropology
​If you have any event ideas or have information of an event that is open to Anthropology students, please reach out to us at umasa@myumanitoba.ca or fill in the contact form.​


Let's Talk Science (LTS)

UMASA is teaming up with Let's Talk Science this year! Let's Talk Science is a national charitable, award-winning outreach program that focuses on improving science literacy to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 across Canada. Let's Talk Science accomplishes its goals through interactive, hands-on science workshops for students. They believe in a "hands-on, minds-on" approach in empowering students to use science, technology engineering, and math to flourish our world. The best part of their service is that it is provided for free, as they believe that all students should experience the wonderful world of science.

​Through LTS, anthropology volunteers will reach out to high school students with anthropology focused, but scientifically based, activities and webinars in the hopes of inspiring them to pursue anthropology at university.

​The project coordinator, Chenée, plans on creating workshop activities and webinars about the science that is used in anthropology. Workshop activities are based around an activity “kit” that includes common objects used to carry out the activity, as well as an instruction manual. Common items that can be included for the activity include popsicle sticks, straws, strings, cups, etc. These activity kits serve as tools to teach the students about the scientific concepts we talk about in a fun, hands-on way. Webinars will be similar to a lecture, but with a worksheet that students fill out during the webinar to practice their newfound knowledge. We also hope to hold webinars with faculty members talking about their research.

​In order for this project to be successful, many volunteers are needed to create the content for both webinars and activities. If you might be interested, please email Chenée at umasa@myumanitoba.ca! All volunteers with varying levels of knowledge are welcome. Volunteers will work in teams to create PowerPoints, worksheets, or instruction manuals for these activities/webinars. Once they are created, new volunteers can present these activities/webinars to high school students!

Field Schools and Workshops

Ethnographic Field School in Isla Mujeres, Mexico 
The Isla Mujeres Ethnographic Field School specializes in community-based projects and trains students on how to conduct ethnographic research. Located on a small Mexican Caribbean island, much of the student research is focused on community needs per their request. We also encourage students to have their research align with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This allows for the students to not only consider their research within the context of theory and previous research or how it can impact the local community, but also how it can be of service in a much larger global effort and context. Students from all levels are accepted into our programs, from undergraduate to post-doctorate.

Summer 2021 Sessions:

    Advanced Methods (8 weeks): June 5 - August 1
The main program is our 8-week long Advanced Methods course (June 5 to August 1) where students create a professional research proposal (using the Wenner Gren Foundation format) in advance of their arrival, conduct the research, and present their data in a professional conference-style format, as well as prepare academic journal-style articles intended for publication. This session also includes PADI Open Water Diver training and certification, dives observing the reefs and Sea Turtle mating season, swimming with Whale Sharks (and Giant Mantas), as well as a visit to Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and a swim in an ancient underground cenote. 
    Deadline: April 5, 2021
    http://www.anthrofieldschool.com/6-week-advanced-methods

    Methods Practicum (3 weeks): June 12 - July 3 
We are also enrolling students in our 3-week Methods Practicum session (June 12-July 3). The Practicum embeds the students within a current research project where they will learn various methods, the theories behind them, and get to put those methods to practice, along with various other ethnographic data collection tasks, fieldnotes, and analysis.
    Deadline: May 12, 2021
    http://www.anthrofieldschool.com/3-week-practicum-courses


Students will participate in formal lectures, informal presentations, service learning, government meetings and briefings, and ethnographic research that serves to assist the people of Isla Mujeres either through applied anthropological techniques or through creating a more full ethnographic record that illuminates the island's past, present, and possible future. Students will be immersed in the culture of the island and will conduct collaborative research with its residents. Students will learn the value of teamwork by helping each other on projects, talking through field research problems, and supporting each other in their professional development.
We train both undergraduate and graduate students. We also have post-docs who attend the Field School for further training and career development. Our program gives students the cutting edge needed to get into good graduate school programs, develop graduate school dissertation research (which will help in securing research funding for dissertations), and will help them land the job they want in the discipline. Some undergraduates have used their experience and data for senior thesis projects, while graduate students use it for pilot research to develop their Master's thesis or doctoral dissertations. 

**Note: All student activities, research, and presentations will be conducted within very strict Covid protocols. Testing will be required upon arrival and just before leaving as well.

Contact information:
http://www.AnthroFieldSchool.com 
Info@AnthroFieldSchool.com
https://www.facebook.com/Islamujeresethnographicfieldschool
http://instagram.com/anthrofieldschool



Osteology Research Laboratory Workshop - Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania
Adult Osteology Research Laboratory Workshop dates: June 6 - July 3, 2021
Juvenile Osteology Research Laboratory Workshop dates: July 4 - July 31, 2021.

Our 4-week long (each) intensive training programs, respectively the Adult Osteology Research Workshop and the Juvenile Osteology Research Workshop will train students, both undergraduate and graduate, to conduct osteological analyses and frame appropriate research questions. Participants will receive daily lectures on topics related to human skeletal biology and spend the first two weeks intensively reviewing human osteology through the hands-on study of our extensive human skeletal research collection. Other lecture topics will include discussions of sex and age estimation, osteometrics, and an introduction to skeletal and dental pathologies. The Juvenile Osteology Workshop will further provide participants with an intensive review of juvenile osteology and an overview of the ways in which this kind of unique information is interpreted.  During the Juvenile Osteology Workshop, participants will have the chance to study the growth and development of the human skeleton across various juvenile age cohorts, weaning and dietary stress, as well as reconstruction and interpretation of infant mortality.
 
These programs provide an unique opportunity to conduct extensive hands-on training and research on an exceptional osteological collection. The very high state of preservation has allowed us to retrieve the skeletal remains of more than 1200 adult individuals and over 400 juveniles, ranging from pre-natal to sub-adult. Our research collections come from five archaeologically excavated medieval lost churches around the town of Odorheiu Secuiesc (Transylvania, Romania), as well as from our on-going “Lost Church” excavation at Patakfalva (RO: Valeni, Harghita County, Romania).
 
The combination of an exceptionally rich and well preserved skeletal research collection, the intensive hands-on laboratory training, and relatively small research groups will ensure that each participant develops an extensive osteological skill set. The latter will comprise an in-depth knowledge of all bones in the human body, including landmarks, muscles attachments and articulations, determining sex and age, development and pathologies; an understanding of fundamental concepts related to the human dentition; how to obtain basic demographic data from skeletal populations; and how to conduct proper intensive research under laboratory conditions.
 
Participants can register to one or both Osteology Workshops, or, in order to develop a wider array of bioarchaeological skills, combine an Osteology Workshop with a session of our Medieval Cemetery Funerary Excavation. Undergraduate and graduate academic credits can be acquired separately from University of South Florida (although it is not mandatory to register for credits to participate in our programs)

Contact:
https://www.archaeotek-archaeology.org/osteology-laboratory-and-workshop 
Adult Osteology Workshop Syllabus: https://3fab7da4-7e55-4713-888c-16896f7f46e3.filesusr.com/ugd/3ff7f8_cb604211bb3b4339b565b1d49201afe2.pdf
Juvenile Osteology Research Syllabus: https://3fab7da4-7e55-4713-888c-16896f7f46e3.filesusr.com/ugd/3ff7f8_452d1d9f4c8f47beb91f1943cf99128e.pdf
Instructor: Dr. Jonathan Bethard (University of South Florida)
Contact: Dr. Andre Gonciar at archaeology@archaeotek.org

Next Meeting!

Our next general meeting is TBA!

*All UMASA meetings will be held virtually for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to come, please contact us for the Zoom link!

Continuous Events

UMASA Journal

Accepted and peer-reviewed manuscripts are published online periodically throughout the year. An electronic copy of the years journal will be made available online at the end of each academic year. 

You can submit your work at any time.
Virtual 50/50 Fundraiser

Support UMASA's activities and have a chance to win some cash by participating in our virtual 50/50 fundraiser! Half of the money raised goes to the winner and the other half goes to UMASA. The draw date is Sunday, May 2, 2021.