RSS 1.0Anthropology electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Anthropology. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
Items in MOspace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Recent Submissions
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Genetic variation and health in rural Caribbean village
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Bwa Mawego is a small-scale horticultural community (~500 people) on the island of Dominica that has been the site of a longitudinal health research project for more than 30 years. Cardiovascular diseases and metabolic ... -
Obsidian procurement in the Gallinas Mountains of west central New Mexico
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)The Gallinas Mountains of west central New Mexico are a relatively understudied area within the greater American Southwest. The area effectively lies within a transitionary zone between three classically defined culture ... -
Birth order and gender : differential parental investment in Medieval England and France in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)This dissertation addresses the question: will parents invest differently in their children based on gender and birth order? Using parental investment theory and four major sets of outcome variables--child survival, parental ... -
Traditional postpartum care : alloparenting from an evolutionary perspective
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This dissertation focuses on traditional postpartum care and its variation across different human populations using an evolutionary framework. Whereas ... -
Modeling social connectivity and the spread of the 1918-1919 flu through Inupiat and Yup'ik communities of western Alaska
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The spread of infectious disease among human populations is heavily influenced by social relationships and interactions between humans. This project ... -
Computational linguistics using social media to understand immigrant sentiment in the United States
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] International migration is increasing throughout the world, including migration to the United States. This increase corresponds with a global rise in ... -
The high cost of living : death and social identity of Missouri's historic Columbia cemetery
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The gravestones of Missouri's historic Columbia Cemetery demonstrate the changing social identity of the population of Columbia, Missouri. These stone ... -
Paleodemographic modeling in the lower Mississippi River Valley
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)The three studies presented below address the relationships that exist between prehistoric population dynamics, settlement organization, climate, and subsistence in the central and lower Mississippi River valley and adjacent ... -
Detecting subtle variation in two cryptic primate families (tarsiidae & lorisidae) through morphology and genetics
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)Cryptic species look morphologically similar but in fact are several different species lumped together. This is problematic as it hinders conservation efforts and makes it challenging to infer the evolutionary history of ... -
Chemical compositional analysis of polychrome pottery in the northern Casas Grandes area (a.d. 1200-1450)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)The northern area of the Casas Grandes Medio Period (A.D. 1200-1450) was not well known archaeologically. 76 Draw is on the border of the Casas Grandes and Salado (A.D. 1275-1450) regions and the nature of interaction and ... -
Childhood epidemics and the demographic landscape of the Aland Archipelago
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)Historically, the introduction of childhood diseases such as measles or smallpox resulted in the infection of nearly every susceptible individual in a community. While smallpox has long been considered the deadlier of the ... -
Applied paleozoology and biogeography : four case studies from Missouri
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)Numerous zooarchaeological studies have attempted to connect modern conservation issues to evidence of human - animal interactions in the past. By utilizing a geodatabase based on archaeological and paleontological site ... -
Fluctuating asymmetry as a measure of developmental instability in Arikara bioarchaeological assemblages
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) has been advanced as a tool for investigating the developmental instability of human populations and has more recently found its way into bioarchaeological investigations. The research presented ... -
Simulating prehistoric population dynamics and adaptive behavioral responses to the environment in Long House Valley and Black Mesa, Arizona
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018)This project contributes to our understanding of human adaptability to environmental stress and climate change in Long House Valley and Black Mesa, Arizona from AD 800-1350. This was accomplished through the development ... -
The prevalence of extra-lethal violence across cultures in warfare
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)Extra-Lethal Violence, a form of physical aggression that goes beyond the necessity to kill someone, presents a conundrum: it is inefficient and dangerous to produce, especially during warfare. Extra-Lethal Violence, ... -
A geometric morphometric approach to Casas Grandes ceramic specialization
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)Recent studies use geometric morphometrics, the quantitative study of shape and its variation, to examine aspects of the archaeological record. This thesis builds on such applications by applying morphometrics to the ... -
Zooarchaeological analysis of material excavated in 2009 from the 76 draw site (la 156980), Luna County, New Mexico
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2013)The 76 Draw site is located in southwestern New Mexico, several kilometers south of Deming. Evidence such as thick abode walls oriented on a North-South axis, Ramos polychrome ceramic sherds and El Paso sherds, suggests ... -
The birth and adoption of kinship: Folklore and fakelore in the context of nation-states and world religions
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2015)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation centers upon the premise that human kinship, cooperation, and sociopolitical organization are not fully comprehensible without reference ... -
Obsidian source distribution and mercantile hierarchies in Postclassic Aztatlán, West Mexico
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In Precolumbian Mesoamerica, trade was central to social organization, the spread of ideas, and the widespread distribution of goods across the landscape. ... -
Femoral angles and their correlates
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2017)This research addresses a central theme in anthropological research focused on the reconstruction of activity patterns from skeletal remains in past populations. In general, my research focuses on the ontogeny and development ...