Patti Wright
phone: 314/516-6648
e-mail: pjwright@umsl.edu
Education: Dr. Patti J. Wright is an Assistant Professor in Anthropology. She received her Ph.D. in 1998 from Washington University, St. Louis.
Research and Teaching: Dr. Wright’s interest and expertise is the excavation and analysis of archaeological plant remains. She applies knowledge gained from her research to better understand how historic and prehistoric human populations exploited plants for food and other uses. Another long-term interest is the formation of the archaeological record. Towards this end, she has conducted experiments and published information about various natural, cultural, and analytical processes that can influence our interpretations of past human behaviors. Although her primary regional focus is the middle Mississippi River Valley, she is very interested in the prehistoric subsistence practices and environments of Mesoamerica and Andean South America and has directed field projects in those regions. Dr. Wright has taught courses that included Origins of Agriculture, Theory and Method in Archaeology, Native Peoples of North America, Inca, Aztec, and Maya, World Prehistory, and Introduction to Archaeology.
Professional History: Dr. Wright has published in international journals and has given presentations at professional conferences. She is a member of the American Anthropological Association, Society of American Archaeology, Society of Ethnobiology, Missouri Association of Professional Archaeologists, and Illinois Archaeological Society. She has held board positions in government and non-for-profit organizations that involve archaeology.