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Internships, Study Abroad, Scholarships and Awards

Internships

The intent of the program is to provide students with experience in public and private applications of anthropological methods and practices.  Internships can acquaint students with the work of research libraries, museums, historical societies, and other cultural institutions in order to enhance the students' knowledge of sources, research methodologies, institutional cultures, and work environments.  An important benefit of such a program is to expose the student to applications of research and methodologies discovered during the normal academic process. 

Our program will emphasize the professional, applied experience that the student will receive through the active partnership of a sponsoring institution supervisor with an Anthropology Department professor.  This partnership between the three main actors in the internship - the student, the institutional sponsor, and the professor - will ensure that the student will receive not only an educational experience consistent with the standards of the university and of the department, but an opportunity to experiment with the possibilities of applied anthropology as a career option as well. A variety of institutional choices are available to students. We have placed students in internships with the Missouri Historical Society, the International Institute, and the St. Louis Art Museum.

Students are expected, at minimum, to maintain a journal documenting their experiences during the internship and to prepare a summary project - a paper, exhibit, or documentary demonstrating their achieved competence with the applied field.  The institutional supervisor and the student together design a project that will benefit both the institution and the student.  The precise skills he or she learns will vary with the kind of project chosen.  The academic advisor may be the liaison with the sponsoring institution and will collaborate with the intern's institutional supervisor, who is assigned by the institution.  The student registers for 1-3 hours of credit which will be applicable to his or her course program.

Internship Guidelines

Internship Application Form

Lambda Alpha

Lambda Alpha, the National Collegiate Honors Society for anthropology, was established in 1968. It now has 43 chapters throughout the United States. Our chapter, Alpha of Missouri was founded in 1990.  In order to qualify, you must:

  1. Be a currently enrolled student.
  2. Have completed at least twelve (12) semester hours or the equivalent in  anthropology.
  3. Have a grade point average of 3.0 or a "B" in anthropology.
  4. Have a cumulative grade point average not less than 2.5.
  5. Submit a current transcript to the Anthropology Department.
  6. Pay a one time $25.00 membership fee.

We are looking for new members to maintain our status with the National Office. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and alumni are eligible for membership.  If you are interested and feel you are qualified, please contact the Anthropology Department. 

Scholarships and Awards

The Center for Human Origin and Cultural Diversityhas positions for students who are anthropology or education majors. In addition, the instructor of Human Origins selects a student as a lab assistant.

The St. Louis Art Museum in conjunction with the Anthropology Department and the Art Department, offers a competitive internship that is primarily for anthropology or art majors.  There is a stipend of $1,500 for the semester, and the successful applicant is chosen by a committee.  The interns assist the curators in preparing for exhibitions.  The competitions are held each February or March for fall semester and September or October for winter semester.  Contact Judith Mann in the Art Department.

Native American Students are eligible for a scholarship for Native American students, sponsored by the Anthropology Department, which covers up to full tuition and fees depending on financial need.  It is open to any person of verifiable American Indian ethnicity who is living in the St. Louis Area.

Teaching/Research Assistants are chosen at the beginning of each fall semester on a semester-by-semester basis. They are typically anthropology majors who receive hourly pay for working as assistants to faculty.

The William and Anne Tao Scholarship is a $1,500 scholarship to be awarded to a UM-St. Louis student studying about Asia.  Students from Asia are also eligible for this award. Contact Center for International Studies.

The James S. McDonnell Essay Award is awarded each year by the Center for International Studies.  The prize is $100. The deadline is at the beginning of May.  Papers should be 15-30 pages and should focus on some issue in international affairs or some aspect of international studies, international relations, security or strategic studies, or cross-cultural studies.  This award is named in honor of James S. McDonnell and is supported, in part, by funds from the McDonnell-Douglas Foundation.  To be eligible a student must be an undergraduate enrolled in at least 6 credit hours at UM-St. Louis.  Contact CIS.

Institute of Women's and Gender Studies Writing Awards are given each year in the categories of "Creative Writing" and "Papers and Essays."  The prize is $100. The deadline is in mid-April. The paper should be 7-15 pages and should focus on women and their issues, concerns and experiences.  Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible.  Contact IWGS.

Study Abroad

The Study Abroad Coordinators are Traci Wilson and Carol Cradock in the Center for International Studies (CIS).

The Anthropology Department strongly encourages majors to study abroad,since we believe that studying in another country provides a student with the opportunity of a lifetime to learn about a culture different from his/her own.  UM-St. Louis offers a variety of programs all over the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico, and Canada. There are programs for Freshman through Senior and programs are for the full academic year, either fall or winter semester and for the summer. If students participate in a program sponsored by UM- St. Louis, they pay for UM- St. Louis credit hours, plus airfare and room and board. There are many UM- St. Louis study abroad scholarships available. They range from $500 to $2000 for a semester, plus students are still eligible to use any financial aid they currently receive. The Anthropology Department and CIS will actively seek other study abroad scholarships on behalf of interested students with financial need. For more information, please visit Study Abroad & Exchange Programs , email studyabroad@umsl.edu, or call 516-6497

Certificate in Archaeology

The certificate in archaeology provides applied training in both laboratory and field methods to students who could be hired to assist professional archaeologists in area firms. Internships can be arranged with the UM-St. Louis archaeology lab or with a local institution (e.g. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Missouri Historical Society, Mastodon State Historic Site). These internships can be conducted on Saturdays, Sundays or in the evenings.