Faculty and Staff

Paul Lasley

Chair, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
515. 294. 0937, plasley@iastate.edu
103 East Hall

Ph.D., University of Missouri

Research Interests:
Dr. Lasley’s research focuses on the organization of U.S. agriculture and how changes in agriculture affect rural communities. A major focus of his research examines trends in rural culture and what these trends suggest about the future of rural communities, families and social organizations.

Visit Dr. Lasley’s web site for more information

Grant Arndt

Assistant Professor
515. 294. 5599, gparndt@iastate.edu
319A Curtiss
Personal Website

Ph.D., University of Chicago
Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests:
Indigenous Peoples of the Western Great Lakes/Midwest
North American Indian Cultural Performance
Indigenous Activism and Institution Building

Visit Dr. Arndt’s web site for more information

Christina Gish Hill

Lecturer
515. 294. 0101, cghill@iastate.edu
322B Curtiss

Research Interests:
My research focuses on Plains Indian culture and history, Indigenous constructions of sovereignty, poltical negotiations between Indigenous peoples and nation-states and the impact of kin relationships on this process, social organization, gender, identity, and representation. I am also interested in Indigenous knowledge of plant breeding, particularly corn, the impact of this knowledge of Western breeding practices, as well as current struggles for food sovereignty and Native efforts to return to pre-colonial practices of subsistence.

Jane Dusselier

Assistant Professor
515. 294. 2158, janed@iastate.edu
324 Curtiss

Ph.D., University of Maryland

Research Interests:
Histories and cultures of Asian America; material culture studies; identity formation; women’s history; youth cultures

Visit Dr. Dusselier’s web site for more information

Kaila Folinsbee

Assistant Professor
515. 294.1680, kfolinsb@iastate.edu
319C Curtiss

Research Interests:
Primate evolution and functional anatomy, cercopithecoid monkeys, hominoid evolution, historical biogeography, phylogenetic systematics, palaeontology, and comparative anatomy.

Visit Dr. Folinsbee’s web site for more information

Nell Gabiam

Assistant Professor
515. 294.4974, ngabiam@iastate.edu

 318B Curtiss

Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley

Research Interests:
Middle East, Forced Migration, Palestinian Refugees, Humanitarianism, International development, Race and Identity.

Visit Dr. Gabiam’s web site for more information

Matthew Hill

Associate Professor
515. 294. 7522, mghill@iastate.edu
324 Curtiss

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests:
Revolve around the study of hunter-gatherer diet and subsistence behavior, mobility strategies, and site structure using archaeological data and methods.

Visit Dr. Hill’s web site for more information

Nancy Osborn Johnsen

Lecturer
515. 294. 4831, nmosbor@iastate.edu
102 Catt Hall

Research Interests:
North American historic and prehistoric archaeology, Native American culture history, historic preservation, and textiles conservation

Jill Pruetz

Walvoord Professor of Liberal Arts & Sciences
515. 294. 5150, pruetz@iastate.edu
326 Curtiss

Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana

Research Interests:
Behavior of non-human primates such as chimpanzees, spider monkeys, howling monkeys, tamarins, patas monkeys, and vervets in various locales.Pruetz is especially interested in the influence of ecology on primate and early human feeding, ranging, and social behavior.

Visit Dr. Pruetz’s web site for more information

Kate Vance

Academic Advisor
515.294.8212, kpvance@iastate.edu
324A Curtiss Hall

Visit Kate’s web site for more information

Maximilian Viatori

Associate Professor
515. 294. 0681,viatori@iastate.edu
319B Curtiss

Ph.D., University of California-Davis

Research Interests:
Latin America; Ecuador; Indigenous peoples, ethnicity and race; activism and social movements; nation-states and nationalism; language and public discourse.

Visit Dr. Viatori’s web site for more information