Anthropology
Want to Play in the Dirt?
That’s what anthropology professor Tim Kohler likes to do, and he'd like you to join him.
He doesn't just dig at random, though: he does it to study the origins and social relationships of humans.
"I try to communicate to students how fun and satisfying it can be to find and explain patterns in the archaeological record. That helps us understand ourselves better," he says. "And the most creative professionals are those who can continue to bring a sense of play to their work."
How he teaches
Professor Kohler delivers a sense of the fun and creativity that are involved in digging for archaeological remains and conducting research.
He combines the old and the new in his own research and in the classroom, mixing traditional archaeological methods with high-tech tools that include computer modeling and imaging.
In the classroom he helps students replicate and analyze stone tools and understand the prehistory of humans in western North America.
Professor Kohler's students get to go beyond the classroom, too: he organizes field trips where students can dig for, touch, and see items that belong to our ancient human history.
