Mission Statement and Program Objectives

For the past century, the University of Arizona has been the premier institution for the anthropological study of the Greater Southwest, the region encompassing the modern U.S. Southwest and adjacent northern Mexico. The Southwest Land, Culture and Society program will build upon that grand tradition—one created and cultivated by scholarly giants like Emil Haury and Edward Spicer—by integrating courses and a wide array of ongoing research into an anthropologically–oriented, interdisciplinary framework that focuses on human society in the Greater Southwest from earliest humans to the present. The program will provide undergraduate and graduate students with a sophisticated understanding of how the many peoples of the Greater Southwest have interacted with one another and with the region's dynamic natural environment over the last 12,000 years.

The Southwest Land, Culture, and Society program is intended to serve as a formalized node, interconnecting faculty and students within the university, while strengthening their linkages to external communities. It creates an additional context for interdepartmental interaction, data sharing, and intellectual cross–fertilization. By serving as a clearinghouse for Southwestern anthropological scholarship, the program broadens opportunities for integrating students into research that best fits their aspirations and benefits from their skills. The program also provides a visible point of contact for constituencies outside the university seeking expertise and outreach in anthropologically–oriented Southwestern issues. Faculty participants can better meet these needs by involving students in active regional research and sponsoring direct involvement through internships.

Contact Information

Dr. Paul R. Fish, Program Coordinator
Arizona State Museum, Rm. 221
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210026
Tucson, AZ 85721-0026
520-621-2556
pfish@email.arizona.edu

Dr. Barbara J. Mills, SIG Coordinator
Department of Anthropology, Haury 210D
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210030
Tucson, AZ 85721-0030
520-621-2585
bmills@email.arizona.edu

Todd A. Pitezel, Web Manager pitezel@email.arizona.edu