The Department of Anthropology is committed to offering a modern and robust liberal arts education. This means that in addition to excellent course offerings in Anthropology, much importance has been placed on opportunities for field work, research, community service, and activities that move beyond the classroom to add depth and texture to the students’ academic journeys.
In this spirit, Anthropology offers two of the University’s most entertaining and engaging visiting speaker series:
Paul R. Mullins with fellow faculty and friends.
Professor Emerita Barbara D. Jackson founded this lecture series in order to bring prominent speakers to Indiana University Indianapolis and the Indianapolis community to present and discuss engaging topics that cover a broad range of topics within anthropology and its subspecialties.
Dr. Jackson was the first Chair for the IU School of Liberal Arts’ anthropology department. She was a founding faculty member of the IU School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis’s Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies program and served as associate dean for both the School of Liberal Arts as well as University College. Dr. Jackson has a long history of advancing anthropology in terms of her own work and research as well as philanthropic support.
She named the lecture after Dr. Paul R. Mullins, who was a distinguished scholar and mentor in the Department of Anthropology in the School of Liberal Arts. He had a profound impact on and exceptional commitment to the betterment of the School, making meaningful contributions to our understanding of humanity.
Her lecture series offers a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, and the public to enrich their understanding of anthropology and explore the frontiers of research in the field.
The Kern lectures focus on research and scholarship relating to human evolution and fascinating new developments from within each of the four subspecialties of Anthropology. Whether you are interested in linguistic, cultural, biological anthropology, or archaeology – or if you are simply interested in what the shape of our teeth can tell us about early hominids or the cultural nuances of edible insects, this lecture series promises to enlighten and delight. The Kern Lectures on Human Evolution offer insights into the world, research, and valuable experience of professional anthropologists on the quest to unlock some of humanity’s’ greatest mysteries.
