- Graduate Students, Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology -

COMPLETED THESES Name: Jeffrey Alvey Email: jsa3@msstate.edu Thesis Title: A Study of Middle Archaic Site Function, Seasonality, and Occupational Intenstiy in the Uplands of Northeast Mississippi: The Trice Site, 22LE827 Thesis Date: 2003 Thesis Abstract: Models of Middle Archaic settlement organization for the upper Tombigbee River valley suffer from deficient information as a result of the relative neglect of small upland sites. In order to address this deficiency my research was directed towards the delineation of various intra-site elements in a Middle Archaic site in the uplands of northeast Mississippi. This information was then used to elucidate characteristics of the site (function, seasonality, and occupational intensity) that could inform on the site's occupational history, in hopes of clarifying the role of smaller upland sites in models of regional settlement organization. Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Paula Andras Email: wombat2187@yahoo.com Thesis Title: A Place in Prehistory: The Function of Ingomar Mounds, a Middle Woodland Site, Northeastern Mississippi Thesis Date: 2004 Thesis Abstract: Ingomar Mounds (22UN500) is a Middle Woodland phase site located in northeastern Mississippi. Today, the site includes one large flat-topped mound and encompasses over 60 acres. For over a century, Ingomar has been under some type of archaeological investigation; recently, it was revisited to address site function. The main research method was shovel testing; surprisingly, the 443 shovel tests revealed a small number of artifacts. As a result, six 1 x 1 meter excavation units were opened to obtain a larger, more diverse collection. All artifacts, though, seemed to indicate that Ingomar was neither a village nor a site used for religious rituals. The best way to describe Ingomar, therefore, is as a communal site, which implies that the site was an area where people gathered for unspecified purposes. This thesis, while discussing the methods and results, provides supportable evidence for a communal function at Ingomar, thereby revealing Ingomar's place in prehistory. Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Valerie Davis Email: thistleink@msn.com Thesis Title: A Study of Stress Indicators as Evidence for Possible Differential Treatment of Males and Females at Dust Cave (1LU496), Alabama Thesis Date: 2004 Thesis Abstract: Gender studies have been conducted on several populations throughout North America using skeletal indicators of stress, such as enamel hypoplasia, non-specific infection, and traumatic injury. Using these studies as a baseline, analysis of stress responses in skeletal material was used in an attempt to infer possible differences in the lives of males and females from the Middle Archaic occupations of Dust Cave, Alabama. Results from this analysis were then compared to research done on other populations, in an attempt to place Dust Cave in a wider context. Results of this analysis conclude that males, who are much more susceptible to infection, were the more stressed sector of the Dust Cave population. Females showed fewer indicators of stress, and out-lived males by 20 years. Major Professor: S. Homes Hogue Name: Matt Dalstrom Email: mdalstrom@hotmail.com Thesis Title: A Pill for Me, an Herb for You: Acceptance or Rejection of Medicalization among College Students Thesis Date: 2005 Thesis Abstract: The literature is very sparse in relation to usage habits of nonvitamin, nonmineral supplements (NVNM) among college students. Over the past decade, NVNM supplement sales have steadily risen to a multibillion dollar enterprise. With increased consumption comes elevated health risks. Although perceived as safe by lay people, NVNM supplements have the potential for being dangerous. Very little is known about the potential side effects of NVNM supplements and possible adverse drug reactions with pharmaceuticals. This study examined 119 college students at Mississippi State University to establish usage habits and beliefs about NVNM supplements. It was discovered that students had a tendency to base their concepts of efficacy and safety upon parental usage and belief patterns. Some of the interviewees even conceptualized NVNM supplements in direct opposition to pharmaceuticals. For them, NVNM supplements symbolized nature, purity and control over treatment. Overall, this study highlights the importance of symbolism and culture in relation to medical beliefs. Major Professor: Ron Loewe Name: James Turner Email: jturner@mdot.state.ms.us Thesis Title: An Investigation of Violence-Related Trauma at Two Sites in the Pickwick Basin: Dust Cave (1LU496) and the O'Neal Site (1LU61) Thesis Date: 2006 Thesis Abstract: Osteological evidence for violence has only in recent times been thoroughly investigated. Several kinds of traumas indicative of violence have been identified in human skeletal remains worldwide. Such traumas include scalping, embedded and/or associated projectile points, cranial fractures, parry fractures and defensive injuries, decapitation and dismemberment, and evidence of cannibalism. Analysis of traumas at Dust Cave (1LU496) and the O'Neal site (1LU61), two sites in northwestern Alabama with Middle and Late Archaic occupations, was undertaken. Violence-related traumas were observed at both sites. A highly significant difference exists in trauma patterns between the sites. Results were compared to research done on other populations in an attempt to gain a better understanding of violence in prehistory and to place these sites in a wider regional context. Major Professor: S. Homes Hogue Name: Agnes Burris Email: agnes.burris@gmail.com Thesis Title: Defining an Alternative Typology for Early Holocene Projectile Points from the Hester Site (22MO569), Northeast Mississippi: A Systematic Approach Thesis Date: 2006 Thesis Abstract: There is a universally recognized need for a more refined chronological understanding of the Early Holocene in the Southeast. The Paleoindian/Early Archaic period deposits at the Hester site provide an opportunity to refine the local chronology for northeast Mississippi. Three-dimensional spatial analysis of these deposits revealed the presence of at least four distinct occupations. Attribute-level morphological analysis of projectile points excavated from these occupations indicated that base width, shoulder width, and basal indentation ratio, changed significantly through time. A paradigmatic classification system employing these attributes was used to classify the projectile points from Hester. These classes were successfully seriated indicating that they are true historical classes. The range of historical classes indicates that this alternative to the traditional point typology may provide greater chronological precision for the Early Holocene in northeast Mississippi. Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Jason Parrish Email: jparrish86@aol.com Thesis Title: An Archaeological Investigation of Four Woodland-Period Sites in the North Central Hills Physiographic Region of Mississippi: 22CH653, 22WI536, 22WI588, and 22WI670 Thesis Date: 2006 Thesis Abstract: Woodland-period archaeologial sites in the North Central Hills physiographic region of Mississippi appear to be highly variable in occupation size, site function, duration, and occupational intensity. To better understand the occupational history and settlement patterns of such sites, several characteristics of four Woodland-period sites located within the Tombigbee National Forest, Ackerman Unit, Mississippi, are evaluated and compared to a larger, previously investigated site, 22WI516. From the data obtained in the field and laboratory, a determination of the causes of variability among Woodland-period sites in the study area is attempted. Physiographic constraints appear to underlie much of the variability presented by the archaeological record. Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Jennifer Seltzer Email: jls30@msstate.edu Thesis Title: Determining the Presence of Cultural Bias in Wood Charcoal from Lyon's Bluff (22OK520), a Mound Center in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi Thesis Date: 2007 Thesis Abstract: Wood charcoal from archaeological sites is believed to be biased by the cultural selection of wood for particular functional purposes. To determine if cultural bias was present in the charcoal recovered from Lyon’s Bluff, a prehistoric/Protohistoric mound and village complex in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, an unbiased data set was needed for comparison. Leaf impressions in daub, were used to provide an unbiased data set. Excavation of a wattle and daub structure, Feature 27, provided both charcoal and daub, which were compared and used for initial analysis. Further examination of cultural bias in wood charcoal at the site, was done using selected proveniences located near the mound. This charcoal was compared to plant impressions from daub recovered from the 2001 and 2003 excavations. Comparison of these two data sets was used to determine the presence of cultural bias and provide insight into the habitats surrounding the site. Results from these comparisons show that different tree species were represented in the daub impressions and the wood charcoal. These differences appear to be due to both cultural bias and event duration (e.g., a short term fire hearth vs. a midden level). Major Professor: Evan Peacock APPROVED THESIS PROPOSALS Name: Keith Baca Email: kbaca@bellsouth.net Thesis Proposal Title: Chemical Variation in Marksville Pottery and Clays from Mississippi and Alabama as Regional Source Indicators Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Wes Bacon-Shulte Email: web101@msstate.edu Thesis Proposal Title: The Selection for Sedentary Settlement Patterns in East-Central Mississippi Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Scott Bierly Email: smb263@msstate.edu Thesis Proposal Title: A Study of Community Settlement Patterns Based Upon Sand Floors from the Lyon's Bluff Site (22OK520) in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Donovan Broussard Email: donovan_ul@yahoo.com Thesis Proposal Title: Petrography and Chronology: Archaeological Implications of Petrographic Analysis of Sand-Tempered Pottery Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Lorien Elmore Email: lls19@msstate.edu Thesis Proposal Title: Status Differences and Mortuary Practices at Lyon's Bluff, 22OK520: An Evolutionary Approach Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Sarah Mistak Email: sem147@msstate.edu Thesis Proposal Title: Prehistoric Freshwater Mussels from the Koster and Watson Brake Sites as a Proxy for Hypsithermal Climatic Change in Eastern North America Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Andrew Triplett Email: amt141@msstate.edu Thesis Proposal Title: A Study of the Chronological Placement of Selected Mississippian-Period Sites within the Ackerman Unit of the Tombigbee National Forest Major Professor: Janet Rafferty OTHER CURRENT STUDENTS Name: Taft Alford Email: rta1@msstate.edu Name: Bradley Carlock Email: jbc94@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Lacey Culpepper Email: lec21@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Guochiang Dou Email: gd121@msstate.edu Major Professor: Kathleen Ragsdale Name: Jason Edmonds Email: jle10@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Joseph Greenleaf Email: jag23@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Thomas James Email: trjames@uchicago.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Jason Kennedy Email: jak30@msstate.edu Major Professor: Evan Peacock Name: Lauren Lowrey Email: lel18@msstate.edu Name: Will MacNeill Email: wlm27@msstate.edu Name: Robert McCain Email: robbymccain@yahoo.com Name: Matt Morgan Email: mnm3@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty Name: Jackie Pietrzak Email: jsp82@msstate.edu Major Professor: Kathleen Ragsdale Name: Becky Read Email: readbecky@hotmail.com Major Professor: Kathleen Ragsdale Name: Jennifer Smith Email: jil1@msstate.edu Major Professor: Janet Rafferty

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Last modified Wednesday, 05-Sep-2001 13:32:58 CDT.